Jily Oneshots (pt2)

Every Little Thing You Do Is Magic

by MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, James and Sirius crept down the stairs into the Gryffindor Common Room, bickering quietly. James had the Marauders' Map in one hand and his invisibility cloak folded over one arm, and Sirius was carrying a giant bucket filled with stink sap.

"We've got to put it over the entrance from the main hall to their common room, we only want it to get the students—"

"But Snivellus uses the corridor by the Potions classroom more often—"

"Right, but he's not even on the Quidditch team, and they're the ones we need to get back—"

They were so engrossed in their debate that they made it almost to the portrait hole before James heard a soft moan coming from the area in front of the fireplace. The boys whipped around, startled, and saw Lily Evans, wrapped in blankets on the sofa.

Instinctively, James took a step towards her. Sirius grabbed his wrist and gestured towards the portrait hole, but James held up a finger, pleading with his eyes for a moment to check on her. Sirius dropped James' wrist and sighed.

"You know it'll be more than a minute," he muttered. "We're not going anywhere. And what am I supposed to do with this bucket of stink sap?"

"We'll hang it over the door of the Quidditch shed tomorrow," James whispered back. "Slytherin has first practice."

Sirius pulled a face but gave James a conciliatory nod. James walked over to where Lily was resting on the sofa, only the top of her head and her rosy cheeks peeking out of a bundle of blankets.

"Alright, Evans?" he asked softly.

Lily whimpered again. "Potter?"

"Yeah, it's me. And Sirius, too," James said, taking another step towards her. "Are you all right?"

"No. But I'll be fine," she mumbled. She closed her eyes, her face screwed up in either pain or distress. "Just ignore me and go about your curfew-breaking."

Sirius sighed loudly. "You look like death, Evans. Obviously we can't just leave you like this."

"You wanted to a minute ago," James muttered.

"It's fine. I'll be fine," Lily repeated hoarsely. "There's nothing you can do for me, anyway."

Sirius sighed again. "So dramatic." He turned to James. "Look, I'll go to the kitchens. You should stay here with her and make sure she doesn't perish. What do you need?"

"Thanks, mate. The usual for me. And some broth for Evans, I suppose." James nodded his thanks, and Sirius turned to leave. "Oh, and shepherd's pie, if you see one. She wasn't at dinner."

"Got it," Sirius said, and disappeared out of the portrait hole.

"M'not hungry," Lily murmured. "I'm fine."

James perched on the arm of the sofa. "You keep saying that, but you really don't sound fine, Evans," he said, his brow furrowed with concern. "Why are you down here, anyway? You ought to be in your bed, it's quarter 'til two."

"Can't sleep." Her voice was raspy. She coughed a dry, hacking cough and rubbed her chest wearily. "And my coughing was keeping the girls up, so I decided I'd stay in the Common Room."

"You could try a Silencing charm for your cough, you know, if you wanted to stay in your room. I could help you."

Lily shook her head. "Makes me claustrophobic, or something. I feel like I'm suffocating if I try to cough and no sound comes out."