Origins of the Recipe: this dish was originally taken from the work of Mr. J.K. Rowling. Jewels, today's cook, is not J.K.R. and therefore owns no rights and makes no money off it.
Recap of Last Time: James, Lily, and Peter get lost in the forbidden forest, and stumble upon an interesting clearing, where it's possible to apparate. Unfortunately, Death Eaters are the ones responsible for this oddity, and a couple of rebels have kidnapped a sixth year, Redival Shelley. James, Lily, and Peter manage to rescue Redival and through some accidental genius on Peter's part, escape the forest. Observing the staff's battle with the death eaters, the four crash at Hagrid's hut, until he comes and offers them the opportunity to get back to the castle. This is where we pick up. (Long chapter, long recap.)
One last note from the cook: There have been some minor, minor changes to the previous chapters. If you've already read them, there's no need to go back and read them again, although you can if you want. They're just some lil' things that help the story flow better. Lily and Remus have a more complicated friendship, and there's less detail on past James and Lily interactions.
***************************************************************
"Things are only possible until they're not." -Jean-Luc Picard (not as good as Kirk, but...)
"Accio shoes!"
A pair of black, three-inch-heeled school shoes flew into Lily's pale hands, just before she ducked behind Rubeus Hagrid again. James rolled his eyes.
"You're thinking of shoes at a time like this?" he demanded loudly over the din, as Hagrid pushed the four of them out of the way.
"It's always the ideal time to think about shoes," retorted Lily coldly. With difficultly, she shoved her feet into the shoes (causing her to wince in pain) while Hagrid pushed them a little farther on, and a jet of red light came whizzing past his ear. It was tricky business- surviving the journey to the castle, that is. At the moment, they were in the thick of it.
Professor McGonagall wasn't the only teacher there now, nor was the female Auror who had come with Korcesh the only Ministry worker. Six others, whom Lily assumed to be with the Ministry, dueled here with the Death Eaters. Besides Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick (Charms), Professor Avelar (Ancient Runes), Professor Kettleburn (Care of Magical Creatures), Professor Grossman (Herbology), and Professor Carmichael (Astronomy) were also putting up quite a fight.
"Quick!" shouted Hagrid, pushing James, Lily, Redival, and Peter forward rapidly, to avoid being hit. But it was too late for Peter. He was hit in the shoulder with a jet of blue light.
James's Quidditch reflexes snapped in immediately. He caught Peter before he hit the ground, and pulled him to his feet, but the Marauder was unconscious. James groaned. "Come on, Pete," he murmured, trying to drag his friend. Hagrid, jumping in front of a stunning spell, turned to the students and issued a command that was very simple, yet very complicated, at the same time.
"Run!"
Lily- businesslike- pointed her death eater's wand at Peter and said "Renerverate!"
This time, however, it was less successful. "Renerverate! Renerverate! Damn it... renerverate!"
"Reading between the lines, I'd say it's not working," snapped James, as they struggled up the slope towards the castle. Hagrid was staying on the platform below, which left the students on their own. Redival, being the farthest up the hill, turned to help James pull Peter's unconscious self up. James left Peter with Redival momentarily, and turned to help Lily up, for she was having some difficulty with her shoes. But the glare she cast him was so contemptuous that he quickly changed his mind. Once she was up, the three moved as fast as they could- James lugging Peter- towards the castle. There was only a slight trickle of students still fleeing into the castle gates, which led Lily to assume (or rather, to hope) that most were already inside.
At the giant oak doors that opened up into the Entrance Hall, three figures stood, beckoning students in, and casting weary glances down the slope towards the Hogsmeade Station. One was Argus Filch, the Hogwarts Caretaker, another Professor Horace Slughorn- the Potions professor- (he gave Lily a grim sort of smile when he saw her), and the third was a completely unfamiliar, tall, slim man in his mid-thirties.
"Hurry up," said the stranger to Lily, Redival, and James.
James turned irritable eyes on the stranger ('he's not the one lugging Peter Pettigrew around'), but pulled his unconscious friend with a little more vigor.
Through the doors and into the enormous stone Entrance Hall, James, Redival, and (insensible) Peter went, but Lily hesitated. She glanced momentarily over her shoulder, surveying the sight. The professors were fighting down on the platform, which looked so distant now; a cloaked figure that Lily didn't recognize was levitating an unconscious student out of the lake; the forest, which appeared even more distant, looked calm and undisturbed. What a night it had been.
"Hurry, Lily," urged the Potions master, an unfamiliar look of slight fear in his large eyes. Lily tried to give him an encouraging look; she was pretty sure it came out more of a pained grimace. She passed into the entrance hall.
But Lily had never seen the entrance hall like this. It was dark. None of the torches that hung about the walls were lit. There weren't many students inside, either. About thirty stood huddled in a corner, but their stature and terrified expressions seemed to suggest that they were first years. James and Redival had waited curiously for the Head Girl, a few paces in.
"Get up to your common rooms as quickly as you can," Filch, the caretaker, was growling to the passing students. "Passwords are the same as at last year's end."
The stranger eyed James for a moment. "Take him up to the Hospital Wing," he said, indicating to Peter. James mentally groaned at the thought, but dragged Peter (holding him around the waste) towards the end of the massive hall, followed by a frantic Redival and a mocking Lily.
She raised the wand James had given her and flicked, and Peter suddenly went rigid. After a moment, he slipped out of a surprised James's arms and began to hover (still inert) a few inches off the ground. James glared.
"I was just about to do that," he mumbled. "Of course you were."
"Don't you two start at it again," snapped Redival. "Or at least get us two to the infirmary before you do."
"What's the matter with you?" asked Lily as they hastened up the large marble staircase that led to (among other places) the Hospital Wing.
"I'm about to have a headache..." Redival replied, sighing.
Up the staircase, through the second-floor corridor, up the left-wing... getting to Hogwarts' hospital wing was so etched in Lily's memory that she didn't have to think about where they were going as they hurried along. And it was lucky, for she had a lot of other things to think about.
The Head Girl's thoughts were a blur.
Down on the platform, Dumbledore had been nowhere to be seen. Why wouldn't the Headmaster of all people be there? Where was he? It didn't sound like him to hide in his office...
But something in Lily wanted him desperately to be in his office. She wanted him to be at the school, because some sense of security still remained while Dumbledore was at Hogwarts. And anyway, if he wasn't at the station, he might be in some position to listen to their (Lily's and James's) story about the occurrences in the Forbidden Forest. Somehow, Lily wasn't afraid that the Headmaster would take the "Forbidden" part, to heart.
"Here we are," stated James, who was now levitating Peter, pushing the unconscious's head down so that it wouldn't hit the doorframe overhead. But Peter was apparently not the only one who was in need of medical attention. The hospital wing was in a state of chaos.
"No, no, no, Thompson! You'll give him chicken pox if you give him that potion! The one in the green bottle! For Heavens sake not blue! Green!"
Madame Pomfrey was the witch who manned all things medical at Hogwarts. At the moment, she was busy to say the least. She moved back and forth across the room, shouting directions to some older students who had apparently volunteered to help with the injured. She paused momentarily when the Head Boy and Girl entered with Redival and the unconscious Peter.
"Oh Heavens another one," she sighed; "put him on a free bed... and if there are none put him on the floor." With that, she hastened to a student who was vibrating uncontrollably in the corner. James levitated Peter over to the nearest free bed, and the two other stood awkwardly at the spot for a moment. Madame Pomfrey returned presently.
"Any of you hurt?" she demanded quickly as James came and stood next to Redival.
"No," they replied in unison. James looked over at Lily, eyebrows raised.
"What about your feet?"
Lily couldn't dream of mentioning a few scrapes on her feet and shook her head quickly. "I'm fine," she said in the resolution.
"You're not fine," corrected James, surprised; "your feet are a bloody mess..." he paused... "literally!"
"I'm fine," Lily repeated through gritted teeth. "You're not bloody fine."
"I am bloody fine." "No you're not!"
"I think I would know." "Oh yeah right."
"l'm fine! And if you say another word I'll jinx you to 1991!"
Madame Pomfrey gave them bewildered looks. "If you're fine, leave. I have no need for... Thompson! Don't do that! Are you trying to murder him?" She hurried away, and James, Redival, and Lily turned to leave.
"So... what's wrong with your feet?" Redival asked Lily. Lily rolled her eyes. "Nothing."
"She's anti-shoe," James muttered. "Oh shut up."
The three trekked along the passage that led towards the Gryffindor Tower Common Room. Lily was half wondering if they should go to Dumbledore's office, and see if he was there. She felt that it was absolutely imperative that he know about the Death Eaters in the forest, and the details of their conversation. But she was somewhat apprehensive about bringing it up, so for the time being, she remained silent.
Soon, however, her apprehensions vanished, as a tall figure came hurrying down the stair that James, Lily, and Redival were proceeding up.
"Professor!" gasped Lily. Albus Dumbledore was taking long strides and coming ever closer to the three exhausted students.
He looked different somehow... older. He was as tall and slim as ever, dressed in the familiar magnificent purple robes, his long, silver hair and beard falling to just above his waist. But his face seemed suddenly more lined, and his blue eyes had lost their almost constant twinkle.
"Professor," said James suddenly and urgently, and it was the first time he had spoken since the hospital wing; "we need to talk to you!"
"Is it pressing?" Dumbledore asked swiftly.
"It's about the death eaters," James went on hastily. Dumbledore, who had already paused, gave the Head Boy an intent look. "They're in the forest too. They've found a way to apparate on the grounds. To penetrate the spell..."
Dumbledore took two steps down, and was now only one step above of the students. "You have five minutes," he said in a predictably Dumbledore tone.
James took a deep breadth and embarked on the story. Lily interrupted here and there, but they avoided quarreling (it seemed rude in front of the Headmaster, after all) surprisingly well. Dumbledore's white eyebrows rose slightly when James finally drew a breadth and stopped. Lily resisted the urge to emphasize the point that falling from the tree was not really her fault at all, and she remained silent, watching carefully the Headmaster.
Dumbledore's blue eyes never wavered from James's hazel ones, even as he spoke to another. "Redival," the Headmaster said quietly, "will you please go to your common room and wait there? And will you also, not speak of your experiences to anyone?" It was a request, but Redival could not have dared to refuse. She nodded and hurried past the purple-cloaked wizard towards the Gryffindor tower.
"You two," Dumbledore continued quietly, once Redival had gone; his eyes now flickered to Lily; "would do me a favor if you would wait in my office. Caramel Cobwebs."
James nodded briskly, and though Lily wasn't entirely sure what Dumbledore's closing words were supposed to mean, she too acknowledged agreement. Dumbledore bowed slightly, then slipped past the Head Boy and Girl. When he had disappeared down the staircase, Lily glanced at James.
"Caramel Cobwebs? As in... the Honeydukes candy?"
"It's the password," replied James, and he began to hasten up the staircase. "He always has candies of some kind for the password to his office." Lily followed, comprehension dawning on her. She had been to Dumbledore's office a handful of times (mostly for incidents that did not have detention attached- unlike James), but she had never paid much heed to the passwords.
James came to the top of the stair, Lily at his heels, but they did not take the left that would take them to the Gryffindor common room as Redival had done. Instead, they climbed the right-wing.
Soon, this stair blended and became level, branching out into a wide stone corridor. The path was familiar enough to Lily, but even more so to James, who did not have to pause once to think where he was going. They stopped about halfway down, where the quite conspicuous entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office was located.
A large, brilliant, if somewhat ugly, griffin stood, marking the spot.
"Caramel Cobwebs," said James confidently. Slowly the griffin began to turn, and soon revealed a spiraling staircase that both Heads knew led to Dumbledore's tower office. James stood aside. "After you," he said in a more than slightly patronizing tone.
"Ladies first," replied Lily coldly, bowing and allowing him to go before her.
"Oh well then you'd better not go in at all," James countered, not missing a beat. Lily gave him a "you're-so-funny-I-forgot-to-laugh" sort of grimace, then she stepped onto the stair before him. A "women-are-so-predictable" grin played on James's lips before he followed.
Dumbledore's tower office was large and circular. Oddly shaped instruments were situated in various spots throughout- most of them moving and projecting a whirring sound. All around the ceiling, portraits of mostly elderly witches and wizards snored noisily. They were the portraits of previous Headmasters of Hogwarts.
Immediately upon entering the office, Lily crossed the room and looked out the window. But the platform was not visible from here, and for a moment, the Head Girl wondered how Dumbledore had known about an attack on Hogwarts at all. It then occurred to her, however, that any member of the staff, upon discovering the death eaters, could have informed him. But that did not explain why it had taken the Headmaster so long to leave his office.
Thinking was beginning to hurt.
Lily sighed and walked around the desk to where James was standing. He was leaning casually against it facing the door on the wall opposite them, and she did the same.
"So what do you think?" she asked, surprising herself.
"I don't know," James replied simply. "It doesn't really make sense, does it? Why are they attacking Hogwarts if not to take it?"
"And what's the 'bigger picture'?" "And how does Hogwarts fit in to it?"
The two pondered the questions for a moment.
Finally, Lily said, "Well then that just goes back to the first question. Why attack if not to take, damage, or close the school?" But no answer came to Lily, and apparently, not to James either. So they stood there, leaning against the desk, for several minutes in silence.
James was growing quite impatient. It was becoming increasingly difficult to stand here and wait, doing nothing, while he knew there was so much to be done outside. He was capable of fighting the death eaters. He was of age. But there was no point in telling the teachers that, because they wouldn't listen. The unfairness of it all was incalculable.
But James was brought out of all reverie by the creaking of the office door. His and Lily's heads snapped up from resting on their chests (looking musingly at his or her shoes) at the sight of the opening door, but it was not Dumbledore who entered. It was Professor McGonagall.
She looked most un-McGonagall-like. Her black hair, always pulled so perfectly into a tight bun, was slightly loose, and at least three whole strands of hair had fallen free. Lily thought she would die of shock on that alone. McGonagall's robes were slightly dirty at the hem, and her face was pale and clammy. She wore no witch's hat (as was usual for her), and her long, slender wand was drawn. Her grey eyes settled on the Head Boy and Girl and gave them scrutinizing stares.
"Professor Dumbledore has asked me to come up here with you," she said presently, taking a step forward. Lily was inclined to take a step back, but didn't, because there was a desk behind her. "I hear you have a story to tell," McGonagall continued.
"How do we know it's really Minerva McGonagall?" James asked boldly. Lily gave him a "Bloody hell I can't believe you just said that out loud" look, which James expertly ignored. McGonagall raised a thin eyebrow.
James didn't exactly see what happened next, except that one moment Professor McGonagall was standing, tall and proud, before them, and a moment later, a tabby cat stood- shorter, but equally proud- in the same spot. The cat McGonagall gave them the same sort of stare that the human McGonagall would give, and she had the same markings around her eyes as Professor McGonagall's spectacles.
"I think it's probably her," Lily stage-whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
James made a face. Human McGonagall replaced the cat a moment later, and she stepped up to the Head Boy and Girl. "But how do we know you're not under the Imperius Curse?" James added presently.
"I'd have already killed you," replied McGonagall coolly. James was about to point out that the look on McGonagall's face seemed to imply that she wanted to kill him anyway at the moment, but Lily kicked him in the ankle rather hard, and he refrained.
The next thing that happened, however, made Lily slightly regretful- but only for a moment. Professor McGonagall raised her wand and pointed it directly at James and Lily. Both jumped, and had their own wands (or in Lily's case, the Death Eater's) out in a moment. McGonagall raised her eyebrows once more and flicked her wand. Two hard, rather dull chairs appeared in front of the Head Boy and Girl.
Lily replaced the wand she held immediately, but James was staring at the chairs in surprise, and took a moment longer to lower his own wand.
"Potter," Lily whispered. "Wha... oh..."
James lowered his wand but did not put it away. McGonagall crossed the office and stood on the side of the desk that Dumbledore ought to have stood at. She did not sit down in his chair (the idea was borderline sacrilegious to everyone in the room), however. James's and Lily's eyes followed the professor, and when she came to a halt on the other side of the desk, they turned to face her.
"Sit down," she said simply.
Lily sat down, but James looked hesitant. "Potter!" the Head Girl whispered again. James reluctantly took his seat on Lily's left and the two watched Professor McGonagall intently for a moment.
"Professor Dumbledore has given me an... abridged... version of your story," she said, her tone businesslike. It surprised James slightly, for he had been expecting that McGonagall would want the whole story; but McGonagall's apparent knowledge did put him at ease slightly. Slightly. "I have only a few questions," the professor went on; "where is Miss Shelley, now?"
"She went back to the common room," Lily said at once, earning herself a shifty glare from James. Professor McGonagall merely nodded.
"And Mr. Pettigrew?"
"Hospital Wing, Professor" replied Lily.
"And neither of you are hurt?" McGonagall pressed.
James suddenly gave a loud, false cough that sounded suspiciously like, "Feet." Lily rolled her eyes at him; "No, Professor," she said collectedly. "We're fine."
"You did not see any other students in the forest?" "No, Professor."
"Potter, did you?" "No."
"Potter... I would remind you I'm not Professor Casus and do not permit..."
"Sorry..." James interrupted; "I meant: no, sir... ma'am... Professor... no, Professor."
Lily held in a snort with great difficulty.
"And do you have any reason to believe that the Death Eaters took any other students, besides Miss Shelley?" McGonagall continued as if James's answer had been satisfactory.
"I doubt it, Professor," and much to the surprise of all, it was James speaking; "it wasn't 'part of the plan.' Voldemort didn't want any students injured." McGonagall's steely eyes were intent on James, but he wasn't returning the stare. He was gazing over her shoulder at the dark night sky, visible through Dumbledore's window. He hadn't noticed her flinch slightly at the sound of 'the name.' He didn't notice Lily giving him an appraising look. He was completely thoughtful for about thirty seconds, then was awoken by the clanging silence.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Professor Dumbledore mentioned something about apparition..."
The questioning continued for a few more minutes without event. James seemed to snap out of his distrust, and was more cooperative with the answering. When it was finally through with, Professor McGonagall's posture straitened and she thanked the Heads for their assistance. "The Ministry is clearing up now," she said, answering the question that had gone unasked, but was burning in James's and Lily's brains. "The school will be highly protected now. Professor Dumbledore will be here shortly, and will, no doubt, want to question you as well, but after that you may go to bed in peace."
Lily seriously doubted this but didn't say so. Instead, she said: "Have they caught any Death Eaters, Professor?"
Professor McGonagall was hesitant to answer. "I'm afraid I don't know many details at the moment. You'll hear more in the morning."
"Where will the first years sleep?" this from James.
"We've found accommodations until the Sorting can take place tomorrow..." The Professor paused, as if waiting to see if there were any more questions. It seemed to Lily that there were millions in her head, but she couldn't articulate any of them. "You'll stay here for a little longer yet," McGonagall said finally; "Goodnight."
She sidestepped the desk and the Heads and made for the exit. Only one question made it's way to Lily's lips before the professor exited the office.
"Thank you," she said suddenly and loudly.
Professor McGonagall turned and gave her a curious look.
"Down on the platform. Er... before we went into the forest, right when we got off the train. There was a death eater... he was... he was using an unforgivable curse on me. 'Crucio.' Sirius... Black... said it was you who stopped him... it was, wasn't it?"
She didn't know why she was asking, but something about Sirius's explanation had seemed inadequate. James didn't have any idea what she was talking about and gave her a look that clearly said so. But Lily didn't regret asking when McGonagall's slow but collected reply came
"On the platform? I'm afraid I have no recollection of every death eater I hit..."
"But he was performing the Cruciatus Curse," Lily reiterated.
"I am certain I did not see any of the Unforgivable Curses used on the platform, or anywhere else," the Transfiguration Teacher replied. And she turned and left. James looked at Lily, an eyebrow raised.
"Someone did 'Crucio' on you, did they?" "Yes."
"Did it hurt?"
"Bloody hell, what do you think?"
James shrugged. "Well it must have hurt. You're in an awful mood." Lily sat down in the chair again, and a silence reigned momentarily. James was slouching terribly as if he couldn't quite bring himself to compact his lanky figure into the space provided by the chair. His face was marked by unreadable thoughtfulness. Lily, meanwhile, was also in a pensive reverie.
It wasn't impossible that McGonagall had rescued her from the Cruciatus Curse on the platform, and it wasn't impossible that it was that Auror woman either. But she was burning with curiosity, though she didn't have the faintest idea why. Something about the whole situation felt odd.
It was like winning the game, and knowing the other team had let you win. Like there was no heart in it. Not that they could've won anyway- Lily supposed: not with Dumbledore here- but they knew that, and had to put up an obviously poor attack. They hadn't even attempted at the school, technically. The farthest they got was Hogsmeade, and they didn't try for anything more.
But why?
What was the "big picture?"
Why attack Hogwarts, without wanting to do anything to it?
The same questions as before were surfacing again. Everything was so confusing.
"Alright then," said James finally- causing Lily to jump, "what do you suppose?"
"Suppose?" asked Lily innocently, though she had rather a clear idea what he was talking about. James seemed to read her mind.
"You know what I mean," he said.
"I dunno," Lily replied truthfully. James shook his head as if to indicate that the same was true of him. An awkward silence followed, and neither Head Boy nor Girl was as usefully occupied as they had been in the previous silence.
For Lily, of all the inconsistencies of the day- all the confusing events, all the strange occurrences- this was the strangest. James Potter was Head Boy? Furthermore, she hadn't killed him yet? What was the world coming to?
Perhaps their conversation had been too agreeable, or perhaps Lily honestly did resent the action, but quite suddenly, she couldn't resist blurting out: "You were supposed to run." James cocked his head and gave her a curious look.
"Excuse me?"
"You. Were. Supposed. To. Run..." Lily repeated, enunciating every word clearly. Comprehension refused to dawn on the unfortunate Head Boy.
"What are you talking about, Red?" he demanded, thoroughly confused.
"Back in the forest," Lily clarified; "I told you when I climbed the tree, if anything went wrong, to run. And don't call me Red."
"And since when have I been demoted to taking orders from you?" (Lily wondered if he was referring to the "run" comment, or the "Red" one.)
"It was for your own safety, y'know."
"Well sorry if I decided it would be the gentlemanly thing to do to stop you from dying. To rescue you, for Merlin's sake." He looked almost uncomfortable to phrase it like so.
"My hero."
"Perhaps you'd rather I hadn't bothered, Your Royal Highness the Queen of Ingratitude?"
"Well... alright, thank-you, then... but that's not the point." "Isn't it?"
"No!" Lily rolled her eyes for something like the zillionth time; "the point is, that you were supposed to run if anything went wrong. And something went wrong. Or didn't you notice?"
"Well for your information, I wasn't rescuing you for you... it was for... er...
Redival!" "Oh really?" "Yes."
"And you thought I couldn't take care of myself and Redival?"
"I thought you couldn't take care of yourself... much less Redival, so I thought I'd step in."
"How very masculine of you."
"How very stupid of me really. I'm beginning to wish I'd left you." "Prat."
James snorted. "Prat? That's the best you can do." "I can do better, but I'm a lady, so I wont."
"Ha. Ya right."
"I can do better!"
"No, I meant the 'lady' part." "Oh shut up you cocky ba..." "Professor!"
Lily mentally swore as she heard James's exclamation.
She spun around and, with an expression not dissimilar to an owl's, saw where James was looking. Professor Dumbledore had just entered the office. He, unlike McGonagall, appeared completely untouched. A twinge of pink entered Lily's cheeks.
"Er... hello, sir," she said awkwardly. James snorted again; Lily kicked him.
The gesture was not as unobtrusive as she had hoped. For a moment, James thought he saw the amused twinkle reenter Professor Dumbledore's eyes- but only for a moment, and the moment it was gone, a heavy seriousness settled on the dark office, and James was almost sure that he had imagined it. He watched the Headmaster carefully, as the man crossed the office with a brief greeting to the Head Boy and Girl and sat at his desk across from them.
In his peripheral vision, James could see Lily straiten up slightly and even run a nervous hand through her thick ginger hair, perhaps in a hope of straitening it. The ends of James's mouth twitched, but he called upon all his recourses of self-control to maintain otherwise perfect signs of composure. Professor Dumbledore was preparing to speak.
"You've given me your story," he said in his cool, clear voice- so unnaturally calm; "or at least, you've given me part of your story. I should now like the rest."
A brief pause.
Then-
Lily plunged forward into the narrative, but James was apprehensive again. He did not speak, nor did he add anything to Evans's story, as he was tempted to. He did not stop the Head Girl from giving away everything and anything they knew; he noticed a few times that she left something out, or unnecessarily elaborated (such as the fact that the death eater hit the tree she had climbed very hard indeed), or did not elaborate enough (such as James's apparition tricks), but he didn't say anything. He just watched Dumbledore.
The Headmaster listened in silence. He watched Lily closely, occasionally casting his eyes to James as if to see if the Head Boy had anything to add. He did not interrupt once, and did not, in fact, speak until Lily had finished. When he did speak, his words were pensive and deliberate- so very like Dumbledore.
"And what do you two think?" A pause.
What did he think?
James wasn't entirely sure he knew the answer. He thought something very odd was going on here, and James Potter was always one to speak his mind. So he did.
"I agree," Lily added presently in concurrence to James's statement. The oddest occurrence yet: Lily agreed with James. "Why would they attack Hogwarts?" she added, a little bewildered with herself.
Dumbledore's thoughtfulness increased- if that was possible. "There could be many reasons," he said cryptically.
"What time is it?" James asked, very abruptly. Lily gave him a "look," but glanced at her wristwatch. It wasn't working, probably because of the lake incident. Professor Dumbledore pulled out a golden pocket watch, and glanced at the face, which Lily could not see from her seat, but was curious to.
"Eight fifty-eight," Dumbledore observed.
"Two hours then," reasoned James. "That's a pretty lame attack for Voldemort. Over in two hours? He could've done better."
Lily thought hard about this for a moment. It invoked several interesting thoughts. Why would Voldemort stage a pitiful attack? Why bother? And how the hell did James know so much about Voldemort?
"And what other reason would exist to come to Hogwarts?" the Headmaster pressed. He did not speak as if he doubted James, but Lily wasn't quite sure if he was speaking rhetorically.
"To... er... scare everyone?" suggested James, lamely.
Dumbledore's eyes gleamed at James for a moment, before he said: "I have an apology to make to you two."
Lily could not have been more surprised. Well, maybe she could have. If Dumbledore had stood on his desk and started blasting fireworks out with his wand, while singing "99 Butterbeer Mugs on the Wall," she probably would've been a little more surprised. But realistically speaking, she could not have been.
"Do you?" James inquired, curious. "And does this apology merit a free- ride from any or all detentions one might get this year? I'm speaking on Red's behalf of course. You know her..."
"Yeah, I'm such a rebel."
"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore pressed. A ghost of a grin had flitted across his aged face, which suddenly seemed less aged. "In reality, it is an apology to the students and the school, but you two represent the students, and I will make it to you."
The confusion mounted.
"I was not at the school earlier this evening," Dumbledore said, in the tone of one confessing a sin. "I was... called away to the Ministry. My business there will most likely become evident eventually..." an odd expression flashed in his blue eyes... was it anger?- "but it isn't of importance now. I did not leave the school unprotected- I hope you understand- but I was careless to leave on this particular night. I hope you will forgive me."
And his voice projected absolute sincerity. "Of course, Professor," Lily said earnestly.
"You couldn't have known," James added. Dumbledore said nothing but bowed his head.
"And now, I must ask you to speak of your encounter in the forest to no one," Dumbledore continued presently. "It is of the utmost importance. And when Peter Pettigrew is speaking again, I ask that you also inform him of this as well."
Lily nodded, and James mumbled an affirmative answer.
"This year," Professor Dumbledore continued, "will not be an easy one. The students will not be at rest, and there will, undoubtedly, be higher security measures taken to ensure the safety of all. Your task, as Head Boy and Girl, will be to calm your fellow students, without making them complacent." The glint returned to Dumbledore's eyes, as he noted the expressions on the faces of the two students before him. "Do you feel ready?" he asked, and it was not clear if he was joking or not.
Lily thought. Did she feel ready? There was to be no lying to Dumbledore. "No," was the simultaneous reply of both.
A smile flickered across the aged face of the Headmaster. "I wouldn't expect anything less," he said.
"Then... then the school is going to stay open?" Lily couldn't help but stammer nervously.
Professor Dumbledore paused. "Yes," he said simply. He did not elaborate, and he did not explain how he knew this, but he said it with the utmost confidence, and Lily couldn't doubt his word. She nodded.
Dumbledore bowed his head again and said, "Goodnight."
And that meant it was time to go. The Head Boy and Girl turned and left the office, more than slightly confused. Dumbledore was a great wizard and all, but he was positively mad.
They walked toward the Gryffindor Tower. They didn't know where else they were supposed to go.
Lily didn't think her brain could handle any more of Dumbledore's cryptic messages, and she forced them out of her mind with more unpleasant thoughts, that had been temporarily driven out. Namely, Eden, Alice, and Lexi. What had happened to them? She hadn't seen them since the Hogwarts Express. They'd disappeared almost immediately after the lights had gone out. Eden and Alice had gone to help the younger kids, but Lily hadn't known what had become of Lexi. And now, Lily didn't know what had become of any of them.
She silently prayed for their safety, and some of her anxiety must have shown on her face, for James- seeming to read her thoughts- said (with surprising warmth), "I'm sure everyone's okay."
Lily gave him a "you're so naïve" look. "And what makes you so sure?" she asked shortly. She privately regretted her sharpness, but she needed someone to vent at, and James was what was available.
"Don't tell me you went temporarily deaf in the Forest," James said, the coldness in his voice returning. "They don't want to kill any students... remember? The only death eater who seemed sensible of Voldemort's plans kept saying so. He said they'd be in trouble if they killed anyone, and if the school was closed."
"And..." Lily admitted, now falling into step and conversation with James... "They only used moderately powerful hexes on the train and stuff. Nothing serious. I only saw one Unforgivable curse used on..."
"You," finished James. "And someone stopped that before you got seriously hurt. I didn't see a single killing curse."
"Me either," agreed Lily.
"And," James pressed- they were walking very fast now as if to keep up with their similar trains of thought- "they didn't really pursue us in the forest."
Silence.
Lily pouted. "The only thing they could've done more to make sure Hogwarts stays around would be to not attack at all."
James had nothing to say to that, so he changed the subject. "What do you think Dumbledore was doing at the Ministry?"
"'It will most likely be made evident eventually?'" Lily quoted, sighing. "Whatever that means." And with that final lament, they came to the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.
There was a large portrait of a rather fat lady in a flowing and frilly pink dress. The lady- most commonly known as just: The Fat Lady- gave James and Lily apprehensive stares.
Lily supposed the Fat Lady expected James and herself to star tearing at each other's hair.
"Er... any news?" the Fat Lady in the Portrait asked, a little confused. "'Fraid not," shrugged James.
The Fat Lady sighed. "Very well... password?"
James cast a sideways glance at Lily. "You remember the password, don't you?"
Lily bit her lip, trying to remember. "Wasn't it like... toad spawn... or something?" She glanced hopefully up at the Fat Lady. "Toad spawn?"
"I'm afraid not." "Damn it."
" 'Toad spawn?' That was the beginning of like... fifth year, Red." "Oh shut up. And don't call me Red."
"Wasn't it in another language or something?" Lily tried to remember.
"Why'd you make up a hard password?" James whined to the Fat Lady.
The Fat Lady smiled at James slightly. "I didn't make up this password. It was the prefects who requested it."
"Well then it's the damn prefects' fault for making the passwords so compli..." James stopped suddenly. "W-w-w-wait! You were prefect, Red!"
"Damn. I was hoping you'd forget... and don't call me Red."
"Well stop hoping and remember the bloody password that you made up!" Lily tried to remember. "It was something in another language..."
"Ha! Told you so!"
"Shut up. Um... oh! I got it! Écarlate!" Lily said the last word with great alacrity. The portrait swung open, and James sighed in relief.
"Glad I remembered that one," he muttered.
"Prat," mumbled Lily. They entered the common room.
It was a large and circular room. It was also very noisy, full of anxious enquiries, swapping of theories, and even sobs. When the portrait hole closed behind the Head students, everything seemed to pause however. Whether it was out of relief that two of the school's most popular students were all right, or else out of surprise that they weren't strangling eachother, Lily didn't know, but it did grow quieter rather quickly.
It was the calm before the storm, for after some ten seconds of quiet had passed, everyone rushed to them, and there was a flurry of 'did you see so-and-so when you came in?' and 'what's going on?' and 'where's Dumbledore?' and 'are you guys alright?' For the next minute, Lily felt like a celebrity, until finally, James, who was far more used to this sort of thing
(probably due to the experience gained at post-Quidditch game parties) raised his voice and told everyone to back off, and that they hadn't seen so-and-so, did not know what was going on, did not know where Dumbledore was, and that they were both fine. Most people backed down after that.
But one girl did not. As people began to walk back to the fire, where most of the Gryffindors had been huddled up before, Redival Shelley came closer to James and Lily, who had not yet parted ways. The sixth year gave them both a quick hug, gave James a kiss on the cheek, and spoke to them quite earnestly.
"Listen, I... wanted to thank you guys for saving me out in the forest," she said quietly, glancing down at her hands.
"Well we couldn't very well leave you there, could we?" Lily said, with a warmness that outdid any she had used in the Forest. The melodrama of the term "saving me" did not escape her, but she didn't mind. James rolled his eyes at Lily's inconsistency.
"Ya, we just happened to be in the neighborhood, y'know," he added, hoping to lighten the mood slightly. Redival grinned up at them, dwelling on James, and then returned to the fire. James raised an eyebrow at Lily, and followed her.
The head girl, however, had different plans. From where she stood, just before the portrait hole, she scanned the room anxiously. Eden and Alice were nowhere to be found, but in the corner, sat Lexi. She was braiding a few strands of wet black hair, her eyes averted, and Lily knew she was waiting for her to come over to talk.
She crossed the room, and sat in a chair next to her. She kicked off her shoes, and said, by way of greeting: "You alright?"
"Mhm. You?" "Alive anyway." A pause.
"Seen Eden or Alice?" this from Lily again.
"No, we were gonna ask you that," replied Lexi. She let loose her wet braid, but it didn't come undone immediately. Lily observed a slight gash on her friend's forehead. She also observed that though her hair was dripping, her robes were quite dry.
"How'd that happen?" she asked, pointing to the bloody cut.
Lexi felt the spot, then shook her head. "Dunno." She glanced at Lily, who was in much worse shape. "You're socks are bleeding," she observed, deadpan. The redhead glanced down at her feet, which were, indeed, bleeding again. She pulled the socks off, and Lexi winced. "Lovely."
"Mhm."
"What happened?"
Lily found herself suddenly in an internal war. She wanted to tell Lexi everything; she wanted to admit it all, and get her friend's advice and view on the matter. She wanted to see Lexi's interpretation of the events, because Lexi was almost always right. But she had promised not to, and Lily always kept her promises... at least, when she could.
"Well there were these Death Eaters on the platform, y'see..."
Lexi rolled her eyes. "We see. So you have an army of serial killers with a vendetta against your feet..."
"Something along those lines, ya," shrugged Lily. The mood between them was light at least, and as long as it stayed so for a little longer, Lily thought she could overcome urges to spill her heart and head out to Lexi. "What about you? Injuries of any sort? Dying of a lethal poison you happened to inhale or anything?"
"Fine," mumbled Lexi; she slipped off her thin-framed glasses and rubbed them nervously with the sleeve of her robe.
"What's the matter?" Lily asked seriously, in spite of herself.
Lexi appeared distracted for a moment. "N-nothing. I mean, well, everything. The whole thing. There are death eaters outside, Lily." She was almost shaking, which caused Lily more shock than anything so far this evening (including James Potter's head boy-ship). Seeing Lexi lose control, even for a moment, was an absolutely alien concept to Lily. A moment later, however, composure passed into Lexi's averted brown eyes, and her pale face calmed. "Abby's in the infirmary," she added quietly, and it was the real reason she was shaking.
Abby Shaw was Lexi's fifth year sister. Lily watched her friend piteously. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
"She'll be alright, I expect," Lexi replied.
"She's tough. Of course she will be. And anyway, she knows she'd have you to deal with if she wasn't."
Lily watched as a fuller level of equanimity came over the girl next to her, and a moment later, Lexi was back. The normal Lexi. "Frank's in the hospital wing too," she said to the redhead, and it didn't bring about the loss of self-control that Abby's danger had.
"What's the matter with him?"
"We dunno. He got hit by something on the train before we even got to him. Alice helped us get him to the castle though, or we don't know how we would've managed to levitate him and cover self at the same time."
"And you don't know what happened to Alice after that?"
Lexi shook her head. "we lost her once we got to the castle, but methinks she went back."
"Went back?" Lily marveled at the idea.
"We would've too, only we had to get Frank to the hospital wing, and then Slughorn and Filch and that new professor made us come back here."
"That other bloke by the door is a new professor?"
"Teaches DADA."
"Ah. To replace Casus."
"Well Casus definitely needed replacing, after what happened last year, didn't he?"
Lily didn't want to digress. "So no idea what happened to Frank?"
Lexi shook her head. "We saw Eddie in the hospital wing too, Eddie Bones, I mean, but he was the only other friend we recognized there. We think his leg was broken."
Privately glad that it was such a minor injury, Lily nodded. Madame Pomfrey could mend broken bones in two seconds. Lexi's thoughts were differently occupied. "Do you think they'll close the school?" she asked calmly.
"Dumbledore doesn't think so," replied Lily, before she thought about what she was saying.
"You've spoken to Dumbledore?" her friend asked in surprise. "Wha... oh ya, I ran into him on the stair."
If Lexi found this odd, she didn't say so. Instead, she scanned the common room once again. "We wish we knew what happened to the others," she reiterated.
Lily expressed agreement, before adding: "I'm sure they'll be alright though. They're both tough... can't find better witches anywhere..." Lexi nodded.
"You know what's odd?" she said thoughtfully to Lily; "WE didn't see a single Unforgivable Curse. We didn't see anyone killed... the most serious thing we saw was maybe 'Impedimenta.' Did you?"
"Erm... no I don't think..." "Wonder why that is."
Lily inwardly smiled at her friend's quickness. "It would suggest," she said casually but slowly, though she managed to convince herself that this wasn't in any way, shape, or form breaking her promise to the Headmaster; "that they didn't want to kill anyone."
"We concur," agreed Lexi. "So why attack at all?"
"Maybe they just wanted to er... scare us," shrugged Lily; she was desperate for Lexi's contradiction and input. Any answer would be a good one at this point.
"Mmm, maybe."
This wouldn't do. "Or maybe," goaded Lily, irritable at Lexi's unhelpfulness; "maybe there's a bigger picture that we're missing. I mean, why attack Hogwarts if they don't want to kill anyone?"
"They didn't," said Lexi, taking Lily by surprise. "What do you...?"
"They didn't attack Hogwarts," she explained simply. "They attacked Hogsmeade." Lexi stood up suddenly. "I-I need to go upstairs. Try to sleep or something. Fetch us if there's any word on Eden or Alice or anyone, won't you?"
"Mhm."
Lily's eyes were wide as she watched Lexi slouch slowly towards the girls' dormitories. She'd been deeply affected, no doubt, and Lily wondered if it was Abby's injuries, or something else that was responsible. Lexi was all things logical, but her reaction was so odd, that she seemed almost (almost, but not quite) out of character. But, Lily realized, as Lexi disappeared completely, she'd only seen Lexi loose composure once. But she'd been angry then... not distracted, like this. Lily watched the stairway to the dormitories long after Lexi had gone.
And she simply sat there, waiting. Thinking was painful, and remembering was troublesome, so she sat there, deadpan and blank, waiting for Alice, or Eden, or something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She just waited for something to happen.
How long she waited, Lily didn't know, but about a dozen other people had gone up to their dormitories too by the time she pulled out of her reverie.
The Common Room, though still crowded, had quieted greatly, as everyone seemed to run out of things to say. The atmosphere was thick and depressed.
Lily, now awake, scrutinized the room. James was sitting near the fire, in the center of attention as always, with Redival sitting nearby, whispering things to him occasionally. But he didn't look like he was listening. He alternated staring at the back of the portrait, and at the still roaring fire.
None of his fellow Marauders were in the room, so Lily was pretty sure that Redival was fighting a losing battle in trying to get James Potter's attention at the moment.
Rachel Brossle, the only other seventh year Gryffindor girl with whom Lily had not spoken today, sat in the corner, and her eyes were red. Rachel was a tough girl, and it surprised Lily to see that she'd been crying. She was not surrounded by her usual group of sixth year friends (included in which was Redival Shelley); rather, she sat quite alone.
It was a night for anomalies.
The portrait hole opened and emitted another Gryffindor every once in a while, but by the time a few hours had slipped by, this had occurred less and less. The Gryffindors were beginning to worry. Lily was considering starting a search for Eden and Alice- beginning with the hospital wing- when, around eleven o'clock, the portrait finally opened again, and produced Professor McGonagall.
She was no longer disheveled and she had apparently changed her robes (though they were almost identical to the emerald ones she had worn earlier). McGonagall's entrance threw the already quiet room into absolute silence. She crossed to the center of the circular room, and it was obvious that her intention was to make an announcement. The Gryffindors seemed to come to themselves the moment they figured this out, and in an instant, most of the population of the common room had dashed to her side and were begging information.
"Quiet, please!" said McGonagall authoritatively; she spoke loudly and clearly, but she did not shout. Lily stood slowly and walked to where the crowd accosted the unfortunate deputy headmistress. "I've been asked to come here and request..." she said the word with almost contempt... "that you all go to bed soon."
There was an uproar of demands concerning the death eaters and absent students. McGonagall silenced them with a look.
"The situation is under control," she said, once everyone had more or less calmed. "Aurors and Ministry wizards will be posted around the school and around Hogsmeade for protection. As far as we know, there have been no... no student casualties. If someone you know is missing, it is likely they are in the hospital wing at the moment. You may be able to visit them in the morning, depending on Madame Pomfrey's generosity."
Everyone exchanged curious glances, either doubting Madame Pomfrey's "generosity", or pondering McGonagall's speech. The Transfiguration teacher didn't seem to notice. She turned, and the crowd behind her parted to let her back through the portrait hole. Before she left, McGonagall turned and said, most un-McGonagall-like: "Please, go to bed." Then she was gone.
No one went to bed.
McGonagall's news, though unhelpfully information-free, did give way to plenty more discussion. Muttering and whispering, the students spread about in packs, most of them returning to the fireside. Lily saw James begin to retreat towards the boys' dormitories.
But then the portrait hole opened again.
Two familiar (and welcome) seventh years entered.
At the sight of Eden Dearborn, drenched and still dressed in jeans and a loose white blouse (she had a wool blanket wrapped around her), Lily's face couldn't help but break into a thoroughly relieved smile. Leave it to Eden to insist on making an entrance.
Sirius was with her. He wasn't wet, and he looked quite proud of himself for having arrived so fashionably late. James was grinning as he crossed to Sirius and said simply: "You're late as usual, Padfoot." Sirius- or Padfoot- grinned as well and replied: "Ya, ran into a spot of trouble with Filch and McGonagall- y'know how it goes."
Lily barely paid them to heed, and hugged Eden briefly (ignoring the fact that she got herself a little wet in doing so). Eden smiled weakly and followed Lily to a corner where they could sit down and talk.
"You're wet, aren't you?" said Lily, by way of greeting.
Eden glanced down at herself. "Mhm. And McGonagall was a prick and wouldn't dry me. She just conjured me a towel."
"I can only imagine the taunts you suffered," said Lily, biting her lip to hold back a smirk.
Eden rolled her eyes. "Remind me never to wear a white blouse if there is any chance of encountering Sirius Black," she said irately.
"Check."
"Thanks."
They looked expectantly at each other for a moment, before Eden continued. "Be a love and dry me off, won't ya? I can't for the life of me remember the charm that dries clothes... I tried 'scourgify' but all that did was get rid of some mud..."
Lily drew the death eater's wand that she now possessed and flicked it once. Eden's clothes and skin immediately dried, but her shoulder-length blonde hair was still wet. She didn't seem to notice; instead, she was looking at the wand in Lily's hand.
"Where'd you get that?" she asked thoughtfully.
"Wha? Oh... the wand? Long story. Um... I found it. I must've lost mine in the lake or something... the boat I was in capsized..."
Eden smiled slightly and drew about half a dozen wands from the pocket of her jeans. She looked at them carefully for a moment, before handing one to Lily. Towards the bottom of the handle, carved crudely, were the letters, "L.E."
"You found it?" asked Lily, in disbelief.
"Obviously. It was stuck in the side of the bank in the lank, and nearly lanced me in the stomach. Your wand hurts like hell, gorgeous." Eden made a face as she put the other wands in her pocket again, and, realizing she didn't need it anymore, dropped the damp wool blanket onto the Common Room floor.
"Where'd the other wands come from?" asked Lily, though she had a suspicion.
"Some I found, some I took from downed Death Eaters," Eden replied simply. Her voice was quieter and much less exuberant for a moment, before it returned to normal Edenness. "Er... anyway... um... you look like shit. What happened with you?"
"Nothing. I had a normal, carefree evening. I just didn't put any make-up on this morning."
"Where's Lexi?" Eden pressed, for she must have guessed that Lily didn't want to talk about tonight.
"Upstairs. Sitting down here waiting for you was depressing, y'know. Where's Alice? Haven't seen her, have you?"
"Hospital Wing," murmured Eden. "Don't worry, she'll be alright," she added, catching a look in Lily's eye. "But she did get beat up pretty bad. When I found her, she was dueling at least four death eaters down on the train tracks."
Suddenly, Lily felt that her own evening might not have been as unusual (comparatively) as she had thought.
"She broke an arm, and something went wrong with her ankle too," Eden was saying; "so I took her up to the castle. Frank Longbottom took her to the hospital wing from there."
"Frank Longbottom? I wonder how he got back out..." Eden raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Lexi said she found him unconscious outside. He must've argued with Slughorn and left the castle to fight again once he'd gotten Alice to the hospital wing."
"If he did, it's quite an accomplishment. Slughorn made Black, Remus, and me come inside about twenty minutes ago, and he wouldn't hear a word we said."
Lily only caught part of this. Two questions came to mind, but she only voiced one, for fear of Eden's wrath. "Where's Remus?" she asked quickly.
"Hospital Wing," sighed Eden; it was the answer-of-the-night. "He had an extra limb... a second year hit him with a wonky spell."
Eden tugged a lock of wet blonde hair and Lily watched her intently. "So why are you so late, anyway, Eden Dearborn? We've been worried sick over you, I'll have you know. We don't have any faith in your survival skills."
"I was helping fight off the death eaters, Mom," replied Eden earnestly. "And why are you back so early?"
This took Lily aback slightly. Eden realized it.
"Merlin! I didn't mean it that way, Lily," she said hastily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
"It's fine, E."
"No, I..."
"Fine, Eden."
"But..."
"Eden." "I'm..."
"Eden."
"Okay."
Eden's already flushed face reddened a little more. She bit her lip. "Really sorry," she muttered.
"McGonagall wants us to go to bed," stated Lily, ignoring this. A few other students were drifting slowly towards their own dormitories and it seemed as good an occupation as any.
"Will you be able to sleep tonight?" Eden asked curiously. "I can't imagine it."
"No, but I thought I would at least sound like I'm a well-behaved person." Eden smirked.
Near the fire, James and Sirius were talking earnestly about something that Lily couldn't hear. James wasn't breaking his promise to Dumbledore, was he? The head girl was desperate to know, and could only think of one excuse to go over there.
"Er... I'm gonna go talk to Sirius," she said to Eden. Her friend went rigid.
"I wish you wouldn't," she said in an uncharacteristically stony tone.
"I thought you and Sirius were friends!" accused Lily suspiciously. She watched Eden, who, for once, looked away.
"I don't know where you got that idea." Her attempts at indifference were terrible.
"It might have been the time you said 'Sirius is my friend.'"
"Black is a bastard," Eden said, distracted "I'm going up to see Lexi. Don't be too long." And she left.
With mood swings, Lexi, Eden, sleep, and broken promises on her mind, Lily crossed the room as inconspicuously as possible. But before she was in earshot of the two present Marauders, they noticed her.
"Red," said James simply.
"Lily," acknowledged Sirius, with a little more warmth.
"Potter, (and don't call me Red)... Sirius," Lily responded, nodding. "Um... Sirius? Do you know what's the matter with Eden?" Sirius's expression changed from a purely neutral look to a completely unreadable but neutral nevertheless one.
"Um... no... she's... ya, I don't know. Bad mood, or something..."
Lily nodded. "Okay. Whatcha guys talking about?" She hoped her tone was casual. She was pretty sure it wasn't.
James raised an eyebrow, and looked away into the fire. Sirius looked a little bewildered, but said: "Tonight, what else? James was just telling me about what happened with him..."
The Head Boy's head snapped around to Lily and he opened his mouth to say something, but she was already stalking up to the dormitories, ginger hair flying. Sirius was left even deeper in a pool of puzzlement.
"What's with her?"
James remembered something from earlier. "She's anti-shoe," he muttered, more to himself than to Sirius. Padfoot was bewildered. "Never mind," James added, and he too pulled himself to his feet and walked slowly up to his dormitory. Sirius followed, confused.
OoOoOoOoO
Next time: detective work, reliving, repercussions, MORE OF THE MARAUDERS, new professors, back-story, assorted affairs, and the crazy subconscious...
Cheers,
Jewels
p.s. I only read this through once, so any mistakes or incongruities are my faults. But I really wanted to post!