Believe it or not, all I can think of is "Oh, wow."  Pathetic, huh?  Your version explains so much and makes sooo much sense.  I bet you love to plot don't you?

Ummm... So, I cried.  Which makes me a big baby.  Totally loved it.I've been off the fanfiction circuit for so long, I'm glad to start back up with something this good.

Wow.  That's so beautifully written, and it also explains so much.So many exquisite passages, including, She knows what it is to love someone who can disappoint you.And that entire ending--the irrevocable loss of something precious because it is the only way that things can be now....  Beautiful and very sad.

Well, it does explain why you never hear Severus say that Remus is a Werewolf. All he ever did was give the students the info they needed to figure it out on their own. It just figures it would be Hermione who was the only one to put all the peices together.

Awww... Its kind of tragic isn't it?

Great work. That's a beautiful and powerful piece of storytelling. It's very sympathetic to all of your characters--even Severus. Well done.

Interesting to see that incident fleshed out in writing; it puts some things into a better perspective.I still think Snape got screwed though, in regard to the differences in punishment Dumbledore gave out. That's not your fault though, it is JKR's.But why wouldn't she say anything?Also interesting to see how they came to trust Pettigrew with anything...Beautifully written one-shot. I always enjoy your work!

*stretches arm from being twisted behind my back*  I cannot believe I just read (and liked) Lily/James.  That is just so wrong.  I almost felt sorry for the witch who broke Severus' heart. I do agree with the consensus, though, it does provide excellent back story to how James and Lily came to be together.It also, I think, can be built into cannon because Lily, I would hope continued to feel guilty over turning her back on Severus which is why she continued to defend him.  Her continued defense thus grates on James which is why he continues to hex and pick on Severus.  This ultimately leads to the pantsing episode when Severus utters that unforgiveable word "Mudblood".  I think it is at that point that Lily feels free of her guilt and completely turns from Severus.Hugs youIrish

Wow... what to say?  This was very well written -- full of excitement and emotion.  And it does show a very plausible, canon reason for James and Lily to end up together.  It is heartbreaking that her connection with Severus is so utterly cut off and that she turns to James because of it.  But James has shown honor on this evening, so I can see where their relationship can begin.  The only question is why did Snape continue to love Lily all those years if he feels betrayed by her not being his voice after this incident?  Will he just assume that the Headmaster will demand her silence?

COMPLETELLY EXCELLENT!  As close to Jo's writing as I've ever found in fanfic.  Wonderful.  Insightful. 

I can't believe this only has 8 reviews, it's so bloody fantastic!You made me LIKE James Potter, and even Peter!And Remus, seen through the eyes of James ... *sigh*You also built a backstory more solid and with better explanations for how Lily and Severus could have gone from being so close to no longer speaking.Really great work :)

The ending is in character. It's a little confusing, though -- in canon, Severus was still trying to convince Lily that Remus was a werewolf *after* the incident, and she was treating "Lupin is a werewolf" as a theory she didn't believe. So either she really didn't believe it (which is probably what JKR intended), or else she was trying "to convince him that she hadn’t come with James, that she’d had nothing to do with it," even though she'd already decided that wasn't possible. Which, hey, why not, just in case...But of course it *wasn't* possible, and not only because Severus would expect her to be his voice, although he would and rightly so (see below)...but because he'd be worried about her safety and so he'd HAVE TO, he'd just HAVE TO make sure she knew. (And you'd think that would occur to her. Which is why, come on, if she knew and he'd seen her, a normal person would *say*, "I choose not to tell because Remus is an innocent victim" -- if someone's your BEST FRIEND and you CAN tell them, you TELL THEM your reasoning and give them a chance to understand it.)Of course I have to disagree with Lily's choice not to tell. If you actually care about werewolf rights, you let in a werewolf *openly*, so he can prove to all that werewolves deserve education. If you let in a werewolf *secretly*, you're up to something and BY THE WAY you're endangering students. And if on top of that you're willing to put a silencing charm on someone you were supposed to have been protecting... Yeah, such a person needs to be stopped. Just as a matter of right and wrong, such a person needs to be stopped, and if on top of that this person's latest victim is your best friend...then if you don't use information that's fallen into your lap TO stop that person then you don't care about your "best friend"...which indeed is the point. (BTW, interesting how Lily went from "Dumbledore would never let in a werewolf" to "Hey, if *Dumbledore* decides to secretly let in a werewolf and then MAGICALLY MUZZLE MY BEST FRIEND...well if *Dumbledore* does it, it's all right then." :eek:)You know, if "suddenly, everything in James’s life feels like a terrible mistake"? Why'd he go on and precipitate the Mudblood incident then?I like the story, I think you did a great job, but in the end...I just doubt Lily's decision was any this dramatic. Or flattering to James. James bullied the heck out of Severus; this turned Severus into a useless, bitter wreck; Lily felt Severus should have coped better, so she began to scorn him a bit; then came the Mudblood incident. And while *Severus* "no longer cared about her," *James* "had loved her for years and still did." The end.Oh and by the way...I hope it's only Lily who doesn't really understand the effect of bullying, and not you as well. Bullying *is* torture, so to the victim the "bully" *is* a true enemy and not "just a schoolyard bully." Bullying always alters a child/teen victim's developing personality structure. That's why the adults need to be in charge and stop it -- even if the victim is annoying.

Very good, unusual and new, but very good!!! Thank you!

Your story provides an interesting "back story" that we were never allowed to see in the books.  It is a perfect explanation for how Lily came to turn her back on Severus and find herself on James' arm.Well done, Lariope!  Beth

I just wanted to let you know this story was very touching and I really enjoyed it! That's really hard to do while using we internet and typing with a wii remote! Great story!

Bye4now,
Sami

excellently written and well told. I can see Lily growing up right in front of my eyes.  I don't agree with her choice but she has no good options and she is doing her best. Maybe they all were, even the Marauders, maybe even Dumbledore. Well done:) Thought provoking and writren with your normal elegant economy of words:){{hugs}}Fizzabella

Oh, that was fabulous! Although I feel a little disloyal for liking James so much.

"This can’t be salvaged."And that's what makes this so heartbreaking, for Lily, Severus, James, and Remus :( you really captured that sense of "no going back" for anyone, and the terrible complexities that spawn out of friendships, abuses, and upheld hate. Everyone seems culpable, whether they realize it or not.