1Chapter Four of Locked Up for the Summer

Oh, and apparently I'm supposed to put a disclaimer so, just for you Hooved Majesty, here it is: I don't own Harry Potter or any other character's but I do sort of own the plot...yeah, me and about twenty other people I'm sure.

Also, as Charlotte discovered, a flaw had been made in the last chapter...a very MAJOR flaw. She pointed out that if they were so deviously locked into the castle...then how in the HECK are they supposed to go out the front doors to go outside! Yes...but thats only a SLIGHT mistake and guys make sure to remind me not to do that agin, because I most likely will...anywho, I shall let you read on from here! Again, thanks for the reviews! We're slowly climbing the ladder! Oh and I've decided that they can go outside but cannot leave the grounds...I'll go into further detail as the chapter progresses.Okay, enjoy!

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beep...beep...beep...click.

Lily withdrew her hand from the alarm clock. She rubbed her tired eyes and groggily sat up in bed. She yawned and glanced bitterly at her alarm block. Her heart skipped a beat.

It said four thirty A.M.

Lily boiled. She summoned all the breath her lungs could muster and her piercing scream split the air like a hot chainsaw through butter.

"POOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR!"

In the Gryffindor boys dormitory, three (or I should say two) boy's were rudely awakened by an exclamation of fury. James rolled off his bed with a yelp. Remus gave a muffled cry and threw his blankets in the air in shock. Sirius kept on monotonously snoring.

Bloody...sodding...prat of a...Padfoot!...James thought annoyed as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He too averted his gaze to his bedside clock. His eyes widened and a small smirk broke out on his face.

"Seem's our Lilikins has received her present." he stated and burst out laughing. He reached over and shoved Sirius' face with his fist, who slowly opened his eyes.

"Whattimsit?" he asked sitting up. "Bloody MERLIN, you lot, it's still dark outside!" Then the corner's of his lips lifted in a dawning smile and an expression of realization crossed over settling in his eyes. "I'm guessing...Lily...?" he let his statement hang in the air and Remus nodded. He was about to laugh when he heard loud thumping on the boy's staircase.

"Oh no..." he muttered. "Hurry! Pretend you're asleep!" Each boy threw themselfs back under the cover's, but to no avail. The door was blasted off its hinges and Lily strode into the room. James, who had fallen back onto the floor, rubbed his backside as Lily grabbed the collar of his pajamas and lifted him to eye level.

"You know, Lily, you shouldn't look this pretty early in the morning." James offered.

"Cut the crap, Potter." said Lily. "Flattery will win you nothing this time." She let go of his collar and he fell on his bum to the floor. "Is there," Lily started, speaking slowly and venomously, "any possible way that you are going to let me get any sleep these two months?"

"Not a chance, Lilikins." Sirius joked. "And might I say, that is a dashing night gown you are wearing." Lily sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Good bye." she said, and exited the room. Sirius whistled.

"Wow...that went better then I thought it would. I was sure she was going to hex at least one of us."

"Don't hold your breath." was Lily's reply from the other side of the door.

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After Lily got two more hours of sleep, she woke up the boys (with a hex of course), and grudgingly they followed her down the staircase and into the vacant corridor.

"I suppose I shall be the one to cook breakfast?" Lily bitterly stated, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. James gave her a dubious look.

"Did you expect me or Sirius to make the meals? Unless, of course, you'd like rat blood to be substituted for butter on your not-so-much-not-squirrel pancakes." Lily laughed weakly at that.

"No thank you." And she stepped aside to let James lead the way to the kitchen's.

They got there about ten minutes later. James went up to a painting of a bowl of fruit and tickled a pear, which giggled, then became a lime (or I should say pear) green handle. James pulled on it and led the way into the glorious and high ceilinged Hogwarts kitchen. Lily stood there in awe, slowly letting the sight seek in.

"Wow..." Lily breathed.

"It's brilliant isn't it?" James whispered in her ear. She gave him a skeptical look and started to examine the wonderful place.

"You are so full of yourself." Remus leaned over and said in James' ear.

"But she is impressed, isn't she?" James replied, beaming and he followed Lily.

"Look, there about ten different sized pots, almost thirty stoves and dishwashers, a reasonable lot of refrigerators and...oh my bloody bon-bon's...is that a vending machine!" Indeed it was, but instead of being filled with the usual soda pop, bottles of a dark brow liquid was unmistakable throughout the mass of counter space and cooking tops. Lily ventured closer and heard the three marauders follow, with curious expression adorning their own faces.

"You know...if I didn't know any better, and I do know from all the never-ending visits to Rosie in Hogsmead...I'm ninety five percent sure that that's butterbeer!"

"You know Padfoot..." James stated, staring deeply at the many bottles, "I think you're actually right for once!"

"Oh that's flattering..."

"But wait," Remus cut in, his face very close to the glass; he seemed to be reading the label. "It says here 'Specially made (and here there were quote marks) For the teachers of Hogwarts' then in smaller print under that read's 'who try so fruitlessly and faithfully to train the little brats every year...' " and then the Three Broomsticks logo was placed under that.

"Well...that was unexpected." Lily said while this new daring information sunk into their whirling minds, "and completely vulgar if you ask me."

"Who in their right mind would mention US on a butterbeer bottle?" asked Sirius then grinned. "We're famous, Moony! We're famous!"

"We were famous before, Padfoot..." replied Remus distractedly.

"Who KNEW!" James roared, "that all this time, in stead of drinking TEA like they tell us, they've been drinking bloody BUTTERBEER!" he slammed his fist into a table.

"James, it's not like it's a conspiracy against you or something..." Lily cynically started to say but was cut off at conspiracy.

"It IS! After—"

"PRONGS!" the other two marauders yelled. "Lets just shut up and drink it because its hot outside today...yes, lets eat a bit of breakfast then we'll have a picnic outside." Sirius suggested. James agreed, but only because he was promised the first butterbeer.

"Sorry about that Lilikins...Prongs is a bit obsessed with butterbeer."

"Why!"

"No clue in a dungeon, if you ask me." then he tapped James' shoulder. "Hey Prongs, I think we need to have that talk your mum spoke to me about last summer..." James gulped audibly.

"Talk?" he asked weakly.

"I'll get those scrambled eggs going, shall I?" Lily asked and immediately made her way over to the stove.

"Yeah..." Remus said slowly, "I'll assist you Lily." he said eyeing Sirius' and James' now heated conversation dubiously.

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After having a quick breakfast the marauders and Lily headed back up to their dormitory's to change into clothing more suitable for the sunny, sweltering atmosphere outside. James changed into a white T-shirt and tan khakis; he tried fruitlessly to smooth his hair down then, with a frustrated sort of grunt gave up. Remus was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and was pulling a red polo over his head when Sirius emerged from the boys bathroom, adorned in nothing but his boxers.

"Padfoot..." James groaned. Sirius strutted over to James' night stand table and picked up a pair of sunglasses, draping then dramatically on the bridge of his nose.

"I'm ready!" he announced. Remus chuckled, rubbing his forehead irritably.

"Padfoot, Lily would scream then hex something at the first sight of you." Sirius appalled.

"You said to dress lightly because it was warm!"

"Exactly; we said to DRESS!" James rolled his eyes and heard footsteps, for the second time that day, skipping up the stairs.

"QUICK!" he threw a gray t-shirt at Sirius's face just as Remus stuffed a pair of shorts into Sirius' out-stretched arms. Sirius was unceremoniously shoved behind the bed just as the door opened. James and Remus tried hard not to gasp.

Lily stood there and beauty radiated off of her body. Her flaming redish-brown hair was french braided and held up in a plait and hanging in front of her left shoulder and she was wearing a light blue sleeveless button up with a dark blue plaid mini skirt. The only jewelry she wore were gold hoops with sapphire's embedded in the gold and light blue eyeshadow.

"Lils..." James squeaked incoherently and weak. Sirius, completely clothed, stood up from behind the bed and whistled.

"Wow, Lilikins...you look smashing!" Lily, unknowingly, blushed.

"Oh, shut up Sirius." she said good naturedly. She pulled from behind her an enormous picnic basket, laden, they could see, with fruits, vegetables, and sandwiches. Sirius' eyes lit up.

"As I took the liberty of gathering our lunch together, I thought it best to make a bit extra...just in case." she added with a smile. Sirius ran to her and enveloped her in a hug.

"Ah! Lilikins! I could kiss you!" then with an after though, "but then Prongs here would kill me." James looked affronted.

"Sirius!"

"What, I'm only telling the truth, Prongs!"

"Oh, please don't say we're starting this again." Lily said, putting her hands on her hips. She had set the basket down on the floor next to her feet. A small smile adorned James' face and he grabbed Lily's hand who, laughing, allowed him to pull her out of the room in a rush. Remus ran after them and Sirius, taking an apple out of the basket, was about to take a bite when Remus, entering the dorm again, snatched it up and threw it back in the basket. He shoved Sirius out the door, and looped an arm under the handle of the woven basket before skipping down the dormitory stairs.

By the time Remus and Sirius were running across the lawns Lily and James were each holding a side of the picnic blanket, an old-school red and white checkered table cloth they had found that morning in the kitchens, and they each in turn grabbed a remaining side.

"I never thought a picnic with you guys would actually have the potential to be fun." Said Lily, laying her side on the soft grass. The boys let their's drop and smothered out the wrinkles before Remus replied.

"Well that's hardly flattering." Lily looked sheepishly at the ground. Sirius had an idea.

"Well Lilikins, while we are on the subject, I never thought having a picnic with you could be so pleasurable."

"Hey!" Lily yelled just as James shoved Sirius over onto his back.

"Ouch!"

"Padfoot that was extremely rude!"

"Yes, Padfoot," Remus agreed, "Code number twenty-seven clearly states: That a Marauder is hereby never allowed to insult Lily Evans." Lily frowned good-naturedly at them.

"You've made a...code about me?" she asked skeptically, for lack of a better word. And the whole day they joked and ate, surprisingly they sung and danced (but that was mostly done by Sirius in a very high-pitched, off-key tone), and Lily actually had a good time, just as she had predicted earlier.

"So," James started, tears in the corner of his eyes from laughter, "I say 'Padfoot, why won't you do anything to even remotely help with the Transfiguration project?' and Sirius over here replies 'What am I supposed to do, all I can do from the seven years of lessons is turn Snape's toenails purple!'" The four young teenagers broke into peels of laughter and rolled around on the now wrinkled blanket.

"Strawberry?" James offered Lily after wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. Lily, not in the slightest uncomfortable around the marauders anymore, viciously accepted. "I love strawberries!" she said and took a juicy bite, savory the sweet taste. "But of course, you already knew that from yesterday." she said with a wink when Remus turned to tell something to Sirius the other two boys weren't watching. James beamed.

"You know..." he started, flirtatiously leaning towards her; she subconsciously did the same. "I love it when you laugh." she blushed profusely.

"Well...that hardly supports my opinion of you for the last seven years..."

"In a good way?" she studied him for a second then smiled.

"I think so." and she snatched his strawberry, taking a bite where his mouth had been. His eyes slitted evilly, though his smile betrayed him, and he yelled a battle cry as he started to tickle her, nonstop. She let out snorts of laughter and rolled around, trying to escape his fingers.

"Ja-James! Stop! PLEASE! You're practically spearing me with your pinky!" Her statement, or attempt to distract him, did so in a heartbeat.

"Oh merlin, you're not hurt are you? Did I poke you too hard?" She laughed at his concern.

"I'm fine...but you wont be!" she shoved him then, laughing shrilly into the soft wind, her cackling drifted to the ears of those who had never before heard such a sound; the sound of cheerful banter.

The green blades of grass swayed but flattened as Lily and James ran around the open field in front of Hogwarts, Lily trying futilely to escape James, and he chased her with zeal. After about a minute, when Lily was a breath away, he snatched her around the middle, twirling her around and grinning like a buffoon as her long curtain of hair spilt into his mouth and all of his face.

"I got you!" he yelled. Lily, trying to stop laughing so she could carry on the conversation without the interruption of an attractive snort, took a breath.

"What's your point?"

"I get something in return!"

"Oh? And what might that be?" James thought about that, then grinned.

"A kiss." Lily froze. A kiss? Of all the things he could ask for...oh, she should have seen that coming...but did she want to? Deep down, was there a voice saying that this was an opportune moment she may never get in her life, with the one and only infamous James Potter? She quickly made up her mind.

"Alright Potter. One kiss." his face showed signs of awe and he immediately swept her up into his arms and kissed her, fully and passionately. When he let go of her she squealed indignantly.

"Potter!"

"Yes, Ms. Evans?" he asked, seemingly innocent but still with a huge grin on his face. She mock glared at him.

"Stop making me like you."

"Nope. Sorry. No-can-do, Lils!" and with that he ran back to the picnic blanket where Sirius and Remus were rolling with laughter and "I told you so!"'s. Lily shook her head with a sigh.

"So, you completely inexcusable monkeys in disguise as humans, did you ever think of trying to leave here without getting blasted to smitherings with several spells we've most likely never heard of before?" The boys looked at her like she was loony.

"Have you gone completely off your rocker, Lilikins!"

"Three buffoons going up against Dumbledore's spells?"

"Are you mad, Lily?"

"Are you QUITE done insulting me?" she asked with a glare. They all looked sheepishly down at their shoes.

"Sorry Lily..." they each said, all at the same time. She grinned ruthlessly.

"That's 'Your Majesty' to you three...so, how about we take a wack at it? How hard could it be?"

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"Extremely hard Lily." said James with a gulp. The four young adults were standing in front of the iron bolted Hogwarts gates; each, including Lily, had a frightful look on their faces.

"I don't want to do this!" Sirius burst out, "Just kill me now and do it quickly!"

"Padfoot...in all niceness, shut up please."

"I fully agree with Remus on that one." said Lily.

"As do I." said James.

"Oh! Oh! I agree too! I agree too! What are we agreeing on again?" Lily, Remus, and James sighed and rubbed their temples at their poor incompetent friend.

"So...who wants to aim the first curse?" Lily asked.

"Which one of us is the best at hexes?" Remus asked. Sirius and James immediately pointed to Lily.

"Hey, what does hexing have to do with anything?" Lily asked, trying to save herself. The corner of James mouth became a smirk.

"Don't even try that Lils. You've obviously never been on the other end of one of your hexes." he said, crossing his arms.

"Well, of course! Why would I waist the time to hex myself?"

"Oh yeah..."

"You hang out with Sirius too much." Lily stated matter-of-factly. "And I'll do it." The three boys instantly looked relieved.

"Really, Lilikins?"

"Yes, Sirius...now stand back." she rolled up her imaginary sleeves as the three boys backed up about thirty feet.

"Its not like its going to backfire or anything!" she yelled over her shoulder in their general direction.

"You never know!" James yelled back, his voice cracking. Lily laughed silently to herself.

"Here goes..." Lily mumbled, bracing herself. She waved her wand and yelled, "Expelliarmus!" The jet of bright scarlet light reflected the sunlight for a second before dissolving into a sort of jelly-like barrier between the bars of the closed iron gate. Lily, and the marauders she could hear, sighed with relief. But just as Lily was turning around to scoff at the cowardly boys a noise erupted from where her spell his the barrier. She turned around just in time to see her spell being reflected back towards her. She screamed (and heard her name being called from each boy in fright) and, using her quick reflexes, dropped to the ground just as the spell shot through the place where her head had been. It dematerialized a few feet away from her and showered the ground with last minute sparks. Lily hyperventilated for a few seconds before fainting.

James, Sirius, and Remus watched in fright as Lily's spell backfired. They simultaneously yelled her name and heard her scream before falling to the ground as a last resort of protection. They each ducked, but had no need to, as the spell disappeared and a few crimson sparks rained down on the ground. They heard faint, but quick, breathing. James' heart crept up to his throat. It had only been a simple spell, why wasn't she moving...?

"Um...Mates...why isn't she moving?" Sirius voiced his thoughts. James, never taking his eyes off her, saw her shoulders slump.

"Oh bloody merlin..." James whispered and left his place by his friends, running as quick as he could to her side. He numbly felt himself fall to his knees beside her and lift her head onto his lap. Her eyes were peacefully closed, but she was breathing, James saw with immense relief. He could have cried.

"Guy's...guy's! She alive! She's alive!" he said weakly.

"Well of course she's alive, mate! It was only expelliarmus for crying out loud..."

"Yes Prongs, you shouldn't have worried. She only passed out." Remus and James looked at Sirius incredulously. He shrugged. "Let me...um...help you with that." He made to pick up her legs, but before he could, James arm was under them, his other under her neck, and he was carrying her damsel style back into the castle. Sirius, with a knowing smirk towards Remus, just picked up the empty picnic basket as Remus scooped up the checkered blanket. The four (though one didn't know it) made their way silently, but not uncomfortably, back across the grassy lawns to the magnificent castle.

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the end! Of the chapter, not the story...sorry, I've been so busy with tests and homeowrk that I've had no time to update. This chapter I've actually just been writing little snippets every time I get a good ten minutes for leisure time and have finally finished! Well...this isn't leisure time...I'm supposed to be scrubbing the bath tub right now...oops, must get back before mother notices I've gone! Au Revoir!

Denierure

P.S. Don't forget to review!