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[ CHAPTER THIRTY ONE ]
A Girl worth fighting for
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The first person to speak once James had made his swift exit was Sirius, his cry of wretchedness filling the otherwise silent room. All of a sudden, he buried his face into his hands and rushed to the mirror, staring his own reflection did in the eyes. His fingers grasped at his hair as his breath became panicked and shallow. Slowly, Exie approached, holding one hand out but he saw her coming, whipping around.
"Why didn't you say something?" His gaze extended to other two, "Why didn't any of you say something? You just let me yell at him like that and say all those awful things."
"Sirius - "
"That was the perfect chance for you to tell him, handed to you on a plate! You could have stopped this!" Sirius shouted at her as she cowered back involuntarily, his words stinging as if someone had just stabbed needles through her spine. Out of nowhere, Remus cut between them, shielding her from Sirius's verbal arrows.
"No, don't blame her, nobody told you to shout at James and that would have been a horrible time to tell him so don't you dare try and turn it around onto her."
For a moment, the two boys looked poised to fight before Sirius suddenly collapsed like a marionette who's strings had been cut. Remus's arms were there to catch him, the boys sinking to the ground as Sirius gripped his head tightly, "I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have let myself get out of control, I'm worse than my parents! He's going to hate me ... James is my brother, he's all I really had and now he HATES ME - "
"He doesn't hate you, he's just hurt," Remus said softly, "The stuff you said... I think he needed to hear but it was quite harsh - "
"Don't you think I know that?! I didn't mean to say it all but ... it just came out, like something snapped inside of me. I just hate seeing him be belittled and humiliated by her all the time especially when we need to lay low. He puts himself and everyone else at risk... I really said some awful things. How can he not hate me - ""
"Because you two are so close, it might take him a bit of time but he won't stay angry at you forever," Remus reassured him.
"Do you promise?"
"I promise."
This calmed Sirius down, his breathing slowly returning back to normal. Accepting Remus's hand up, he arose, smoothing down his jumper as he regained his elegance, stating firmly, "We have to find him."
"Yes," Exie agreed, still keeping her distance warily. It was taking all her effort to stop herself from collapsing, legs shaking like a leaf in the wind, "And I... I have to tell him everything."
Sirius shook his head, "Please don't feel like you have to. I'm know what I said just now but this is my mess to clean up."
"I get that and you'd better believe I am not cleaning this up for you," She took deep breath, "But I want to tell him now."
"In our plan we agreed you'd do it when he was calm, maybe over wine," Sirius pushed, clearly trying to make up for his words, "You should stick to it, don't change it for me."
"Oh Merlin's beard, I'm not changing it for you! Look, he deserves better than being kept in the dark. This isn't the perfect timing but this has gone on long enough. It's now or never," Exie said.
To her surprise, Sirius nodded, holding out his hand which she took. He gave it a small squeeze which she gently returned, their way of telling each other it would all be okay without having to utter a word.
Remus placed a hand on her shoulder too, "In ten years time, I bet we'll hardly even remember this. Things always have a habit of sorting themselves out."
"Um... I don't mean to interrupt," A small voice piped up from behind them, "But could someone explain what's happening here? I'm... a bit lost."
They turned slowly, suddenly remembering Peter was there, peeping out from behind one of the bed posts.
"I forgot you're just as oblivious as me..." Exie murmured.
"Alright we can't waste much time but here's a quick summary to get you up to speed," Sirius clapped his hands purposefully, "Lily hates James but she does like Exie which is great for Exie because she likes her too and now she's with her - "
"WHAT?!"
" - but not so great for James who also wants to be with her."
"With... Exie?" Peter slapped his hands over his cheeks, "Holy Hippogriffs, I never saw that coming, I thought he liked Lily!"
"He does like Lily... you know what, my fault for not being clearer," Sirius said, "There's a lot more to it including a tragic fight, a case of classic misunderstanding and one gruesome murder - "
"When was the murder?"
"It's called exaggerating for dramatic effect, those of us with a flair for storytelling do it all the time," He whispered aside, gesturing to a wide eyed Peter who looked close to exploding with excitement, "See, he's loving it."
"That's just called lying, no murder - Peter, there was no murder," She said quickly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I only actually told Remus but Sirius figured out, proving he's not just a pretty face after all."
"Oh, stop it you!"
"I'm okay about not knowing, just glad to know now," He admitted, "Better late than never!"
"Yes, I'll catch you up on the whole story later but for now: Marauders! Let's find James!" Exie shouted which was met by a loud chorus of 'YES!'. It would have been a lot cooler if they were all there and the circumstances weren't so bad her heart was pounding in her head but hey, it was a nice little silver lining.
"Okay, we should split up to maximise our chances of finding him," Remus said firmly, "I'll go to the Quidditch pitches. Exie, you find Lily and check he's not with her. She'll be his main target so get her to stay in the girls' dorms under careful watch at all times. If he can't get to Lily then that gives us time to talk to him before he can go ahead. Once you know she'll stay there, come find me! Sirius, you check any rooftops and alcoves James likes, reckon you'll know ones we don't even know about - "
He saluted, "I'm on it."
"Peter, you check the kitchens as he gets snacky. If we all fail, let's come back here to reconvene."
They all nodded and quickly rushed off to their respective places.
Never before had adrenaline coarsed her veins so hard as when she sprinted up the steps to her room, jumping at least three at a time. Lily was in there with Mary and Marlene luckily, the three looking on the panting new arrival with curiosity. Part of her wondered if they were James in disguise but reminded herself his potions skills weren't the best, definitely not making polyjuice alone levels.
"Exie!" Lily smiled, "I wasn't expecting to see you this early - "
"Too early, you can't have her!" Marlene cut in, "Wait your turn."
"Marlene..."
"You can't just leave me hanging out with Mary all my own," She joked.
"Glad to see my presence is appreciated," Mary folded her arms, smiling dryly, "What do you want, Exie? You look a little out of breath..."
The three girls suddenly remembered her vow of silence, Mary helpfully grabbed some parchment and a quill from her dresser. All three of them read aloud in time as she wrote.
"I ... am ... going to tell ... James ... about ... us - "
"Oh, Exie's that lovely!" Lily clapped her hands cheerfully but the smile died when she saw the grim look on his face.
"I ... need you ... to stay ... in the dorms ... with the curtains ... closed and not leave ... until I give the all clear."
"What's going on? Is everything alright?" Lily asked as Exie shook her head.
Thankfully the girls had stopped their recital as she quickly scrawled down 'James is missing and we think he's going to ask you out'. Strangely enough, Lily didn't look phased at all.
"I should come with you then surely? If I'm there, not only will you have support but I can turn him down, dead nicely too," Lily took Exie's hand, "Please let me come? I'll just get stressed if I'm stuck up here plus you can keep a better eye on me..."
Exie squirmed her shoulders but alas, Lily had made her eyes go big, "Exie, please?"
In hindsight, of course this would end up happening, Exie thought as she ran down the stairs, Lily's hand in hers. Lily's stubbornness was kind of her signature move, they should have factored it in.
Remus was already half way up the hill by the time they made their way to the Quidditch pitches.
"Exie and... Lily?" His eyes widened, "She's meant to stay in the dorms as that's the only place James can't get to her, I'm not sure this is the best idea - "
"No, I want to be here, Exie explained his plan and it's sweet you're trying to protect me from it but really it's alright. I've dealt with James annoying me for ages and this is my relationship too," Lily interjected so firmly even Remus nodded meekly.
"I suppose it's okay as long as we keep her in sight... well, he wasn't there and I checked thoroughly: the stands, the pitch, even that disgusting smelling changing room. Nothing," Exie nodded.
"Surely you can give up your silent protest now?" Lily suggested, "Remus is talking and this is a bit of an emergency."
Remus and Exie exchanged a glance which she broke by shaking her head firmly. He got the hint and covered for her, "I was never doing it in the first place, Hogwarts doesn't have a tyranny problem, they have a James and Sirius problem. Also... I... um bet Exie she would cave within a week so there's money on the line... one galleon - " Cheekily, Exie held up two fingers instead but Remus rolled his eyes, "One galleon. We should get back to the our dorm now, see if James has returned."
With that the three of them dashed off. They weren't the first ones back, Peter anxiously waiting on his bed.
"Any luck?"
Peter shook his head, before pointing at Lily, eyes wide.
"What?" Remus suddenly realised and sighed, "Lily, this is a weird request but could you please go in the bathroom?"
"Huh? Why?"
Remus sighed, "So Peter can speak."
"That's stupid, I'll still be able to hear him and I won't tell if you break this silent protest..." She realised there was no point fighting and sighed stroppily but obliged nonetheless, "Okay, I'm in. Knock yourself out, Peter."
"There was nothing, the house elves hadn't seen him at all!" Peter cried instantly, "What if he's dead or - "
All of them stopped as they heard the sound of a strange shuffle from outside the door. Peter squealed, leaping behind his bed, "What was that?"
Tentatively, Remus raised his wand, making his way towards the day as there was another vague flicker of movement, "Hello?... James?"
All three of them yelped as there was suddenly a loud bang as the door slammed open to reveal a dishevelled Sirius, "Do I look like James to you?"
Hand on his heart, Remus glowered, "Was the dramatic entrance really necessary, Sirius, now of all times?"
"It's always necessary - "
"Whatever!" Exie cut in, "Did you find him or not?"
Nobody's search had returned anything but a vital clue of his whereabouts soon became clear, spotted by Sirius after a cursory look at James's dresser. One drawer was only half closed, slightly jammed too and when Sirius checked a grave look crossed his face.
"We've been tricked, guys - his cloaks's gone. After he stormed out, he must have snuck back in whilst we were out searching to collect his things," Sirius theorised, "If James has the cloak, he could be anywhere. Why didn't we start on this map sooner, everything would be solved!"
Remus swiftly replied, "I suppose the best thing to do now is just wait here. He's only human, he'll get tired and when he does, we all know how much James hates sleeping rough. The boy was born in a four poster bed, he'll come back."
"Maybe we should look again..." Sirius said but his words were cut out by Peter's loud yawn.
"Sorry."
"Sirius, we're tired and worried right now. I know it's all concerning but James is most likely in the castle and he's smart. He wouldn't put himself at risk if the chance with being with Lily is on the line - "
Hearing her name, Lily made her presence known with a loud whine of, "Can I come out of here? Please it's all smelly and the floor's sticky - "
"That was definitely Rudy, nothing to do with us," Sirius called back.
"Come on, let's let her out," Exie said, "Remus is right, we should all try and get some sleep."
Sirius still looked haughty, "I won't be able to sleep a wink until James get back."
"Lovely, then you can be on lookout," Remus yawned, already heading to his bed.
"I'll stay here tonight, I can take James's bed that way if he comes back he'll have to wake me up - "
"Can I stay too?" Lily called from her solitude in the bathroom.
Exie gritted her teeth, normally she'd say yes but if James returned and found the two of them entwined in each other's arms, he'd either assume it was a three way or, more likely, figure out the truth. Whilst she was okay with Lily being present, this wouldn't be the way she wanted him to find out - telling him rather than getting caught in the act was rule one of her plan anyway.
"Lily, I'm not too sure that's a good idea, if I'm honest," Exie replied, explaining her reasoning. Even though she couldn't see her, she could tell Lily's face was frowning, only confirmed when she let herself up.
Still she understood, nodding a little sulkily, "Fine, I'll go back to bed but you have to walk me back, right? And please come and get me the moment you wake up!"
This Exie could agree to nodding before holding out her arm which Lily linked before the two girls made their exit.
Before Exie could leave Lily, she made sure to check the dorm thoroughly, searching under every bed and cupboard even the ones with only a tiny gap between them and the floor. Still, she knew James and you could never be too thorough. The girls were were given strict instructions to not open the window to anyone as James definitely could have got his broom by now. Just like Lily none of them seemed worried in the slightest.
"Wow, I feel like I'm in a spy movie or something," Marlene grinned, "Like you're the head and we're your lackeys. Our mission? To protect Lily from the evil clutches of James and his heterosexual tendencies - "
"Marlene..." Lily groaned.
"Don't worry, Exie, we'll keep in this room until you get back or die trying," Marlene said sternly, "Lily won't leave our sight."
"Yeah because James is known for his murderous tendencies," Mary said dryly, guiding Marlene away by her shoulders, "I do apologise, it's way past her bedtime."
After they'd gone to their beds, Lily gave Exie a long hug, kissing her cheek as she pulled away.
"Good luck, Exie, I really hope he comes back. Come and find me the moment you wake up no matter how early. I promise I won't leave the dorm until then, alright?" Lily squeezed her hands reassuringly, "Soon this will be over and we won't have to hide anymore."
They exchanged one last smile before Exie left back to the boys. When she returned all the lights were out. She got the sense none of the boys were asleep but it had been such an explosive day nobody was really in the mood to talk. Although she felt like sleep would never come, the moment her head came to rest on the pillow, her eyelids became overcome with heaviness. Even if her mind was awake, her body had been through a hell of a lot and she was out within a few minutes.
The next thing she knew, Exie suddenly felt herself jolted up, hands digging into her firmly.
"James?!" Her eyes snapped open hopefully only to be confronted with someone vaguely familiar, "Wait, aren't you the Gryffindor prefect - "
"Yes and this is the boys' dorm, Professor McGonagall will hear about this - "
"Lighten up, Felix, we clearly weren't shagging her, Exie's one of the boys," She rubbed her eyes just in time to see Sirius donning his dressing gown hastily over his very uncool pyjamas. The other boys were in a similar state of tired franticness... even Rudy. It was still pitch dark outside and the clock on the wall said the time was 4:30 am, things were very wrong.
"What's going on - "
"There's a threat to the school, everyone's being evacuated now," Felix said sternly, thrusting a jacket at her, "Put this on, it's cold outside."
Panic rose within her, "What sort of threat? Remus, what's going on?"
"I don't know, Exie, I don't know - "
"Several explosives were found planted around the school and one just went off on the roof outside the tower, we need to hurry. We don't know who did this but given the current political climate and amount of high priority students with connections that make them incredibly valuable this situation is of the utmost severity," His eyes flashed to Exie and Sirius in particular, "Us prefects have been told to get everyone outside right now. Now can you all please hurry up and follow me!"
"Is James still not here?" Exie asked, "We need to find him - "
"He'll have heard and got out, even with the cloak, it's hard to ignore this noise."
A sleepy voice suddenly came from behind them, "Between living with you four and now this, I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get a good sleep."
"Hi Rudy," Exie said, realising this might have been the first time he'd ever actually spoken to her.
He yawned, walking straight past them before doing a double take, "Why do you have leaves in your mouth?"
"Um... " Sirius was lost for words, really needing that wit sharpening potion, "Fresh breath?"
"I think... you three should stop your silent protest for now," Remus said firmly, "You can start it again after this but we need to deal with this first."
"Are you sure?" Exie asked and he nodded. The three of them exchanged looks before pulling the leaves out of their mouths."
"I feel empty without it," Peter sighed.
Sirius gave him a pat on the shoulder, "It will be back sooner than you know it - "
"I SAID HURRY UP!"
They didn't need to be told again, sprinting down the stairs into the common room which had never been in such a state of turmoil before. Gaggles of students of all ages were swarming, everybody desperately trying to push their way out whilst the Prefects desperately tried to quell the chaos. At the front of the queue, Exie spotted Lily, Marlene and Mary clinging to each other. Even from afar she could tell Lily was in a state of shock, all her actions a little delayed and her red hair pulled back with an emerald green scrunchie into the messiest ponytail of all time.
"Hey, stop fucking pushing me, we're all scared!" She heard Marlene's shrill voice over the crowd before she hauled her two friends through the portrait with her out of sight. There was no time to get distracted as she felt her arm be yanked by Sirius who pulled her down the stairs.
The Attia knobbly elbows came in handy right now and they were soon out, rushing through the corridors. Once they were out it was a free for all; this new level of mania made the swarm in the common room look neat and organised by comparison. Thankfully the Marauders knew the school inside out with the four of them instantly running in the direction of the nearest exit.
"Merlin's beard, I think there's another one!" Someone called a little way ahead as several people suddenly did a 180°, colliding with Exie as they scurried in the opposite direction. Peter squealed and followed suit, dashing off into the darkness but Remus and Sirius remained immobile even as numerous teachers ran past to investigate.
"Remus, Sirius, let's go!" She pleaded but her words fell on deaf ears. Even in the dim light, the lines on their foreheads were visibly deeper, "What is it?"
"That's not a bomb," Sirius stated.
"No," Remus agreed, their voices completely devoid of emotion, "It's a Firework."
The teachers had the explosive levitated, making it even clearer to see that they were right. It had a few alterations but that was a Zonkos' firework clear as day. Realisation dawned on her.
"You don't think..."
Her sentence tailed off but she didn't even have to finish for Sirius to give a grave nod, "It has to be. Oh, James, what have you done? I hope he's thought this through like usual, James never works unprepared - "
"You're right, he doesn't...I've just had a horrible thought," Remus was not reading the room at all.
"What?"
"James never does things unprepared, he knows his opponents and right now that was us. It makes sense that he would have done something, even if it was as simple as just listening in to figure out what our plans were," He reiterated gravely, "You know how we thought he came back after storming off to get the cloak? Well, what if he didn't leave at all in the first place: I don't remember actually hearing him go down the stairs, the room was eerily silent other than Sirius's scream and I swore I heard someone shuffling around when we got back. What if he'd just waited outside the dorm, sneaking back in when he knew he knew the coast was clear. He could have just waited in one of the windows or a little way up the stairs around the corner - we never would have seen him, especially in our hurry."
"If he'd waited there the whole time then he would have heard everything!" Dread rose inside Exie, "Including me telling Peter that we were together - oh God - "
"And us telling Lily she had to stay in the dorms at all times away from him," Sirius laughed, "He knew we'd be keeping careful watch on her so what if ... this was his way out of it."
"I bet he's gone after her now," Exie covered her mouth, "But she could be anywhere!"
"Evacuating a whole school for one bloody girl, James Potter, you are absolutely mental," Sirius muttered to himself before replying, "Well, then we'd best start looking right away."
"If he really did overhear our whole conversation then he could only be worse, he's likely not thinking straight. Plus this whole thing probably took him hours, it's bound to be sloppier than usual," Remus said, "We need to get to him before the teachers as I reckon they won't quite see the romantic side of this..."