The Runespoor's Bane

It was a cold, dark night; a chill surrounded the sleeping town of Hogsmeade. A dog barked as one solitary figure crossed the town square. If anyone had happened to peak out their window they would have seen a set of claw-like hands reach out of black robes and carefully place a small object in its pouch. No one happened to look out and see the figure at this time but they were all at their windows seconds later as a desperate scream disturbed the night. Madame Rosmerta whispered, "Lumos!" and hurried to the window. She heard shouts and running and somewhere in the back of her mind, she could swear that she had distinctly heard a scream. Down below on the dark cobblestones she saw people, townspeople in nightclothes armed with their wands. She ran out of her room and down through the deserted pub, tripping over a chair. "Bollocks," she whispered, pulling herself back to her feet. She held her lit wand resolutely as she opened the door and was lampooned by a burst of cold night air. Her grip quickly faltered and her wand crashed to the ground as she walked onto the icy, now crowded, town square. A large luminous object gave the sky an eerie green tint. Madame Rosmerta gasped. The Dark Mark. She burst into a run, wand forgotten, toward Derric Weatherby's ghoulishly outlined house.

Chapter I

Lily Evans awoke with a start. She turned to the clock by her bed to see what time it was: 3:00 AM. I wonder what could have woken me at this hour, she thought. My foot's asleep, that must be it. Lily stood up, trying to walk out the tingling in her foot. She stared out of her window onto Hogwarts' frosty lawn. The first frost of the season. This can't be good for her father's gardening. Her thoughts briefly swept back to home. Lately she'd been missing it; sometimes she even missed fighting with Petunia. It had been five years since she first arrived at Hogwarts, but so much had happened. She missed those quiet autumn days, raking the leaves with her sister and coming into a comforting fire and a home-cooked meal. Life had been so simple. She sighed and then cringed as she heard werewolf cries echo through the Forbidden Forest. What a night, she thought, glad to be indoors. She stared off through the clear night, to Hagrid's hut sitting at the edge of the forest. He's either incredibly brave or incredibly fool-hearty. I wouldn't like to be out there, only a wall separating me from the trees. She sat back into bed and willed sleep to come, but it refused. Her eyes kept drifting back to the window and the forest, an unsettling feeling landing deep in her stomach. A few minutes later she let out a frustrated "Argh!" and leapt to her feet, headed toward the common room. She knew she had to get some sleep; she had a big Potions test on Monday. She silently cursed herself for not studying earlier; I know what I'll be doing tomorrow, she thought bitterly.

She stopped in her tracks as she entered the common room. A gangly boy sat by the fire. His head in his hands, shoulder-length light brown hair falling through his fingers. "Remus?" Lily asked surprised. She had no idea three in the morning visits were normal in the Gryffindor common room. Remus looked up at her with pained unfocused eyes. "Why are you still in your robes," Lily asked. This seemed very odd to her, she would have never considered Remus to be the troubled, can't sleep, tortured by horrible dark secret type. She almost laughed aloud at that description; no one could be farther from it than Remus. Lily had always seen him astoundingly cheerful and resilient to any bad news. But not in an annoying way; he managed to pull off his cheeriness, balancing it with an aura of wisdom and calm. She'd always thought he'd be a good person in a crisis; nothing ever seemed to ruffle him. But there he sat, looking haunted and suffering.

"Studying," Remus answered swiftly.

"At three in the morning? Did someone move the final exams up to October without telling me?" Lily replied.

Remus smiled faintly. "I might be asking you the same question, Lily Evans."

"I couldn't sleep," Lily responded tiredly, "all those damned werewolves making such a racket."

Remus flinched and looked back at his book. "Those aren't werewolves," he said quietly. "The full moon's not until Monday night. Those are probably just dogs off in Hogsmeade." He sighed and looked sadly into the fire.

Lily sat across from him and smiled awkwardly, hoping to cheer him up. "Remus, Is everything okay?" she said softly.

"Everything is ...normal," he responded. His gaze turned back to her and a half-smile forced itself onto his face. "Ready for the Potions test?" he asked. "Don't you think Figg graded hard on the last one?"

Lily sighed, "I know. I've left my studying for tomorrow." Lily's eyes shifted to the windows as a large gust of air blew it open. She hurried over, slammed it shut and felt a chill go all over her. She was suddenly very glad she was not alone in the common room. "Remus?" Remus cocked his head to look at her. "Does anything um...feel strange tonight?" Lily asked. She flushed and bit her lip looking down; a little girl scared of the dark, that's what I sound like.

Remus stared, pausing, "Yes," he said seriously, "but it might just be the changing seasons and..." he abruptly stopped." I know a sleeping charm that might help you, Lily."

Lily was always wary of students trying new spells. Last year a sixth year, Ludo Bagman, had tried an energy charm for his Hufflepuff Quidditch team. However, it had backfired and two unfortunate Beaters and a Chaser fell asleep on their brooms and ended up in the infirmary, not to mention that Ludo was in trouble for cheating. She walked back and sat across from Remus and uttered a tired, "Alright, I definitely need the sleep". Remus was always a careful wizard, very good at spells, and Lily was getting the feeling that he wanted to be left alone.

He crouched by the chair she sank into and his eyes smiled at her. He pulled out his wand and gently pushed back a lock of her rich red hair from her face. She smiled, trying not to blush, as he tilted his wand toward her forehead and uttered a strange spell she had never heard before. Clouds of sleep quickly encircled her mind. Remus stood up and offered her his hand. "You better hurry up to bed, it works rather quickly when you're already tired," he smiled wryly.

"Thank you," she muttered back as Remus pulled her up. She started to walk back to the girls' dormitory and then turned back. "Have a good time...studying," she raised an eyebrow. She felt dazed, her eyelids quickly turning to lead.

"If I hear a loud thump, I'll come help you the rest of the way," Remus laughed, resuming his former position with his book.

"Uh, yeah," Lily yawned, turning around. I wonder what Remus is up to, she thought drowsily. He's a strange boy. Nice, but strange. Thoughts of Quidditch swam through her head as she shambled over to her bedroom. All summer she'd practiced on her broom at every opportunity. Then when she'd finally tried out for the Chaser position, James Potter had beaten her to it. She flushed angrily, thinking back to tryouts. The sleeping spell was overtaking her. Lily sank into her bed. Next week was going to be different, she thought, now that they needed a new Seeker...She just had to make the team! She loved Quidditch and was good, very good. Next Friday. Five more days, she thought curling up under the covers. Five more days.

______________________________________________________________

Lily awoke to a deserted room. Sunlight beat cheerfully through the windows. She sat up and a look of astonishment clouded her face. "Noon?" Lily exclaimed in disbelief. How could she have slept so late? She hurriedly got dressed and ran down to the Great Hall. She definitely didn't want to miss lunch. Lily knew something had happened as soon as she entered through its large doors. The hall was buzzing with whispers and standing in a group near the front of the hall, Dumbledore and Professors Figg, McGonagall, and Flitwick were talking seriously to each other, concern written all over their faces. Lily walked over to the Gryffindor table, sitting besides her friends Miranda Henneson and Davy Gudgeon. They'd been her best friends and confidants since first year. Miranda was a shrewd, serious student. Davy was rather absent-minded and clumsy; he'd nearly lost an eye to the Whomping Willow during their first year. Lily considered herself half-way between the two. Both her friends had startled faces and seemed to be engaged in an intense conversation which they paused as Lily sat down.

"Lily, where have you been? Don't tell me you've been sleeping all this time? Can you believe it? In Hogsmeade?" Miranda exclaimed stopping for breath. She looks frightened, thought Lily, A lot of people do, come to think of it.

"Can I believe what?" Lily responded, helping herself to a roll. Miranda and Davy both looked at her startled. "He was here, in...in Hogsmeade," Davy blinked.

"Who was here?" Lily asked, frustrated.

"You-Know-Who," he whispered, "Last night...Hogsmeade...Derric Weatherby...Dark Mark."

"Davy Gudgeon, why don't you give speaking English a try?" Lily said harshly. She instantly felt bad saying it, her friends were obviously upset. But this was ridiculous...She remembered what her father once said, most of Voldemort's power comes from fear tactic, You-Know-Who indeed. Davy flushed.

"Last night You-Know-Who..." Miranda gulped, "Voldemort came to Derric Weatherby's house and killed his whole family with the Avada Kedavra curse. No one saw or heard anything, except, well, he left the Dark Mark hanging in the sky over the house..." Miranda trailed off.

Derrick Weatherby, Lily pondered that nice man who worked at the owl post. He wasn't influential or powerful, not the sort one would think that Voldemort would bother noticing, much less putting a powerful curse on him. His children... Lily shuddered...remembering the two girls playing on small broomsticks and their younger brother watching nearby during their last Hogsmeade visit.

"That's horrible...and strange, what could Voldemort want with the Weatherbys?" Lily wondered aloud.

"That's part of the big mystery," Miranda stated, helping herself to another slice of pumpkin pie. "People say the attack seems to have deliberately targeted the Weatherbys...very strange," she added nervously. Lily looked around the Great Hall, abuzz with worried talk and shuffling. Voldemort had been at the corner of everyone's minds for at least the past year, but the attacks had seemed so few and so far away...Cardiff, Brighton, Kent...never in Hogsmeade.

The Great Hall was very full; everyone wanted to hear if any more news came. Lily looked down the Gryffindor table. Her eyes paused on a group of fifth years... James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew were all whispering about something. Their fourth friend, Remus Lupin sat tiredly staring off into space. Still out of character, Lily thought. Lily's eyes briefly met his and he smiled. The only tolerable member of their exclusive little club, Lily thought angrily. She often wondered why he was their friend, he didn't seem like the type to play offensive tricks and definitely wasn't arrogant or loud.

Lily didn't used to be so bothered by their little quartet, excepting Sirius. James had always seemed like an okay guy, most people seemed to like him, though he'd never gone beyond being a mere acquaintance. However, ever since he'd decided to try for the same Quidditch position as her, her opinion of James had rapidly deteriorated. He'd tried out for the Chaser position she had wanted for years despite the fact that everyone knew that she had loved Quidditch longer and had been wanting to play on the team longer. This had instantly morphed James into an archrival/enemy in Lily's mind. He'd absently, on the spur of the moment just decided to try out for the position she had her hopes so firmly set on, probably just because Sirius was on the team, and then, to her horror, he had gotten it. To top it off, Lily had heard Sirius and James laughing after the tryouts, and she'd been sure they were laughing at her. It's hard enough summoning the bravery to try out for Quidditch if you're a girl; there were only four girl Quidditch players in all of Hogwarts that year and none of them were in Gryffindor. Despite the fact that it was the '70s, Ewan Lestrange, the Gryffindor captain, seemed intent on keeping the Gryffindor team a boys-only club. However, part of her anger or jealousy, as she had to admit to herself, spurred from the fact that James was actually a superior Chaser to her. She could come up with excuses all she wanted, but ultimately, James was truly a talented Chaser.

Lily had never thought much of Sirius to begin with; he was always playing immature jokes on people and was ridiculously cruel to poor Severus Snape. To add to that, he had also beaten her onto the Quidditch team, a thought that always made her flush angrily. He also remarkably had higher marks then Lily, a fact which always dumbfounded her. She'd never seen Sirius even prop open a book during her three years at Hogwarts and yet miraculously whenever a teacher called on him he had the right answer and he and James were always getting the highest scores on tests. This infuriated her. She may not be the most meticulous studier-procrastination was a weakness of hers- but she was smart and she knew she must study more, a lot more, than Sirius. She was also always slightly nervous around him, unsure what horrible thing he might do next. And worse of all Sirius had called her "Redhead" since first year. Sometimes she wondered if he knew her real name.

Of course, I'm about the only Gryffindor who feels that way, and probably the only non-Slytherin in the school who does. She rested her gaze on him, trying to see what everyone saw in him. Tall with unkempt black hair and deep brown puppy-dog eyes, he was probably the most crushed-on boy at Hogwarts, after Ludo. However, Miranda had explained to Lily that what made most girls melt was his "rogue-like" smile. Lily thought arrogant sneer was a far more accurate name for it. Lately it was even rumored that he'd attracted the attention of the beautiful sixth year Ravenclaw Narcissa Encins. A rumor that Lily was pretty sure wouldn't help shrink his very large ego. Narcissa must not care much about personality, Lily thought.

Peter looked very plain besides Sirius, though most guys would. Peter had been unluckily left behind when Sirius, James, and Remus had been visited with growth-spurts over the summer. He had light brown hair and an average, non-descript face. She'd never talked to him much; he seemed nice enough and clever but was always trailing around with Sirius and James, guffawing at their jokes. To her they were just a pack of droll immature boys who thought quite a lot of themselves. Her thoughts drifted back into the present and she saw Remus looking at her questioningly as if he could read her thoughts.

Lily quickly turned back to Miranda and Davy, who were having a fervent conversation about Hogwarts' new security measures. "And everyone's supposed to be in their House rooms by nightfall...and there certainly won't be any Hogsmeade trips any time soon," Miranda sighed sadly.

"Well, one must endure," Lily sighed exaggeratedly. She always thought the Hogsmeade trips were somewhat overrated. "We really should go study for Potions," she said as an afterthought. The others sighed and nodded. They stood to leave but turned to here a resounding clunk followed by boisterous laughter. Severus Snape struggled to his feet, tripping over his black robes, his large nose darkening, having hit the floor.

Sirius laughed, "Careful Snape," as he slid his foot back under the table. Severus reached for his wand, seething hatred in his eyes, but before a hex could escape his lips a hand had stopped his wand arm.

"Now, you weren't about to go hexing one of your fellow classmates?" Professor Mundungus Fletcher asked in his thick Scottish accent. He obviously had just arrived on the scene and was unaware of Sirius' role in the scuffle. There was a pause.

"No sir," Snape hissed, glaring at Sirius. "May I go now, sir?"

"Yes, Snape, but both of you- yes, I know you're not innocent, Sirius Black- need to start getting along. I'm sure your friendship will finally blossom this year." I doubt that their friendship will win any gardening prizes, thought Lily with a smile. Their confrontations, which had never been friendly, were intensifying and becoming more frequent. Severus had always been a polite boy who'd Lily felt inclined to like, though he was getting more testy and abrupt among non-Slytherins lately thanks largely, Lily thought, to a bullying trend Sirius had started that had spread to other houses. He wasn't Mr. Popular among the Slytherins either. Lily sometimes wondered if she was the only person in the school who truly tried to be nice to him. "Now the next time I catch one of you hexing the other," Mundungus continued, "it'll be a weeks' detention- and that's if I'm in a good mood. Understand, both of you?"

Sirius and Severus nodded awkwardly, still glaring at each other. "Yes, Professor," they chimed without much feeling.

"Now, good, you can go," Mundungus smiled and watched Severus return to the Slytherin table. Lily saw Mundungus turn back to Sirius, to reiterate, she assumed, what he'd just said. Lily's gaze sifted back to the Slytherin table where Severus sat, looking like an overdue volcano. Her eyes lingered on the silent seventh year who sat beside him, watching Sirius and Mundungus with cold silver eyes.

"Coming, Lily?" asked Miranda. Lily hurried after them out of the Great Hall and toward the library. "Done drooling over Sirius Black?" Miranda teased. Lily stopped walking; "Sirius Black..." she stuttered angrily, "is the most insufferable person I have ever had the misfortune to know. No, I suppose James Potter ties with him in that competition. But the day I can look at either of them without..." Lily trailed off, unsure how to properly voice her dislike for the pair.

Miranda and Davy were both laughing. "We know," Davy said peaceably. "Mir was just teasing."

Lily nodded, following them up the stairs. She didn't want to think about Sirius Black or James Potter; both led her mind inexorably toward thoughts of Quidditch and the tryouts looming in on the horizon. She better fit in an extra practice that afternoon, she thought.

________________________________________________________________

It was Monday afternoon and Lily had a sinking feeling that she'd done poorly on her Potions quiz. She walked grimly out toward the Quidditch field with Davy, somberly clutching her broom. Sunday, she'd been unable to concentrate on her studies, her attention kept wandering out the window in the direction of the Quidditch field until she'd eventually surrendered and gone out to practice. It was a good one. But she'd considered herself "good" before the last tryouts. And anyway, she probably had no chance now. Her day had started abysmally and yet amazingly still managed to get worse.

As usual, Professor Figg made the test ridiculously difficult. Lily was pretty sure that Professor Figg had made up about a quarter of the ingredients on the test. Lily had definitely never heard of them before. And then in Magical Creatures, she'd been bitten by a Mackled Malaclaw. As if the bite and humiliation wasn't bad enough, it also meant a week of bad luck right before the Quidditch tryouts. The beast had clung to her arm with its sharp teeth. Mundungus, their Magical Creatures instructor, had been unable to make it budge and had to send Peter to go get Madame Pomfrey and some special "defense against magical creatures native to the British coastline" book from Mundungus' office. The bite was not particularly painful but Lily had needed to sit in Hagrid's Hut for nearly a half-hour before the correct spell was found and performed and Madame Pomfrey escorted her to the hospital wing. At least James and Sirius hadn't been in class to laugh at her as so many of her classmates had, watching the red-haired girl run around trying to get a lobster-like creature off of her arm.

"Hey Evans," Igor Karkaroff had yelled viciously, "at least your new accessory matches your hair. She flushed remembering the primarily Slytherin laughter that followed. Her arm was sore but she'd rather have her arm swollen to the size of a full-grown Niffler than the inevitable week of bad luck that would follow.

"Lily, don't look so glum," Davy said cheerfully, "the bad luck doesn't always last a full week and who knows," he added groping for something good to say, "Maybe it only gives bad luck to some people."

Lily forced herself to smile, "Thanks Davy, but we both know that every book says the same thing, a week of bad luck."

"You should still try," Davy said loudly, trying to raise his voice about the sounds of crunching autumn leaves and an increasingly noisy forest, a strong wind having made the trees even more life-like then usual.

"I know," Lily said quietly, "I'll try; I might as well though I don't have very much hope."

They had reached the Quidditch field. Lily knew their practice would have to be short. Dark clouds were looming over the horizon, some already painting the far sides of the lake a menacing black. They pushed hard off the ground and Lily felt a gush of cold air as she lifted high into the sky.

Davy's father, the former Falmouth Falcon Seeker, had always wanted him to be a Seeker; unfortunately Davy possessed neither the skill nor ambition for such a difficult position. However, Davy's father had provided his son with a Golden Snitch, one that had been passed down through the family for many years. Lily guessed that Mr. Gudgeon hoped that having a real Snitch lying around might result in a few Seeker skills rubbing off. However, Davy's Snitch had been very useful to Lily during the past couple weeks. Lately, she'd been trying to practice daily. Davy, being the good friend that he was and terrified that Lily might lose his father's Snitch, had joined her at their practices. Lily knew that real opposing Seekers would be far more skilled than Davy Gudgeon, but it was better then no one and it was nice to have company on the large, deserted Quidditch field.

Lily raced after the Snitch, the air pounding against her ears, her hair lifted up behind her. She pressured her broom, leaning in. Faster, faster, all her energy focused on the Snitch far in front of her. She'd always loved flying and Quidditch, ever since she saw her first game as a first year. Despite her recent rejection from the Gryffindor team, her love for the sport had continued to grow during the past month. James had beaten her for the vacant Chaser position in September but two weeks ago the Gryffindor Seeker resigned after a devastating loss to Ravenclaw, which had involved a bad bump on the Seeker's head and a broken leg. Gryffindor had been informally trying out new Seekers for the past week and a half but finally announced a formal tryout on Friday, October 25^th. Lily seized the opportunity and had been practicing determinedly ever since.

Lily felt a warming thrill at the back of her mind as the broom's speed increased and she stretched out her right hand to the small gold object in front of her. She felt icy metal on her fingertips and heaved her right shoulder forward, grasping the Snitch. She slowed her broom down, out of breath. She hovered near the top of the stands, feeling exhilaration course through her. Davy flew up and faced her.

"Wow, that was amazing," he gasped, also out of breath but obviously impressed. "See, you don't have bad luck," he added.

Lily looked at him wondering, "Well, that Scamander book on magical creatures...It warned not to try any new endeavors if bitten. This wasn't a new endeavor, but tryouts will be."

Davy shrugged as he shivered in the wind. "Yeah... but who knows with animal magic? It works in strange ways sometimes."

Lily flinched as they were interrupted by a loud crackle of thunder. "That storm is coming closer," she breathed, looking at the imposing bulbous masses that were approaching. As she turned around, she was startled to see two black-robed figures hovering on broomsticks at the edge of the field. James Potter and Sirius Black. "I wonder how long they've been there," she said to Davy.

"About ten minutes," Davy responded. "Who are they?" Davy's eyesight was nowhere near as sharp as Lily's near-perfect vision. "Sirius Black and James Potter," she hissed angrily. What on earth are they doing sneaking up on us like that? The two dark figures were approaching them, battling against the heavy winds. Lily wracked her brain trying to think of some clever scathing remark but she couldn't think of anything and decided to settle with a haughty glare.

Sirius smiled at her glare and Lily intensified it in return. The two had reached them. "That was some amazing seeking," Sirius said. There was a long pause.

"Thank you," Lily said icily, thinking they're definitely up to something.

"Is it true that you're trying out on Friday?" Sirius asked. Lily nodded.

"Did you really get bitten by a Mackled Malaclaw today?" James suddenly asked. Lily nodded again. Sirius' and James' eyes widened. "Can we see?"

Lily fronted an annoyed sigh and pulled back her left sleeve. The bite mark had turned a dark purple. "Does it hurt?" Sirius asked looking at the wound.

Lily started to say "No, but..."

"But it causes a week of bad luck," Sirius finished the sentence for her.

"Uh-huh," Lily answered.

Sirius looked back to James and then turned back to Lily.

"Well, we came to say our team has the field reserved at four, so you two need to leave right now." Sirius suddenly flushed deeply and looked down as if he just realized how rude he had sounded. He looked back up at her, "Sorry. It looked like you were having a good practice."

"No problem," Lily answered curtly. "Come on, Davy." They began to fly off to the side of the field.

"Lily." Lily stopped and turned around. James and Sirius were both looking at them. They stood out starkly against the purple-grey sky, their robes darting about in the increasing wind. James had an earnest _expression on his face, making him look far older then he usually did. Sirius' face was impassive. "Lily, I'm sorry about your arm," James continued. "You're a better Seeker than any who have tried out. Sirius and I...we both think you should be on the team. We think we might know a way, we're going to find some way...to counter-act the Mackled Malaclaw's curse for you."

Lily's response blurted out automatically, "No need, I'm taking care of it. Good evening." And she turned and flew toward the ground.

"Lily," Davy said, hurrying after her. "What if they really wanted to help?"

"Hmph," Lily answered as her feet slammed into the ground. "How extremely likely. The day I trust those two...Who do I look like? Ludo Bagman?" Lily asked angrily.

"I thought you liked Ludo," Davy panted, trying to keep up with her as they hurried toward the castle.

"I do. But lets just say he's never been accused of being a genius," Lily quipped.

"You just act like that because you like Sirius," Davy teased.

"Argh," answered Lily as she abruptly changed direction and headed toward Hagrid's hut. "See you at dinner."

"Where are you going?" Davy asked surprised.

Lily briefly turned to look at him, "I have to ask Hagrid something," and turned back headed in the direction of the forest's edge.

________________________________________________________

"Who is that?" James had asked when he and Sirius saw a red-haired streak jetting off after a Snitch.

"I...I don't know," Sirius responded. "None of the house Seekers have red hair," Sirius sounded perplexed.

They lifted up into the air to have a better look; just as they got parallel with the mysterious girl, she snatched the Snitch. "That's quite some technique," Sirius gaped. James squinted off into the distance. "It can't be." Sirius was also peering at the Seeker.

"That's Lily," he blurted out. "I had no idea she played Seeker. She wasn't that good when she tried out for Chaser."

"Hmmm," James responded. "She must be trying out for our Seeker position."

"Well, I don't think she'll have much luck," smirked Sirius, "Peter said a Mackled Malaclaw bit her in Fletcher's class today."

"It figures the one day we miss Magical Creatures someone is attacked by an over-sized lobster spitting curses," James said. "Mundungus really is out to kill us all, blood-thirsty attack Doxies last week and now this." Nearly half the class had been nipped by the venomous, fairy-like creatures during the last lesson. Luckily Madame Pomfrey was well-stocked with the antidote, or had been before being swarmed by the bite-covered fifth-years.

"At least Mundungus gives us real experience," Sirius added in defense of his favorite professor. "Not like old Professor Grimmins with her Flobberworms and Puffskeins."

"I appreciate the experience," James said. "Just not all the unseemly scars."

"You're just a cry-baby," Sirius retorted. "You, know as well as I do that Madame Pomfrey heals them with an easy spell."

James brushed off Sirius' insult, "Well, back to Lily. It's really not fair, no matter how amusing it must have been to watch, that she was bitten. You know, the whole bad luck thing. We could really use a Seeker like her."

"We've had lots of people trying for the position," Sirius pointed out. "And anyway, we both know Ewan Lestrange isn't likely to postpone tryouts for her."

"Were you watching any of those people?" James asked. "The first one was a second year who considered just holding onto his broom a big accomplishment. Then that seventh year who never even went after the Snitch. I had to fly nearly a mile to go and catch it after it escaped the field."

"That one guy last Wednesday, he caught it."

"After two hours!"

"I'm sure he could improve," Sirius answered.

"I know you don't like Lily, Sirius," James snapped, "but we need a Seeker like her if we want to have a chance against Slytherin this year. And I agree with you that Ewan won't postpone tryouts, he doesn't really want to let any girls on the team anyway."

Sirius shrugged; "well, why don't you ask her if she trying out. We have to go tell them we need the field anyway."

"I think you should ask her," James said.

"Ha," Sirius chortled as if that proved his point about Lily.

The two flew over, pushing through the strong gusts of wind that kept moving their brooms. James mournfully imagined a year of Quidditch practices with Sirius and Lily. The two hated each other, they had since first year. Lily always seemed to be glaring at them disapprovingly; Sirius usually rose to the occasion and tried to annoy her though lately he'd been ignoring her. Images of Lily knocking Sirius off his broom and Sirius letting the Bludgers hit her kept spinning through James' head. He looked up and briefly thought how pretty Lily looked with her windblown gingery hair tossing about and a slight smile on her face as she talked to Davy Gudgeon. He'd never noticed that before. He'd been noticing a lot of that sort of thing this year. Lily had always just seemed like a sort of average, bordering on boring, person and a girl at that, not anyone he'd be paying any attention to. Now he was wondering if he had underrated her; that was some amazing Seeking and anyone who was good at Quidditch couldn't be all that bad. Lily turned to watch them approach and her smile quickly morphed into a stern frown. The frown deepened as Sirius flipped an arrogant grin at her, obviously trying to perturb her. She stiffened as Sirius addressed her. James watched Sirius' and Lily's brief conversation. Sirius seemed to be trying really hard to be nice, taking to heart what James had said about needing a good Seeker. Sirius had even called her by her real name rather than hair color. However, Lily didn't seem to appreciate Sirius' attempts and Sirius back lashed with a scornful "you need to leave the field". James sighed watching Lily's cheeks flush pink with anger. Sometimes, Sirius seems oblivious to other people. Though he's never oblivious to his friends, James corrected, thinking of Peter, Remus, and himself. Lily had turned and was leaving the field. James felt strangely sympathetic with her, especially because of the bite. He had impulsively offered his help but wasn't surprised as she haughtily turned it down and with a brisk "Good evening," and left the field. Sirius gave James a look that said, "It figures".

"We should help her," James said. "We need a Seeker and she's the only one I've seen with any potential around here. I don't much care for her either but Quidditch comes first and from what I've heard those bites sabotage any new enterprises."

"You heard her James, she doesn't want our help," Sirius said quietly. James was looking off toward where the thunder was ringing, lost in thought. The sky quickly brightened as lightning flashed and then darkened again. "Well...she's just proud. I mean you weren't exactly nice about the field and I think she's kind of suspicious about us because of the time we cursed her with warts."

Sirius grinned, "Or the time we did that spell that made her ears grow big." Sirius laughed and added, "Don't forget the time we turned her hair into snakes, the Medusa Curse, hehe. That was the best one."

"Not we, you did that one, and even Peter, Remus, and I thought that one was mean," James answered.

"They were just harmless garden snakes. Blimey, James," Sirius pointed out, remembering the screams of all the people sitting around Lily in class that day.

"You're only proving my point," James replied, flinching as a large drop hit his glasses, it was starting to rain. "I'm just saying that she's not crazy being suspicious of u. I'm sure there's some sort of talisman or charm or something that will take care of it." James looked expectantly back at Sirius.

"Whatever," Sirius said quietly as they flew down to join the rest of team on the field. "I hope practice ends early. This weather's pretty grim and I'm wiped out after that Potions test." Sirius was now smiling again, apparently not too depressed that they were going to ally their forces with Lily Evans.

Ninety miles north of Hogwarts, a shadow passed over the dusky hills. A dark cloaked figure, riding a broom, gazed upwards, it wasn't raining that far north but it was still very cloudy. Good, the figure thought. That gives me more time...The figure tied something around its neck and once the creature had tugged on the chain several times, confident that it was secured, it lowered the broom toward the ground. Thunder clapped on the southern horizon.

Thunder crashed as Lily knocked resolutely on Hagrid's door. It had started raining sheets quite suddenly and her red hair clung limply to her neck and shoulders. "Just a minute," called a kind familiar voice. The voice neared..."And then the dragon, you see it was a Hebridean Black... Lily!" the giant ground keeper's voice bellowed as he opened the door. "What are you doing out on a nasty night like this? Come inside!" Lily smiled, stepping into Hagrid's warm, cozy hut. Mundungus Fletcher was standing next to the fire. It was weird for her to call him professor, she remembered him as a goofy Gryffindor seventh year and Head Boy. She'd always liked him, he was about the only post-fourth year Gryffindor who'd talk to the first years and sometimes even helped them with their homework. He'd even helped her put a hex on Sirius after Sirius had cursed her with warts. Lily forced her mind back to the issue at hand. "I need to talk to you about my arm," Lily said.

Mundungus frowned. Lily had the feeling he felt personally responsible for the bite and Lily had never seen him so remorseful as that afternoon. "It's not bothering you, is it, Lily?"

"No, it's not," Lily answered quickly. "It's," Lily was interrupted by a particularly loud blast of wind. "It's just that I've heard that the bite causes the, um, "bitee" to have bad luck for the following week..."

Hagrid and Mundungus nodded dolefully. "And that's if yer' lucky," Hagrid added. "I knew a bloke who had the most terrible luck for a month, he..." Hagrid stopped suddenly seeing the alarmed look on Lily's face.

"Well, the problem is," Lily stuttered, not wanting to make Mundungus feel guilty..."It's just that I'm trying out for Seeker on Friday and..." Lily paused, seeing Mundungus raise a hand over his usually cheerful face. "I should never..." he frowned. Suddenly a smile brightened Mundungus' face. "I remember," he started; I once read about a coastal town in Brittany that was having a big problem with Mackled Malaclaws. They called in some peddler from Germany who owned these talismans reputed to, uh, postpone the bad luck while the victim was wearing the talisman. Supposedly the talismans worked."

"A talisman?" Lily exclaimed. "Do you know what it was made of or if they're sold anywhere?" She saw a glittering of hope through the situation.

Mundungus was frowning, a pensive _expression on his young face. "I...I really don't know. I'm no expert on talismans."

"I don't know either," Hagrid hummed. "But I've heard the same stories. Though I can't say if they're true or not." Lily looked from one to the other, hoping that one might be suddenly inspired with a solution.

"It'd be best to go to an expert in talismans," Mundungus finally said. "But the nearest one's on the other side of Hogsmeade and students most definitely aren't allowed to go there these days." Mundungus looked at Lily's worried _expression. "But I'll ask around and maybe Professor Figg knows of a potion ..."

Lily nodded, her mind already made up. "I better head back, it's getting dark and everyone's very strict about the in-before-dark rule. But thank you, both of you." Lily smiled at them, standing up.

"I'll walk you back to the school," Mundungus said following her to the door. "It's dusk and I have to head back soon anyway."

Lily nodded. She was glad that she didn't have to walk back alone. "Don't worry, Lily," said Hagrid, raking the fire, "We'll figure something out."

"Thanks Hagrid." Lily almost fell backward as she was bombarded with wind and rain through the now open front door.

Mundungus stepped out after her. "Goodnight Hagrid," he said very loudly trying to be heard above the storm.

"Goodnight you two, and make sure that young Lily makes it back safely," Hagrid walking toward the door.

"Of course," answered Mundungus. "I'll drop by later this week for us to continue our talk on dragons; I take it you managed to evade being devoured by that grumpy Hebridean." Mundungus grinned, pulling the door shut behind him. The two turned to face the stormy night.

Lily shivered involuntarily and Mundungus offered her his cloak. "Please, it's the least I can do after causing the hideous mangling of your arm and ruining your Quidditch career... I'm only kidding," Mundungus added with a smile, seeing the somber _expression on Lily's face.

"I know, and thanks for the cloak," Lily said, throwing the cloak over her. The two began to make their way toward the school, Lily trying desperately not to trip on the cloak. She was on the short-side and Mundungus was very tall by anyone's standards. Lily tried to ignore the menacing forest behind her as she wiped the rain out of her eyes. The big drops seemed to be aimed straight at their faces.

"Does Sirius still pick on you?" Mundungus asked suddenly. "Not really," Lily answered. "He's moved onto easier prey, people who are more affronted by his attempts, I guess. They give him the reaction he wants"

"No turning hair into snakes?" Mundungus asked.

"You heard about that?" Lily giggled. "That was last year. Luckily I like snakes so it wasn't as bad as it might have been." Lily continued to laugh, remembering how startled the people around her had been, they'd had more of a scare than she had. She actually thought the snake prank had been rather impressive, though she would never admit that to anyone. She had only ever been mildly annoyed by the pranks the boys played on her. She thought they were childish but only a minor irritation. Thankfully they'd abruptly stopped that year. It was the Slytherin pranks that made her dislike Sirius Black so keenly and made her skeptical of his accomplices; those pranks seemed excessive and sometimes cruel, especially when Severus was their target.

Lily suddenly started; she saw a cloaked figure walking across the lawn toward the Whomping Willow. She blinked. The person had disappeared. She must have imagined it. "What is it?" Mundungus asked, looking in the direction Lily was staring at. "Nothing,... just a trick of the rain," she answered. They were approaching the front steps. Lily's thoughts returned to the plan she was developing, she was glad she had gone to visit Hagrid. On Tuesday, Lily thought, that will give me an extra day...