Lily Evans and the Marauder's Secrets

Chapter 22: Sunday Afternoon

"I shouldn't have put all my revision off until this afternoon!" Alice despairs.

Marlene grins from her own bed. "Welcome to my typical Sunday afternoon. Nice to have company for once."

Emmeline looks up from the book she's reading – for fun, not for school. Emma, good girl she is, finished all her homework yesterday. "I told you you'd regret putting it off!"

"Aww, but then she wouldn't have been able to spend all that time with Frank," I tease from my desk, pausing in the middle of my Potions essay to twist around and grin at Alice.

Alice flushes bright red.

"And do you really regret that?" Marlene asks, playing along.

"Well... no," Alice admits, smiling sheepishly. Emmeline tsks and Marlene and I laugh. It's nice (and rare) to get afternoons like this, the four of us together and no Carol and Mary to disrupt the peace. I wonder idly where they are, and then push them out of my mind. I'm not going to waste my Carol-free time wondering about Carol.

"Any... news to share?" Marlene wheedles.

Alice just shoots her a stern look. Marlene smirks. "Right, right. Not the kiss-and-tell type. Got it."

Even Emma giggles at that.

We lapse back into studious silence, but just a few minutes later, after flipping furiously through Brews for the Serious Potioneer, I have to heave a huge sigh.

I stand. "My Potions textbook is failing me! Headed to the library. Anyone want to come?"

Alice looks at me, eyes wide and a little manic. "Lily. I literally do not have the time to walk down to the library if I'm going to get this all done today."

Marlene laughs. "Amateur. I'll help you pull off this last-minute homework session – I'm very good at it."

"Em?" I ask.

Emmeline, who'd been watching Alice and Marlene with a smile, suddenly gets squirmy and looks back down at her book. "Oh, uh, no thanks, Lily. I think I'll stay up here and read a bit more."

I try not to take it too personally. After all, a lazy Sunday afternoon read is perfectly normal Emma behavior. It's just, ever since Hogsmeade, Em's constantly finding excuses to never be alone with me. I think she's afraid I'll try and rope her into more Slytherin sleuthing. As if that's all I ever do in my spare time! She's just had the misfortune to be around for two separate incidents. So I guess I really can't blame her.

"Of -- of course." I put on a bright smile and gather up my Potions homework and textbook to toss into my school bag. Then, as an afterthought, I tuck my Transfiguration assignment in, too. I think I did okay, but I'd feel a lot better turning it in tomorrow if I have James look it over first. "See you all later."

There's a chorus of "Bye, Lily!" and I head out of our dormitory to the library.

The castle is wonderfully quiet and sleepy. The rain lashes against the windowpanes, and I imagine that most everyone is spending today like my mates and I are – cozied up somewhere relaxing or finishing last minute homework.

I'm enjoying my walk in solitude so much that I decide to take the long way round to the library, and my route leads me past the Great Hall. The doors are flung open for anyone wanting to make use of all that table space and I peek in as I pass. Then I pause, back up, and take a second look.

But this is odd. A Sunday afternoon and all the Marauders are... studying? And extra odd – Remus is with them. I thought he was down with the stomach flu, or migraines, or any one of the many illnesses he always seems to be suffering from. He missed classes Friday, and dinner last night. I guess he's on the mend today.