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Chapter Four

The preparations for the feast kept James and Lily busy. It was truly very difficult to have to work incredibly fast when such large amounts of work were needed. McGonagall and Dumbledore had the two of them running all over Hogwarts, until the night of the feast.

Fire light fell upon the scarlet recliners and couches that lounged casually in the common room. Lily sighed as she sat back and stretched out comfortably, everyone else was down at the feast and she had the whole tower to herself... er, she and James did. James was messing around with some of the pillows on the couches and then sat down beside her. "Isn't it nice? I like the quiet of the common room too at times," he confessed.

Lily smiled at that. "Yes, it is very nice," she replied.

James looked out the window from time to time, and Lily could practically hear his heart pounding viciously in his chest. "Calm down, we'll be able to leave as soon as we've done the bedtime sweep of the castle. Sirius has your cloak, he knows what to do," she told him.

"I hope so."

Lily was slightly distracted herself, she wondered when James would ask her to Hogsmeade. The trip was coming up, and she was hoping desperately he'd ask her out. If he didn't make the move now there might not be another chance. Fiddling nervously with her robes, Lily turned to James, a pure determination shining in her green eyes. "James... do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" she asked suddenly.

The silence shattered like a sugar window. James glanced at her and then smiled. "Like a date, Evans?" he tested.

"No, of course not!" Lily sarcastically answered. "Duh, obviously it will be a date!"

"Just checking, you know.... I am not always so sure with you. I'll most definitely go with you on a date, Evans!"

The girl smiled at him. "That's good to know---"

"Oooh!" a mocking voice said. James and Lily turned to see a very flushed Sirius smiling at them. "So, what are you two up to now?" he asked.

"Sirius, who is out there with---"

"You remember Wormtail? Yeah, he's out there. Oh, don't worry, Mr. Potter, I have your cloak right here," Sirius said, tossing James the silvery material.

"Good... I guess," James muttered as he began examining the cloak carefully.

"It's fine, geez, mate, you act like I can't be trusted!"

"Because you can't be trusted," James reminded his friend. "Come on, sit with us now. The feast is going on, so no students are out in the halls," he said.

Sirius shrugged and sat down on the floor close to the fire place and put out his hands to warm them. "My, my, you are chilled to the bone!" Lily gasped as she saw Sirius's blushing fingertips.

"Nah, I'll be fine, once I melt the icy casing around my body. It is freezing out there, James. Don't worry, the moon is supposed to vanish beneath the clouds tonight for a vicious thunderstorm, so we're safe for tonight. Wormy will be bringing Moony back in no time," Sirius assured his worried friend.

"Perhaps you could use something warm to drink," Lily suggested.

"Take my cloak if you go anywhere, Lily. Remember to tickle the pear to get into the kitchen," James told her as he tossed her the flowy material.

"I know, I know. Sheesh, you've showed me about a dozen times," she muttered before she slipped into her invisible shield and headed out of the portrait-hole and into the hall.

No one was out that night, but the murmur coming from the Great Hall reached even to Lily's ears. She cautiously slipped down into the corridor, looking around her to make sure no one was following her. Once she was sure she was safe, the girl dashed down the corridors frantically until she reached the large portrait of fruit that guarded the entrance to the kitchens. Lily reached up and tickled the pear, causing it to giggle and move aside for her. Cautiously and swiftly, the girl slipped in and brewed a cup of hot chocolate in the empty, yet large area. She hurried back up to Gryffindor tower, pausing to listen in on a few Slytherins and their plans about how to follow the Dark Lord after Hogwarts.

"About time!" Sirius cried as soon as Lily entered the room. She rolled her emerald eyes and handed Sirius the mug after whisking off the cloak and tossing it at James.

"I know this is going to sound weird, but since the Slytherins are planning something after Hogwarts, what about if we make an army to fight back against the Dark Lord? Marie suggested it and I sort of ignored it for a while... but, now it seems necessary," Lily whispered as she sat down beside James.

"You mean like an order of some sort, right?" Sirius asked between sips of hot cocoa.

Lily nodded and turned to James. "What about you? Do you think we should do it?" she asked.

"Fine by me, but what would we call ourselves?" James asked, deeply intrigued suddenly.

"Dumbledore could help us out! What if we were the Order of Albus?" Sirius suggested.

"No... something cooler... something badder... he has a phoenix! What about the Order of the Phoenix?" James whispered.

"Neat, I like it, we could get all sorts of trusted people to meet with us once a month somewhere... somewhere... how about that room we found?"  Sirius asked as he turned to James. "The room of Requirement? What about that? It would be perfect!"

"Sounds fine to me, let's do it," Lily said.

"All right, to the new, official order!" James cried as he put his fist in the center of the small circle his friends formed. Lily put her's on top of his and Sirius, grinning brightly, set down his mug and set his fist on top of his friends'.

Remus and Peter were equally thrilled to be able to help out and promised to find only trusted people that could help. Marie volunteered her Hufflepuff boyfriend Harold and he gladly accepted the invite into the order and even had the courage to talk to McGonagall and Dumbledore about the Order. As thrilled as they were astonished, the two agreed to help out with the cause. And as a result, aspiring aurors were now being born all around Hogwarts.

"Well... this is just fantastic!" Peter cried one night at dinner as he watched the Slytherin table cautiously.

"Yes, it is rather thrilling isn't it? Our first trip to Hogsmeade is coming up soon too, are you boys excited?" James asked. "Ha! Mum and Dad will be getting some more presents from me!"

"You can count on me getting my family whatever they want," Sirius maliciously smiled.

"You guys should really respect your families, I mean they did raise you," Remus told them sternly.

The boys broke out in a series of loud, boisterous laughs. Severus, who was sitting very near their end of the table turned towards them. "Mind shutting up a bit? We're trying to think here," he ordered.

James glowered at Severus, along with all of the Marauders. "Well, we're trying to have some innocent fun here, Snivelly, so don't rain on our parade," Sirius snapped.

"You think you're so funny, don't you? I have news for you, you are not funny at all. You're a bunch of arrogant air heads that will be left with nothing in the end except for your pathetic selves wallowing in your self-pity."

"Right... right... sure," Sirius responded as he turned away and flipped his hair behind his ears for a few whooing Ravenclaw girls.

Just then, as if nature had set her to them, Lily paraded over to James and hugged him tenderly, causing a bout of jealousy to ensue upon Severus. "James, I have something to show you," she whispered as she grabbed his arm and dragged him off with her.

"Ah, to be young again!" Sirius cried as he hugged his two friends, who were both pretending to be senior citizens lamenting over the lost past.

Lily turned around and winked at them as she and James slipped out of the Great Hall. "What is it that is so utterly urgent?" James asked, deeply curious about what Lily was about to show him.

Sharp cold air hit their throats as they stepped out into the wintery night. James gasped at all the stars and Lily grinned broadly. "Aren't they pretty? I heard some of the teachers talking and they said that there have never been such a brilliant scene of stars in all their years at Hogwarts," she told James.

He smiled at her. "Say, Lily, I'm curious, where will you be going for Christmas?" he asked slowly.

"I don't know, I was planning on going home," Lily admitted.

"Well, my house will be fairly empty this year and I was just curious if you would maybe like to come home with me for the holidays?"

The girl smiled and took James's hands. "I'd love that," she earnestly told him. "After all, I've never been to a wizarding village before."

Hogsmeade was bustling with early Christmas shoppers and eager students that loved to vacation. James and Lily hurried in with the bustling crowd that was thronging at the entrance to the Three Broomsticks. They sat down in a small booth and waited for the crowd at the bar to die down. "So busy this time of year, isn't it?" James asked as he watched an elderly couple in purple hats push their way to the front.

Lily smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is very busy." She pushed a loose lock of dark red hair out of her eyes and then watched James reach into his pocket. He fiddled around a while before pulling out an elegant blue ribbon.

"Here, tie your hair back with this. You won't regret it, I promise you," James said as he handed her the ribbon.

"James... I can't take this---"

"Come on, it--- it's a gift. Here, I'll help you put it on," James said.

Very gently and carefully did he pull Lily's long locks into a ponytail and then, very tenderly and kindly did he tie the ribbon around them. "I'm done!" James told her.

"Wow, I feel so light weight," Lily said as she felt the back of her head slowly.

"Uh, the crowd is gone, what do you want to drink?" James asked.

"Whatever you're having is fine by me," came the distracted reply.

Grinning and, probably to most people, walking on air, James ordered two butterbeers. The large mugs were carried back proudly and Lily sipped the warm liquid while she and James exchanged childhood stories. Most of which were reminiscent upon their relationship.

"I must admit, James, now that your head is deflated, you are far kinder than I could've ever imagined," Lily said.

James chuckled at the words. "Well, the same goes to you, Lily," he said.

The girl flushed with pride and busied herself with looking around the small tavern as she sipped her drink. McGonagall and Dumbledore had slipped in for some butterbeer, along with a few more teachers and students. Lily looked around for Marie, but couldn't find her friend anywhere. "Say, James, did you see Marie at all when you came down?" she asked.

"Nah, I bet she met up with Harold and took him to some cutesy, romantic place."

Lily laughed a bit at that. "I don't see Marie as the cutesy, romantic type of girl," she replied.

Marie poked her head through the door and looked around anxiously, her wand out and ready to be used if needed. Noticing James and Lily, she waved distractedly before heading out of the tavern. "What was that all about?" Lily whispered to James.

"Who--- oh, geez, don't look now..." James responded with deep distaste in his voice as several Slytherins entered.

Severus was among them, as soon as he saw James and Lily together, though, his face contorted into a deep, rageful expression. "What a team you two are!" he laughed.

"Go away, Severus, we're in public," James hissed like Severus was an animal.

Scowling angrily at the snickering Slytherins, Severus viciously rounded on his enemy like a hawk on its prey. "The Dark Lord doesn't favor blood-traitors, James, let me tell you that. You and your pretty little friend here will not last long, you can count on that," he whispered as he and his crew headed off to find a table.

"We could go somewhere else," Lily distractedly said.

"No, Lily, I think we should stay here, after all, we were here first," James reminded her.

Lily shrugged nervously and decided, very much against her will to stay. "Look at him," James whispered as Severus sat down. "He thinks he's got it all down, well, he'll be in for a big surprise!" James snickered.

"James... don't do anything rash," Lily cautioned.

"I mean... we've got an army of our own," he whispered.

"Well... we've got a few people---"

"Remember Alice Copperton and Frank Longbottom? That couple Marie introduced us to? They're in on it too. We've got more than enough people, Lily, this will be awesome!"

Lily and James never really asked each other into a formal relationship, it just happened. They came together on their own, much to everyone's amazement, especially Marie, who marveled at her match-making skills she had recently developed. Winter came to Hogwarts rather harshly with dark nights and long storms, it was a dreary time for everyone.

Students were constantly going home for family business after parents were found dead or missing, or the Dark Mark appeared over their houses. Lily feared her own parents would die next and was very nervous and on edge as the end of the term approached. "Calm down, Lily, the most we have to fear is Filch," James chided one night as he and her were cleaning up the common room.

"I'm not so sure anymore. Say... James... why are first years such pigs?" Lily asked as she picked up another Chudley Cannons badge.

"How do you know those belong to first years?"

The girl narrowed her eyes at him and shrugged carelessly. "Oh, I don't know... maybe because I saw a few first year boys carrying these around and handing them out to everyone today!"

James laughed and then wrinkled his nose up in disgust at a couple of fourth year gushy love poems he saw. "I saw this bloke writing these up when I came back from Divination, ha! He shoved them into the couch as soon as he saw me, probably afraid I'd take 'em or something. Look at these rhymes! Boy are they corny!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Come on, James, you never once wrote a love poem?" she tested.

"Nah, not one," James responded.

"Liar! Sirius told me a few you concoted for me over the years, ha, ha! Boy were they corny!" she chuckled.

"Hey, come on now... I have more skills than this guy."

"Maybe... or maybe not."

"Whoa, check this out!" James called to Lily.

The girl meandered over and perched her chin on James's shoulder to read a very worn letter about a chamber of secrets. "I read about that... it occured maybe twenty years ago here. There were all these killings and such. How come this has never been found before?" Lily asked as she examined the date on the letter.

James shrugged and examined the parchment for any familiar markings. "Who knows? Isn't it odd, finding this in Gryffindor?"

"Perhaps someone found it in the dungeons and was going to throw it away but had to hide it because McGonagall came in," Lily suggested.

James looked doubtful at that and then turned abruptly when a door opened. Sirius and Remus were both standing there groggily and were eyeing the letter in their friend's hand suspiciously. "What is that?" they both chorused in unison.

"A letter about the Chamber of Secrets," James shamelessly replied. "I found it here in this couch."

"Whoa, no way, either Prefects are horrible cleaners or you two are better at finding things, let me see!" Sirius cried, hurrying over to read the letter with Remus.

"See? Isn't it weird?" Lily asked as soon as their eyes left the paper.

"Yeah, it vividly describes the entrance and everything. It's like someone wanted someone to go in there or something," Remus said slowly.

"Hey, you don't think anything is down there do you?" Sirius whispered eagerly.

"Like what? A buried treasure, Sirius, come on," Lily scoffed. "Why would there be anything down there after all these years? Surely someone else would've found it by now."

James wagged his finger at his girlfriend. "Ah, not always, Evans... remember that the chamber lay closed after Salazar died for centuries before anyone even knew about it," he reminded her.

"No, she's right, it would have to have been found by now, right?" Remus asked.

Sirius and James took some convincing before the letter could be tossed into the fire place to curl up into ash. "What are you lot doing up?" a female voice asked.

Deep, long brown hair was brushed carefully out of wide, innocent brown eyes and Alice looked inquiringly at the four people before her. "Well?"

"Uh... helping out our friendly friends," Sirius chirped.

"Come on, Alice, let's get to bed," Marie groaned from behind the girl. "You woke up Margaret, and she sounds angry right now."

Very reluctantly did Alice agree to follow the girl up to bed. Lily sighed and tried to relieve her racing heart. "She scared me," she confessed.

"Alice is just quiet is all," Sirius told Lily. "Trust me, a guy barely talks to her and she flips out. Except for Frank, of course, but he's a rare exception to the rule. I hear... that they're engaged," he added the last part under his breath.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Lily clapped.

"Hey, look, more Salazar stuff... why is this all here?" James asked as he uncovered more Salazar notes and information.

"I hear Horace Slughorn asked his first year potions class to write a report on Salazar Slytherin to prove what an influence he had upon potion making and the craft," Remus remarked.

"What a strange bloke that guy is. He keeps rattling on about how he wishes I was in Slytherin with my brothers. I think I know why most Slytherins are so bitter now!" Sirius chuckled.

Lily smiled at that and began sifting through dozens of pillows and cushions placed near the tables at the back of the common room slowly. She found more notes on Salazar, but these were more intense, less textbook like and darker. They were a far deeper study, she saw. "What on earth is Professor Slughorn teaching those children?" she asked as she handed her boyfriend more notes.

"Wow, who knows? Perhaps this is for his advanced potions class? Maybe someone switched notes with Snivellus? I saw him writing a bunch of stuff down in Potions today about Slytherin, he ate that crap up like it was Saturday morning breakfast," Sirius informed his friends.

"No, this handwriting seems... oddly familiar," Remus murmured as he examined the notes before heading over to the fireplace to burn them.

"Well, whoever's they are, let's hope that they finish burning before McGonagall finds out someone brought dark wizard material in here; she'll throw a fit!" James cautioned his friends.

"Say... where is Wormy now?" Lily asked, curiousity ebbing at her.

"Who knows? Perhaps he's oggling at that Ravenclaw girl who helped him in Charms today, she was very nice to him and all... poor guy, he has no clue how to handle girls," Sirius lamented.

"And you do? What about Juliet?" Remus piped up.

Sirius flushed deep red and shrugged carelessly. "What about her? She's... okay... when she's not being a controlling, coniving evil little witch," he confessed.

"Since when have you two been fighting?" James asked, astonished by the statement.

"Quite a while, James, since October. I caught her flirting with that scumbag Clark King."

Lily threw one last paper into the fire and then drew her wand and flicked it with a flourish so that everything aligned itself properly. She dusted her hands off proudly and turned to the boys. "I'm going to bed for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast," she said. They all murmured good-bye and Lily and James kissed goodnight before she dashed up to the girl's dormitory.

"She sure is something amazing," James muttered as Sirius and Remus dragged him up to the boys' dormitory.

"Helloooo, Bella!" Marie casually remarked loudly as she sat down at the Gryffindor table. "I heard a rumor that we're creaming Slytherin tonight in Quidditch because you losers lost to Hufflepuff!" she laughed loudly.

Bellatrix snapped her fingers viciously and smirked at Marie. "Blood traitors should not talk to purebloods; it disrupts the rankings."

At this, Bella's enemy snorted until Lily dragged Marie away. "Come on, now, don't do that, it is very bad to make enemies with her," she lectured her snappish friend.

"Lily... I saw something wicked... something bad on her arm. She's gone over," Marie whispered.

"What happened?" Sirius asked as he casually meandered over.

"Your cousin happened to join Voldemort," Marie hissed, causing Sirius and Lily to exchange serious glances.

"So did Snivellus, but that's no surprise is it?" Sirius replied with deep distaste in his voice.

Lily shook her head sternly. "No, it really isn't."