Why We Fight

Part 35:
Piece of My Heart
(Sunday, October 30, 1977)

"So, uh, how's it going in there?" James asked Hermione as she exited the Head Girl's room. He, Draco, Peter, and Sirius were in the common room. Remus had gone off to do some studying.

"She's been listening to Janis Joplin all day and...um...she's been throwing jinxes at a picture she found of you for about two hours now..." Hermione replied.

"Well, at least she's got a picture of me," James stated brightly.

His comment was met by blank stares from the four Marauders and Hermione. Peter spoke up, "As our ambassador for the female species, can you translate?"

"Well, I think the jinxes are self-explanatory," she said. "But considering the fact that she's been listening to 'Piece of My Heart' on max volume..." she paused and they could make out the strains of said song:

Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man, yeah,
Yeah, an' didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Honey, you know I did!
And each time I tell myself that I, well, I think I've enough,
But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough.

"...and charmed to repeat means that she's very angry because James and Draco tricked her..." she looked pointedly at the Head Boy and the blonde.

James stared at her. "You were the one who said it was a good idea!" he proclaimed.

Draco didn't respond, but the barest hint of a blush rose in his pale cheeks as he remembered the day she'd found out about the Polyjuice Potion. She had kissed him; he could feel her lips against his. An answering blush colored her face as she, too, recalled the kiss. Sirius looked from Hermione to Draco with a groan.

The frizzy-haired know-it-all continued, forcing the blood out of her face. "But she also really likes you--"

"I could have told you that much. She said she l--" he stopped suddenly, a goofy grin on his handsome face.

"She didn't say the l-word, did she?" Sirius asked. James's non-response was enough. "You've only been dating a month!"

"Well, sometimes, soul mates fall in love fast," James said. "And I love her, too."

"'Soul mates'?" Sirius did a double-take as he realized the last part of what James had said. "Prongs, Prongs, Prongs, you're seventeen! You've got a world of life ahead of you!" Sirius proclaimed. Hermione paled, Draco looked sick, and James frowned. "What?"

"Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm going to live a long life," James stated simply.

"What could possibly happen?" Peter asked. Hermione stared at him for a long moment.

"I think it's best you give her a bit of space for a little while, let her come to grips with it all," Hermione added sagely.

(Sunday, November 13, 1977)

You're out on the streets lookin' good, and, baby,
Deep down in your heart I guess you know that it ain't right.
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night.
Baby, and I cry all the time!
And each time I tell myself that I, well, I can't stand the pain,
But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again.

It had been a fortnight. Two weeks of sheer misery for James Potter. He'd barely been able to eat or sleep or do much of anything but mope. Lily hadn't so much as looked at him since he'd revealed the truth. Okay, she did look at him on occasion but the look was one of pure malice, worse than the time that he'd humiliated Snivellus in fifth year. He swore that he was in danger of frostbite whenever he came near Lily.

Hermione had been doing her best to try to mend matters without totally angering Lily, but, so far, it wasn't working. Sirius thought James was insane for falling so quick. Peter thought it was romantic. Draco and Hermione knew it was meant to be. And Remus...where was Remus anyway? Remus hadn't been around much lately, come to think of it. And when he was, the exchanges between him and Draco were almost as cold as the ones between James and Lily.

James stared up at the canopy of his bed, trying desperately to think of a way to try to amend for his stupidity. Well, technically Draco's stupidity, but stupidity none-the-less. Unbidden, a thought rose at the back of his mind. He swallowed hard. It was time to sacrifice himself on the altar of dignity.

Draco looked across the room and swallowed hard. He'd been practicing since the Halloween Masque on what he'd say. Peter had been helping. Surprisingly, the chubby, rat-faced boy was actually quite the romantic and was really very good at playing Cyrano de Bergerac. Draco reminded himself to try and get Peter a girl.

Then he remembered. Peter was Wormtail. Wormtail had betrayed James; Wormtail would get James, Lily, and Sirius killed. Draco's jaw dropped and he stared at Peter for a long moment. The round-faced boy stared back in confusion.

"Oi! Moony, it's about time you left the library," Sirius cajoled over lunch. Remus had been spending every waking moment he wasn't in class in the library for two weeks now. Sirius thought the grade-conscious werewolf was studying for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s, Peter thought that Remus had gotten a girlfriend and was snogging her in secret, and James and Draco thought the sandy-haired Chaser was up to something.

Remus moved to sit down but scowled as he saw Draco. He immediately stopped and moved down to the end of the table near Regulus Black. The four remaining Marauders stared at Remus with confusion. James and Draco exchanged a look. The black-haired Seeker sighed, nodded, and followed the erstwhile Marauder.

"Not very good at taking a hint, are you?" Remus asked.

James shrugged. "You need to give it up, Moony," he stated simply.

"I'm not going to give it up, Prongs," he said.

"Bloody hell, Moony, it's my life," James stated. Neither of them noticed that Regulus's eyes had left his Potions homework to concentrate on them.

"Not just your life," Remus hissed. "It's Padfoot and Wormtail's lives, too!"

"Everyone has to die," James stated. "And I choose to die for Harry. You need to accept that." He stood up and re-joined the rest of the Marauders.

Regulus paled noticeably and looked toward the Head table. His silvery-blue eyes met Professor Flaherty's and he gave an-almost imperceptible nod to the Potions professor.

As soon as James re-joined them. "Any luck?" Draco asked.

"Not at all," James stated.

"What happened with the three of you, anyway? You've been acting strange for a while now," Peter said.

"Just we don't see things the same way," Draco said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a bridge to mend."

He left the Marauders, looking pointedly at Remus. Remus moved to join his friends. Draco sat down beside Lily, and the red-haired Head Girl sent Draco a glare that would put a chill in the very, snake-like bones of Voldemort. Considering the fact that his mother had been actively pursuing him a romantic way and his father was certain to at least attempt to kill Draco if the elder Malfoy ever found out about his son's sudden and insane attraction to a Mudblood, Draco was unfazed. "I need to talk to you," the blonde said.

"And which one are you?" the redhead spat. "The real-Draco or the fake-Draco?"

"Um, the real Draco--" he started.

"Oh, really, how do I know?"

"Lily, please, let me explain. It was my idea. I didn't want Narcissa..." he felt strange calling his mother "Narcissa," but continued on "...to, uh...pursue...me, and James really likes you..."

"James...is a prat," the Head Girl said simply.

"Well, yeah, he's a prat. He's male, all males are prats; it's part of our charm," Draco told her. "Lily, please, give him a chance. It may be the best decision you'll ever make." He looked down the table at the four Marauders who were talking and then across the room to Hermione. He plucked up all of his courage and walked over to the Slytherin table.

At the Slytherin table, Hermione and Severus were talking. "Are you trying to get an--an A?" she asked, eyes wide. "Professor Flaherty says that the project is worth half the final grade. And if--if you don't do this, you'll drop down to an A, Severus, an 'Acceptable'! How horrible is that? All O's and--and E's and that one A. In Potions, no less."

Severus looked sour at the prospect of the A marring his O's and E's. But work with Lily Evans? It was...unthinkable. "Hermione..." he groaned.

"An A, Severus, an A," she said seriously.

"Fine, okay, you win," he said with a scowl. "I'll work with the Mudb--" he was cut off when Hermione kicked him hard under the table.

"Don't even think about finishing that word," she stated.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, rubbing his injured shin.

Draco took a deep breath and sat beside Severus and across from Hermione. The future Potions Professor gave Draco a scowl that he usually reserved for Gryffindors. Oh, right, I am a Gryffindor, Draco mused. "Hermione, Severus," the blond greeted them.

"Hello, Narcissa," Hermione said, looking over Draco's shoulder.

Draco looked panicked. "Where!?" he gasped, whipping around so fast in search of his infatuated mother that Hermione was almost-certain he'd get whiplash. When he didn't see the blonde, Draco looked back to Hermione, who grinned widely. "That was cruel, Hermione."

"I couldn't resist," Hermione said. Severus looked perplexed. "You'll understand someday, and you'll laugh...or, well, maybe not." She turned her attention back to Draco. "So, what do you want?"

"Well, certainly not the heart attack you're trying to give me," Draco muttered. "I wanted to ask you if you'd, well, if you'd maybe like to, uh..."

He didn't get to finish his stuttered comment when a voice filled the Great Hall. James Potter was now standing on the Gryffindor table, and he was singing to the shock and horror of Sirius Black, the bewilderment of Remus Lupin, the amusement of Peter Pettigrew, and the embarrassment of Lily Evans.

"Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover,
Something in the way she woos me.
I don't wanna leave her now,
You know I believe her now."

"Oh, Merlin, no, he isn't!" Draco groaned.

A smile crossed Hermione's lips. "He is. You know, he is a pretty good singer," she said. Severus's jaw dropped.

Remus stared at James who was stalking down the Gryffindor table. "I can't believe he's..." he started. "How'd he get the lyrics?"

"I wrote them down for him," Peter stated.

"I can't believe he's singing!" Sirius cried, appalled. "It--it's just..."

"Romantic?" Peter stated simply.

"Really? Birds like that?" Sirius asked. He looked over at Hermione.

"Not the way you sing, Padfoot," Remus said.

"He is not doing this," Lily hissed under her breath.

"Oh, wow, James is so romantic!" a girl gushed. "You are so lucky, Lily!"

"LUCKY!?" Lily demanded.

Oh, Merlin. James hoped he was doing the right thing. Hermione said that women liked to be romanced, to be sung to. And he had a good voice. He took a deep breath and continued, his voice ringing through the Great Hall. It seemed to be working...on every girl but Lily.

"Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover,
Something in her style that shows me.
Don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe her now."

"Wait, 'lover'?" Draco asked. "You don't think that he...did he?"

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized what Draco was asking. "I hope not...that would be so wrong." James was now in front of Lily, singing. James had every female entranced, Professors Sprout and McGonagall even looked a bit flushed. Professors Dumbledore and Flaherty looked quite amused.

Okay, fine, so Violet was right. It was romantic, even Lily had to admit that. She was almost forgetting how angry she was at James for lying to her. Almost. She stared up at him as he knelt before her. And, really, his hair did look good like that, all mussed like he'd just gotten off of his broom. It reminded her of how he-as-Draco had looked after one of their make-out sessions. Lily's face turned the color of her hair.

"You're asking me will my love grow,
I don't know, I don't know.
You stick around now it may show,
I don't know, I don't know."

James leapt off the table and took Lily's hand, pulling her to her feet. He gently brushed the red hair out of her face and stared deeply into her green eyes. She really did have the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. He sincerely hoped that Harry would have them, too.

"Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her,
Something in the things she shows me.
Don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe her now."

If this had been a movie, there would have been the sound of a record needle skipping and the music abruptly stopping. But there were no sound effects excluding the moony sighs of hundreds of girls who had all simultaneously developed crushes on the Gryffindor Seeker.

And then the loud, resounding smack of Lily Evans's palm on James Potter's cheek as she slapped him.

Many students gasped, many grimaced, and others laughed. Most of those laughing were sitting at Hermione's table, but even the Slytherins were divided. It depended on who they disliked more: Gryffindors or Mudbloods.

"You think that after what you did to me, a little song would work?" she questioned angrily. She turned on her heel and retreated from the Great Hall.

James slumped beside Sirius, who was torn between laughing at his friend's humiliation or acting out in righteous indignation. Remus frowned at looked across the room at Hermione and Draco, and Draco's silver eyes met Remus's golden gaze. The tawny-haired youth's eyes narrowed, and the blonde arched a pale brow. Remus looked like he wanted to rip out Draco's throat. The time traveler was starting to feel really bad about lying, and he decided that he needed a peace offering.

Hermione delved into her bag, searching for a photo. She scowled as she realized that Remus still had her picture of the Quidditch World Cup. The brunette reached deeper into her bag and retrieved another photo; this one was of her, Harry, Ron, Sirius, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ginny taken last Christmas at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. She stared intently at Harry's image, trying to determine whether he had faded or not. She couldn't tell. So much for the Back to the Future test.

"Who are they?" Severus questioned, peering at the picture that Hermione now held.

"Um, friends from Agnitio," she stated, hastily putting the picture away.

"That was a very interesting scar one had," the sallow-skinned future Potions professor stated.

Draco took this as a sign to change the subject. "Severus, Hermione and I were wondering if you could offer some help on our Potions project," he said.

"What are you planning to concoct?" the black-haired Slytherin asked.

"Wolf's Bane," Draco answered.

"Wolf's Bane? Why would you want to -- oh..."

"We know that you know what we know. And he's not a bad person once you get to know him. He was forced into this against his will," Hermione answered. "Please help us, Severus?"

How did she do that? In his nearly eighteen years, no one had ever gotten past Severus Snape's boundaries. He never trusted anyone. Trust was not an option; it was a weakness to be exploited. He sincerely hated Hermione for her ability to destroy what he had trained himself not to do. "I'll help you," he finally relented.

Hermione grinned and gave Severus a quick peck on the cheek. The oily teenager blushed, and he supposed that this was what it was like to have a sister. Draco Malfoy had always considered himself rather rational (although, those who knew him -- and had half a brain, which immediately left out Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy -- thought he was more passionate and emotional than rational), but he was feeling anything but rational at the moment. He was grasping for his wand when a voice cut in. "Mr. Snape, might I have a word with you?"

Severus stiffened at his name and turned to look at the source. Flaherty looked at him in return, a slightly amused smile on his thin lips. "Yes, Professor Flaherty?" the black-haired youth questioned.

"In my office, please," Flaherty directed. Severus looked nervous before he stood, grabbed his things, and followed Flaherty from the Great Hall and down to the professor's dungeon office.