She didn't care what the other people said or thought. She was gonna sing her heart out tonight.
Petunia always said that she sounded like a dying cat, but that wasn't going to stop her tonight. She'd had six butterbeers, she'd endured a brutal session of mocking earlier, and she was tired of being "Miss Perfect Prefect." She was seventeen, dammit! It was time she do something fun!
When she stepped up on the bar of the Three Broomsticks, Lily pointed her wand to her throat and cast Sonorus, then started to belt the Wicked Sisters song that was playing.
Now, when she had first stepped up, there were lots of wolf whistles and cat calls, but once she started singing, there was nothing but the music and Lily's voice. She imagined they were all enthralled by her voice, so she started to become more confident. She began to dance a bit, but she accidentally misplaced her foot and fell. Before she could comprehend what had happened, she felt someone's arms around her.
"Whoa, Evans. Maybe you should stay on the ground," a male voice said. Lily looked up to see a very handsome, black-haired boy with glasses. Then her alcohol-addled brain put two and two together…
"Potter, put me down!" she yelled, wriggling. Potter just chuckled and adjusted her into a more comfortable position.
"No chance, Lily-Flower. I'm taking you back up to the castle," he said, walking towards the door. Lily was too drunk to fight, but her mouth was perfectly capable of spewing insults.
"Sorry, boys. It seems Evans had too much to drink, so I'm taking her back up to the castle so she can sober up." Through her double vision, Lily saw that Potter was talking to Remus, Black, and Peter, who all had amused expressions on their faces.
Walking out into the warm May air, Lily suddenly felt sick. Her stomach turned and she put her hand up to her mouth to help hold it in.
"You feel alright, Evans?" Potter asked. Lily shook her head and jumped out of his arms then fell to her knees and emptied the contents of her stomach while Potter held her hair back for her. He rubbed her back until she was completely finished. She pushed his hands away and sat against the wall of the building behind her while Potter crouched next to her and pushed her hair behind her ear and handed her a handkerchief.
"Feel better?" he asked. She shook her head and, for some reason, held her arms out. Potter chuckled and scooped her back up into his arms and began the trek back to the castle.
xXx
Lily couldn't understand why he was helping her, but she was glad he was because she probably never made it up these stupid stairs. Once they reached the common room, she once again tried to get out of his arms to no avail. He walked her up the stairs to the boys' dormitories and made her lie down in his bed. She still wasn't feeling well, so she didn't fight him anymore. She took the water he offered her. She let him transfigure her clothes into some appropriate pyjamas. She let him tuck her in and kiss her forehead.
"Don't worry, Evans," he whispered into her hair. "I'll take care of you." And then she drifted into sleep…