UP TO NO GOOD

It wasn’t that they were neglecting their duties by avoiding the party, Lily reasoned with herself. Everyone seemed in need of a good break from reality, and maybe the party was meant to satisfy that. If anything bad were to happen, she and James would be the first people there, but, for now, it was nice to have a quiet moment in the corridors. She was struck for a moment by how different James seemed - a mix of growing up and the situations they had found themselves in during recent months. He was still who she had fallen in love with, that would likely never change, but there was something far more serious about him.

When his hand reached for hers Lily immediately laced her fingers through his, a habit she didn’t even think much of, as her spare hand found a resting place higher on his arm. At his question, she paused in her tracks, thinking of the letter she had received earlier in the week. “Actually -” Her green eyes found his hazel as she paused for a moment, before taking in a deep breath, “I have something to tell you.” 

Things had changed so rapidly between them, but James had adapted very quickly, and Lily’s hand in his now felt so natural that it was odd if they weren’t touching. His lips curled into a smile at the now-familiar gesture and he was prepared to just enjoy her company, but immediately stopped as she did, and turned to face her. “Do you? Good news or bad?” They’d had enough bad lately and he really hoped it was something good. Lily deserved that much. Seeing everything she’d been through in the past few weeks, she needed something good in her life. 

Remus Lupin did not consider himself a good person. Such a thing was beyond him considering what he was. Inherently flawed. And though there was no changing that, Remus supposed he could at least try to be good at some things. A good friend. He could be that much to his fellow Marauders. Observant. A natural talent of his. Therefore it hadn’t escaped his notice when James had pulled the letter from his bag only to disappear not long after. Remus sat quietly, finishing up an assignment for Defense Against the Dark Arts, only glancing at the portrait hole every once in a while to see if James had returned.

Checking his watch, Remus determined it had been far too long for James to simply want a little privacy and that something was weighing on his friend’s mind. With a sigh, Remus stood, leaving his textbook and assignment on the low coffee table in the common room to instead reach for a chocolate frog from his bag and head out after James. It didn’t take him too long to find James, as he hadn’t gone very far, and once look at his solemn expression confirmed Remus’s suspicions. Something was wrong. Plopping down on the bench next to James, Remus held out the chocolate frog. “Eat it, you’ll feel better.”

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Remus joined him. James loved his friends with his whole heart, as much as he loved Lily, though in a different way. And if one of them had gone off like this, James would have been after them as well. And though he knew, somewhere in the back of his head, that he should talk about it, he didn’t want to. Straightening up, he tried for a casual easy grin as he shook his head. “Thanks but I know how important your chocolate is to you. No need to waste it on me.”

Althea couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips at the sincerity of his young love. How sweet and precious it was, such genuine emotion. She was not naive enough to expect it for herself, though she found it impossible not to wish that perhaps someday someone might talk of her the same way. “Wise words, James.” She said with a small laugh. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were a Ravenclaw.”

He handled the pain of setting the arm well, remaining silent even though Althea could tell it was far from pleasant for him. “I never said you couldn’t attend practice, but you by all means cannot participate until that arm is healed.” She countered easily, putting on her best no-nonsense tone. “It shouldn’t take very long if you take care of it properly.” 

“You know, I think I am smart enough for that.” James had never really doubted his intelligence. It just wasn’t the most important thing to him. There were other things he found far more worthy of his focus than knowledge or the pursuit of it. But he did like to think he was pretty clever. “Wouldn’t have done well there though. And I look better in red.”

His expression fell a bit more, although her orders could have been worse. At least if he went to practice, he could give advice although it wasn’t the same. “Surely it’s not all that bad. I mean, we have magic. It can’t hurt that much if I participate.” Still, although he might recognize the truth in her words, he couldn’t just give in. Quidditch might not be the most important aspect of his schooling anymore, but it was one of the few diversions he had from all the shit that had happened and he didn’t want to lose that.

Emmeline opened her mouth, then shut it, shrugging at James. She hadn’t really expected to open up to him - or anyone, for that matter - but the words had come out before she could even think about it. She looked straight ahead, avoiding looking directly at James. “No,” Emmeline said, making a face. “I mean, yes, but – d’you think all of this is going to be worth it? In the end?”

James reached up to run his hand through his hair as he nodded; it wouldn’t be something he really wanted to talk about either, he thought. The question made him pause - not because he lacked in conviction, though. He would always believe it was going to be worth it because the alternative was unbearable. “I think so. Even if we don’t get to see it, it’ll be worth it in the end. Good will win out.”

Who: Lily Evans and James Potter @alionheartedprig When: March 18, 1978 Where: Hogwarts corridors

Lily had scheduled herself and James for rounds on this particular Saturday far before any murmuring of a party had started, and even now, knowing full well that there was one in full swing, she didn’t regret the decision. The new year was proving to be a challenging one, keen on throwing blow after blow in the face of the students at Hogwarts. Perhaps a party was what some people needed, but Lily was happy to be alone with James, even if they were technically working. 

The halls were quiet enough, and though it was futile, Lily hoped it would stay that way, or that everyone would at least have the sense to be quiet as they headed back to their respective dormitories. It seemed she had barely had a moment with James in the recent weeks, and certainly not since the letter from St. Mungo’s had come in. Looking over at him as they walked, she raised a brow, and offered a small smile, “We’ve agreed to completely avoid the seventh floor then?”

If anyone had told him that there would come a day when James Potter would choose prefect rounds over a party . . . James would not have believed it. But here he was, far happier to be with Lily on rounds, rather than at the party. Being with Lily generally made him happier though, despite how difficult the beginning of the year had been. He didn’t even want to know how the party was going or what was happening at it. Everyone deserved a chance to relax and enjoy themselves, and seeing the way the dorm had cleared out, he thought the rest of the students would get the chance to do that. Which left the corridors relatively free for him and Lily. 

“Oh, yes. I don’t even want to think about the seventh floor. It doesn’t even exist in our world tonight,” he said quickly, reaching for Lily’s hand in a habitual move that he didn’t think about any longer. With his free hand, he reached to run his fingers through his hair. “So which way are we headed?”

Emmeline hoped she hadn’t intruded on a private moment as James put the letter away. Truthfully, she had been in search of likeminded company - James seemed to be someone who was adamant about his feelings regarding the current turmoil. She agreed with him. “Yeah, the last few weeks have been gobsmacking.” She was quiet for a moment. “I killed someone. Using the Killing Curse.”

“That’s an understatement,” James muttered, He had tried not to think about it much, really, especially everything that happened on Valentine’s Day and the aftermath. He didn’t expect the next words that came from her mouth though, and looked up. What were you supposed to say to something like that? “Do you want to talk about it?” It was probably a stupid question but that was all he could think of. 

If Andrei was being honest, he was sick and tired of his housemates. Now that has probably been true for a very long time and only recently has it become even more apparent. Truthfully he was surprised that his housemates hadn’t thrown all of his stuff out into the hallway at this point from how much they despised him. Not like he’d really have any place to go at this point, seeing how a majority of the other houses now hate him after the post-valentine’s day incident. At first he’d tried to keep things civil but he was growing more and more tired of everyone’s blatant disdain towards him. If things couldn’t have already been worse, everyone now seemed to believe that he’d blown the recent Quidditch match on purpose. 

With the obvious disdain from a majority of his housemates, Andrei typically avoided the Gryffindor Tower. Only going there in order to sleep or get some books. “Potter,” He sighed, opening his mouth to say something else “Potter.” Was all he said. Was it really worth it to even acknowledge him? Most likely not. 

If there was a ranking of all the people in Hogwarts and how much James wanted to talk to them, Andrew would be on one of the lower levels, right along with people like Severus Snape and Amycus Carrow. However at the moment, he found his energy wasn’t high enough to be angry at everyone. Or anyone. All he could think about was his parents and how he’d let them down. “Draganov,” he muttered. “Picking something up?”

It was funny, remembering back to the beginning of the year. He was so upset when they didn’t choose him for Head Boy, and it sent him on a familiar spiral of overcompensating and anxiety. They’d given it to James Potter, of all people, when Edgar was right there with grades just as good and a spotless disciplinary record. Many months later, he decided it was a good thing that James Potter was made Head Boy. In a span of time so quickly he almost couldn’t believe it, he checked out of nearly everything he used to care so much about. What was the spot of Head Boy, when The Dark Lord and Grindelwald were out there?

He wouldn’t go so far to say he and Potter were friends, but Edgar held a strong respect for him now, especially after everything on Valentines Day. When he spotted Potter, sitting on a bench looking restless, Edgar surprised himself by sitting down next to him. “Everything alright, Potter?”

James did not expect to see Edgar in this area of the castle, or for him to join him on the bench. They had never really been friends, although James didn’t harbor any ill will for Edgar. They just had different friends and James knew that he wasn’t the sort of person who would really impress Edgar Bones. It was fine; James generally liked himself, so he didn’t need validation from other people. 

It was nice to see him now though. James thought Edgar might understand how he felt, at least better than most other people did. “Letter from my parents,” he said in a subdued tone, after a moment of hesitation. “I really let them down before, and I haven’t been able to open it yet.”

It was a difficult time for Emmeline, recently. She had struggled with the chaos that was happening around Hogwarts - everyone seemed to be in contact with family. Parents were threatening to pull their kids out of school, though the Headmaster assured everyone that Hogwarts would always be a safe place. Emmeline was on her own, as her father had disappeared long ago and her mother rarely ever checked in with her. She wondered what it was like to have parents in her life who really cared - the closest she had ever gotten to it was with Edward and Adeline Bones. But deep down, Emmeline knew that they prioritized their real kids, not the displaced children they’d picked up over the years. 

She didn’t know James very well, but he looked distressed and Emmeline was in need of a friend. She sat next to him, leaning back as she eyed the letter in his hand. “Doing alright, James?”

James looked up with a forced smile as Emmeline joined him. He would really prefer to be left alone but he couldn’t just say that flat out. It would be rude, and he had been brought up better than that. So he tucked the letter into a pocket and nodded. “As well as can be expected, I suppose. Bit tired though. I’m ready for the year to be over. The last few weeks have felt like they lasted for months.”

“She sounds like a very focused girl.” Althea commented kindly, gently rolling James’s sleeve out of the way so that she might better inspect his arm, her fingers probing gently at his elbow to determine the best placement for the healing magic she was about to perform. Althea preferred to have a decent line of dialogue between herself and her patients when they were capable of such things. It always seemed to help if she could get their focus off of their pain or symptoms for a few moments at least. Politics, however, was one topic of conversation Althea preferred not to discuss with anyone if she could avoid it. With only a few curt words of preparation, she lifted her wand, waved it in practiced motions, and set James’s elbow back into place. “Well, I can safely say that you’ll be away from Quidditch for a few days while we make sure that mends properly.” She said, reaching for a bandage to stabilize the elbow at the proper angle.

“Lily is amazing,” James said earnestly. “She’s like, the best person I know. I still can’t figure out why she’s dating me but I don’t question it unless I have to.” The thoughts of Lily were enough distraction that by the time Althea began to do the actual work, James had almost forgotten why he was here in the first place. That did not detract from the pain, of course, but he kept quiet throughout, only protesting when she said he couldn’t play Quidditch. “Wait, what? I have to go to practice. I’m the captain, I can’t just stop playing.”

“I’ll be the first to admit I’m still learning.” She warned with a good-natured smile. “But I can be trusted enough to mend a sore elbow.” Althea had seen worse in her time as a mediwitch, and much worse in her time as a Death Eater. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” Althea glanced up to share a smile before reaching for her wand once again. “I haven’t met her yet.” Althea said, twirling her wand thoughtfully between her fingers. “But I’m sure I’ll see her around here sooner or later. And what is it you would like to do?” The question did well to fill the space between them as Althea gingerly reached for his arm.

“Considering all that I’ve done in the past, I think acting as your guinea pig is the least I can do.” He laughed, although he was careful not to jostle his arm too badly. Maybe Lily hadn’t been in the hospital wing as much lately, or they just hadn’t crossed paths yet. Lily had been under a lot of pressure so it wasn’t that surprising. “She’s Head Girl, so she’s pretty busy all around,” he said, nodding. “But she’s really passionate about healing. Oh, I like to play Quidditch and . . . that’s about it. I mean - I’ve been studying too,” he said, watching her a little warily as she worked. It wasn’t a matter of trust, because he really didn’t doubt her skill. But his arm hurt and he wasn’t keen on more pain at the moment. “I don’t really know what I want to do in the future though. I used to think maybe Quidditch but that seems really . . . unimportant now.”

James had never been one to shy away from communication with his parents. As an only child, born late in life, his parents had always doted on him and that led to a very strong relationship as he grew older. Letters during his earlier Hogwarts years had been full of praise (and admonitions to behave better, though always delivered lovingly) and as he grew older, the letters had more and more advice on everything under the sun. He appreciated that, and even more when he started to realize how old his parents were. But then Glenda had gone missing and James had made several colossal mistakes and his parents had been so disappointed; his dad had even made the trip to Hogwarts just to talk to James about it. They hadn’t even come at Christmas so seeing his dad here had been shocking. And unpleasant.

Which was why he was postponing opening the most recent letter from them. It had been in his bag all day and then he’d pulled it out in the common room but couldn’t make himself open it there. Too many people. He’d stepped out and found a bench but still just held the letter, tapping it on his leg absently. He heard footsteps in the corridor but didn’t look up, hoping that it wouldn’t be someone looking for him.

“Madame Pomfrey only stepped out for a moment. I’m sure she’ll be back soon. If you’d prefer to wait for her, you’re more than welcome to.” Althea said kindly, following the student toward the bed and watching carefully how he moved his arm. The fact he could move it a bit was promising at least. His name was familiar, and Althea found she smiled at the memory. “I remember you.” She said, shaking her head. “You and your friends were always running these halls causing some sort of commotion. Though I don’t know if we ever truly met. I’m Althea Nott, I’m here as part of my training to become a healer.”

“Oh, no. No need to wait. I assume if they sent you here, you’ll be able to take care of me all right.” He really wanted to get this over with; he had exams coming up to prepare for and while he hadn’t decided what he was going to do in the future, he wanted good marks in case he needed them. He smiled at her comment about him and the Marauders; it was true, they had been causing a ruckus since their first year here. “That sounds like us. It’s nice to officially meet you.” He knew of the Notts, although his parents hadn’t really gone to social events since his birth so he wasn’t acquainted with the family, really. “Oh, that’s interesting. My girlfriend wants to be a healer. She helps Madame Pomfrey here sometimes - Lily Evans, do you know her?”

“Hey, hey.” Lily locked eyes with James, her brows knitting. She had expected him to be upset, but he didn’t need to be thinking the way he was, at least not in the current moment. Watching as he flinched, she shook her head - “Here,” - she took her cloak off, before casting a simple cutting charm over the hood. It separated from the rest of the fabric (she would fix it all later), and with a swish of her wand the ends grew a bit longer, before tying themselves into a neat bow. Sticking her wand in her waistband, she stepped closer to James, carefully sliding her makeshift sling over his head, resting it on his good shoulder, and gently moving his arm to rest in it.

When she finished, Lily met his eyes again. “You’re allowed to be upset. That’s fair. Yes, there are bigger things going on, but Quidditch is your escape. You’re allowed to be upset when it doesn’t work out.” As she spoke, she noticed other students walking by and watching, and her eyes shifted, before she gave a quick shake of her head. “Hang on.” Raising her wand again, she spoke quietly, “Accio invisibility cloak”. Within moments, James’s cloak was soaring to the pair, and Lily guided it to land on him. Soon, her boyfriend had vanished, and Lily could have just as well been talking to the air.

Looking in the direction that he had just been, Lily only hoped that James would listen to her. “Follow me, okay?” Her voice was still quiet and gentle, before she began making her way through the crowd and towards the castle, cradling her own cloak and avoiding eye contact with those around her.

He watched her mess with her cloak without really understanding what she was doing until she’d fashioned the sling and put it on. It didn’t take away any of the pain but it did seem to help in some way. But he was exhausted and disgruntled and couldn’t think beyond that, really. Her words did reassure him a little, and he offered a small smile. The glances of the passing students were almost a physical weight but he tried to ignore them and focus on Lily instead. Which was a little easier when he heard her words and realized what she was doing. The invisibility cloak hadn’t crossed his mind just yet but as Lily covered him with it, James could feel the relief of hiding away like a physical sensation. James rarely minded attention but right now, he just wanted to get away from everyone.

Except Lily. He liked being around her all the time, even now when he was tired and upset, and it took no thought for him to follow her toward the castle. Moving under the invisibility cloak wasn’t easy and he spent a lot of time dodging other students, but he had practice and kept up with Lily easily, especially as they got further into the castle and there were fewer other students around. Normally James had a really good grasp of where he was but he hadn’t been paying attention this time; when Lily stopped, he looked around a little puzzled. The corridor was otherwise empty, so he pulled the cloak off and glanced at her again. “Where are we? I assume you have a plan.”

“No worries, we’ll get that sorted out for you.” Althea said kindly, gesturing toward the nearest available hospital bed. “Would you mind telling me what happened?” She asked quickly, not wasting any time setting aside her inventory sheet and turning her attention to the patient. She wasn’t surprised by a Quidditch injury, those were common enough as she remembered from her own days at Hogwarts. Althea never played herself, and she would readily admit the likelihood of injury was certainly one of the reasons why.

“Thanks,” James said as he moved to the bed, gingerly stretching his arm. “Bludger to the elbow and it won’t really bend all the way. Not sure what that means. Where’s Madame Pomfrey? And . . . have we met?” There were too many new faces around Hogwarts these days, with the Aurors, and now there were other Healers on top of it. James couldn’t keep anyone straight anymore. “I’m James Potter.”

Who: Lily Evans and James Potter @alionheartedprig When: March 11, right after the quidditch game Where: Somewhere in between the locker room, the seats, and the castle

The game had not gone well, but Lily couldn’t focus on that right now. She was soaked through, red hair sticking to her face, as her shoes sloshed in the puddles. Honestly, the entire world of magic at their disposal, and wizards couldn’t figure out water proof cloaks?!

She was in a hurry, brushing past dejected housemates and excited Hufflepuffs as she made her way to the locker rooms. James was sure to be in a sour mood, but she was more concerned about his shoulder. They could work through the loss with time, but his injuries needed attention, and if she knew her boyfriend at all, he wouldn’t be voluntarily going to the Hospital Wing.

Pushing past a rejoicing Hufflepuff first year, Lily looked up, squinting through the rain as she recognized a figure not too far off. “James?” She called, quickening her pace, until she was in front of him. “James? What are you doing out here? I thought you’d still be in the locker rooms with your team…”

James should have stuck it out in the locker room, and he should have figured out what was going on with Andrei, and he should have recruited subs for times like this. And he shouldn’t be so upset over a Quidditch, when there was so much other shit going on right now. He just wanted to be alone and sort through his emotions and the safest place for that was probably somewhere in the castle. 

He should have counted on Lily, however. His quick footsteps slowed, then came to a stop as she intercepted him. “I needed some air,” he said, shrugging without thought and flinching almost immediately. “They’re all - I won’t do any good in there right now. Everyone needs a chance to calm down, including me. I was heading . . . I don’t know.” He almost said he was going to find Madame Pomfrey but that wasn’t true, and Lily would know better than to believe him. “I know this is really unimportant in the grand scheme of things,” he added tiredly, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. “I’m just . . . I don’t know, Lily.”

andrei-draganov‌:

Who: Andrei Draganov & the Gryffindor Quidditch Team 

When: March 11th, immediately following the game

Where: Gryffindor locker room 

The beginning of the match had been going so well, it was nearly boring. Hufflepuff had barely been able to score against them, and Gryffindor was in the lead. It had begun to look as if it would be an easy win for them. That was until Andrei began to lose control. It was as if he was doing the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. It had taken him less that a moment to realize what was going on, though no one else seemed too. That was quite possibly what angered him the most, the fact that he was confunded and they didn’t even seem to realize. He was sure that his team thought he was purposely trying to make them lose. 

When it was all over the boy stormed into the locker room, barely putting down his brook stick before he lashed out. His fist collided with his locker, his knuckles stinging as he was sure that the one hit had been enough to draw blood. “Fuck!” He cussed. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t used to the majority of his house disliking him. At least when it came to Quidditch he’d gain a bit of respect from them. That was up until the attacks. Now they were no longer content with simply ignoring him, lashing out at him every chance they got even when he kept his head down. Andrei was sure that they would use this as another excuse to question and lash out at him. Though this time he truly hadn’t done anything wrong. He wasn’t oblivious to the eyes on him, especially after his outburst. “Got something to say? Go right ahead.” The blonde snapped. He was sure that they had all already made up their minds as to what had happened. Even if he tried to explain, they most likely wouldn’t have listened. 

@the-fabianprewett

Fabian trudged into the locker room soaking wet, chilled to the bone, and in a sour mood. The game had been theirs, never in his entire Quidditch career had Gryffindor held that large of a lead, and then it slipped right through their fingers. It wasn’t just disheartening, it was frustrating. Everyone had played their best, everyone except for one teammate. Fabian watched as Andrei punched at his locker, wincing at the sound. No doubt it would hurt, but he didn’t much care about Andrei’s hand. When Andrei spun his anger around at him, Fabian felt his own bubbling up in turn “Yeah, yeah I’ve got something to say.” He said, his voice rising as he stepped closer to his teammate.

“What the fuck happened out there?” Fabian asked, his arm sweeping dramatically toward the door leading to the pitch. “It was like you weren’t even trying.” Somewhere in the back of his mind, Fabian recognized that Andrei was playing differently than he ever had in practice or matches before, but his newfound distrust of his teammate clouded such rational thoughts. “What were you thinking?”

@alionheartedprig​

After the game they’d just had, the last place James wanted to be was in the locker room with the rest of the team. He was tired and in pain and disappointed - and the worst part was, he recognized that the match was unimportant in the long run. He’d just been so looking forward to something good happening for a change. He moved into the locker room reluctantly, slowly, not planning to stay very long. He didn’t keep his broom here anyway, he just needed to drop off some of his other gear - not that he could do much about it, one-handed. His plans to make a quick exit were interrupted by the brewing fight and despite himself, he paused, glancing from Fabian to Andrei. At any other time, he would have been on Fabian’s side but he was too tired to care at the moment. 

“I’m pretty confident we’ve railed at him enough, Fabian. It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?” The words weren’t meant for Andrei at all; James still didn’t care for him, didn’t want him in their house or on their team, but that couldn’t be avoided. Pausing, he addressed the room at large, running his good hand through his hair. “We’ll have a meeting in a day or two, talk about what happened. Try not to destroy anything in the meantime.” He turned to go, with a quick glance in Marlene’s direction. “Can you keep them from destroying the locker room for me? I can’t be here right now.” Part of him felt bad for running off like this, but he couldn’t dredge up anything positive to say now, and he needed space.