Potter | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 132

As the day before their first N.E.W.T exam, the seventh year Gryffindor girls came upon a surprise when Lily showed up in their dorm early in the morning.

"Oh, Lil..." Alice let out a gasp as she ran toward the door where Lily had just entered and brought her into a hug.

Across the room, Jenna and Marlene glanced at each other, neither knowing what they were supposed to say to Lily. So after Alice pulled away after long seconds, they too took turn in hugging their friend comfortingly, lost for words.

"What are you doing here?" Marlene asked Lily worriedly.

"Thought I would give the examinations," said Lily with a small shrug. "I know I haven't studied for them after... you know... but I figured I would just give it a go. Doesn't matter much if I do bad in them anymore."

"I'm glad you're here, Lil," said Jenna with a sad smile.

"Does James know that you're here?" Alice asked.

"Not yet." Lily shook her head. "I'd gone to visit Dumbledore. He wanted to talk to me."

"About what?" Marlene raised a brow at her.

"The same thing he had asked you which you've all agreed to," said Lily in a quiet voice, frowning. "I told him I'd join right away. I can't let the Death Eaters get away with what they've done to my parents and many others."

After some while, the girls went down to the Great Hall for breakfast and they walked over where the Marauders were sitting.

Upon seeing them, Sirius nudged James to get his attention. James looked up, only to spit his drink out the moment he saw Lily approaching him.

       Sirius snorted. "Very smooth, Prongs. Real hot."  

       "Oh, shut up," James mumbled with a glare at Sirius before standing up, walking toward the girls and meeting them halfway.

       He came to a stop as he reached Lily, looking down at her apprehensively.

       "How — how are you?" James whispered, gazing into her green eyes.

       "Better," said Lily, giving him a half smile and leaning forward to hug him.

        After breakfast, Sirius, Remus, Marlene, and Peter went back to the common room, meanwhile the rest of them started for the library to study for tomorrow's exam.

        For the first time, Lily didn't study while they were there and instead had rested her head upon her pile of books on the table, gazing at nowhere.

       Every once in a while, James would lean forward to whisper something comfortably in her ear, but Lily would only give him a half smile in return.

     Around five months had passed since her parents' death, but she didn't look better in the slightest, which was completely understandable to her friends.

       Soon, deciding that they had studied enough and were ready for tomorrow's Charms exam, they left the library to get back to the common room. But on their way, they passed Avery and Mulciber.

       For Lily's sake, James hadn't laid a wand on those Slytherin boys for two years now, but he never missed the chance to shot them a warning glare to remind them who was in charge.

       Although, as it seemed, after these two years they had forgotten what would happen to people who offended James Potter.

       "Look who's here!" Avery sneered as the Gryffindors were passing by. He was leaning against the corridor's wall along with his friend.

       "Ah, yes. Hogwarts's biggest blood traitors," said Mulciber and they sniggered.

        James made a sudden move to reach out for his wand, but Lily was quick enough to grab onto his arm firmly, holding him back.

        "Don't," Lily muttered, glaring at them along with Alice and Jenna. "They're not worth it."

       James hesitated at first, but finally let his tense body relax against her touch and so sent them one last warning look before turning on his heels to leave.

         "Yeah, that's right," Avery called after them, "follow the little Mudblood while you have the chance. She might soon get the same stinky end as her parents."

        And that did it.

       Gritting his teeth together, James jerked around and sprang forward, punching Avery in the face.

       The boy hurtled backward, his nose bleeding as he fell t the ground. The two Slytherin looked up at James in horror before running away and disappearing from the corridor.

        "YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN!" James yelled after them. "NEXT TIME YOU OFFEND THE WOMAN I LOVE, YOU'LL END UP WITH MORE THAN JUST A BLOODY NOSE."

        James breathed heavily through his nostrils from frustration as he kept his glare at the end of the corridor where they had left.

        But the moment he turned around to face the girls, he found Lily, Alice, and Jenna staring at him in shock.

         "The woman you — what?" Lily said in a hollow voice.

         "Er..." James said awkwardly, running a hand through his messy jet-black hair nervously, ruffling it up. "Okay... this wasn't how I was planning on saying this for the first time... but I — I love you, Lily."

       Their eyes all widened even more. Jenna was staring between James and Lily in bewilderment. But Lily was just as startled, if not more.

       "I-I mean — you don't have to say it back." James laughed nervously. "You know what? Forget I even said that — I —"

       But he was cut off when Lily sprang forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down into a kiss.

        And then when she finally pulled away, she smiled her first real smile in the past five months as she looked up at him. "I love you too."

      Jenna opened her mouth to make say 'Aww', but before she could, Alice took a hold of her sleeve and quickly dragged her away.

That night as they sat in the common room, Jenna moodily folded her arms as she turned to face Alice. "Why would you drag me away like that? It's not like James had given Sirius and any privacy! If only I had a Galleon for every time he walked in on Sirius and I snogging..."

Marlene scoffed. "Jen, you and Sirius are snogging all the damn time. Of course you're bound to get caught at least once a week."

"No arguing on that," Sirius said with a grin, leaning forward to peck Jenna on the lips before laying down on the couch, placing his head on her lap.

Jenna chuckled, running her hand through his elegant hair and Sirius closed his eyes, smiling at her touch.

But they all looked up when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Lily and James walked into the common room, passing a noisy group of fifth years on their way as they reached their friends.

"Do I even wanna know where you two have been?" Jenna raised a brow at them.

"James was teaching me how to produce a Patronus charm," said Lily.

"Oooh, and did you manage to do it?" Peter asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Lily nodded with a giggle. "Well... I'll see you guys tomorrow. I need to sleep. It's been a long day." And so with a small wave at them, she went upstairs to the girls' dormitory.

"Why are you grinning?" Jenna asked James, who stood on his spot, watching Lily leave.

James just smiled, saying, "Her Patronus was a doe."