Arrival Unexpected

You better take care
Never walk alone after midnight
If you don't believe it
You better beware
Of me

I am behind you
I always find you
I am the tiger
People who fear me
Never go near me
I am the tiger

--"Tiger", ABBA

"Do you think Peter knew what it was?" asked Sirius as he studied the note from Peter's mother. They had all asked this question before, after Peter was first attacked. Sirius was holding Mrs. Pettigrew's letter now, and unprompted, he read the end of it out loud once more:

Love, Mother

P.S. Peter, if something should happen to any of your nieces or nephews... I shall be called upon to ask you to retrieve the family heirloom from its hiding place at Hogwarts. You do remember where our vault is, don't you dear? Behind a certain painting?

Try not to worry though, darling. I'm sure that everything will be fine; the Ministry seems to have things well in hand. Please remember to pick up some Cockroach Clusters for Sir Tonbey the next time you are in Hogsmeade.

"He had to know that something important was in the castle," Sirius shook his head wearily.

"Who knows what the staff looks like, though," Lily put in from her place on James' bed. "Could be just a bit of wonky looking driftwood for all we know. I mean, it is over a thousand years old." She shrugged her shoulders. It did seem rather farfetched that Peter would have no idea what his family was protecting; yet, it didn't seem proper to berate a boy who was currently in a cursed coma.

James was sitting backwards in his desk chair, arms folded across its tall wooden back. He kept running his hand through his hair, as if trying to make it lie flat for the first time in his life. "You realize what this means--what we're about to tell Dumbledore?"

Lily nodded gravely. "We're about to accuse a professor of betraying the school."

"It's more than that, Lily." James let out a long sigh. "Hawthorn's been here almost as long as Dumbledore has been headmaster." He ran his hand through his hair again. "Hell, she was the first teacher that he hired."

"It really doesn't fit," Sirius said, looking equally confused. "Hawthorn has testified against Death Eaters when they've been brought to trial. She's often the one that the Ministry asks to administer the Veritas Serum. She's been proudly serving the Ministry since her daughter disappeared in Greece a decade ago." Sirius wrinkled his eyebrows. "She has no love of Muggles, but she doesn't seem the Dark Arts type to me either. She's already lost too much because of Voldemort." He looked at the note again and then at Lily. "Are you sure of what you saw? Tell it to us again."

Lily flung herself back onto James' bed. Staring up at his ceiling she repeated what she had seen when she came back to the castle after her midnight walk: How Professor Hawthorn was looking underneath a painting, how the Professor had startled when Lily had spoken to her and how menacing her words to Lily had been when Lily left.

Both wizards shook their heads in dismay. It should add up, but--like a stubborn Arithmancy problem--it didn't.

"Maybe it was just a coincidence," offered Sirius.

James shook his head. "No, I don't believe in coincidences. We have to accept for the moment that it is Hawthorn and work from there." He glanced at his watch, noting that they still had an hour before breakfast. "Let's just set that aside for now, and focus on the location of the piece of the Staff."

Lily rolled over, rearranging herself so that she was lying on her stomach facing the boys. "Have you ever heard Peter talk about a family vault? Or a particular painting?"

"Not in my memory," admitted Sirius. "And it definitely seems like the kind of thing he would have bragged about. Peter never could keep a secret for very long, particularly if it was something as impressive as his family using the school as a hiding place."

Lily looked at James, waiting for him to answer. He wore a look of fierce determination on his face that she'd seldom seen off the Quidditch pitch. James met her eyes and shook his head again; he couldn't recall anything about a vault behind a painting either.

"Right then," Lily could feel them going in circles. They didn't have much time left: although the trio had agreed to try and work out what they could, they resolved to take this new information to Dumbledore by breakfast regardless of their results. "Let's work with what secrets you can remember Peter telling you... maybe there is a hint somewhere in there."

The two dark haired wizards exchanged a look. Both sets of lips remained shut.

"What?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Well," said James, fidgeting slightly. "There are things that Peter has shared with us over the years that it might not be entirely appropriate to share with you."

"Oh please," Lily swore. "I don't want to know when he nicked his first nudie magazine or who his first crush was on. I was referring to things of substance... Hasn't he ever told you about a crazy family member or an ancient family hero?"

"Well," Sirius grinned wickedly. "He did mention in second year that his sister used to baby-sit for ickle Severus Snape." James snorted, nodding at the memory. "Said the bastard had the dirtiest nappies of any kid she'd ever seen. His sister thought they were replacing his applesauce with curry."

Lily shook her head. "A curry filled nappy doesn't tell us where we should be looking, Sirius."

"No," he agreed. "But it does tell us where not to look, doesn't it?"

* * *

Not a half hour later, the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's chambers jumped aside.

When it had become apparent that the trio had no more to contribute, the only thing they could do was to go speak with Albus Dumbledore.

They climbed the stairs quietly; James noted that there were no lights on in his guardian's office. He told Sirius and Lily to stay put while he went to rouse the old man from his private apartments.

Lily flipped through the pages of one of the books she was holding: it was time to tell Dumbledore about the Possum Charm as well. They may not be able to use it yet, as Remus had cautioned; but with a little luck, they would be able to use it soon.

James led Dumbledore out to them a minute later; the ancient wizard was still in his nightclothes. As he unlocked the door to his office, James nudged Lily in the ribs and pointed at the floor. Lily suppressed a giggle; the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was sporting a very familiar looking pair of bunny slippers.

Once in the office, Sirius and Lily took a seat in the large leather chairs opposite of Dumbledore. James stood behind them.

"I would bid you 'good morning' but James says that you come bearing news of the most serious degree." There was no twinkle in his eyes today, just a steely resolve. "Instead, I invite you to speak. I shall endeavor to pay strict attention despite the early hour."

Sirius started the tale, explaining Peter's odd behavior before his attack and handing the Headmaster the letter that Lily had found from Peter's mum. A pair of aged blue eyes read the postscript over twice before looking back up at Sirius.

"We think that this means the Pettigrew's piece of the Staff of Merlin is hidden in the castle. Mrs. Pettigrew expected that she might be attacked, but she had the target wrong. She thought Voldemort would go after her grandchildren, not her youngest son." Sirius looked over to Lily, nodding encouragingly at her to speak.

Lily took a deep breath. "Please understand sir, that what I am about to say makes no more sense to us on the surface than it will to you." She bit her lip. Dumbledore offered her a small smile and nodded for her to continue. "Last night, I snuck out after hours to go for a midnight stroll with my owl, Circe." James cuffed her on the shoulder, as if to say she didn't need to explain that much. Lily smirked up at him. "When I came back to the castle, I found Professor Hawthorn looking underneath a painting on the second floor for something. She wasn't very happy to see me either."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes growing cooler by the minute. Lily finished explaining in detail what had transpired between her and the Potions Mistress the night before.

When she was done, Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but James interrupted him. "There is one more thing, Albus." He grabbed the two books from Lily and laid them on the Headmaster's desk. "The black one I... er... rescued from someone in the restricted section that was ripping out pages." James opened the black book to the pages about the Possum Charm and handed it to Dumbledore. "That charm has the ability to force any curse, charm or hex placed on a person to complete its cycle. We think that that is the reason the book was targeted, because it could be the key to setting those in the cursed sleep free." James nodded towards the other book on the desk. "The second book has more information about the spell. We would have brought it to you sooner, but the Possum Charm is an Unrepeatable, so--"

"Until you could stop Voldemort from obtaining all the pieces of the staff, you held the information back." Dumbledore nodded. "I understand. Did you see who was in the restricted section, James?"

"No, I didn't," he admitted. "But I did see their silhouette. It was the right--er shape to be Professor Hawthorn."

Albus nodded again. "If you could please step outside the office, I would like a chance to contact Agatha--Professor Hawthorn--by fire. I cannot accuse her out of hand, but there are a few questions I would like to ask her."

They stepped outside and waited with baited breath. Lily felt as if a great weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. It will all be over soon, she thought. Soon they'd have Peter back. As the relief washed over her, several tears ran down her cheek. Sirius was the first to notice that she was quietly crying, and put a reassuring arm around her shoulder. Lily buried her face into his chest, ashamed at her display of emotion yet grateful that she had her friends here to steady her.

James stared at the two of them. Something had changed once more in their relationship. He knew that Sirius had spoken with Lily last night, but his friend had dodged all of James' attempts to find out what they had talked about.

Sirius was running his hand through Lily's red hair now, whispering in comforting tones. James' heart stopped as he looked at them, recalling what Lily had said on the school grounds the night before. She'd had no idea that she was speaking to James in his Animagus form, but from the scene before him, it was clear what she had been talking about.

He would of course, accept it. It was Lily's choice. James wanted her to be happy. 'Go on then, keep telling yourself that,' came a mocking voice in his mind. 'Once you're alone, then you can grieve for what might have been.'

An explosion thundered through Dumbledore's office, shaking the walls around them. All bittersweet visions of Lily were shattered in his mind as James threw the door open and rushed inside.

A very scorched looking old wizard lay against the wall opposite the fireplace. James offered him a hand up, as the old man swatted his head to extinguish his smoldering eyebrows. Once on his feet, Dumbledore began to dust himself off, sweeping the black soot away with an impatient hand.

"Professor Hawthorn cut our conversation a bit short," he said sourly. "I must contact the rest of the staff immediately. No students are to be allowed out of their respective Houses." He turned his steady gaze to the three shocked students that stood before him. "Is that understood?"

As one, they nodded.

Dumbledore went over to his fireplace, tossing a bit of coarse powder into the flames. "James Potter's room," he said in a clear voice. In the flickering flames, the dim outline of James' room took shape. Dumbledore gestured towards the fire, leaving a thin trail of smoke in the wake of his arm. "Once we've tracked Professor Hawthorn down, I'll let you know."

Lily took a step towards the flames and then stopped, turning to the Headmaster. "What should we tell the other Prefects and the students?"

Dumbledore looked thoughtful, which was difficult when one resembled a chimney sweep. "Unfortunately, the less they know for the moment, the better. Tell them that a very dangerous creature is loose in the school." The old man put a hand on James' back, pushing him towards the fireplace. "It's not quite the truth, but it will suffice for now."

They agreed and each stepped into the flames in turn, transporting them back to James' room in Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Their first hours back in the Tower were spent informing their housemates of the situation and working with the House Elves down in the Kitchens to send up food via the Common Room fireplace. Plates of pastries were grabbed greedily as soon as they were offered through the green flames. The younger students seemed nonplussed for the most part, convinced in the security that they had while in the home of the Gryffindors. The older ones could be seen exchanging dark looks though; they knew that there must be something to worry about if Hogwarts was going into lockdown mode.

Several asked Lily and James for more information; as Prefects, they were expected to be in the know. They dodged the questions as best they could, turning the Common Room over to Annalise and Gregg finally to retreat back to James' room.

James and Sirius were ready to collapse from sheer exhaustion, but the hope of seeing Hawthorn captured and Peter returned to them kept the boys going. Lily looked just as tired, emotionally drained from the long morning. She flopped down onto the armchair by James' fireplace, propping her feet up on a stack of nearby books.

Sirius requisitioned James' bed, handing his friend a few pillows and a blanket when the tall boy grunted in protest. James made due with the floor, feeling too tired to put up a fight for the comfort of his own mattress. Once he had himself situated, lying on his side with his knees curled up under him, James slipped off his glasses. He set them a few feet away from his makeshift bed, fluffed his pillows up once more and closed his eyes for some much needed rest.

Lily watched James covertly out of the corner of her eye. His ebony hair was a mess as usual. A few strands were long enough now that they curved onto his cheek; he would need to cut his hair soon, Lily mused. An image of James as a young boy popped into her head: A little boy fidgeted in a chair while his mother tried vainly to trim his hair. It was all the fidgeting on the boy's part that had made the hair so uneven. Lily chuckled to herself. She knew that such a scene probably had never happened; Remus had once said that much to James' dismay, no amount of Sleekeazy Hair Potion would make his hair sit straight--it just grew that way.

Without realizing it, Lily's head was slowly turning towards James as she studied his face. She envied his long eyelashes. Girls never had lashes that long, no matter what the romance novelists wrote. His face was long and angular, like the rest of his lithe body. He had a runner's physique; Lily wondered what training involved for a Chaser. She knew that he had the appetite of a small dragon; he could, when hungry, out-eat anyone at the Gryffindor table. His body reflected none of this though, and in his Quidditch uniform, you could only see the supple musculature of his thin frame.

Her eyes drifted down towards his hands, which were clutching the one blanket he had protectively, as if Sirius would snatch it away at any moment. He had long fingers, like an artist. His nails were well manicured, an odd attribute for a boy his age.

He wasn't handsome, Lily finally realized. Not in the traditional sense, not like Sirius was. James was very beautiful though, in body and soul. He reminded Lily of a traditional Victorian gentleman, well groomed and mannered, the kind of man that would always have a handkerchief on the ready. She saw the monogrammed linen so clearly in her mind that she wondered if he didn't keep a few in his trunk.

A single tear rolled down Lily's cheek. James was beautiful. He radiated the kind of quiet confidence that drew people to him, seeking to be near him in hopes that some of it might rub off. James always hoped that people would become more than what they were (with the exception of a certain Prefect of Slytherin House) and encouraged them to do what they dreamed and face what they feared.

Lily turned her head away finally; it hurt to look at him too much. After a while, it was like staring at the sun--the rest of the world disappeared in the light. She ached to tell him what she was thinking, that she found him to be more beautiful than any other person she had ever met. Would he understand, though? Could he grasp what was behind the words she wanted to say?

Reflexively, her own words echoed in her mind from the night she had returned to the castle after her mother's death:

James would understand.

* * *

Lily swore vilely as the gobstone squirted its putrid liquid at her. Sirius was roaring with laughter from his spot on the bed; he'd been watching James slaughter Lily in game after game for two hours now. She was not a generous loser.

"It went up my nose!" she squealed, throwing her hand up over the inflicted feature.

James was chuckling to himself, a mischievous light in his eyes as he watched Lily run over to his mirror to clean up her face. An odd mixture of envy and mirth surfaced in Sirius. He could see what was coming; it was foolish that he hadn't seen it before.

Sirius would be lying to himself if he said that he was happy about it. Lily had been right; his feelings for her were getting in the way already. He was glad that she was at ease around him again though; the moments when she had cried in his arms this morning were bittersweet. Her trust was a precious thing, and he didn't want to do anything that would make the red haired girl feel insecure in his presence. That meant that he would have to sit back and watch from a distance as James and Lily became, well... James and Lily.

Lily put her hands on her hips, smirking at James with something akin to frustration in her eyes. "Can't we just play a nice game of Wizard's Chess? Or something else that doesn't involve things that squirt?"

James wrinkled his nose. "I don't think I know any games that would be fun for the loser, Lily." He winked at Sirius. "Black could teach you how to cheat though, you might last longer than fifteen minutes in a match then."

"That last game lasted a half an hour," Lily protested. "And considering that Sirius beat you in five minutes, you're in no position to question my endurance."

Sirius coughed, muttering a word under his breath that sounded quite like "yet". They both stared at him for a minute and then looked away.

"There has to be something that we can play; this waiting is killing me." Lily paced about the room, stopping suddenly when an idea occurred to her. "Have either of you ever played poker?"

Sirius raised an interested eyebrow. "Poke her? What exactly does this game involve and are we required to stay dressed for it?"

Lily picked a pillow up off the floor and threw it at him. "Poker. P-O-K-E-R. It's a Muggle card game." Both wizards shook their heads as they laughed.

"I don't have any Muggle cards, Lily." James said.

Lily headed towards the door. "I do, in my room." She pointed to the clock on the wall. The small hand was a quarter inch away from the word "dinner". "It's nearly time to eat, we better go down to the Common Room. After supper is over, I'll teach you how to play five card stud."

James and Sirius rose and walked over to the door. "Poke her and stud... are you sure that this game requires clothes? It sounds awfully lewd to me." Sirius grinned wickedly at Lily, who was rolling her eyes.

"Actually, there is a version where people play for clothing instead of money, but," Lily leveled a semi-serious glare at him. "I think I'll see how quickly you catch on before I try and find out if you're still wearing my bikini bottoms, Sirius." Lily swept out the door, chuckling softly to herself.

James raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "What is she talking about?"

Sirius put on his most innocent face. "No idea. That girl is as daft as a Leprechaun who's lost his pot of gold."

* * *

"Do you have any threes?" asked Sirius, eyeing Lily suspiciously across the table.

"Go fish," she replied half-heartedly. She was glancing at the clock every few minutes now, as if it would soon give her some important revelation as to what was going on outside of Gryffindor Tower.

They were all getting twitchy. It had been fourteen hours since they were dismissed from Dumbledore's office so that the Headmaster could lead his staff on a search for Professor Hawthorn. Since dinner, James' fireplace had turned green twice. Prefects of other Houses were turning to Lily and James for advice and information. Even Marius Finke, the Head Boy, who should have been directing the Prefects to a course of action had sent his pet owl up to James' room earlier that day asking if they thought that classes would be held tomorrow.

The questions were always the same, as were the answers:

No, they didn't know how long everyone would be restricted to Houses.

Yes, they had been in Dumbledore's office when the alert had sounded.

No, they didn't have any idea what kind of monster it was; just that it was dangerous and loose in the castle.

Yes, they were aware that tonight was the full moon. No, they didn't think that it was a werewolf; the alert had been sounded during the day, after all.

James could feel a migraine coming on. He rubbed at his temples, wondering if he shouldn't call down to the Kitchens for a bit of Willow Bark Tea. The throbbing pain in his head had started shortly after Lily had conceded defeat at poker; James and Sirius had taken to the game instantly. Instead of playing for money (or clothes, as Sirius still wanted to try) they had bet Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. A scant hour later, Lily had lost the entire pile of peanut butter beans she'd hoarded to James. At least, James hoped they were peanut butter flavored.

After the game, Lily whinged about how much her feet hurt, and Sirius graciously offered to rub them for her. James was forced to watch as Lily made all kinds of sultry sounding noises as Sirius' hands worked away at her feet. James found himself starting to wish that Hawthorn would burst into his room and attack them just so he wouldn't have to endure watching Lily enjoy being touched by someone other than him.

But of course, it hadn't happened.

In the interim, Lily had taught Sirius how to play another Muggle card game; it was a children's game and Lily was actually holding her own. James suspected it was because no real skill was involved, but he'd never tell Lily that.

James was pretending to read a book. He was lying on his bed, stomach side down, holding the book out in front of him. This "natural" stance afforded him an easy way to watch as Lily laughed at all of Sirius' jokes without being too obvious about it. She seemed so happy with Sirius, so relaxed. The jealousy was rising like bile from his stomach--foul, bitter and insistent. He told himself to look away, to stop watching the way that her eyes crinkled when she smiled, the way that her hair framed her face like layers of red velvet. He couldn't do it though; he forced himself to watch as the most wonderful girl he'd ever met slipped back under the spell of Sirius Black.

Sirius stood up, excusing himself from the room to see if there were any sandwiches left from dinner down in the Common Room. As soon as the door closed, Lily walked over and sat next to James on the bed.

"Can we talk for a minute?" she asked in a meek voice.

This was it, thought James; she's going to tell you that she's back together with Black and that you can't go around kissing her whenever Snape pisses you off. James bit down on the inside of his mouth until he drew blood. "I'm a bit occupied at the moment, Lily." He nodded at the book.

"So I noticed," she replied with a smirk. "Must be a fascinating book." She grabbed the book out of his hands and turned it right side up. "You might understand a bit more if you read it like this, and try turning the pages more often than once every half hour."

Bugger, thought James.

Lily reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, sending delicious shiver down his neck. She was smiling at him so sweetly. "There is something I want to tell you."

James couldn't take it anymore. Seeing her with Sirius was one thing, but having her be so kind to him was the final straw. The anger inside of him snapped like a Sugar Quill. "Listen. You don't need to spell it out. I know what you're going to say, I've been watching you all day." Lily's cheeks colored. "Quite honestly, I don't want to hear it. You've made your feelings very clear. I'll deal with it, but it doesn't mean that I like it or want it shoved in my face at every opportunity."

Lily's face went ghostly white. She nodded slowly; the tears were already streaming down her cheeks. She went over and sat back down in front of his fireplace, sobbing quietly to herself.

James felt instantly guilty; he hadn't really meant to snap at her like that. He certainly didn't want to drive her to tears. He stood up, intent on trying to apologize, but suddenly his fire roared green.

Snape was on the other end. He sneered at Lily and then at James. "Is there any news yet, Potter?"

"No," James replied sharply. "Neither McGonagall or Dumbledore has contacted us since this morning."

"The other Prefects of Slytherin feel that we should leave our Houses and try to assist the staff." He was staring at Lily, puzzled by her tears. "The werewolf that is--"

"There's no bloody werewolf at Hogwarts, Snape." The thought of reaching through the flames and tearing Snape's eyebrows out by the roots was very appealing.

"You're not a very good liar, Potter." Snape growled. "Where's Lupin?"

"He's in the infirmary," Lily replied instantly. "He's not feeling well."

"Well, perhaps someone should go and check on him," The look on Snape's face told James that the slimy git had been waiting for those words, as if it was an invitation. "With a monster on the loose, he may not be safe there."

"You're to stay in your dorm, Snape." James said icily. "Dumbledore's orders."

Snape shrugged, the green flames skewing his smirk into an evil grin. His face faded back as the fire returned to its normal shades of red and orange.

Lily cursed under her breath, pushing past James to head for his door. Sirius returned just then however, and spun Lily around, keeping her in the room. There was a very odd look on his face, a kind of triumph.

"I've had a thought," he said, looking very proud of himself, seeming completely oblivious to James' anger and Lily's tears.

He directed his attention to James. "Do you remember the first time we snuck into the Kitchens?"

James nodded, not sensing the direction this was taking. "It was after the holidays, first year."

"Do you recall why we snuck into the Kitchens?" There was that glint again. Wherever Sirius was taking James with these questions, he appeared to be enjoying the journey.

"Peter was sick; he wanted something to eat at like four in the morning when his fever finally broke." James was starting to feel incredibly thickheaded. He still had no idea what Sirius was on about.

"And..." Sirius was grinning like an idiot. Lily just stared between the two boys, looking as confused as James felt as she hastily dried her face on the sleeve of her robe.

"And what?" James snapped. "It took us over an hour to figure out how to get the damned passageway open, because when Peter told us where to find it, he never bothered to mention that you had to tickle the bloody pear."

Finally satiated with this response, Sirius sat down at James' desk. "Exactly. And in case you can't recall, James that was the only secret passage Peter ever knew about the castle. The rest we found through trial and error or from other people."

James shook his head, astounded that he hadn't thought of it before. "The Pettigrew family vault must be hidden in the Kitchens."

* * *

It was the first time James could ever remember seeing the lights out in the Kitchens. All of the enchanted torches and candles on the chandeliers had been extinguished, lending an air of foreboding to the normally active and comforting room.

Sirius stepped out of the fire after him, with Lily taking up the rear. Each held their wands firmly in their hands; when they'd decided to explore the Kitchens for themselves rather than wait for Dumbledore to return with news of Hawthorn's capture, all had been prepared to meet danger. If Hawthorn had eluded the staff for this long, it was likely that she was still searching for the Pettigrews' piece of the Staff of Merlin.

None of them however, had expected that Hawthorn's search had led her to the Kitchens before them. --In fact, she might already have the portion of the Staff. Their Potions Professor could at this moment be on her way back to her master, Lord Voldemort.

The three exchanged a dark look of shared fears. James nodded, the full moon reflected in his glasses. It was time to look around.

There were hundreds of paintings in the Kitchens; they covered the walls here just as they did in the rest of the castle. Normally the paintings bustled with activity, but like the room they hung in, the paintings in the lower kitchen--paintings mostly of various foodstuffs with an odd wizard or two--had gone mysteriously quiet.

"Where are all the elves?" whispered Lily. Indeed, none were to be seen. Sirius however found the answer as he tripped over something, landing flat on his face.

"They've all been stunned; I can see three of them on the floor from here." Sirius stood back up, frowning slightly as he realized it was the body of a stunned House Elf that he had tripped over. "Better watch our steps."

"I don't like this..." James looked around the room for any sign of trouble. "Either Hawthorn's been here and already has the Staff, or she's still in here searching for it."

This seemed entirely possible. The Kitchens were nearly as large as the Great Hall and had twice as many crannies in which someone could find shelter.

"We have to find it first then," said Sirius in a determined voice. His pale eyes shifted around the dark room nervously. Shafts of light continually shot about the room like spell bursts, as the moonlight refracted off of the shining pots and pans that hung around the windows. "Then we'll just hide out in Gryffindor Tower until Dumbledore comes around like we planned."

"There are so many paintings though," replied Lily with a touch of despair in her voice. Her words echoed gently off of the walls, a sound that none of them had ever heard before in the normally frenetic Kitchen.

"There will be less once we start searching." James walked over to the wall next to the fireplace and lifted a painting. Sirius and Lily followed suit with Sirius examining the paintings around the sinks and Lily heading to the paintings around the entrance to the Kitchens.

Three quarters of an hour passed without result. Lily was currently hovering high above them, searching underneath the uppermost paintings. Sirius was on the ground, looking underneath hundreds of miniatures of individual pieces of fruit that someone had taken the time to frame and hang on the wall beneath a table. James kept glancing over his shoulder; he had the distinct impression that he was being watched.

"Maybe we should wake up the House Elves," suggested Sirius. "They might know something about this secret vault."

James negated the idea. "Even if they did, they wouldn't tell us. They pride themselves on keeping secrets, remember? That's probably why Hawthorn stunned them in the first place."

"Best to leave them knocked out," added Lily. "They'd only grump at us for messing up the place."

Another half hour passed. James had stopped searching, he was sure that Hawthorn was here now waiting for them to find the vault. He wanted to be prepared for her attack, if and when it came.

A gasp echoed off of the rafters. "Sirius, get over here." Lily held a medium sized watercolor of a seascape in her hands. "Catch this, I think I've found it. I can't work with this painting in my hands, though." She tossed the painting down to Sirius, who caught it deftly. Lily ran her hand over the wall, tracing something with her finger. "Yes, there is definitely something behind the stone, but I can't find a clasp to pull it out."

"Try summoning the stone to you," James took several steps away from his wall, edging towards Sirius.

Sure enough, it worked. A small slab of stone landed in Lily's hand, sending her floating body down several feet with its extra weight. She dropped the stone down to Sirius and whispered "Lumos" so that she could look into the tiny vault better.

She pulled out a parchment, unrolling it and reading it before dropping it down to the ground. "A recipe for Butterbeer." Several other trinkets followed the secret family recipe to the floor of the Kitchens before Lily triumphantly floated back down to the ground.

She held up a rough piece of wood; it was six inches long and rather unremarkable at first glance. Lily turned it on its side, showing the boys what was in the core of the wood.

It was as if someone had stuffed a rainbow into it; the colors swirled around, casting a faint light out of either end of the Staff. Lily was beaming at them. "If that isn't piece of Merlin's Staff, then I'm a Death Eater," she declared.

"No Mudblood would ever be allowed to join the ranks of the Servants of Lord Voldemort, Miss Evans." They spun around, looking for the source of the voice. The speaker was not in question; Professor Hawthorn was indeed still lurking in the Kitchens. "But for fulfilling his needs, he might just permit you to iron his robes."

There was a flash of light from behind James and Sirius fell to the ground, stunned. Lily clutched the piece of wood protectively; James spun around to face Hawthorn. The old witch was ready for him though, he only had time to shout "Lily, run!" before she stunned him as well.

* * *

Lily had always been a quick study; she rarely needed to be given instructions twice. She was already out of the Kitchens when she heard James fall to the floor. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could, hoping to turn the corner before Hawthorn could exit through the painting of the fruit bowl and take aim at her.

The words "where to go" pounded against her brain. She couldn't go back to Gryffindor Tower; the heads of each House knew the passwords to gain entry. Lily refused to endanger her fellow Gryffindors. The private lounge and bathroom for the Prefects was no good either. She needed someplace that would be deserted and hard to reach. Someplace where she could lie low until she could think of a way to contact Dumbledore. Someplace that no one would ever think to look for Lily Evans.

The Astronomy Tower.

It was a comical thought, but it was the only one she could grasp as she ran. Running down the hall, she directed her feet towards the Land of Midnight Snogs. As she turned the corner to the final staircase, she crashed into someone, sending her sprawling onto the ground.

Professor McGonagall looked stunned. "Miss Evans, what are you doing out--"

"Hawthorn is right behind me, Professor," Lily explained in great gasping breaths. "I have the Staff. You have to stop--"

Another flash of light, and Minerva McGonagall fell to the floor unconscious. Lily climbed to her feet and began racing up the stairs. Her hiding place was discovered before she'd even gotten there, but the only alternative was to face Hawthorn on her own. Six years of Dark Arts Defense she might have had, but Lily certainly didn't think she was prepared for that.

Lily blasted the door to the Astronomy classroom open and headed for the balcony. She hid behind a very large statue of a gargoyle, tucking her legs up underneath her. It was only a matter of time now. She knew that Hawthorn would find her; Lily just didn't know what would happen when she did.

* * *

Sirius awoke feeling as if a manticore had just trampled him. Standing above him, looking very displeased at his presence and yet worried for his safety was Albus Dumbledore. As Sirius sat up, he saw James sitting on a bench nearby, looking equally beaten from his own stunning.

"An explanation, if you please." Dumbledore guided Sirius to his feet, sitting him on the bench next to James. A few other Professors were in the room, working on reviving the House Elves.

"We figured out where the Pettigrew's vault was," Sirius said, rubbing a hand on the back of his head. He'd smashed it against the floor rather hard when he'd fallen over. "We came to get the piece of the Staff before Hawthorn could."

"She was waiting her for us though, Albus," added James. "Lily had just gotten the Staff when Hawthorn stunned us both." James stood up, heading for the door. "We have to hurry; Lily was running from her the last I saw."

Sirius jumped up and sprinted to the door as well. The Headmaster of Hogwarts wore a terrifying look on his face. The power of the ancient wizard hung around him like a cloak. He looked at both boys, seeming to take their measure. Finally he nodded and joined them at the door.

"You will stay behind me at all times." Dumbledore didn't look happy about having them with him, but he understood that they weren't about to be left behind. He turned to the other members of the faculty and directed them to start searching for Hawthorn again. The House Elves could wait.

With a speed Sirius hadn't imagined a man of his age could muster, Dumbledore exited the Kitchen.

Lily could be anywhere. Sirius hoped that she was somewhere safe.

* * *

She held her breath as the shadowy figure in the Astronomy classroom magically propelled desks and chairs against the walls. Hawthorn would soon realize that Lily wasn't in there.

The terrified student could look over the edge of the tower wall from her spot behind the gargoyle. Jumping was not an option, though being thrown off felt like a strong possibility. Lily racked her brain, tried to remember any spell that would be useful in this situation.

Inspiration hit like a garden gnome fleeing its gnome hole. She could destroy the Staff with the Repulsive Charm. She remembered Professor Flitwick explaining that while the charm was very useful for getting rid of people that were bothering you, it had the habit of making any object it was cast on explode. Apparently inanimate objects had feelings too.

Lily set the Staff out in front of her, murmuring a hover charm to keep it floating in mid air as she began to chant the words to the Repulsive Charm over and over. She hoped that Flitwick hadn't been exaggerating when he described how a witch from Wales found her best set of china in millions of pieces when she'd tried to Repulse her leftover treacle tart from them.

The shadow in the classroom moved closer to the balcony door.

* * *

James scanned the hallway while Dumbledore revived Professor McGonagall. He had no idea how much time had passed since he'd been stunned; but with each second, he felt that Lily was in more danger. He hoped that McGonagall could tell them where Lily had gone, and as the Deputy Headmistress climbed to her feet, he wasn't disappointed.

"Albus... Lily Evans was running from Agatha," She looked as if she was about to burst into tears from worry. "Lily was running towards the stairs to the Astronomy Tower when she crashed into me--you have to hurry! Who knows what that woman will do!"

Ignoring Dumbledore's previous command to stay behind him, James took the stairs two at a time. Sirius and the others weren't far behind him.

At the top of the stairs, the splintered remains of the door lay scattered before him. James took a deep breath, summoning all his courage, and stepped through the doorway.

* * *

The Staff exploded, hurling Lily out of her hiding place just as Hawthorn stepped onto the balcony. The woman's face was pure fury; she screamed and pointed her wand at Lily. Hawthorn's face said it all. Lily knew what was coming: The Killing Curse.

Redheads do not accept death willingly; hurling the first spell that came into her mind, Lily cast a ball of flames at her Potions Professor just as a bolt of green light shot towards her. Lily jumped out of the way just in time, hiding behind another gargoyle.

Hawthorn took several slow and steady steps toward Lily. Flames were rising up her robes, but the insane woman seemed to take no notice of it. "You don't know what you've done, you stupid girl!" she screamed. "He'll kill me now; the Dark Lord will kill her. I'm no use to him anymore." She thrust her wand towards Lily, sending another bolt of murderous green at her.

The gargoyle exploded in front of her, sending Lily over the edge of the tower wall. As she fell, she saw two things:

The fire around Hawthorn exploded into high flames. The Dark Lord wasted no time in dispensing with those that failed in his service. Agatha Hawthorn roared in pain as the fire licked her skin, condemning her to a slow and painful death.

Behind Hawthorn, just as Lily fell from sight she saw the one person she'd been wishing for during her whole escape--James Potter stood in the balcony door. He stared at her in horror, looking as if he was the one falling to his death.

Lily began to scream.

* * *

Chapter Nine and Three-Quarters

Severus Snape skulked around the school grounds. He was sure that the warning about a monster on the loose referred to Remus Lupin. He'd suspected for years that the boy was a werewolf; Snape had hoped to acquire proof of it by changing Lupin's bracelet to silver, but somehow his friends had helped Lupin dodge that particular ploy.

Now he would capture the werewolf, and prove just how dangerous the quiet, studious and generally harmless appearing Gryffindor was. The thought of seeing Lupin's parents escorting their soon-to-be expelled son home on a leash almost made Snape smile.

Almost.

He had no delusions about how dangerous his current situation was. Lupin could spring out from anywhere and attack him. Werewolves had no mind to speak of when they transformed; they only sought to bite other humans and pass on their curse. Snape needed to keep his wits about him.

If he had to, he knew that he'd be able to kill the werewolf. He almost considered it a perk, albeit a messy one.

Almost.

He knew that Lupin's friends would plague him to the end of his days if he delivered Remus from his monthly torture.

But, he reasoned, 'They already plague me.'

Severus had often suspected that there was something wrong with the air in Gryffindor Tower, that its residents could at once be blissfully ignorant of the beast they harbored in their House and yet have several seemingly respectable and intelligent students befriend the monster.

As if anyone could ever tame a werewolf.

He would be lauded by his housemates for the actions he had taken this night; his place as Head Boy next year would be assured. And there would be one less Gryffindor strolling around the castle as if he owned the place. All in all, it wasn't a bad bargain.

There was a scream behind him followed by a large crash. Severus spun around, expecting to see the dim figure of a werewolf as it attacked someone. Instead, he saw the figure of a girl bounce twice before settling on the ground.

He approached the body cautiously. There was no one else around, no sign of what had made the girl scream. She was unconscious; her right leg was at such an odd angle that Snape knew it had to be broken. She was covered in grey dust and there were cuts all over her legs, arms and face. A long gash along her forehead was bleeding profusely; the blood covered her face, making her all but unrecognizable. Except for the red hair.

Snape cursed softly under his breath. Clearly, Lupin's dear friend Lily had just narrowly escaped a fate worse than death. Snape could see no bite marks on her. Stupid girl, he thought as he picked her up. He would have to take her to the Hospital Wing now. Her injuries couldn't wait for him to continue his search.

He'd been so close to catching the bastard in the act of attacking a student. He seethed with anger. If only he'd gotten there sooner... No matter though, it was obvious from just a glance at Lily Evans that she'd been viciously attacked. Lupin would still be expelled as soon as he returned to his human form.

As he stepped up to the entrance of the castle, the door was flung open. Professor McGonagall and Sirius Black nearly crashed into him in their haste to get out of the door.

"Severus Snape?" McGonagall looked on the verge of giving him a lecture for being out of his House, but then she noticed whom he was carrying. "My goodness, Lily. Is she alive?"

"Yes, Professor." Snape put a look of concern on to his face. It didn't fit well. "Just barely though, if I hadn't arrived when I did--"

"Give her here, you can give me a full report later." McGonagall took the petite Gryffindor in her arms, cradling her like a baby. Without another word, she dashed off towards the hospital wing.

Sirius Black just stared at him. He seemed to be waging some kind of inner battle.

"Lupin nearly killed her." Snape declared, nearly breaking out a grin as a look of astonishment crossed Black's face. "I saved her." It wasn't exactly the truth, but Snape knew that it would goad Black till the end of his days that it was Severus Snape and not him that had saved the apparent damsel in distress.

Black began to laugh.

Snape opened his mouth to ask what the hell Black thought was so funny, but he was slammed against the wall. Black pinned him there with one strong arm.

"If you think that Remus did that, that he would ever harm Lily, then you're more of a daft git than I give you credit for." Sirius let out a low menacing growl.

"I could give a damn if Lupin broke your latest toy, Black. Evans obviously knows about Lupin and by staying by his side, she is choosing her own doom, as are you." Snape hissed at him, his eyes clenching into slits, every feature on his sallow face looking the part of the perfect Slytherin.

Sirius pressed his elbow into Snape's ribcage, and was delighted to hear the captured boy let out a pained sound. "Do not talk about Lily. Don't even say her name; what she did tonight and how she ended up in a bloody pulp on the school grounds has just saved the lives of many children, including Peter and the Munroe girls." Upon finishing his minor rant, Sirius punched Severus in the stomach to emphasize his point.

Snape was able to keep from voicing his pain this time. Sweat was gathering at his brow. "Oh... how wonderful it must be to be Sirius Black... All of his friends are heroes and martyrs. Never mind that they flaunt the breaking of every rule our society has and lie whenever needed to protect each other." Feeling braver than he had in a few moments, Snape glared into Sirius' pale eyes and saw a warped reflection of himself in them. He almost flinched, but instead Snape drew in a deep breath, and spat into Sirius Black's face.

Sirius growled again as he wiped the saliva out of his eyes. When he drew his hand away from his face, all traces of the handsome, gregarious young Gryffindor were gone. The man that faced down Severus Snape now was a bundle of anger, a seething boiling cauldron ready to explode.

"Stay away from my friends," Sirius whispered in a voice that could not be ignored. "Stay away from Remus. Don't think for a minute that I don't know who you are and what you will be." Sirius snarled. "Remus Lupin is an angel on high compared to you, Snape."

"If Lupin is such a saint, then were does he go every full moon?" accused Snape.

"Do you really want to know?" hissed Black.

Severus nodded.

Sirius leaned towards him, whispering the secret into Snape's ear. Leaning back, looking very satisfied with himself, Sirius released his grip on the other boy. "Tell him I'm sorry James and I couldn't join him tonight when you see him. We were unexpectedly delayed."

Black strolled away from him, following in McGonagall's footsteps. Severus cursed under his breath. There was only one way to find out if what Black had said was true.

He grabbed the handle to the massive door, and exited the castle.

* * *

The first thing James saw when he entered the Hospital Wing, was Sirius sitting on a bed. He smiled when he saw James, something that James hadn't been expecting. James had seen Lily fall; he was prepared for the worst. The relief that he felt as Sirius described how he and McGonagall had found Snape bringing her battered body into the castle could not be described with mere words.

Madam Pomfrey was working on Lily behind closed doors so the boys were resigned to wait for more information. Sirius asked what had happened with Hawthorn.

"She just kept burning." James shivered at the memory of the ghastly sight. "No spell that Albus tried could stop the flames. He's still up there now, trying to save her. Though, I don't think she wants to be saved."

Sirius nodded, looking solemn for the first time since James entered the room. After a minute though, the dark irrepressible grin had returned to his face.

"What is that about?" James asked finally.
"What?" Sirius replied, trying to look innocent.

"That face. What is that face about?" James had a feeling that he didn't really want to know but was compelled to ask.

"Snape." Sirius replied simply. "He thought that Lily had been attacked by Remus when he found her."

"And you're smiling about that? Are you insane?" James stared wide-eyed at Sirius, trying to comprehend his train of thought.

"I'm smiling," Sirius said darkly. "Because Snape is about to finally get what he deserves. I told him that if he wanted to know if Remus had attacked Lily then he should ask Remus himself. And then I told him where to find him."

"You did what?" James was on his feet instantly, heading for the door. "Are you fucking stupid? He'll be killed."

"Where are you going?" Sirius called after him.

"To stop you from becoming a murderer before you're eighteen." James slammed the door behind him.

* * *

James wasn't too late. Unfamiliar with the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow, Severus Snape was walking slowly with only the dim light at the end of his wand to guide him. He spun around as James raced towards him, glaring at James when he grabbed Snape's shoulder and began pulling him back towards the castle.

"Let go of me, Potter!" Snape hissed, struggling to break free of the taller boy's grasp.

"Not a chance. You have no bloody idea what you are getting into." James dragged him a few feet before Snape managed to dig his heels in.

"I know that Lupin is in there," Snape declared. "I know what he is and you can't stop me from seeing it."

"You know that he's a werewolf?" James sneered sarcastically. "Well, you're a blooming genius then aren't you? Did you know that it's the full moon as well? Were you aware that Remus transforms into a beast twice the size of a normal wolf and has the power of ten men?" James shoved Snape hard against the wall. "Have you been informed that when a werewolf transforms on the full moon, his only instinct is to attack any human that he comes across? Or did you think that you were immune to a lycanthropic bite?"

James spun Snape around, facing him in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. "Not twenty feet from here is the door to the basement of the house that holds him during his transformation. That door is the only thing between us and a painful death. Listen, you can hear Remus throwing himself against the door, trying to break it down." James' voice turned to ice. "If you go there, he will kill you. He will rend you limb from limb and not even know he's done it until Tuesday morning. If you want to meet your death, go knock on the bloody door."

Severus Snape had had enough of Gryffindor pride for the night. He threw his foot back and connected with the Potter family jewels, forcing the taller boy to release him for the moment. James landed on the ground, the pain of Snape's low blow evident on his face. Severus turned his face slowly towards his shoulder and let out a low hiss. "Look... how the mighty have fallen..." he sneered. "Lupin is no threat to me, Potter. Did you think that I would go a-hunting without the proper weapons?" Snape slowly withdrew a dagger from his robes and presented the blade to James. "Pure silver... it was my great-grandmother's weapon. She was one of the best werewolf hunters of her day. When she saw a threat, she eliminated it. And now I will do the same."

James struggled to his knees, intent on stopping Snape. Severus raised his leg to kick James once more, but James was quicker this time and caught the boy by the foot, pulling him to the ground. The fall knocked the dagger out of Snape's hands.

James threw himself on top of his foe, pining Severus to the ground. From the shack, he could hear the werewolf--Remus--throwing himself frantically against the door. James reached over and picked up the fallen dagger. He held it over Snape's face and grinned with inspiration. He laid the dagger on Severus' chest and drew out his wand. Thinking he was about to be cursed, Snape began to struggle again. James backhanded him and proceeded with his plan.

Muttering the words that Professor McGonagall had taught him only a few weeks before, James transfigured the dagger into a dormouse, which promptly scurried away. James smiled and stood up.

The door in front of them shuddered once more, and both boys stared at it. A few more slams like that, and Remus would break through. Time was running short. James reached down and pulled Snape up by the robes. "Still ready for your epic battle? If we wait a few more moments, you won't have to bother with the bloody doorknob. We'll be here and Remus will be hungry..."

James threw Snape forward and waited, sure that the other boy would start running back towards the castle. Instead, Snape started walking forward again. James grabbed him by the shoulder and spun Snape around just in time to introduce the Slytherin to his clenched fist.

After he knocked Snape out, James cursed vehemently for several minutes, venting his frustration physically against the damp walls of the tunnel. When he calmed down, he drew out his wand, levitating the unconscious boy into the air and magically dragging him out of the passageway.

Of all the people he'd wanted to save from imminent danger that night, the only one he'd been successful with was the one who would never give a damn about it.

Fate, James thought ruefully as he headed back to the hospital wing, is not without a sense of humour.