The Miraculous Effects of Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Why on earth are you two so wet?" Lily demanded later that day when Anika and Sirus returned to the Gryffindor common room, still dripping wet from spending hours in the pouring rain. "What on earth did you do? Spend the entire day swimming in the Black Lake?"

"Not at all Miss Evans, rather we spent the entire day in the pouring rain," Sirius responded.

"We lost track of time," Anika said, "And before we knew it, it was time to come home." This was indeed true, they had spent the entire time at the Shrieking Shack in the rain and then it had been time to make their way back to the castle.

"Well go and get dried up before you both catch colds," Lily said in a very Lily voice.

"Will do mum," Sirius teased, he took Anika's hand in his and raised it to his cold lips, planting a kiss there, "Goodbye M'Lady." Then with a dazzling smile, he headed off towards the boy's dormitory.

"What was that?" Lily demanded.

"That was Sirius saying goodbye," Anika stared off after him admiring him from behind.

"Anika, are you staring at Sirius Black's arse?"

"Yes I am," Anika smiled at Lily, "it's my arse now."

*

Anika didn't have much time to spend devoting time to her new relationship, unfortunately as in no time OWLs were upon them and Anika found herself spending every free second revising in the library with Lily. Much to Lily's dismay, Sirius decided to spend his time revising with Anika, which gave James an excuse to sit with the pair of witches. Luckily, James was also more often than not engrossed in revision, so spent little time asking Lily out, which Anika could tell impressed Lily.

The second to last exam for the fifth years was their Defence Against the Dark Arts exam.

"That was horrible!" Lily complained after they had been released from the exam. Lily, Mary and Marlene made their way across the grounds towards the lake and sat themselves down on the same bank where they had had their mud fight so many years earlier. They had a clear view of all of the other fifth years settling themselves down in groups around the edge of the lake and Anika spotted Sirius, James, Remus and Peter settling themselves down in the shade of a beach tree. 

"I didn't think it was so bad," Marlene said, "I did just bullshit that werewolf question though, how am I supposed to remember all of the signs that identify a werewolf."

The four girls set about dissecting the exam to work out what they may have gotten wrong and what they may have gotten right.

After a few minutes of this, Anika heard a commotion from the direction that the boys were sat in, she looked around to see them facing off against Severus Snape.

"Oh no," Anika said, this caused Lily to look around and see what was happening.

Before any of them could stop her, Lily was on her feet, storming over to where the commotion was.

"This isn't going to end well," Mary sighed, the other three girls jumped up to follow Lily.

"Leave him alone!" she shouted at the boys.

"Alright, Evans?" James said nonchalantly. 

"Leave him alone!" Lily said again, "What's he done to you?"

What hadn't Snape done? Anika could think of several jinxes and hexes the boy had sent her way that warranted the treatment he earned from James and Sirius, unfortunately, Lily had never seen her friend do anything of the sort that would earn him such treatment as he never did it when Lily was around. Snape, like James, worshipped the very ground that Lily walked on.

"Well, it's more that he exists if you know what I mean," James said back cockily. 

Sirius laughed and Anika shot him a look that could have withered him, he shut up quickly.

"You think you're funny," Lily's eyes narrowed at James, her annoyance at him for gatecrashing her study sessions finally had an outlet, and Lily Evans was not one to let an opportunity to put James Potter in his place go by. "But you're nothing more than an arrogant, bullying, toerag Potter- Leave him alone!"

"I will if you go out with me," James blurted out seemingly before he could stop himself, "...go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again!"

Not the time or place James, Anika thought.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," Lily said with mirth in her voice.

"Bad luck Prongs," Sirius patted his friend on the shoulder and turned back towards Snape, who had scrambled to his feet during the conversation between Lily and James.

Snape shot a spell at James, and a gash appeared on the side of James' face. James whirled around and shot another spell at Snape, which hoisted him up by his ankle and dangled him upside down, his robes dropped down revealing his underwear.

"Let him down!" Lily screamed at James, pulling out her own wand as she spoke.

"Certainly," James jerked his wand and Snape fell into a pathetic heap on the ground, he scrambled to grab his wand, about to shoot another spell at James, but Sirius was quicker, casting a body bind curse on Snape.

"Leave him alone!" Lily shouted again, pointing her wand at James.

"Evans don't make me hex you," James said. 

"Take the curse off of him then!" Lily demanded. James sighed and waved his wand, releasing Snape.

"There you go," he said to Lily, he turned to Snape, "You're lucky Evans was here Snivelous-"

"I don't need help from a filthy little Mudblood!" Snape shouted. Lily blinked at him.

"Fine, I won't bother in the future, and I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivelous."

"Apologise to Evans!" James wheeled on Snape again, holding his wand out.

"I don't want you to make him apologise!" Lily shouted at James, "You're as bad as he is-"

"What?" James scoffed, "I'd never call you a... a you know what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool, showing off with that stupid snitch, walking down corridors hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can - you make me sick!" Lily turned on her heel and strode away, Mary and Marlene were quick to follow the girl to comfort her as tears had begun to form in her eyes.

"Maybe give it a rest," Anika suggested to James.

"What is with her?" James demanded, watching Lily go.

"Reading between the lines mate, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited," Sirius said.

"If you just give the bullying a rest I'm sure you'd get on Lily's better side," Anika said, "Maybe drop this one."

Snape was on his feet again and shot another spell in James' direction, James dodged it, but it zoomed past him and cut a gash across Anika's forehead. Golden blood streamed down her face into her eyes, she pressed a hand over the wound, trying to stanch the flow.

Sirius whirled on Snape, angry after seeing the boy hurt Anika.

"Snivelous-"

"Sirius drop it!" Anika demanded.

"Stay out of this you dirty-halfbreed!" Snape and Sirius were squaring up for a duel when James hit Snape with the same spell as earlier, hoisting him into the air by his ankle.

"Right, who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?" James asked the onlooking crowd.