*trigger warning-blood*
"Morning Lily." Bexley had arrived at the Great Hall a little earlier than Lily as she was busy preparing for the plan tonight.
"Morning. How comes you're up so early? Usually, I have to bribe you out of bed with food." Lily rubbed her eyes and settled in front of a plate of toast.
"I just wanted to get some extra reading done." Bexley's answer was far too innocent and Lily gazed at her suspiciously.
"Hm okay. Oh, I forgot to say, Sirius took back his parchment." Bexley turned to Lily with a look of confusion. "You know, the one you stole, that big bit of parchment."
"Lily! Why didn't you stop them! It wasn't parchment." Bexley huffed.
"Stop sulking. If it wasn't parchment what was it?" Lily took a bite of her toast.
"I think it was a map of some kind. I tried some spells on it to reveal the true purpose. I only got so far to make out the word 'map'. It's covered in enchantments." This news seemed to have perked Lily up as she chewed thoughtfully on her toast.
"Maybe it's how they always manage to sneak around the castle undetected."
"My thoughts exactly Evans." Bexley sipped her coffee and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence, pensive faces matching each other. A loud ruckus erupted from the other end of the Hall and to no ones surprise it was the Marauders. James paused for a moment when he caught sight of Lily but was bustled on by Remus.
"Are we still on for our study date?" Bexley drew Lily's attention back.
"Of course, we have to work on our essay."
"Thank you for reminding me." Bexley grimaced, but her mind was decidedly buzzing with excitement for the evening that would follow.
***
The first half of the day went by as expected, Lily and James made awkward eye contact throughout every lesson and Sirius and Bexley could not for the life of them stop beaming. However, regularity was disrupted when Bexley headed to the bathroom just before the end of lunch. As she skipped down the corridor, she felt a hand grip her arm and pull her into a vacant classroom. Instantly she reached for her wand and pointed it at her attacker.
"I just want to talk." Severus spat with his wand pointed at Bexley too.
"Severus you scared the pumpkin juice out of me!" Bexley stuffed her wand back into her robe and smiled gratefully as Severus did the same. "What do you want to talk about?" But she had a funny feeling she knew.
"Lily." Bingo Bexley thought.
"Look, Severus, she's upset with you right now. She tries to be your friend and then you call her that! Not very friendly if you ask me."
"I know all right!" Severus ran a hand through his slick hair, regret brimming in his eyes. "It's just the way I was raised, my default is-"
"Severus get a grip!" Bexley interrupted. "Yes, I understand you had a hard childhood, but you aren't at home anymore Severus, you're at Hogwarts. If you were going to shame all the 'Mudblood' students, you wouldn't have time to go to class! So why Lily, you guys are friends, what's going on?" Bexley's tone softened. She knew just how much Lily meant to Severus but she could never truly understand why he chose to isolate her, to block her out. Part of her thought it was jealousy, James had always been in Lily's sight, despite her protests, she couldn't deny that there was something there, an invisible force just pulling them together, well invisible to them, everyone else saw it.
"Because I lo..." Severus stopped and shunned himself. "I care about her all right, and I hate that arrogant Potter is chasing her! He doesn't deserve her!"
"I hate to break it to you Sev, but you don't exactly deserve her either. Lily needs a friend right now okay? Just try and be that for her, minus the calling her a Mudblood." Severus sighed and glared at Bexley.
"It's not that simple."
"It's that or let her go, Severus. The choice is yours." Bexley smiled sympathetically and placed a gentle hand on his arm.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Bexley left the classroom and wondered whether Severus would try to make amends, or if he would indeed let he go. Would it save him heartache if he did? Lost in her mind, Bexley slammed into another body and toppled onto the floor.
"Morgan we have got to stop meeting like this." Bexley looked up and saw Sirius towering over her.
"I don't know, you're somewhat attractive from this viewpoint." Bexley grabbed Sirius's outstretched hand and he hoisted her to her feet.
"You've got to stop flirting with me Morgan or I'll have to report it. What are you doing anyway? Not like you to skive off lessons."
"I wasn't!" Bexley announced offended. "I was talking to Severus, I just lost track of time."
"Why were you talking to that grease ball? Did he hurt you?"
"What? Sirius, no. It's Severus, he wouldn't do that to me, or Lily. Maybe to you, y'all hate each other for some reason beyond me."
"Just watch him alright?"
"I will. So what are you doing sneaking around?" Bexley looked at Sirius's hands and saw a large piece of parchment.
"I was making sure everything was ready for tonight."
"And parchment helped you do this?"
"Not just parchment. Thanks for stealing it by the way. You gave me a heart attack."
"I didn't steal it! I borrowed it...It doesn't matter. Are you going to show me what it does?" Sirius retrieved his wand and tapped the parchment.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Ink began to flood the parchment in delicate lines and curves.
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present The Marauder's Map. You guys made this? Sirius this is amazing." Bexley looked at the map and the layout of the castle and prodded it with her finger, identifying herself and Sirius on the map.
"I know it is. Look, James is waiting outside the girl's dormitory." Bexley looked and there was a tiny dot labelled James Potter.
"Now I know how you've been causing mischief all this time. But what if someone finds the map? How do you hide it?"
"Glad you asked. Mischief managed." Sirius tapped the parchment again and the ink disappeared as fluidly as it had decorated the parchment.
"Oh, the irony." Bexley linked her arm through Sirius's as they wandered the halls, avoiding teachers and even the head prefect. They spoke about the plans for this evening and once again went over the time they would be meeting. Of course, they were both anxious, what if something went wrong? What if Lily said no? So many what if's. Dinner came around and Lily spent it scolding Bexley for missing a lesson, her only defence was that it was only Herbology, a lesson she found particularly easy.
"It doesn't matter! You're not using my notes for the essay we were set, if it's so easy, it shouldn't be a problem. And don't be late tonight,7 pm okay? I want an early night." Lily suspired.
"You look like you could sleep for about a week." Lily's appearance had become extremely rugged over the fallout with James. In the space of a few days, her hair became brittle and wiry looking, her eyes had lost their usual spark and instead endorsed dark purple rings. Her eyes often bloodshot and her lips dry, Bexley knew it was torture for her friend.
"Cheers." Lily rested her head on the table and Bexley reached over, combing her fingers through her hair.
"It'll be all right you know? Things will work themselves out."
"Only with some form of divine providence." Lily unknowingly complimented Bexley.
"Come on, eat up, we'll head to the library early." Lily submitted and ate more than she had all week. By the end of dinner, some colour blessed her face again, life appeared in her cheeks. They settled down in the library in their usual tucked away corner and began to work on their Herbology essay, throughout Bexley kept an eager eye on the clock. Whispering for time to just get a move on, finally, after what felt like days, the clock struck 7 pm. Bexley rose from her chair, announcing she had to use the bathroom, Lily barely acknowledged this as she was so consumed by the properties of dragon's blood. Bexley hurried out of the library and gave Madam Pince a thumbs up. She was on good terms with the librarian, she was her haven for the first year of Hogwarts before Lily and she had established a friendship. Madam Pince, upon hearing the tale of reuniting to young souls could not say no, for Bexley knew she was a romantic. Madam Pince cast a few protective spells and silencing charms, and swiftly entered her office, leaving Lily alone.
"Sirius!" Bexley whispered loudly, coaxing the boys from their hiding place. Sirius and James appeared, James holding a bouquet of flowers, lilies. Bexley smiled like a proud mother and straightened his school tie for him. "Perfect. Now, just remember, if you hurt her I won't hesitate to relieve you of your manhood." Bexley innocently brushed fluff of James's shoulder as he stared down at her aghast.
"Go get her mate." Sirius propelled James into the library as he and Bexley slipped away behind some books cases. Taking their position, they nodded to James and retrieved their wands, uttering Wingardium Leviosa, a hundred candles began to ascend from their hiding places, floating towards Lily.
"Merlin!" Lily squealed and sat upright in her chair. "Peeves! This is not funny! It's a safety-"
"Not Peeves." James appeared from behind a neighbouring bookcase as a nervous schoolboy.
"James I-"
"No, Lily please, just listen to me. You've pushed me away just let me have this moment and if you still decide you want nothing to do with me, as much as it will kill me, I'll leave you alone." Lily let his words sink in before nodding her head in approval.
"First, I would like to apologise for hitting Severus, I know you two have a bond that I will never comprehend, but I couldn't let him talk to you like that, Lily you mean the world to me and for him to say it, it just wound me up. I'm sorry. But Lily, when I'm with you, rationality and reason seem to cease to exist and there's only you. You're my gravity, you keep me grounded but make me feel like I'm on cloud nine at the same time, and you have absolutely no idea that you do this. You're so blissfully unaware of just how special you are and refuse to allow me to treat you like you deserve and it's infuriating. Lily, you drive me absolutely insane, the way you always have to be right, the fact that school means more to you than having a social life which is beyond me, how you bite your tongue when you're thinking about more advanced words to use. The love you give to everyone apart from yourself, Lily Evans, standing here, in front of you, no games, no jokes, I have to tell you that I am positively, utterly, completely and spellbindingly in love with you. I have been since I first laid eyes on you and if you'll have me, I'd love to be the one who distracts you from schoolwork and who gives you headaches, but also the one whom you'll turn to in times of trouble. So, what do you say Evans?" James panted the last few words, Bexley and Sirius holding each other's hand in apprehension, palms sweaty as they stared at Lily as she rose from her chair and walked towards James. Silence filled the space between them and Bexley's hurt thumped in her chest, she was sure Sirius could hear it like she had a megaphone directly over it.
"James Potter, you are a complete pain the arse." James smiled sheepishly until Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. Squealing in excitement, Bexley nudged Sirius and the two of them began to bewitch the ceiling of the library. Stars and comets began to appear, glistening above them, Bexley's grin spread across her face as she too pulled Sirius into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the floor, spinning her around under the night sky. Bexley stifled her laughter, giving James and Lily a moment and pulled back from Sirius, still in his arms she looked down at him. Noticing the way his hands moulded you her hips, she found that she quite liked the sensation. Smiles etched across both of their faces, Bexley brushed Sirius's tousled hair from out of his eyes and mesmerized herself in his misty grey eyes. Be brave, Bexley encouraged herself. Her hands cupped his cheeks as she brought her face closer to his-
"About time wouldn't you say?" Remus's voice called from behind them, Sirius abruptly dropped Bexley back to the floor.
"Oh yes. Definitely." Bexley straightened out her robes and took a few profound breaths, trying to calm the fire in her stomach.
"Bexley?" Lily peered around the corner and saw the three of them standing there.
"What a surprise to see you here! We were just, uh, playing a... a... a Game! Yes! A game. Ha Sirius you're it!" Punching Sirius's arm, he scowled, yet they too nodded.
"You're such an idiot." Lily pulled her best friend into a tight embrace and whispered in her ear "Thank you."
"I love you, Lilith."
"I love you too." The girls pulled apart and Lily sank into James, his arm quick around her hips, Bexley knew he wouldn't be letting go anytime soon.
"You two get out of here, we'll clear up," Remus told them.
"Are you sure?" James asked.
"Yes! Go!" Bexley practically pushed them out of the library and they set to work safely lowering all the candles and taking them back to their Charms classroom. Yet as they walked down the hallway back to the library to return the bewitched ceiling back to normal, Bexley heard a howling, she stopped dead in her tracks and looked out the window of the castle.
"Did you hear that?" She asked the boys.
"Probably Peeves messing around," Remus answered quickly.
"It's not a full moon, how is a werewolf out?"
"What?" Sirius demanded they turned to Bexley.
"Well, I..." Bexley hadn't meant to let this information slip, she really needed to stop thinking out loud. "Remember when I told you that I was in the Forbidden Forest? Well, I saw a werewolf."
"And how exactly are you still alive!" Sirius inquired, panic in his voice, he cast a furtive look at Remus.
"I, I don't really know. I sort of felt a connection with him. Like I knew he wouldn't hurt me. It was almost as if I knew the werewolf, he seemed to know me too, characteristics of and Animagus but it most certainly wasn't one."
"How do you know about Animagi?" Remus's voice matched Sirius's panic punctuating it.
"Why does it matter?"
"Hey, I don't know Bex, maybe because you could've been killed!" Sirius shouted.
"No, it wouldn't have killed her," Remus answered quietly.
"What makes you say that?" Bexley's eyes shifted between both Remus and Sirius waiting for an answer. "Well?"
"Just promise us you won't go back into the forest alone." Remus pleaded.
"I'll do whatever I damn please." Bexley folded her arms across her chest.
"Morgan we're serious," Sirius argued.
"And so am I Sirius! You can't be all mysterious and expect me not to ask questions! You boys have secrets, fair enough, but Lily and I are apart of this now too, you can't shut us out when you feel like it."
"You're one to talk about secrets," Sirius muttered.
"And what's that supposed to mean!" Bexley scowled.
"I think you know, say had any headaches recently?" Sirius retorted Bexley's nostrils flared.
"Yes, I'm looking at the embodiment of one! Come and talk to me when you feel like being a grown-up!" She swiftly turned and stomped her way towards the library. He couldn't know, could he? Lily was the only person whom she had told about her secret, her parents called it a gift, but as she grew older Bexley realised it was more like a curse, a curse in which she was helpless to. She reached the library and extracted her wand, setting about to reverse the spell on the ceiling when the door opened again.
"Just leave me alone-" Bexley turned and came face to face with Lucius Malfoy. "Crap."
"Indeed. I told you that you wouldn't get away with it." Lucius's lip was free of any bruising or cut, Bexley gripped her wand.
"Pathetic." Lucius's eyes shifted to behind Bexley and her wand hand was grabbed, squeezing, forcing her to drop her wand, in her peripheral she identified Bellatrix. Bexley was shoved against a bookshelf, Lucius clamped his hand over her mouth and held her wrist out as Bellatrix's nails sank into the skin on her right wrist, Bexley's cry was muffled. Bellatrix wasted no time in retrieving a pocket knife from her robes, she rolled up Bexley's right sleeve and carved into her forearm. Bexley screamed into Lucius's hand, her legs thrashing and kicking as the blade was cool against her skin, she went numb, tears streamed down her cheeks as she clenched her eyes shut praying for Sirius to come barging in. But he didn't, Bellatrix pocketed her blade and stared in awe at her work.
"Now, you'll always know just how filthy you are." Bellatrix hissed into Bexley's ear, she was released and collapsed onto the floor. Bellatrix cackled as Lucius followed her out of the library. Bexley's arm seared with pain as she laid crumpled on the floor, she knew revenge would be taken, but this, this was beyond anything she thought Bellatrix capable of. She stayed like this for a while, her cheek pressed to the cool tile of the floor. Bexley took a deep breath and sat up, forcing herself to look at her arm, Mudblood was written there, she pressed her head against the bookshelf and tried to steady her breathe and compose herself. Slowly she rose from the floor, she picked up her wand and finished her spell, reverting the ceiling to normal, Bexley carefully pulled her robe sleeve down, the fabric brushing the cuts made her wince. Knocking on Madam Pince's door she said a quick thank you and scurried off to the Common Room. Upon entering the Common Room, many people were still up as it wasn't as late as she had thought, Bexley made her way swiftly to bed, hiding behind a group of people avoiding the eyes of Lily, not wanting to ruin her night because that would be selfish Bexley thought.
Thankfully, their dorm was still empty, Bexley rummaged through her trunk and pulled out a little Muggle first aid kit her father made her pack. She thanked her father silently and began to clean and wrap up her arm with gauze. She knew she could do this with magic, but something about the simplicity of the Muggle act calmed her, gave her a sense of control. Pulling off her robes, she dressed in her pyjama's and hid under her duvet. A few hours went past, and she heard the rest of the girls enter and ready themselves for bed.
"Bex?" Lily spoke softly through her bed curtains, Bexley couldn't bring herself to answer, knowing that with one look at Lily she would break down, and this Bexley could not allow. "Thank you again," Lily whispered before getting into her bed and wishing the other girl's good night. Bexley pressed her hand over her mouth, hoping this would stop her from crying, no such luck. Bexley's eyes were hot with tears, they cascaded down her cheeks, soaking her bedsheet, she allowed herself to cry for a while, then the worst part, the staring into space. Bexley's mind felt detached from her body as she stared into the darkness, she didn't feel like she was real. She peered out from the covers and quietly pulled back her curtain, staring out at the moon, she welcomed the detached feeling, it must have been late in the night before she finally let herself sleep. Yet it wasn't restful, it was interrupted with visions of Lily and James, warmth spread through her body as she saw the two tangled in each other's embrace, it quickly came to an end when she saw herself and Sirius, they were arguing, the vision went blurry and all she could think about was Sirius holding his wand to her, tears wetting his cheeks. Despite the dream, when she woke in a sweat, all she wanted was to be held by Sirius.
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Hey guys! Sorry this was quite long I just got carried away! I hope you're having a lovely morning/afternoon/ evening <3
See you soon!
M🐮