The Marauders Year Five Part 2 #Wattys2017

Interarium Maraudentium

Itinerarium Maraudentium

James, Sirius, Peter, Remus, and Lily sat on the floor in the hall outside the hospital wing, waiting for someone to tell them whether Horace Slughorn was alright. Lily was crying into her arms, balanced upon her knees, her hair curtaining off the Marauders from seeing her face as she wept. James sat beside her, facing her, his hand on her back, wanting to do more to comfort her than just sit there awkwardly touching her spine like he was. Remus had a palm on her knee and Peter sat, still catching his breath from carrying all the cauldrons all the way up to the sixth floor corridor.

It had been nearly ten minutes of this before Sirius finally said, "Blimey, Evans, he's going to be alright..."

Lily coughed on her tears.

James said, "Evans... it's alright, in other words, you can stop crying." He put her hand up on her far shoulder, his arm stretching 'round her back as he leaned forward, softly using his other hand to lift up her hair and peek beneath. "Don't worry baby."

She had great blotches on her cheeks as she turned to look at him, her face still shielded from the other three. Her green eyes were clouded, and long wet tracks streaked her face. He looked so concerned. She turned and leaned into him, right into his chest, wrapping her arms about his neck, burying her face into the crook of his collar.

James's eyes went quite wide as he looked over her shoulder at the other three boys. He had no idea what to do. Remus mouthed hug her and mimed putting his arms 'round someone and Sirius reached over and grabbed James's one hand that he could discreetly get a hold of and dragged it 'round Lily so it was on the back of her hair and he grinned, nodding, and gave James a thumbs-up as James awkwardly brought his other hand 'round to rest on her back.

"Oh James, you have no idea," Lily cried.

He looked to Remus, eyes searching, panicked.

Remus nodded encouragingly.

"What's... what's wrong, Evans?" James asked in a wobbly voice, "I'll make it better if I can."

"I was talking to Sev," Lily cried, pausing because her voice caught in her throat.

"That'd make me cry, too," said Peter non-helpfully.

"Shut up, Wormtail," snapped Sirius.

Peter's face burned.

"What about, love?" James asked, focusing on Lily, barely hearing Peter and Sirius's words at all, his eyes met with Remus's, who was looking just as concerned as he felt.

"About you, really," Lily cried, "About our date."

James's brain whirled dangerously and he had to bite back a smile. She called it a date. SHE CALLED IT A BLOODY DATE. Oh Godric. Focus, Potter. This isn't the time to be freaking out. Oh Godric, though. She called it a date. His voice came out thick. "The one we're going on in just twelve more days?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she sniffled into his neck.

Oh Godric. A date. A date with Lily Evans. Hullo, I'm James Potter and I have a date with Lily Evans. He decided then and there that he would introduce himself to everyone he met for all of eternity that way.

"He used to be my best friend, James, I don't understand, I don't -- I don't understand why he can't be happy for me, why he's -- he's so --" Lily's tears were hot as they soaked his oxford.

James didn't know how to reply, so he just kept on stroking her hair.

"Then Mulciber and Avery and McNair came and -- and, it was so awful..."