Modern Marauders (Jily fanfic)(Completed)

16) Executing Said Plan

Lily's P.O.V

All day, I was jittery and shaking. The loss of Sirius seemed to hit the Gryffindor house bellow the belt. No one acted out of line in class. The entire house walked to lunch and classes together in silence. No one went unnoticed. It was going to be hard for Remus, Marlene, James, Peter, and I to slip out undetected. If anyone asked, our plan was to say we went up to the boy's dormitory to study for the next day's exam. Remus and Marlene were going to sneak out during dinner because Remus wanted to grab his textbook and Marlene would offer to accompany him, then sneak the invisibility cloak out of her bookbag and put it on when no one was around. A little while later, James would fake a breakdown and Peter and I would take him for a walk so he'd get some fresh air. At the train station. No! The other way around! James would have a breakdown first and then Remus would go to get his textbook. To give us time to get to the train station. Ugh. I was nervous already. 

My hand was shaking as I wrote the herbology notes. I glanced at James, who'd usually be tormenting me by now. Today, he couldn't even look at me. 

"Got the phones this morning when everyone was at breakfast," Marlene whispered when the class had erupted into soft conversation. Tension filled the room. "McGonogal caught me on the way out. She told be she was sorry about Sirius but there's nothing we can do. Watch out for her, she might be onto us."

I nodded and glanced around, just to make sure no one was listening. "I'm freaking out, Marl," I hissed. "What if these are the guys that killed my dad?" 

Marlene looked down at her doodle of a robot. "They probably will be, Lil," she whispered. "But we have to be brave. Not just for Sirius, but for the wizarding world. Time to be a little Gryffindor." There was a dangerous glint in her eye. I loved it. 

--

At dinner, I was sitting next to Marlene and Remus and across from James and Peter. Everyone was pale and particularly jumpy. 

"Showtime," Marlene hissed to James. 

"Time to put on your acting hat," Peter commented. 

James nodded and took in a deep breath. "WAAAAAAAH!" He wailed, shoving his food at Remus, who barely dodged it. "I- I- I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE!" James sobbed, actual tears pouring from his eyes. The rest of us leaped to our feet rushing over to help him. 

"Merlin, is he okay?" Alice asked, a few seats down. 

"Yeah, just a little break down," Peter commented. "This has been happening all day. Lily, do you want to take him to get a little fresh air with me?" He asked. 

I nodded. "Yes, of course. C'mon, James, you're going to be alright!" I said, brushing his hair with my fingers as he sobbed. 

Alice sent a confused look to Marlene, who simply said "she's good at calming him down." 

Peter and I both took one of James' arms and dragged his sobbing body out of the great hall. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET HIM DOWN LIKE THAT!" James wailed, sniffling. "I- I'M THE W-WORST. W-WHY D-DO I EVEN T-TRY? H-HOW DO YOU GUYS S-STAND ME? I- I'M A N-NUISANCE, E-ESPECIALLY TO Y-YOU, LILY. I- I SWEAR I- I'LL BE BETTER. I W-WILL!" 

"Of course, James. You're perfect!" I hushed him. "We're just taking him to get some fresh air outside. His best friend was.. well- you know," I told the professor guarding the entrance. She bowed her head and let us out, reminding us to be back by curfew. 

Once we were clear and headed toward the exit of the building, Peter and I let go of James, who gathered himself immediately. 

"I've got to say, Potter, you're a good actor," I said, grinning.