Saturday, October 31st, 1977 – Halloween
It was nearing five-o-clock when James and Lily arrived back at the Head Student Private Quarters. They found Sirius and Remus waiting outside.
"Finally!" Sirius said, "We've been waiting a while."
"Where's Pete?" James asked.
Sirius huffed. "The idiot didn't tell us he was injured during the battle. He fainted in the carriage on the way back here. He should be fine. But he'll likely be in the Hospital Wing until tomorrow morning. Means he'll miss all the fun this evening."
"Alright," James said. "You two are both welcome to come inside with us. We have something we need to tell the two of you."
James and Lily led Sirius and Remus into the Private Quarters. They sat down on two couches near a hearth in the Common Room.
"This wouldn't be about the tiger running alongside Prongs during the battle in Hogsmeade, would it?" Remus asked.
Lily stood up, and walked over to the most open area of the room. She then transformed into Tiger-Lily. Both Sirius and Remus looked very impressed. Lily transformed back into her human form and sat back down beside James.
"When did you become an Animagus, Lily?" Remus asked.
"Early this month," Lily said. "But it took a month-and-half. When James and I became a couple, he told me about Prongs after our third date."
"James," Sirius said, "Whatever happened to Marauder secrets? I thought we agreed that we would only tell spouses in the future."
"Who says Lily and I won't marry in the future?" James asked. "I have no plans on letting her go, not after waiting so long."
Lily smiled. "My sentiments exactly."
"You see?" James asked, "I decided to tell her about Prongs. She didn't find out about the other Marauder secrets until last month's Full Moon Run."
"I was awake when James came back early that morning," Lily said, "He looked tired and filthy. I asked him where he had been, and he told me. I actually wasn't surprised, you know. If James was an Animagus, his friends probably were too. However... I also already knew about you, Remus."
"Lily?" Remus asked, frowning.
"I figured it out last year, Remus," Lily said. "I finally noticed that each month at a specific time, you looked paler than usual, and even ill. Really, I should have noticed it years ago. Some friend I am. Remus, you don't scare me. I will not stop being your friend just because of your furry little problem."
Remus glared playfully in James' direction – 'furry little problem' was James' phrase for it, after all - and James stuck out his tongue.
"To prove it," Lily said, "I've decided to join you on your Full Moon Run this evening."
"You're in!" Sirius said, grinning.
"Really?" Lily asked, "Just like that?"
"Wormtail's indisposed this evening," Sirius said, "So we need a fourth out there with us to keep up the tradition. You're in."
"Remus?" Lily asked.
"If James and Sirius say you can, then I'm in no position to disagree," Remus said. "But you must promise to be in your Animagus form at all times whilst in the vicinity of Moony."
"I promise, Remus," Lily said.
"Alright then," Sirius said, "But, there's just one tiny problem. You need a nickname."
"She has one," James said, "Tiger-Lily."
"Oh, yeah, like that has no mystery to it," Sirius said, "We call her that, people will know she's the tiger."
"James is called Prongs, and Remus is Moony," Lily said. "Those two names are pretty obvious once you realize what their secret is. Padfoot and Wormtail is pretty close too."
Sirius huffed. "Point. Fine. Tiger-Lily it is."
'Brilliant," Lily said, "Now... what about the nudity tradition?"
"The what?!" Sirius and Remus asked.
"James said after you transform back into your human forms, you're naked," Lily said, grinning.
"That only happened one time!" Sirius said, "The first Full Moon Run, James, Pete and I weren't yet aware how to keep our clothes on, and we – you know – wound up naked."
"Oh," Lily said, then grinned mischievously, "This is my first Full Moon Run."
"Prongs?" Sirius asked, "Is she serious?"
Lily laughed out loud. "Nope! You are!"
James snickered when Sirius' jaw dropped as he looked at Lily.
"I think she pranked us, Padfoot," Remus said.
"If you want to be naked tonight, Tiger-Lily," Sirius said, "That is fine with me!"
"Sorry, Padfoot," Lily said, "The only Marauder I'm naked around is James."
Remus choked back laughter. Sirius' jaw dropped as she looked at James. James grinned and winked.
"So," Sirius said, "Then that means –?"
"Exactly what you think it means," Lily said, "And that is the last you will mention of it, Sirius Black. James will not discuss any ofthat with any of you. Not if he wants it to continue."
"My lips are zipped when it comes to that topic," James said.
Sirius laughed. "You're alright, Evans."
"I'm glad you approve," Lily said, sarcastically. "So, how is Amelia?"
"Madam Pomfrey checked her over at the same time we brought Pete to the Hospital Wing," Sirius said. "Amelia was given a Potion to counter-act any prolonged after-effects, and she has to meet with Madam Pomfrey later this evening. Aside from that, she's fine. She wasn't under Bellatrix's curse very long anyway."
His face twisted in anger. "Bellatrix, that damn bitch. I'll kill her for cursing Amelia."
"The Curse was meant for you, Sirius," James said. "Amelia stepped in front of you."
"I'm perfectly aware of that, Prongs," Sirius said.
"Did Amelia say why she took the Curse for you?" Lily asked.
"Yes," Sirius said, smiling, "But that is private."
"Aw," Lily cooed, "She loves you, Black."
Sirius huffed, but the smile did not leave his face.
"So I assume your date with her went well?" James asked, "Aside from the Death Eater attack?"
"Well, she wants another date and she agreed to be my girlfriend," Sirius said. "Does that answer your question?"
"Alright, Padfoot!" James said, grinning.
"Now, if you two don't mind," Lily said, "I need to take a shower and change for the Halloween Feast."
"I should probably do the same," James said.
"I need to go see Amelia, anyway," Sirius said, "Come on, Moony. Let's leave the lovebirds alone."
Sirius and Remus stood and headed toward the exit.
"Say," Sirius said, turning back to James and Lily, "Isn't there only one shower? Does that mean you two are going to -"
"Go, Padfoot," James said, "Before Lily hexes you. And then me."
Sirius grinned and retreated from the Private Quarters with Remus.
"So?" James said, turning to Lily, "Are we going to take a shower together?"
"Well, I do need help getting to those hard-to-reach places," Lily said.
She winked, stood and headed in the direction of the bathroom. James grinned and hurried after her.
With the students and Professors of Hogwarts still reeling from the Death Eater attack in Hogsmeade, Lily had assumed that the Halloween Feast that evening would be a subdued event. But, as she sat beside James in her usual spot at the Gryffindor Table, she couldn't help but smile at the atmosphere around her. To her and her husband, it had been four years since they had experienced a Halloween Feast at Hogwarts, and they had not experienced anything like it since.
Once again, Lily had opted fill her plate more than usual, but since everyone usually gorged themselves on Halloween, nobody knew why she had done it aside from James and Marlene.
A sharp ding echoed around the Great Hall, as at the Head Table, Professor McGonagall tapped her spoon on her glass. The chatter around the large room stopped almost immediately as Professor Dumbledore stood from his chair.
"I know most of you cannot wait to fill your stomachs with the many delicious options of food available for the Halloween Feast this evening," Dumbledore said. "I share those sentiments. So I will try to make me speech as brief as possible. I am sure most of you – even those whom weren't present for the event afternoon – are well-aware of what happened in Hogsmeade Village this afternoon. For those of you who may not have heard, Voldemort -"
He paused as there were several gasps or cries of fear from the mention of the Dark wizard's name.
" – and the Death Eaters participated in a cowardly attack on Hogsmeade Village," he continued. "Through some joyous miracles, quick thinking, and various heroes, young and old, the attack was far less of a tragedy than Voldemort had intended on. While two residents of Hogsmeade sadly lost their lives, I am happy to report that there were no deaths among the student body or the staff of Hogwarts that helped fight and repel the Death Eaters."
There were several happy sounds, some applause, and a few murmurs from the students around the Hall.
"All students injured in the attack will be back in classes within the following week," Dumbledore said, to more applause and happy reactions. While many of Voldemort's Death Eaters, and Voldemort himself, retreated, there were casualties on their side as well. Six Death Eaters were killed in the attacks. Another dozen were Stunned or injured. Those injured were captured by Aurors."
Roars of applause and cheers were heard around the Hall. Dumbledore allowed this to continue for half-a-minute, before emitting orange-and-black sparks from his wand into the air above him. The students went silent again.
"Also," Dumbledore continued, "You may have heard rumors of certain animals running through the streets of Hogsmeade assisting in the battle against the Death Eaters. If anyone present is responsible for these animals, would you please stand up?"
Lily and James glanced at each other, then back at Dumbledore, who was looking at them. Then the Headmaster turned to Professor McGonagall and she stood up.
"Professor McGonagall transfigured objects into the animals," Dumbledore said, "And they assisted in the battle. I've been told they were responsible for several Death Eater injuries, and at least one Death Eater death, due to their trampling."
As many of the students cheered and applauded the Transfiguration Professor's supposed efforts, Lily and James exchanged looks. Across the table, Sirius and Remus were looking at them with slightly shocked looks. As Lily looked back toward the Head Table, she noticed both Dumbledore and McGonagall looking at her and James. It was apparent that McGonagall knew who was actually responsible for the Stag and Tiger's appearance.
"Unfortunately, one of the Gryffindor Quidditch team members suffered an injury," Dumbledore said, "Therefore, in order to give the Gryffindors equal footing with their opponents in their upcoming Quidditch match, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Quidditch match will be moved from tomorrow, to one week from today to give the team enough time to prepare."
Several students murmured and gave disappointed moans.
"With no further ado," Dumbledore said, "Let the Halloween Feast continue."
As conversation resumed around the Great Hall, Amelia Bones, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, huffed.
"Professor Dumbledore didn't need to postpone the match just because I got injured," she said, "I could have played tomorrow."
"You were hit with a Cruciatus Curse, Amelia," Sirius said. "Meant for me, mind you. You don't know if you would be able to play tomorrow or not. Madam Pomfrey said convulsing and twitches is common in the days following being placed under a Torture Curse. Imagine if you started convulsing fifty feet in mid-air."
Amelia huffed again and pointed at James. "You better not replace me, Potter. I will be able to play."
James' eyes widened. Lily knew he had probably not given much thought to Quidditch since they had returned back in time.
"I'll assign two, maybe three practices next week," James said, "If you're still up to your usual quality after the first practice, you're in. If not, I'll need to put a reserve in so they can prepare for the match."
"Fine," Amelia muttered.
"You were right, Lily," Marlene said, "When you said Professor McGonagall transfigured objects into the stag and tiger during the battle."
Lily shrugged. "When you think about it, it was pretty obvious."
"Yeah," James said, "What else could they have been?"
"Animagi," Pandora said, "That's what I thought they were. After all, they were directly targeting Death Eaters. Xenophilius said it takes some complex transfiguration to be able to command transfigured animals to attack specific targets."
"Maybe they were targeting anyone with Dark Marks," James said.
"Or anyone in hoods and masks," Sirius supplied.
"Or Professor McGonagall, a Transfiguration Mistress, is just that good," Lily said.
"Who cares?" Alice said, "Whatever it was, I thank them for being there. They saved us. It was us – Frank, Marlene, Remus and Pete and I – against a group of Death Eaters, and none of us got hurt because of them."
"Pete did," Sirius said.
"Yeah, well it could have been far worse," Frank said. "Alice is right. We could have all been injured, or worse. Plus it sounds like they were responsible for injuring and even killing at least one of the bastards. I'm toasting them!"
Frank lifted his goblet of butterbeer, and several others followed in suit. James took Lily's hand under the table and squeezed it. Lily looked at her husband and smiled at him.
"I tell you what," Frank said, "As soon as I'm out of here, I'm joining up with the Aurors. I want to make sure the Death Eaters never attacks places like Hogsmeade again."
"It takes three years in the Auror Corps before you'd be able to join the Department, Frank," Amelia said.
"Maybe," James said, "Maybe not. Who knows what will happen between now and next summer. Several Aurors might die in the line of duty fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The Auror Department may recruit students straight out of Hogwarts and put them through only a few weeks of training. My father mentioned something like that last summer."
Lily knew the latter part of James' statement was probably a lie. He had based that off of what had actually happened the last time around.
"You aren't thinking of joining the Auror Department too, are you, James?" Marlene asked.
James shrugged. "I've given it some thought."
Marlene frowned and looked in Lily's direction. Lily realized exactly what Marlene was thinking. An hour later, after the feast was finished, Lily found out she was right. She and James were headed in the direction of the Hospital Wing to meet with Madam Pomfrey. They had made the excuse to their friends that they wanted to see how Pete was doing. Marlene was the only one who had tagged along.
"You're really thinking of joining the Aurors, James?" Marlene asked; her voice low so only Lily and James could hear her, "I'm sure that might have been something you were thinking about for a while. But, after today, I thought you might have considered a different career. I mean, you just found out you're going to be a father, James. Of twins!"
"You know what I'm also thinking about, Marlene?" James asked. "Placing a Memory Charm on you. This is exactly why Lily and I wanted to keep this a secret for now."
"Secret or not, it wouldn't change anything," Marlene said.
"No," James said, "But it would have given Lily and I time to think about our future without anyone else butting in with their own commentary."
Marlene huffed. "What do you think about this, Lily?"
"I think I agree with James on this," Lily said. "At least when it comes to the fact that he and I will be discussing our future."
"James, you told me you had no intentions of dying," Marlene said.
"I think I know quite a bit more than you, Marlene," James said, "when it comes to dying and surviving."
"James," Lily muttered; her husband was coming very close to causing them to give up another important secret.
"I am not letting my children grow up in a time of war, Marlene," James said. "And I will do anything I can to make sure that doesn't happen. I'll end this war on my own if I have to."
"You won't be alone," Lily said.
"Merlin!" Marlene groaned, "Am I the only one sane here? Do you two not realize where you're going right now? Why you're headed to the Hospital Wing?"
"Leave, Marlene," Lily said.
"Lily!" Marlene said, "You can't expect me to ignore this!"
"I don't," Lily said, stopping in her tracks and staring at Marlene, "I do expect you to leave. We're nearing the Hospital Wing, and we don't need Madam Pomfrey discovering you know what James and I are dealing with. If she realizes our secret was discovered so early, so easily, she might decide she needs to tell Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. We're not prepared for that to happen yet! Do you understand?"
"Okay," Marlene said, "Lily, I'm going to blame your attitude on hormones."
"Sweetheart?" James asked. "Can I Obliviate her?"
"Not now, dear," Lily said.
Marlene huffed. "Fine. I'm going. I do agree that you made some good points there. Just remember I care for you, Lily. I'm here for you."
Lily's eyes became misty. "I know that. Thank you."
Marlene hugged her, then backed away and started off back down the corridor. Lily resumed her trek toward the Hospital Wing with James at her side.
"Are you alright, Lily?" James asked.
"We were too hard on her," Lily said. "We're getting a second chance with her, and we were much too hard on her."
"I forgot how confrontational she was," James said. "Especially when she cares for something. We should have realized once she discovered your pregnancy, she make helping us her personal mission."
"I can't lose her again, James," Lily said. "You know how much her death affected me."
"I know," James said. "We'll keep an eye on her, especially until we defeat Voldemort."
Lily nodded. "We do need to talk about that, James. Aside from our part in defending against the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade today, we haven't given any thought about the mission."
"Tomorrow," James said, "Along with catching up on our classwork and figuring out where we are with that, we'll focus on the mission. Outlining what we're going to do between now and the time we defeat Voldemort. Right now, we need to visit Madam Pomfrey, then prepare for the Full Moon Run."
"Okay," Lily said, nodding.
They arrived at the Hospital Wing two minutes later. When Madam Pomfrey saw them, she directed them into her office.
"Miss Evans," she said, as she closed the office door behind her, "I was expecting to see you before the Feast."
"You told us to meet you after the Feast," Lily said.
"I am aware of that, Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey said, "I am also aware you were involved in the attack on Hogsmeade."
"I wasn't injured, ma'am," Lily said, "I'm fine."
"I'll be the judge of that," Madam Pomfrey said; she directed Lily over to one of the chairs on the near side of her desk, "Sit down, please. I need to look you over."
Lily sat down, and James joined her in the chair beside her. Madam Pomfrey stood in front of Lily, and waved her wand around Lily's body.
"Diagnostic Charms," Madam Pomfrey said, "Quite harmless, I assure you."
"I know, ma'am," Lily said.
"I'm sure you do," Madam Pomfrey said, "However, I know how defensive pregnant mothers can be, especially when a wand is pointed in their direction. Now, let's see here..."
The nurse began looking at something neither Lily nor James could see.
"Hmm," she said, "Well that's – hmm."
"Something wrong?" Lily asked.
"She is alright, isn't she?" James asked.
"Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey said, "Earlier this morning, you asked me a question about Animagus transformations."
"Yeah," Lily said, slowly.
"What you failed to mention," Madam Pomfrey said, "is that you're already an Animagus."
Lily winced. "Yeah, about that..."
"Am I to understand that the animals running around fighting the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade today," Madam Pomfrey said, "were not Professor McGonagall's creations?"
"Yes, ma'am," Lily said, "I am the Bengal Tiger."
"Sweet Merlin, Miss Evans!" Madam Pomfrey said. "Am I to understand you deliberately charged at Death Eaters in the middle of crossfire, curses, hexes and spells as a Bengal Tiger knowing full well that you are pregnant?"
"Yes, ma'am," Lily said.
"Miss Evans, you are lucky you're a picture of health!" Madam Pomfrey said, "You're lucky nothing happened to you or your babies!"
"I was being very careful," Lily said.
"It certainly does not sound like it!" Madam Pomfrey argued.
"You just said I'm a picture of health," Lily retorted.
"Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey said, "When I agreed, this morning, to keep your condition a secret from even Headmaster Dumbledore, I assumed that you were going to be smart about all of this. I am this close – maybe closer! – from forbidding you from attending any future Potions or Defense lessons! Hell, maybe Charms and Transfiguration too, since spell work will be going off all around you. I'm this close from keeping you in one of those beds out there until those twins are born. I'm afraid I must inform the Headmaster and your Professors of your condition."
"Madam Pomfrey!" Lily gasped. "You can't -"
"I can't what, Miss Evans?" Madam Pomfrey replied. "If I keep your condition from the staff, and they discover I did, once you began to start showing, I could lose my job. Do you want to continue attending all of your classes, Miss Evans?"
Lily sighed, weighing her options. On one hand, she had already experienced everything she'd be learning. However, she knew if she did not finish her education again and pass her NEWTS again, her future when it came to possible careers would be grim. Also, if she did drop out, none of her friends would understand until she told them that she had learned all of it before, while also explaining exactly what that meant!
"What do you think, James?" Lily asked.
"Professor Dumbledore, as our Headmaster, and Professor McGonagall, as our Head of House, can know," James said. "Nobody else. And we get to tell them ourselves."
Madam Pomfrey stared at James, then Lily for a moment. Then she rounded her desk and sat down. She took a memo sheet and wrote something down on it. Then she pointed her wand at it, and the memo turned into a paper airplane which proceeded to fly out of the office.
"I've informed Professor Dumbledore to expect the both of you in his office within the next half-hour," Madam Pomfrey said, "I also asked him to invite Professor McGonagall to the meeting. After we're finished here, you will go directly there. Do you both understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," Lily and James said in unison.
"If you're hunting for a story to tell the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress," Madam Pomfrey said, "Tell them that you were in here because you weren't feeling well, you had nausea and you feared you might have been hexed during the battle. "
"Then I discovered that I'm pregnant," Lily said. "And the nausea was a pregnancy symptom."
"Precisely," Madam Pomfrey said. "Therefore, they won't accuse you of doing something as dumb as participating in a battle when you know you're pregnant!"
Lily winced again. "Yes, ma'am."
"Know that I am doing this for your health and safety, Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey said, "and the health and safety of your babies. It will be up to the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress concerning the future of your education."
"Yes, ma'am," Lily said.
"I am postponing this meeting, Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey said. "If you're still here tomorrow morning, the two of you can visit me then. For now..."
Madam Pomfrey passed a small leather across the desk to Lily.
"This is a Pregnancy Potion Kit," she said, "It has a week's supply of potions that will help you with morning sickness andother symptoms. The Kit will also assist you with the harmful fumes in Potions class. There is also a small pamphlet you need to read about the Kit. Each week, I will refill your Potion Kit."
Lily already knew about the standard Pregnancy Potion Kits. She had dealt with them during her first pregnancy.
"Thank you, ma'am," Lily said.
"You are excused," Madam Pomfrey said, "Professor Dumbledore will be expecting you."
Lily took the bag and stood up. She led James out of the office, and they started off down the corridor.
"I'm sorry," Lily and James said in unison.
Lily glanced at James. "You first. What are you sorry about?"
"Several things," James said. "For example, not putting a Memory Charm on Madam Pomfrey."
Lily chuckled, when James grinned. Obviously he wasn't serious – well, maybe he was half-serious.
"I'm sorry for agreeing with Madam Pomfrey," James said, "When I said that we can tell Albus and Minerva."
"Better than telling all the Professors," Lily said, "I'm sorry for putting us in this position. I should have stayed out of that battle."
"Lily, you don't need to apologize about that," James said. "We both know what we're dealing with here. I can't defeat Voldemort alone, nor can I shield you from it all. I need your help."
Lily smiled, then sighed. "What are we going to do?"
"Lily, we don't even need to be here," James said, "We can pass our NEWTs tomorrow and get the same results we would in June. We could leave tonight or tomorrow and focus on the fight against Voldemort."
"What would we tell our friends?" Lily asked. "Oh god. Our parents. What would we tell our parents?"
"The truth," James said, "Or rather, half of the truth. You're pregnant, and we're leaving Hogwarts for your safety."
Lily frowned. "Let's find out what Albus and Minerva have to say. If the results of the meeting interferes at all with our mission, we'll leave Hogwarts tomorrow. However, we're here for a reason. Remember what Death said about the Room of Requirement?"
"We could retrieve it before we leave," James said.
"Right," Lily said. "If we have to leave, we leave tomorrow. After we go to the Room of Requirement, and tell our friends what is going on. And if we're not leaving..."
"We'll figure it out if that bridge is crossed," James said.
Lily nodded. She smiled when James took her hand, and they headed toward the Headmaster's Office.