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Continued from here because the post got too long...
Title: Truths Surfacing
Word Count: 2321
"Honest, Moony. Just a little tickle and that pang in your stomach will be gone," James said matter-of-factly, reaching into the pocket of his robes and pulling out a bright red apple. "Besides, they've got more than just fruit to snack on," he added, pushing his glasses up before biting loudly in to the apple. Remus sighed and shook his head, pulling his knees up to his chest as he stared out the window. All it took was the smallest sliver of moonlight to make him feel like he would never be warm again, and right now the moon was only days from being full.
"You know that's not what I'm craving," he said quietly from the window.
"Hardly a problem," Sirius offered up loudly. "I'm sure they've got a sirloing or two down there. Either that or we wait a few days and feed Wormtail to you!" he added with an evil grin.
"Hey!" Peter squealed as Sirius jumped from the bed he had been sitting on and yanked his friend off another.
"I'll even get him started for you!" the young Black cackled, leaning down as though to take a bite out of his chubby friend.
"Sirius, stop!" Remus leaned over and grabbed a pillow from the nearest bed, hurling it weakly at the tall fram of Sirius Black. "Leave him alone."
James stood still in his corner of the room, moving only to take bites of his apple. "So what do you say Moony? It's only nine thirty and you even have a Head Boy escort," he said with a wink. In one swift move, he took a last bite of his apple and tossed the core into the air, straight at Sirius. In a flash, the other boy had pulled out his wand, uttered a blasting curse, and ducked for cover, laughing hysterically as bits of apple splattered across the room.
"Sirius!" Peter cried out, having been the landing pad for most of the apple explosion.
"Oh, come off it Wormy!" Sirius muttered, trying to hide the grin on his face. "It's all in good fun."
"Yeah, for you," Peter spluttered, muttering something under his breath as he wiped the apple from his robes. "If I remember correctly, you were having good fun with an orange last week, and I smelled like orange juice for a good two days straight. When do I get to splatter something all over you?"
"Hopefully never." Sirius made a face, looking at James with a devilish grin. "But we weren't talking about you wayway, we were debating whether Moony wants a romp down to the kitchens," he added, turning to smile at his fellow Gryffindor, only to find that Remus was nowhere to be found. "Remus?" Sirius looked questioningly at James, who shrugged his shoulders lazily.
"Probably made a last minute run to the loo," he offered. A quick charm, and seconds later the room was free of apple debris. "Besides, he's a prefect, big boy and all. He can take care of himself." The other Gryffindors nodded and turned to their beds. James listened as his friends fell asleep. Sirius was out like a light, as always. His fellow raven-haired mischief maker had never had problems falling asleep, no matter where he was. Peter was asleep not to long after. Ever since the beginning of sixth year, the smallest of the Marauders had taken to whimpering in his sleep, giving his friends easy ammo when joking about him. James sighed as he rolled over onto his back, clasping his hands together behind his head as he waited for sleep to take him.
Next day, James, Sirius, and Peter cornered Remus in the library.
"Moony!" Sirius started, grabbing a chair and flipping it around so he could lean on the back of its frame. "We were lonely last night after you left," he said with a snicker, waggling his eyebrows at his friend. "Snuck out to meet a girl, I bet. James said you took a last minute loop to the loo, but I knew better." Peter tried to hide a giggle behind his hand and James just shook his head and smiled.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Remus declared quietly. At that statement, James's eyebrows hit his hairline, Sirius fell loudly out of his chair, and Peter choked on the chocolate frog he had been eating.
"It's not like that," Remus murmured as he rolled his eyes at his friends. Honestly, couldn't they grow up just a little? As the other three readjusted themselves, he sighed and looked from one to another as he continued. The three of you seemed like you were enjoying your time, and I wasn't really in the mood, so I went down to the Common Room. Lily was there, so we just sat around and talked for a while. By the time I came back up, the three of you were already asleep." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, the questioning stares of his friends, and especially James, making him overly uncomfortable. He muttered something under his breath as he scraped his books off the table into his satchel and fled the library, leaving his friends staring at his back. Sirius, standing with one hand on the chair, turned and looked at the other two.
"So, what just happened here?"
A couple days later, Lily cornered James in the hallway outside of Transfiguration.
"You've been quet lately, are you angry with me?" she asked him, her green eyes piercing through his brown, as though she were trying to read his mind by staring directly into his brain.
"You and Remus have been spending a lot of time together lately," he answered calmly, looking at her with a confused look on his face. Lily's eyes flashed with momentary anger, but James spoke quickly before she could say anything. "I'm not accusing you of anything, nothing like that. It's just--" he broke away, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "I keep getting the feeling that you're hiding something from me, and while I don't believe it's anything of a questionable nature, I keep feeling that you're not lettin gme in because of something I've done." The fire in Lily's eyes died as quickly as it had been lit.
"James...I--" She bit her lip, as though uncertain of what to tell him. She gazed up into his eyes, her smile and her eyes full of affection toward him. "I promise you that it's nothing you've done," she told him gently. "You just have to trust me." James nodded stiffly.
"I do trust you, I just--"
"Shhh..." she pushed two fingers against his lips, quieting him instantly. "I've got to go now. We'll talk later." Her hand moved to his cheek as she reached up to kiss him. "I love you." She turned and slowly made her way down the hall, glancing at James one last time before turning the corner.
"But Professor, Sirius and James, they've proclaimed their loyalties a thousand times over! I trust James with my life, and Sirius has already proven that he's even willing to go up against family." Lily was pacing around Albus Dumbledore's office, still going over her run-in with James while trying to persuade the headmaster that she was thinking clearly. Dumbledore's silvery locks moved ever so slightly as he nodded silently, pushing his fingertips together as he held his hands in front of his face, a look of deep contemplation in his eyes.
"I am quite sure that you believe them to be of noble intention, Miss Evans, but I must insist that you take some time to think about. The Order of the Phoenix must be a well-thought out group of individuals who all share the same responsibility. You must remember that Mister Potter and Mister Black are--"
"I know them," Lily interrupted, her impatience causing a questionable eyebrow raise from the Headmaster. "I'm sorry Professor, but they have good hearts. They won't hinder us; they can only help us," she declared, her voice full of hope for the future. Albus Dumbledore stared at her over his half-moon spectacles, studying the look on her face before nodding silently. Lily's smile lit up the room as she ran around the old wizard's desk to hug him. She grabbed up her knapsack and rushed to the door, flashing a last brilliant smile at the headmaster before exiting his office. It was almost time for her next class, though, so Lily would have to wait until lunch hour to drop the news.
"Can we talk? Later, I mean..." Lily said hurriedly, dropping unexpectedly next to James on the bench at the table as she grabbed a sandwich, taking a couple bites and looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. James stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what Lily seemed so excited about. After finding no answer, he shrugged and nodded.
"Sure, after last class okay? We can meet out by the lake before supper," he offered, chomping down on a chicken leg and then chewing slowly. Lily pecked him on the cheek and took three more large bites of her sandwich before dropping the leftover bits onto an empty plate.
"I'll see you later then," she managed after swallowing her large mouthful. "I have to meet the girls about some last minute potions homework," she added with a roll of her eyes and an apologetic wave. James watched her go, wondering what it was that had Lily in such a flurry.
Finally, the last hour of the school day was over, and James was practically vaulting out of his chair when the class was dismissed. He was looking forward to some quality alone time with Lily, something that they hadn't really been able to get now that the holidays were nearing. Their duties as Head Girl and Boy, along with prepping for a wedding and exams were rather time consuming, so alone time wasn't very high on their list of priorities. He was anxious to finally set aside the time to spend with his future bride, hoping that what she wanted to talk about had nothing to do with anything of a serious nature. Maybe she finally had the guest list finished? As he hurried out the doors and down toward the lake, he easily spotted the fiery mane of Lily Evans.
"Hey Lily!" he called out, walking up beside her and wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. She leaned up to kiss him and snaked her arm around his waist.
"Thanks for coming out to talk to me," she said softly, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck and cuddling in close, leading him slowly around the shoreline of the lake. James made no response, but only gaver her a light squeeze on the shoulder.
"I--" she started, not quite knowing how she wanted to go about this conversation. "I've been somewhat...distant lately, and first I wanted to apologise about that," she said firmly, not wanting to distract herself from the real reason.
"Lily, there's no--"
"Please, I need to explain," she cut in, her voice still firm, but kind. "We both know that there are horrible things going on outside of Hogwarts, horrible things that shouldn't be allowed to continue. It's a direction that a lot of people, including some of the students here at Hogwarts, feel isn't the direction the wizarding world should be taking. We want to see that change." She paused for a moment, waiting for the reaction she knew would come from James. He always said the same thing when they talked of the rising infamy of the wizard known as Voldemort.
"Lily, you know how I feel about this; we're on the same page. It's not right what he's doing. People deserve to choose their own fate, not have it be dictated to them." She had heard it before, but hearing it now, in light of what she was about to offer him, made it somehow seem different.
"You've always said it, and I've never doubted you. Those of us who feel the same, we're going to do something about it. Dumbledore is forming a resistance, and he's offered a position to a few of us seventh years who feel as strongly as he does. Join us." It wasn't a question, but James didn't need it to be. This was the battle that he had longed to hear about, the fight that he had hoped would one day spark in fellow witches and wizards who were anti-Voldemort. Until now, any type of resistance had been all talk. Who was he to refuse such an honour?
"You know I will," he told her, excitement sparking in his eyes. And suddenly, a realisation dawned on him. "That's why you've been meeting with Dumbledore! Why didn't you tell me sooner? What about Sirius? And Remus?" He began as question after question of her, as though he were a child at Christmas bouncing from toy to toy. It almost scared Lily, this newfound energy that James had developed at the mere mention of war. It shouldn't have surprised her, though. The Potter family had never had issues with declaring their opinion on any matters, and especially not when it came to issues with Voldemort.
"Remus already knows," she began. "He was one of Dumbledore's first recruits, and for obvious reason. Voldemort is not only against Muggles and Muggleborns, but against werewolves and other magical creatures as well. It was only natural Dumbledore would choose him. He's wary about how many of us to involve, though, as we are still students and he'd be endangering all of us. War isn't something to be jumped at--"
"Lily. It's a just cause. There's no reason we shouldn't be allowed to voice our opinions." He smiled at her and she couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck and kiss him.
Title: Truths Surfacing
Word Count: 2321
"Honest, Moony. Just a little tickle and that pang in your stomach will be gone," James said matter-of-factly, reaching into the pocket of his robes and pulling out a bright red apple. "Besides, they've got more than just fruit to snack on," he added, pushing his glasses up before biting loudly in to the apple. Remus sighed and shook his head, pulling his knees up to his chest as he stared out the window. All it took was the smallest sliver of moonlight to make him feel like he would never be warm again, and right now the moon was only days from being full.
"You know that's not what I'm craving," he said quietly from the window.
"Hardly a problem," Sirius offered up loudly. "I'm sure they've got a sirloing or two down there. Either that or we wait a few days and feed Wormtail to you!" he added with an evil grin.
"Hey!" Peter squealed as Sirius jumped from the bed he had been sitting on and yanked his friend off another.
"I'll even get him started for you!" the young Black cackled, leaning down as though to take a bite out of his chubby friend.
"Sirius, stop!" Remus leaned over and grabbed a pillow from the nearest bed, hurling it weakly at the tall fram of Sirius Black. "Leave him alone."
James stood still in his corner of the room, moving only to take bites of his apple. "So what do you say Moony? It's only nine thirty and you even have a Head Boy escort," he said with a wink. In one swift move, he took a last bite of his apple and tossed the core into the air, straight at Sirius. In a flash, the other boy had pulled out his wand, uttered a blasting curse, and ducked for cover, laughing hysterically as bits of apple splattered across the room.
"Sirius!" Peter cried out, having been the landing pad for most of the apple explosion.
"Oh, come off it Wormy!" Sirius muttered, trying to hide the grin on his face. "It's all in good fun."
"Yeah, for you," Peter spluttered, muttering something under his breath as he wiped the apple from his robes. "If I remember correctly, you were having good fun with an orange last week, and I smelled like orange juice for a good two days straight. When do I get to splatter something all over you?"
"Hopefully never." Sirius made a face, looking at James with a devilish grin. "But we weren't talking about you wayway, we were debating whether Moony wants a romp down to the kitchens," he added, turning to smile at his fellow Gryffindor, only to find that Remus was nowhere to be found. "Remus?" Sirius looked questioningly at James, who shrugged his shoulders lazily.
"Probably made a last minute run to the loo," he offered. A quick charm, and seconds later the room was free of apple debris. "Besides, he's a prefect, big boy and all. He can take care of himself." The other Gryffindors nodded and turned to their beds. James listened as his friends fell asleep. Sirius was out like a light, as always. His fellow raven-haired mischief maker had never had problems falling asleep, no matter where he was. Peter was asleep not to long after. Ever since the beginning of sixth year, the smallest of the Marauders had taken to whimpering in his sleep, giving his friends easy ammo when joking about him. James sighed as he rolled over onto his back, clasping his hands together behind his head as he waited for sleep to take him.
Next day, James, Sirius, and Peter cornered Remus in the library.
"Moony!" Sirius started, grabbing a chair and flipping it around so he could lean on the back of its frame. "We were lonely last night after you left," he said with a snicker, waggling his eyebrows at his friend. "Snuck out to meet a girl, I bet. James said you took a last minute loop to the loo, but I knew better." Peter tried to hide a giggle behind his hand and James just shook his head and smiled.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Remus declared quietly. At that statement, James's eyebrows hit his hairline, Sirius fell loudly out of his chair, and Peter choked on the chocolate frog he had been eating.
"It's not like that," Remus murmured as he rolled his eyes at his friends. Honestly, couldn't they grow up just a little? As the other three readjusted themselves, he sighed and looked from one to another as he continued. The three of you seemed like you were enjoying your time, and I wasn't really in the mood, so I went down to the Common Room. Lily was there, so we just sat around and talked for a while. By the time I came back up, the three of you were already asleep." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, the questioning stares of his friends, and especially James, making him overly uncomfortable. He muttered something under his breath as he scraped his books off the table into his satchel and fled the library, leaving his friends staring at his back. Sirius, standing with one hand on the chair, turned and looked at the other two.
"So, what just happened here?"
A couple days later, Lily cornered James in the hallway outside of Transfiguration.
"You've been quet lately, are you angry with me?" she asked him, her green eyes piercing through his brown, as though she were trying to read his mind by staring directly into his brain.
"You and Remus have been spending a lot of time together lately," he answered calmly, looking at her with a confused look on his face. Lily's eyes flashed with momentary anger, but James spoke quickly before she could say anything. "I'm not accusing you of anything, nothing like that. It's just--" he broke away, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "I keep getting the feeling that you're hiding something from me, and while I don't believe it's anything of a questionable nature, I keep feeling that you're not lettin gme in because of something I've done." The fire in Lily's eyes died as quickly as it had been lit.
"James...I--" She bit her lip, as though uncertain of what to tell him. She gazed up into his eyes, her smile and her eyes full of affection toward him. "I promise you that it's nothing you've done," she told him gently. "You just have to trust me." James nodded stiffly.
"I do trust you, I just--"
"Shhh..." she pushed two fingers against his lips, quieting him instantly. "I've got to go now. We'll talk later." Her hand moved to his cheek as she reached up to kiss him. "I love you." She turned and slowly made her way down the hall, glancing at James one last time before turning the corner.
"But Professor, Sirius and James, they've proclaimed their loyalties a thousand times over! I trust James with my life, and Sirius has already proven that he's even willing to go up against family." Lily was pacing around Albus Dumbledore's office, still going over her run-in with James while trying to persuade the headmaster that she was thinking clearly. Dumbledore's silvery locks moved ever so slightly as he nodded silently, pushing his fingertips together as he held his hands in front of his face, a look of deep contemplation in his eyes.
"I am quite sure that you believe them to be of noble intention, Miss Evans, but I must insist that you take some time to think about. The Order of the Phoenix must be a well-thought out group of individuals who all share the same responsibility. You must remember that Mister Potter and Mister Black are--"
"I know them," Lily interrupted, her impatience causing a questionable eyebrow raise from the Headmaster. "I'm sorry Professor, but they have good hearts. They won't hinder us; they can only help us," she declared, her voice full of hope for the future. Albus Dumbledore stared at her over his half-moon spectacles, studying the look on her face before nodding silently. Lily's smile lit up the room as she ran around the old wizard's desk to hug him. She grabbed up her knapsack and rushed to the door, flashing a last brilliant smile at the headmaster before exiting his office. It was almost time for her next class, though, so Lily would have to wait until lunch hour to drop the news.
"Can we talk? Later, I mean..." Lily said hurriedly, dropping unexpectedly next to James on the bench at the table as she grabbed a sandwich, taking a couple bites and looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. James stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what Lily seemed so excited about. After finding no answer, he shrugged and nodded.
"Sure, after last class okay? We can meet out by the lake before supper," he offered, chomping down on a chicken leg and then chewing slowly. Lily pecked him on the cheek and took three more large bites of her sandwich before dropping the leftover bits onto an empty plate.
"I'll see you later then," she managed after swallowing her large mouthful. "I have to meet the girls about some last minute potions homework," she added with a roll of her eyes and an apologetic wave. James watched her go, wondering what it was that had Lily in such a flurry.
Finally, the last hour of the school day was over, and James was practically vaulting out of his chair when the class was dismissed. He was looking forward to some quality alone time with Lily, something that they hadn't really been able to get now that the holidays were nearing. Their duties as Head Girl and Boy, along with prepping for a wedding and exams were rather time consuming, so alone time wasn't very high on their list of priorities. He was anxious to finally set aside the time to spend with his future bride, hoping that what she wanted to talk about had nothing to do with anything of a serious nature. Maybe she finally had the guest list finished? As he hurried out the doors and down toward the lake, he easily spotted the fiery mane of Lily Evans.
"Hey Lily!" he called out, walking up beside her and wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. She leaned up to kiss him and snaked her arm around his waist.
"Thanks for coming out to talk to me," she said softly, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck and cuddling in close, leading him slowly around the shoreline of the lake. James made no response, but only gaver her a light squeeze on the shoulder.
"I--" she started, not quite knowing how she wanted to go about this conversation. "I've been somewhat...distant lately, and first I wanted to apologise about that," she said firmly, not wanting to distract herself from the real reason.
"Lily, there's no--"
"Please, I need to explain," she cut in, her voice still firm, but kind. "We both know that there are horrible things going on outside of Hogwarts, horrible things that shouldn't be allowed to continue. It's a direction that a lot of people, including some of the students here at Hogwarts, feel isn't the direction the wizarding world should be taking. We want to see that change." She paused for a moment, waiting for the reaction she knew would come from James. He always said the same thing when they talked of the rising infamy of the wizard known as Voldemort.
"Lily, you know how I feel about this; we're on the same page. It's not right what he's doing. People deserve to choose their own fate, not have it be dictated to them." She had heard it before, but hearing it now, in light of what she was about to offer him, made it somehow seem different.
"You've always said it, and I've never doubted you. Those of us who feel the same, we're going to do something about it. Dumbledore is forming a resistance, and he's offered a position to a few of us seventh years who feel as strongly as he does. Join us." It wasn't a question, but James didn't need it to be. This was the battle that he had longed to hear about, the fight that he had hoped would one day spark in fellow witches and wizards who were anti-Voldemort. Until now, any type of resistance had been all talk. Who was he to refuse such an honour?
"You know I will," he told her, excitement sparking in his eyes. And suddenly, a realisation dawned on him. "That's why you've been meeting with Dumbledore! Why didn't you tell me sooner? What about Sirius? And Remus?" He began as question after question of her, as though he were a child at Christmas bouncing from toy to toy. It almost scared Lily, this newfound energy that James had developed at the mere mention of war. It shouldn't have surprised her, though. The Potter family had never had issues with declaring their opinion on any matters, and especially not when it came to issues with Voldemort.
"Remus already knows," she began. "He was one of Dumbledore's first recruits, and for obvious reason. Voldemort is not only against Muggles and Muggleborns, but against werewolves and other magical creatures as well. It was only natural Dumbledore would choose him. He's wary about how many of us to involve, though, as we are still students and he'd be endangering all of us. War isn't something to be jumped at--"
"Lily. It's a just cause. There's no reason we shouldn't be allowed to voice our opinions." He smiled at her and she couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck and kiss him.
