One Against a Bunch of Beasts
Lily had been on guard ever since she heard footsteps following her, but she hadn't expected them to open with such a powerful curse. Were they determined to put her through hell if they couldn't kill her? Lily Evans had never feared being picked on. She swiftly raised her wand. "Protego!" A solid shield enveloped her. She looked up with a cold laugh. "Heh, three against one? Is this how Slytherin pure-bloods are brought up?"
"A Mudblood isn't fit to discuss upbringing with noble pure-bloods." Mulciber fired another Leg-Locker Curse.
Lily replied coolly, "Heh, only animals care about bloodlines when they breed," implying that the three were no different from beasts.
"Arrogant! Let's see if you can walk out of this classroom in one piece today. Furnunculus!" Enraged by her words, Mulciber, who had originally wanted only to teach her a small lesson, was now intent on putting her in the Hospital Wing for an entire term.
"Aguamenti!" Several streams of water gushed from her wand and struck Mulciber squarely in the face. Lily didn't dare use offensive spells in the castle. Simply defending herself would only make her opponents think she was too afraid to fight back, but the Shield Charm had one excellent feature: with enough magic to sustain it, it could send spells bouncing straight back at their casters. Her magic had no upper limit, and the Slytherins were so focused on attacking that none of them noticed this fatal flaw.
Avery's Leg-Locker Curse struck Wilkes. His legs instantly locked together, and he fell heavily to the floor. "Avery! Can't you aim at that Mudblood?" Wilkes roared furiously. "You ran into it yourself. What was I supposed to do?"
While Avery was distracted arguing, Mulciber's Furnunculus rebounded onto his forearm. A mass of stinging blisters sprang up instantly, and the agony made him drop his wand. "Mulciber, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Impedimenta!" Lily closed in, and an Impediment Jinx sent Wilkes flying to the floor. Avery tried to pick up his wand and get to his feet despite the pain in his arm, but Lily pinned him back down with an "Expelliarmus!"
Lily lunged forward, and Mulciber traced a graceful arc through the air. "Aaaah, you filthy Mudblood!" Lily swung Mulciber around like a noodle. Wilkes came forward, only to be sent flying by Mulciber as he hurtled straight into him.
In just ten minutes, the fight was over. Lily planted a foot on the three boys piled atop one another and pulled out the Muggle camera she carried with her. She snapped several pictures in quick succession, keeping them all as mementos of her victory over the bunch of beasts.
She clearly couldn't go to the dungeons to study Potions now, and she didn't want Snape to see her fighting three opponents at once. She quickly straightened her robes, cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself, and hurried toward Gryffindor Tower.
On the way, she happened upon that group of familiar faces. James and Sirius had their feet planted on several immobilized Slytherin students, while Lupin and Peter stood to one side, looking like accomplices in the trouble.
"Hi, Lily, we're punishing evil and doing good. Want to join us?" James called.
"I think I'll pass." Lily declined tactfully. She had just finished a fight and wasn't in the mood to join James in his so-called "pursuit of justice."
"All right then. Sirius, let's carry on." James jumped off the student on the floor. Lily sidestepped the four of them and continued straight upstairs.
In the abandoned dungeon classroom, Snape had long since prepared parchment and Potions ingredients, eagerly anticipating a few hours studying advanced formulas with Lily. But when he pushed open the classroom door, he found Mulciber, Avery, and Wilkes, three of his fellow Slytherins.
Snape's heart sank. Before the three noticed anything outside the door, he quietly shut it. This classroom was a place he and Lily had privately agreed to meet; no one else knew about it. The answer was obvious: the three had followed Lily, seeking revenge because she had caught the Golden Snitch the previous week and caused Slytherin to lose at Quidditch.
His heart went cold. Fortunately, judging by the mess at the scene, Lily clearly hadn't come off worse, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then another thought occurred to him: eleven-year-old Lily had held down three students in her year all by herself. Her spellwork was that formidable. So strong. A powerful girl appealed not only to Gryffindors, but also to Slytherins who admired strength.
Lily hurried all the way back to the girls' dormitory. Setting fires, trespassing in the Forbidden Forest, and subduing three Slytherins in the abandoned classroom just now were all serious violations. She spent her days on edge, afraid a professor would investigate and deduct points. For the remaining half of the term, she behaved herself and did nothing else out of line. Petunia thought Lily had finally grown up, though she had thought Lily was a very well-behaved child from the start, led astray for a while by Potter and his friends before settling down again.
As the end of term approached, everyone buried themselves in exam preparation. Lily had long since memorized the Hogwarts final exam questions, which stayed the same year after year. She spent her days going through Potions books to pass the time, merely for show. Even the Marauders, who usually ran wild all over the castle, made a rare appearance in the library. It was practically a miracle from Merlin.
"Lily, could you explain this part to me again?" James squeezed his way into Lily and Snape's study group.
A soft snort sounded, and James deliberately drove his elbow hard into Snape. Sirius immediately rushed over and jabbed him with his elbow too. Lupin and Peter pretended to slip and took turns bumping into Snape as well.
"Sorry, didn't see you." Sirius spoke airily, his eyes full of mockery, while James snickered under his breath beside him.
After taking several hits in succession, Snape was never one to suffer in silence. Even in the library, even if Madam Pince threw him out, he intended to strike back on the spot. Hardly hesitating, he pointed his wand straight at Lupin, the mildest-looking of the four, instinctively choosing the easiest target.
Lupin was still feeling guilty about the way they had ganged up on Snape when an offensive curse came flying straight at his face.
"Remus!" James had never expected Snape to dare cast a curse openly in the library.
"Severus!" Lily hurriedly called out to stop him, but Snape paid her no heed.
Lily immediately rose and raised her wand, casting Protego over Lupin. If Lupin were hurt, everyone present would lose a large number of House Points. The curse struck the shield, and Lupin merely staggered half a step backward, unhurt. Seeing this, James immediately stepped in front of Lupin, fury surging in his eyes. "Hey, Snivellus, come at me if you've got the guts! Leave Remus alone!"
He drew his wand and sent a Knockback Jinx straight at Snape. Sirius followed close behind with a Leg-Locker Curse, the two spells bearing down on Snape one after the other.
"Don't fight in the library!" Lily reached out and pulled Lupin behind James. The full moon had only passed a few days earlier, and Lupin had already looked deathly pale; now he was even weaker. Peter huddled at the back of the group and quietly cast a Trip Jinx. Snape's feet slipped out from under him, and he nearly fell to his knees.