This wasnt just any Quidditch Cup they were seeking to win; this was the thousandth anniversary of their school, and this was a greater honor than it usually was. The Cup was to be larger than usual, with the names and positions of the different students engraved on the base of it. Needless to say, James had fixed almost every fibre of his body on winning the Cup, even if it meant breaking someones leg so that that person would stop jumping off of his broom when a Bludger hurtled towards him. Well, almost. Not even James would go quite that far.
One evening, Lily was sitting in the common room with a book, as usual, when the muddy Quidditch team trooped in. It had been raining more than was usual lately, which meant that Filch was starting to give detentions to students for having smudges on their shoes.
They had been running through the corridors, dodging Peeves and slipping noisily behind suits of armour to avoid the bad-tempered caretaker, and they all were breathless and panting by the time they fell inside the portrait hole (Codswalloping Columns). Amused, Lily looked up; their scarlet Quidditch robes were splattered with dirt, twigs, and mud from falling off of their brooms and landing, hard, in puddles.
They left for the showers quickly, and soon only James remained in the common room; he was cleaner than the rest of his team, and the four boys had already locked the bathroom door.
So, he sighed, letting himself fall onto the sofa next to Lily, having fun?
She smiled. You expect me to say no, dont you?
Well, not really, he shrugged. Youre one of those strange people that enjoys studying until you have to glue their hair back on.
Hum?
Well, when you get old, your hair falls out, doesnt it?
Im dying laughing, Lily said flatly.
Oh, never mind. I guess Im not that funny.
You guessed right.
He smiled and stretched, accidentally poking her in the chest with his fist. She winced, spinning around towards him quickly.
That hurt!
He half-cringed, half-smiled. Ohoops, sorry, Lil.
Suddenly, his eyes were fixed on the necklace that had become dislodged from underneath her robes. He didnt stop staring until she placed a firm hand in front of his eyes.
What are you staring at?
Youyoure still wearing that necklace
Brilliant, he is. What about it?
Lily He licked his lips, which had cracked a bit. That thing isits
Dangerous. I know. You know me; do I care whether it is or not?
Lilyhave you been there lately?
No, she answered curtly. Why?
James shrugged. I think you ought to.
This caught her completely off her guard. What?
If hes planning to move to England soonyou can try to stop him, cant you?
In spite of herself, admiration filled her smile. He didnt try anymore to keep her from doing anything; he recognized what she could and would do, and he encouraged her to do it
You really want me to try?
He clapped her on the shoulder. If I didnt, would I have brought it up? Suddenly, he dropped his careless manner. Its not for me, Lil. Its for England. You told me that he wants to move here soon, and if he is all that you say and I know he iswere in for it.
Lily stared into his eyes, but he was completely serious, and no jeering ray of laughter was twinkling in them. She took a deep breath.
James, I doubt that I can. If not even Litharelen can change his mind
You can, James stated firmly, so sure of himself that she didnt dare to tell him that she wouldnt be able to.
All right. The words were said, and she exhaled quickly. Ill very likely not be successful, James. I dont think Ill be able to Her voice trailed off, and he caught at it.
Would you care if I came with you?
What? Lily, for the first time, was filled with fear for him. What Tom would do to him if he still suspected James of delivering information to the Ministry she didnt know, but she did know that he would strike first and ask questions later. You [i]cant![/i]
Why cant I? he challenged.
Itits Tomwhat he might do to you
James raised his brows. I dont think I, of all people, should be worried. The one who should be is standing right in front of me, arguing that Im in danger.
No, Jamespleasedont, dont come!
He frowned, realizing that she was terrified for him. Moving towards her, he put his hands on her shoulders. Lily, is there something else you havent told me?
He saw her eyes widen; though almost instantly they returned to normal. No. No. Stay hereplease
No.
Desperately, not even thinking of the option of not going at all that night, Lily ducked, breaking his grip on her shoulders. Vaulting across a table, she pulled out the necklace, and, without hesitating, dashed it against the fireplaces mantelpiece.
The familiar spinning darkness surrounded her, and a lump sprang into her throat; one of relief, but also of vague disappointment she couldnt quite pin down. The next moment, however, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, and as she hit the waves of the Alendoren Cove, her reassured and grateful regard was drowned, partly in terror, and partlya smaller partin thankfulness for having a friend with her.
Nevertheless, when she regained her balancethey had landed in water so close to the shore that it was barely a foot deepLily was whispering screams at him.
You idiot! I told you not to follow me! Who knows what could happen to you down here? You idiot, you prat, you bloody, mangled mess of intestines, youyou She was exhausted, and the most she could do was sink to her knees, burying her head in her hands. You had to follow me, didnt you?
He grinned at her, holding out his hands to help her up. I wouldnt let you do this alone, now, would I?
I dont know, she sighed. I dont know. I just wish you would.
She started parting the waves as she walked towards the sands, but his hand on her arm restrained her, and she turned to face him.
Lil?
Yes?
Whyre you so worriederabout meyouve never troubled yourself this much about anyone before, unless it was your mother
He half expected her to start crying, but her cheeks stayed completely dry, and she kept her composure.
I dont know. She swerved sharply, facing the open sea. I dont know.
He didnt pursue the topic; something dangerous and untouchable about her kept him at arms length all the time they were walking to the cave that Tom lived in.
Before walking in. Lily inclined her head ever so slightly towards James. Youre staying here. I dont care how brave you feelyoure staying outside.
Her comportment didnt allow for a single protest from James, and she received none. Lightly slipping inside the door, she left it open a crack.
Tom was sitting alone at a table, thinner, somehow, than the last time she remembered him, and with an open book in front of him. He immediately leaped up when he heard Lilys footstep on the threshold; pulling out his wand, he pointed it at her, then relaxed as he recognized her.
Lily; its only yougood; heaven knows who else it might have been.
She smiled. Who else could have entered here?
OhI dont know he evaded, running his hand through his dark hair, almost making it stand on end. Im just rather stressed at the moment
Lily bit her lip, then dropped down on the floor next to his chair. Tom, you dont have to do this
His head snapped around to meet her eyes, and, with a sharp shock, she noticed the brief flash of red in his eyes.
I dont have to do thisthis that is my revenge on the entire race that has wronged me and my fellows? Lily, you dont know a damned thing. My mother didnt die at birth, like I told you and Lith and everyone else she didmy father murdered her. My father murdered my mother. He meant to, I know he did. She loved him more than anyone could ever love anyone, and he repulsed her when he found out what blood she bore. It killed her. She lost all will to liveshe wanted to dieand he knew what he was doing. Stuck-up, rich snobI hate him, I hate him! His chest was heaving as he spilled his story to her, and she listened, as only she was capable of doing.
Theyre all the same. Muggles, all of themno one at the orphanage could have been crueler. Theythat racethey deserve to be wiped off of the face of the earth!
Breathing heavily and painfully as he drew air into his lungs, he started to shake; then Lily laid a soft hand on his shoulder, and his muscles relaxed; he was less tense than he had been in months.
Tom, thats the way they see it. If we choose their way of thinking, we are no better than theyand who are we to choose who lives and who dies? We are humans, Tom, not gods
That moment was the critical one, Lily knew. If he made up his mind now to go on with his intentions, he would never be shakenif only, if only! she pleaded with her soul. If only!
Just then, however, a slight crackling sound came to both their ears from outside. Lily started, and Tom leaped up again, drew his wand, and within moments was slamming the door open. His intake of breath and James gasp told Lily what she had feared, and she ran desperately after Tom, who was glaring daggers with his wand pointed at a dark figure crouched next to a boulder.
As she ran closer, she saw that James already had several scratches on his face and robes; he had been dodging curses.
Tom, NO!"
Tom swerved to meet her. What is thisthis thing, this traitor doing here? Lily, this scum has been blabbing to the Ministry of Magic
Tom, no; listen to me! He hasnt; it was someone else, or else no one didhe swore to me that he
didnt
LILY, STOP PROTECTING THAT TRAITOR! I TRUSTED HIM AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENTAND SEE HOW HE REPAID ME? STEP ASIDE, YOU SILLY GIRL!
Firmly, Lily stepped in front of Toms wand, pushing it out of her way. Tom, for the love of Litharelen and your mother, listen to me! He hasnt done a thing; he swore it to me; he hasnt told anyone, not even his closest friends, and they know everything about him!
Tom didnt listen; for all her words mattered to him, she could have spat at a hole in the ground. He jerked his wand towards James again, who stood up, refusing to face him on the ground.
Lily was quickly becoming aware of the dangerous person she was facing, and of his uncontrollable temper. Slowly, she started backing up, until she bumped into James.
He thought more quickly than she did. Making up his mind in an instant, he reached out for the pendant of the necklace, pushed her to the side of him, looking to Tom and to Lily as though he were refusing to let her face Tom instead of him, but before either of them could blink, he had hit the stone against the boulder beside which he had jerked Lily, and they were both whirling towards Hogwarts, both of them almost out of their wits. James was hanging onto Lily for dear life, and she was frantically clutching his arm.
They landed in the common room, three inches away from the fire. Quickly, Lily somersaulted over the fender; and, exhausted, they let themselves lie full-length on the Gryffindor rug in front of the fireplace.
Whew, James admitted. That did not go down well.
Lily raised herself up on her elbow. I would never have guessed. What, in the name of all evil, made you make that noise?
What noise? he defended himself. I moved my foot!
Oh, help me, Lord, Lily mumbled as she started hitting her head against the carpet. I told you that elf-nymphs have much better hearing than ordinary humans, and Tom is part elf-nymphI did tell you that, didnt I?
James nodded. You didbut I didnt think
You didnt, she agreed. Let me look at where he got youwhat curses did he use?
He shrugged. I dont know. Ive never heard of them before, thoughit wasnt Avada Kedavra or the Cruciatus. I know that much. It didnt sound pleasant, so I was glad Ive been on the Quidditch team for several years---hey, whatre you doing?
She had knelt down next to him and pulled out the small phial made of the solidified litaleter. Uncorking it, she let a dropful of the liquid inside pour onto her finger, which she ran over a large scratch on James cheek and a burn on his arm.
Whats that?
Its something Tom gave me for Christmas infifth year, I think. It should help heal pretty well
She stopped. The effect on the burn on his arm was more visible than on the scratch; almost like a zipper, the sound skin kept widening, shrinking the red mark till it vanished, which happened in a surprisingly small amount of seconds.
Okay. It does heal pretty well. Let me see your handdid you scrape that or did Tom?
He shook his hand out of her grasp. I dont think you understand the big pictureThat Lord Voldemort, that you call Tomhes going to be moving on to England now.
Lily pushed a strand of matted hair out of her eyes. Of course. You didnt think that Id forget that, did you?
No, he admitted. Thats why I was so surprised when you didnt look as if it had bothered you.
She gave a short laugh. I never lose control if I can help it.
The next morning, both of them had to be shaken awake; Lily by Lora, who had been quartered in a different dormitory, and James by the combined efforts, ice, and water balloons of Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Lily couldnt help suppressing a laugh as she saw his face as he glared at his friends at breakfast.
Every day, in the Daily Prophet reports, something was printed in the bottom right-hand corner of the front page about a shadow in the East, which was warning wizards to be careful about their chosen vacation spot and informing readers about the Ministrys actions. What they hadnt revealed yet, Lily noticed, was that he was slowly growing stronger and planning to move his people to England. All that she could make out from the papers was that he was an outcast that attacked everyone that came too closenot a word was said about anything else.
James was more nervous than usual; he jumped when someone spoke to him, and once he had drawn his wand on an unsuspecting first year that had tugged on his sleeve to ask him the way to the nearest bathroom. Naturally, Sirius, Serena, Remus, and Peter had noticed that something was wrong, but James kept tight shut about everything that had to do with Lily or Tom, and, much to the chagrin of his friends, he refused to say anything.
Severus had cast several glances at Lilys paler face and at his edginess and assumed something that was, as usual, quite off the mark, but he didnt say anything, remembering the time when he had assumed something and had nearly been killed as a result of it. Lilys voice still chimed in his head when it was quiet; the few sentences about being in James debtHe squirmed almost every time he thought of itwho on earth would want to be beholden to James Potter, of all people?
Slytherin slaughtered Hufflepuff in the first Quidditch match of the season; as they had lost their captain, the Hufflepuff team was terribly coordinated, and their moves were jerky and badly practiced. The game would have been won easily if the winner was also ordained by gaining two hundred points before the other team, but as the Snitch was flitting around and especially hard to find, it lasted longer.
Halloween was coming up quickly; after the match, time seemed to fly by. This Halloween feast was to be even more grand and decorative than other years; after all, it was the one thousandth year of Hogwarts existence. An amazing amount of butterbeer had been ordered from the Three Broomsticks, as James and Sirius found out.
They had sneaked into Hogsmeade for some candy, and Sirius had suggested that they stop by the post office and send a letter to his parents, who were asking him what his friends wanted for Christmas, as they planned to go to the Netherlands and to Italy. After picking out a hooting little owl to send off with his message, James had decided that he was thirsty, so they slipped over to the Three Broomsticks.
Behind the counter, a man was stacking crates and crates of butterbeer bottles, and the boys heard her shout to Madam Rosmerta, Whered you want these things? You usually dont get these many.
No, Madam Rosmerta called back; these are for that Hogwarts Halloween thing; Albuss going all out this year.
Mighta heard something about that. So where do you want these, the man asked, trying to keep a crate from falling on the floor.
Naturally, the boys, on their return, had spread the information all around the common room, and from there it took hardly any time before the school knew that they were to be served something other than pumpkin juice. However, more efforts to find out what their entertainment was to be didnt turn out well; the gamekeeper, Hagrid, was pushing the students away from his backyard almost viciously, and he had handed James and Sirius two detention each for trying to blast through the fence he had put up.
Still, it was rather common knowledge that there were going to be dishes of truffles and foie gras, which the house-elves were strictly instructed to keep away from the students. James had found out through his friendship with Minky. Lily finally found out why he was on such good terms with her; one of his house-elves had had a small daughter, but the mother had been sacked as a result of gossiping about her family to several other families, and the small baby house-elf had been given to Professor Dumbledore to take care of; he was especially good with house-elves, and the small girl wasnt eating well. Within a few weeks, however, she had been handed over to the care of a motherly Hogwarts house-elf, and she was doing much better. When James came to Hogwarts, she took to him especially, as she came from his home, and she was devoted to him.
James had told Lily this one afternoon, when the rain was pelting the windows and thunder was crackling almost directly above the castle. She had asked why Minky liked him so much, and he had given her the history of the small castle servant.
The evening before Halloween, the team was, for once, not practicing on the field; it was raining worse than the standard storms did; the ceiling in the Great Hall was deep indigo and black, with occasional bolts of lightning tearing across it. They were stretched on the rug in the common room, jibbering excitedly about tomorrows feast. The decorations were already being set aside in a room off to the side of the teachers table, though several peeks inside had only revealed glimpses of black and orange smudges.
Remus was talking to Sirius about something, and Lily was playing chess with Peter, who was getting much better at it, though James help might have accounted for his improvement.
No, Peter, not the knight; dont you see her rook?
Peter frowned. What rook? Oh, rightthat one. He moved his knight back, which made Lily grimace; if James hadnt intervened, the game would have been hers; instead, he took one of her pawns. Move.
Oh, fine, fine. I officially hate you, Potter, she grinned.
Again? he groaned, rolling his eyes in false agony. Oh, nothe rejection, the pain!
Shut up, she told him good-humouredly, giving him a light punch in the arm. Biting her lower lip, she moved her bishop diagonally three spaces. Check.
James frowned. Id hoped you wouldnt see that. Okay, Peter, the next thing you want to move isoh, hi, Serena.
The girl had ambled over from the fireside, where she had been tossing her hair behind her back affectedly for the benefit of the seventh year Quidditch team members. Now, however, she let herself
down next to James, who offered her the chair he was sitting on.
HereI can drag that footstool over.
Thanks, she beamed. So, hows the game going?
Very badly, Lily snapped peevishly.
They stared at her in surprise. Lily didnt just lose her temper like that; they were wondering what had happened in five seconds to make her that angry.
They were obviously expecting her to explain. She bit her lip again; she shouldnt have let herself fly off the handle like that. She didnt know why she had, eitherit was something about the pair in front of her that almost drove her wild with frustration, and she didnt know why they got under her skin so much.
Never mind. She pushed her chair back and stood, leaving the common room and ignoring the puzzled
Lily! Hey, Lil! Whatd we do?s from the chess table.
She was sitting in her bed with the curtains drawn when the rest of her dormmates entered, changed out of their robes, and got into their respective beds after several whispered conversations. Three hours later, she was still sitting bolt upright, tailor-style, eyes wide open, and thinking.
Why did I lose control like that? I never really minded beforewell, I was annoyed, but thats all I was.
She shifted her foot and tucked it underneath her.
I hate this
Outside, the sliver of moon shone luminously into the circular dormitory, and, amongst the noise of the Owlery, Lily could discern a ravens caw.
The next morning, she was a bit quieter than she normally was, but that was almost expected from James and Peter, who still didnt know what was going on. Lily had stayed up all night, unable to fall asleep; she had been reflecting on the past evening.
The Great Hall hadnt been decorated yet when they entered it for breakfast; they could hear the pipsqueaks of bats coming from the room off of the teachers table if they listened closely, but otherwise nothing came to light to show that there would shortly be a large Halloween feast in the chamber.
Lily perked up a little in Anatomy of Magical Creatures; they were studying the vampire and the reasons that it had a strong desire for blood. Professor Maar told them he would be bringing in a specimen for them to study and learn about, and she was looking forward to that. Several of the girls in the classroom let out disgusted Eurgh, were going to be messing around with a dead vampire?s, and they were sharply reminded that they had volunteered to participate in this course and that it was not required for their graduation from Hogwarts.
Professor Dorvan had informed them that they were to be learning about curses barely known throughout the wizarding world but that were quite popular at one point in history. They werent as well known as the Unforgivable Curses, so no one was extremely familiar with them, but they were just as dangerous, having to do with the control of the mind, almost like the Imperious Curse, but these controlled different aspects of a person and were harder to break; one controlled speech, one sight, one the power to make decisions
Sirius kept shooting odd glances at her; James had obviously told her about what had happened that night at the chess table. She didnt like the funny gleam in his eyes that seemed to say that he knew something that she either didnt know about herself or didnt want anyone else knowing. Either way, it wasnt too good for her.
Lora stopped her frequent visits to Gryffindor Tower; one of the Slytherin prefects had followed her through the house-elf corridor she used, and he had taken fifty points each from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Lily only saw her friend during some classes and at meals in the Great Hall; Lora was sitting with Sheila and her friends now, who, she revealed with the air of someone pulling a cadaver out of a paper bag, werent that bad to be around. Still, she could be found in the hospital wing quite a bit on evenings with Madam Pomfrey, who was rather peeved that the headache medicines she had dosed Lora with hadnt proven themselves so far.
The afternoon before the Halloween feast, their classes had been canceled; the teachers were going to be busy in the Great Hall. Lily was sitting in an armchair, scribbling busily away at a roll of parchment held down with several Arithmancy and Transfiguration books, when James tapped her on the shoulder.
She spun around. Yes?
Were supposed to go down to the Great Hallyou know, help decorate. Something about being Head Boy and Girl, he added in answer to the question on her face.
Oh. Lily rolled up her essay, then let out an exclamation of exasperation as she realized that the wet ink had smeared every single word she had written for the last ten inches. Oh! Goodness, that just had to happen, didnt it? I should really start thinking before I do things
James coughed. You need help?
No, she waved absent-mindedly,no, Im fineokay. Ill be right down.
She swept her books off of the table with one neat motion, saved the ink bottle from hitting the floor with a rapid charm, and drifted slowly out of the common room.
When the portrait had shut behind them, James ventured a question.
HeyLilI wanted to ask you something.
I am not going to let you copy my Transfiguration homework.
No, noits nothing like that. Its justLily
He had been biting his lip nervously ever since he began talking, and, still edgy about the topic of conversation he had picked, he stopped, as did she.
Why did you storm out of the common room like that?
It was her turn to look away. For several seconds, while her brain was whirlstorming frantically, she busied herself with studying the structure of afternoon clouds.
I dont like Serena much; thats all. She annoys me terribly, and I dont like being around her.
She never used to bother you that much before.
Before what?
Oh, justbefore, he ended lamely, waving his hand around for emphasis. Beforeerwell, [i]before.[/i]
I see. She eyed him warily. That explains absolutely everything.
Sorry, he apologized. I just dont knowyou didnt mind her much in fifth year
Lily shrugged and resumed walking. That was fifth year.
It was his turn to say I see skeptically, and he said it.
She didnt answer; just kept walking down the hallway, fixedly ignoring a sighing mermaid in a picture, chained to a wall, singing something about young love and its fatalities.
HeyLil He caught up with her again. Youre getting much harder to talk to latelyis anything wrong?
No, she said firmly. No.
I just mean that Id like to talk to you more. Youre a wonderful person; you know that, dont you?
No, Lily said again, and this time she sounded as if the next person to give her a compliment like that would have his tongue ripped out by the roots and shoved into one ear and out of his nose. James cleaned his nails nervously with his teeth.
Then, suddenly, he straightened, with a funny lopsided grin on his face. Lil?
Yes? If words could freeze steam, hers would have done it.
Lil, youd better start talking to me. I paid for those dress robes, didnt I?
She swung around, but at the sight of his grin she couldnt say anything. Lily couldnt help it; she had to smile, too.
Oh, you little
His grin widened, and he stuck out his hand. Heylets make this fair. You talk to me, Ill stop pestering you about Tom. Okay?
Her face clouded over a bit, which was what he had expected to see; he had thought that that was what she had been checking the Daily Prophets for. Still, she shook his hand.
Deal.
Can I have a hug? Trying to imitate the small pout Lilys mouth had been drawn in, he held his arms open wide like a child of three, eyes the size of saucers. Lily couldnt help but laugh.
Oh, okay, okay, fine! She hugged him, but, with a mischievous grin she couldnt see, he grasped her around the waist, lifted her up above his head, spinning her around as fast as he could, she whispering wildly, James Potter, let me [i]down![/i]
He grinned at her, as her long hair started to fall in both their faces and hit the portraits hanging on the walls. When he started to get slightly dizzy, he swung her down, letting her lean against the banister of a staircase; he next to her, one arm on either side.
Youyouyou! she breathed, trying fruitlessly to repress a grin.
Me, he stated. Enjoy that?
Im extremely dizzy. Of course! She swept her hair off to the side, but then whipped her head back around to face him. Dont do that again.
I promise! he beamed, eyes twinkling. She breathed again.
At least, not within the next hour, James added, grinning.
Her face fell in mock dismay, but both of them dissolved in laughter moments later.
Lily had more fun that afternoon than she had had in a long time, what with putting up the decorations around the Great Hall and helping tiny Professor Flitwick out of the bag of streamers he had buried himself in. It took them a good five minutes to find him, and he was spitting out bits of thread and cloth when they dug him out, laughing almost hysterically, and even strict Professor McGonagall was trying to repress a smile.
Lily had fun levitating the confetti. She made the orange and black bits of paper shaped in characters spelling HOGWARTS and 1000 zoom around maniacally between the bats and above them, occasionally dropping onto the tables in miniature tornadoes. The Hogwarts crest, in black and orange, hung from banners draped all over the Great Hall, and silky tassels fell from their edges. The gamekeeper, Hagrid, finally made it into the entrance hall with the surprise he had been hiding behind his fencefour giant pumpkins to set at each corner of the Hall. Roughly, five men could sit down and have a game of cards inside one; they were that big. They also needed a regular fire inside them instead of only candles, but the design Lily got to carve on them of Hogwarts made it worth the dusty fire-building job.
James also found out how much fun it couldnt be to enchant one thousand bats so that they couldnt use the restroom for twelve hours. He had to catch each one, perform the charm, and let it fly out of the room off of the teachers table without letting the others out, but thankfully for him, Lily was in charge of making the bats flutter three feet above the table and nowhere else, say, the girls showers.
Smaller jack-o-lanterns were placed along the long tables at intervals, and the usually white linen tablecloths had been changed to a cottony cream, and were sprinkled with the same orange and black confetti that was crazily rocketing around three feet above their heads. Tapered beeswax candles were placed in golden candlesticks all down the center of the tables, and the ceiling was quickly turning a dusky blue-grey, shot with good-tempered dark pink and gold.
The students swarmed into the Great Hall just as Lily and Professor Dorvan finished packing away the boxes of left-over decorations and the rest of the teachers completed the sweeping up of pumpkin insides, streamer remains, and confetti scraps. Chattering and buzzing with renewed energy, everyone slid into their seats, grasping excitedly at the roasted pumpkin seeds on the tables.
Lily reached for a handful herself; she and Petunia had always loved those when they were younger and her mother had made them around Halloween. A sad smile spread over her face as she rememberedbut then, emphatically, she shook it out of her head. She [i]wouldnt[/i] remember her mother; shed only start crying, and who needed to start crying in the middle of a feast?
It was a wonderful evening; James and Sirius had refrained from slamming bowls of custard in other peoples faces, the butterbeer wasnt salted and boiling hot, as it had been when the teachers had asked for refreshment while they were decorating, there were no shredded socks in the steaks, and the peas werent stuck together with honey. Peeves had discovered that the last three items ticked more than everyone in the Great Hall off, so he was currently banned from the entire floor surrounding the kitchens.
The only thing Lily could have complained about was Serena. She was sitting next to her, and it was getting to be rather disgusting to have to push Serenas hair away from her plate. The blonde was currently using her sheet of hair as a curtain between Lily and James, who was sitting on her other side, and whom she was engaging in conversation. Lily wouldnt have minded talking to him at allthey had been on such good terms when they were alone with the teachers, and now that Serena was here, he was only talking to her.
Well, thats what hes happy doing, Lily thought; if he likes herheck, even if he loves her, which, at his age, I highly doubt, but if he does, then whatever makes him happy is all right with me. I suppose. He was nice enough to buy me dress robes, and Im quite thankful for that, but hed have done the same thing for his sister, if he had one. Im not to go around assuming and imagining thingshes practically engaged to Serena already, so theres no chance of an elopement.
Lily slammed her fist against her stomach moments after those thoughts ran through her headan[i] elopement?[/i] Why should she carewhy was she thinking that?
Lily, youre sick, she mumbled to herself before downing another bottle of butterbeer. Completely batty. Hospital wing. Immediately.
And, right on cue, her head fell onto her fist. Sirius looked over at her.
Lily, you all right?
Fine, fine, couldnt be better, she mumbled. I hate treacle, Lily groaned by way of an excuse.
Ohstomachacheyou need to go to the hospital wing? I can get you there
No, Lily groaned firmly, I dont want to drink another bowl of that hospital wing soup. Its worse than treacle.
Lora, seated at the Ravenclaw table, heard her and leaned over. If youve got anything to say against the treacle tart, itd better not be said in my presence!
Idontliketreacle Lily garbled as she slammed her palm on the table to every word.
She went to bed early that night with a stomachache as an excuse; what she honestly was doing was sitting in bed, listening to the wind rustle and whistle through the clouds, thinking. James was a friend to herand Eva and Lora were, tooshe and Amanda were growing apart, and Abigail and she never really were all that closebut none of them understood her, none of them had an unmanageable craving for danger and the allure of quick heartbeatsthey were all happy here, and they were content, penned up inside these castle walls
Lily wasnt doing any better than she had been the night she stormed out of the common room. Something closely resembling turmoil was building up inside her, and she hadnt any idea what it was dealing with; why it was there, and what was happening to make it appear. Every time someone tripped behind her and sent their books skittering all over the floor, her friends saw her start at the unexpected noise and grasp at her throat or at some sort of lump beneath her robes. She sank into several trick steps several times; something that had hardly ever happened before, as she habitually paid attention to where she was putting her feet.
Lily had stopped stealing glances at Evas newspaper; she had taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet. Every morning at breakfast found her scanning the heavy pile of parchment and ink, looking for something. She never did find it, her friends assumed, for she laid the paper down next to her plate after she had finished rifling through it, sighing almost inaudibly as it plopped onto the tablecloth.
She wasnt talking to many people anymore. The only ones that were getting through to her were Eva and Sirius; she hardly saw anyone else. Severus had tried sending her owls, but she never replied. He didnt see her outside of classes, anywaythat is, besides meals, and then they were separated by the whole width of the Great Hall. He was getting more than a little worried; he cared about her, and he knew something was going on that she wasnt telling anyone.
Lily, on her part, hated every single moment she spent around people. She would wake up at two in the morning, with the moonlight shafts falling on her face; her shadow would glide behind her to the window of their dormitory, where it stayed for hours. A restless tigress awakened in her brain and her heart every time she saw the full, endless expanse of sky; something made her want to ride out into a never-ending field of grass, seated on a midnight-colored charger, with the wind rushing in her ears and her hair streaming behind her. The excitement for adventure and life was being repressed horribly by the stone walls she saw day after day, and, slowly, she started to grow thinner with frustration.
Tom was doing all right, as she had found out from the Daily Prophets. They informed the reader that several potentially Dark wizards had been incarcerated after being found while brewing illegal potions and performing forbidden spells on animals, but that they were found to be working for someone; the identity of whom was unknown. His plans were going as expected, then, and he hadnt been capturedyet.
One afternoon, Lily was dragging one of the huge, spoiling pumpkins to a sort of compost heap inside the Forbidden Forest, where a funny sort of unidentified dark green bugs fed on spoiled food, turning it into a better fertilizer than anything store-bought. The sky was looming dangerously grey, and several droplets were falling; soon, thunder started to rumble over the castle. Lily was trying her best to hurry, but there was a lot to do, and she wasnt even half done.
Grunting exhaustedly, she tripped over a tree root and went flying, landing on her elbows. Before she could get to her feet, however, someone took her arm.
She spit some hair that had come out of a plait out of her mouth. James?
I was asked by McGonagall to help. You look like you could use it.
For once, Lily didnt give a smart reply. Thankfully, she got to her feet; panting, she leaned on his arm.
Thanks. I could use it.
Sure, he agreed cheerfully. Lets get this done before the rain really hitsnow, where does this go?
In here, she nodded, pointing at a largeish hole in the ground that was already half-full with the kitchens scraps. Together, they pushed the large pumpkin inside, muscles and backs straining; on both their foreheads, a sweat was breaking as rain fell on their heads--and finally, they watched the pumpkin crash against a piece of wood with satisfaction.
Lily turned around. Two down, two to go.
He smiled. You really do seem to like doing this, dont you?
No, she shrugged, I want to get it out of the way.
Makes sense, James agreed. Hagrids hut, right?
Mm, she nodded.
They were rolling the fourth one to the heap when they hit an unexpected capsized tree three feet in diameter that had crashed across their path, blocking their way. Both of them moaned together as they saw the size of it.
This wont be pleasant, Lily remarked. Her by-now auburn hair was soaking wet; loose curls were plastered to her face and neck, while James usually only very messy hair was now almost sticking straight up, what with the sweat, dusty leaves, and rain that had combined along with his fingers that he had been frequently running through it.
Youre telling me, he nodded. Lets see if we can just push this thing over that tree. You think we can?
If you can try, you can do anything, Lily sighed philosophically. Except slamming shut a revolving door at a department store.
James grinned at her; the funny lopsided grin. Youre not inspiring much confidence.
I didnt intend to. Come on; lets push this thing overhang on. She looked down; her necklace was hanging out, and it had been doing so constantly; every time she pushed it inside her robes, it fell back out. Im taking this offhang on. She suited the action to the word; exhaustedly, she stripped the hair off of her face and neck along with the chain. Much better. Do you have a pocket?
James nodded absently. Hand it overIll keep it for you.
She slumped over to him; tiredly, she was about to hand it to him, when she slipped on a wet pile of soft pumpkin innards, tripped forwards, and fell right onto James, who, startled, had only time to grab her around the waist before both of them hit the ground. However, Lilys handthe one in which her necklace had been claspedhit a sharp rock, and as she drew her knuckles back with an exclamation of pain, the two of them found themselves spinning in familiar darkness bearing absolutely no resemblance to the Forbidden Forest. For one thing, it wasnt raining.
