Babble filled the hall, loud enough for them to talk without being overheard, but they weren't thinking of talking; they were too engrossed in their food. The house-elves had really outdone themselves. Lily was looking particularly unattractive to everyone but James, with a large slice of bacon – cooked to perfection – hanging out of her mouth when Dumbledore's amplified voice boomed across the hall.
"Students are warned that a young manticore was discovered not deep in the forest early this morning. It is too young to fend for itself, and a search is underway to find the parent. Until it is discovered, you would do well not to stray too near the forest, as manticore poison is instantly deadly. Although the baby has no firing spines remaining due to a recent fight, the parent will have plenty, plus a much longer firing range. One hundred yards should be safe, and a barrier will be erected that that distance from the forest directly after breakfast."
"In the meantime, the young manticore will be flown to a breeding and care facility in Syria. If any students know anything about this sudden appearance, they are urged to come forward, as searchers are absolutely baffled, having found no tracks suiting a manticore." His bright blue eyes suddenly sparkled, and he looked directly at the Marauders for half a second – just long enough for them to see it. James winked at Lily. "On a lighter note, did anyone else see that beautiful moon last night? It was amazing, almost bright enough to see the animals creeping around on the grounds. Astonishing that no one saw the manticore just by looking out a window, really." He smiled and sat back down. The buzz of conversation renewed itself, and the Marauders looked at each other to see the laughter shining in each other's eyes. James leaned across to Lily.
"Directly after breakfast he said, right?"
"Yeah," she replied, seeing the mischief in his eyes, warming to the idea. "Feel like a walk?"
"You know," he said, smiling, "I think a walk might be perfect right about now." He stood up, and they left the hall together, side-by-side.
When they reached the grounds, they crept around the castle until they were hidden from sight behind the greenhouses. James kissed her for a solid minute until she pulled away for breath.
"Now, Potter," she said, making fun of his wince at the surname, "a good long kiss is nice, but knowing you, there's something else planned, isn't there?"
"Of course there is," he replied, smiling again. "But it's not entirely immature for once. I don't think I'll ever be quite this mature again, in fact. I don't think it's fair that we deprive our fellow students of walks in the outskirts of the forest because they can't get close enough. Let's show those searchers the dead manticore mum. And if anything...embarrassing...happens to them on the way, we're not going to get blamed, are we? We're making out behind the greenhouses."
Lily grinned and kissed him again – taking a long, deep breath first. "Alright then, let's go," she said, pulling out her wand. "Accidero Falconiformes!" Suddenly, a beautiful tawny hawk was staring at him from the ground. He stared back at it, pop-eyed. She grew back to her normal size, laughing with delight. "I knew it! I knew it! I saw you doing that spell often enough last night to figure out what I was doing wrong, and I've finally got it!" She probably would have gone on if James had not hugged her.
"Good on you," he said, warmth filling his voice. He held her for a few more seconds before letting go, obviously unwillingly. "Now, let's go humiliate searchers."
"Two more minutes," said Lily, suddenly grabbing his collar.
Two minutes later, a hawk flew playfully across the grounds, followed by a stag with a small nub of a growing antler on his head and a definite red tinge to the fur on his face.