The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

Invisible Parts

"So how was your night out?" Lily asked the moment the Marauders piled through the Portrait Hole into Gryffindor Tower. She had leaped from the couch, where she'd been sitting and studying with Frank and Ali, the moment she'd heard Sirius Black's voice echoing into the common room and rushed across to the door, nearly knocking little Ollie over in her rush.

"What in Merlin's greasy beard..?" Frank asked Ali, who waved for Frank to hush as she watched Lily running over to the returning lot of Marauders, wide eyed with interest.

Sirius, the last one through, grinned at Lily as she hurried over, and in a drawling tone, he said, "It went spiffing, Lillith. You ought to cone along sometime, pet."

Lily frowned at him in response.

James snorted, "'Cause that would go splendid. I canine even begin to express howl badly that would go."

Peter laughed and Sirius smirked over at James, though Remus turned red and hurried around his mates as best he could with his sore knees, and started up the stairs. "Good one, James," Sirius said reverently.

Lily ignored this and looked James over with appraising eyes, "Well, you do look as though you're in one piece, at least."

"Mmm, yes. Well. Perhaps it's only my visible pieces. Perhaps we left the others in the woods," James said sarcastically and he grinned broadly when Sirius let out a hoot of amusement, which was underlined by Peter's snickers. James's eyes glittered, challenging her.

Lily looked stung, but she collected herself rather quickly and her eyes glinted right back, challenging him in return, and said, "Well so long as the visible ones remained in tact, it'll keep Madam Pomfrey from having to practice her stitching."

"Right," said James. "Wouldn't want to inconvenience Madam Promfrey with having to sew me back together."

Lily strung herself up, "I would imagine even Pomfrey couldn't stitch you quite right and what a disappointment that would be to all the ladies to whom you are a gift from the gods, yeah, Potter?"

James kept his eyes quite solidly latched on hers and his tone was low, "I don't know if I'd call myself a gift, Evans, but I do have a rather impressive package."

Lily blinked in surprise, and, too stunned to come up with a witty response, she gaped at him stupidly.

"Are we finished with the inquisition, then?" James demanded.

Lily's cheeks turned pink, "Quite finished." Then, as the pack of them started for the stairs, snickering under their breaths, she added, "It's my job to give a damn, you know, as prefect." She puffed herself up. "I ought to turn you three in, as it's only Remus who has permission to be sneaking out."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't dare turn us in. You like us too much," he reminded her pointedly.

Lily's cheeks were even more pink than they'd been, if that was possible, and she glared at Sirius and snapped, "It's only because I'm prefect that I care is all I'm meaning to say," she said hotly. "I don't give a damn what any of you lot do or don't do or anything like that!" And she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Very good," James said, nodding curtly, "Wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong impression of what you mean by giving a damn about any one of us, now would you?"

Lily opened her mouth to speak again, but James had turned and hustled up the stairs to the Marauder's dormitory before she could, quickly followed by Peter. She balled her fists, frustrated.

Sirius's eyes were twinkling. "That went quite spiffing, Evans," he commented. "You're very good at telling Potter how you feel about him."

Lily reeled on him, "As if you were any help!"