The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Meeting in the Library

September seemed to pass by in a flash. The leaves on the Whomping Willow slowly turned gold and burnt orange and fell onto the grounds. There was a bite to the air that made Lily think of hot chocolate. She sat in the large window seat in her room, staring out across the grounds at the Forbidden Forest, which looked like a water color painting she'd once seen at an art Museum with Petunia and her parents. She missed Petunia more and more as the month wore on, as students built up big piles of leaves that had fallen and swung from tree branches below during free periods, and she buried herself in homework to keep from thinking about the fun she and Tuney used to have, picking apples and learning to bake pies. October had always been her favorite month, for Mrs. Evans had a lot of wonderful apple and pumpkin recipes and they made them all leading up to Halloween, her favorite holiday. She was dreading October's arrival this year because it would be the first time she'd spent it away from home, and she knew she'd become homesick. Especially given her lack of friends at Hogwarts.

Alice Bell was in second year and that meant she had more classes than Lily, so although they were together during lunch and in the evenings after supper, they very rarely had any time during the days to hang out together. Severus was still being elusive and hadn't spoken to Lily since their talk in the corridors outside of the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, though he'd stared at her across the Great Hall every day. Remus had proven to be alright, but even after several meetings of the Slug Club, she still wasn't ready to be around Remus Lupin outside of that setting. Especially since Remus was rarely away from James Potter and Sirius Black, neither of which she could stand. She didn't understand how Remus could stomach the boys and she'd even asked him once on their way back to Gryffindor Tower from Professor Slughorn's office.

"They're just immature, mostly," Remus explained. "Neither is really bad."

"Sirius Black is a bully," Lily argued, "And James Potter couldn't be more arrogant if he tried."

Remus shrugged, "James talks a big line but, you know, between me and you, I think he does it because his self-esteem is rubbish."

Lily scoffed, "Uh huh."

"Just my opinion, of course," Remus said.

"And what's Sirius Black's excuse?" Lily demanded, "Not self-esteem as well?"

Remus replied, "Sirius's family is his excuse." He shrugged, "Doesn't know any better, does he?"

"Maybe he should learn," Lily suggested hotly.

"He will," Remus answered. "Eventually."

Remus's words, of course, had not been enough to change Lily's mind about the boys – and even if it had been, she would've changed back quickly enough as James and Sirius seemed to be especially obnoxious. But she would've been lying if she said that she didn't start watching them a bit more carefully, thinking of the things they said and did through the new lens that Remus had provided her.

It was a Friday, the first of October, when Severus finally talked to Lily again.

She was sitting in the library, reading a book for a resource in a paper she was writing for Professor McGonagall and a little paper butterfly landed on the very tip of her nose. She blinked in surprise and when she moved the butterfly fell to the desk before her and unfolded to reveal itself as a note in disguise. She lifted the paper and read it over, recognizing Severus's cramped handwriting.

Meet me in the Occlumency section.

"Occlumency section?" she breathed and she turned around to see the very bottom of his robes disappear behind a great stack of history books. She got up and tucked her parchment into her place in the Transfiguration book and quickly hurried in the direction he'd gone, ducking past the librarian, Madam Pince. Down the aisle she walked, following after Severus who was a couple yards ahead. When he turned a corner she hurried after him only to find he wasn't there. "Sev?" she said quietly, looking around.