Chapter 1 - How Could You?

Lilly quietly went into her dormitory, curled up in a ball on her bed, and began to cry her heart out. How in the world could her life have ended up like this, when it wasn't so long ago that she'd thought she had found her happily ever after? But now there was no hope that things could ever go back to the way they had been. Her family treated her as a traitor. Her best friend had changed into someone who she could barely recognize. Her other friends had abandoned her, afraid they might be caught up in what was happening in Lilly's life. But she couldn't really blame them for that. Her life had become so difficult it was almost too much to bear. Her heart was broken.

Lilly Potter lay on her bed and reflected on how it had all happened.

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"Carrie, do you need some help with that?"

Lilly had been watching her friend try to open a screw-top water bottle for five minutes. It was getting really hard to keep from laughing.

"No, i'll get it. If it weren't for that fucking trace I would have had it a lot sooner."

"CARRIE!!! Do I need to go get the soap?"

Carrie looked annoyed. "What? It's just a word."

"But it's a bad word."

"Who are we to decide if words are good or bad? I think it's really stupid the way people care what words others use."

"Yet, they do, and I see no reason why you should use offensive language when others don't want to hear it. It's just rude." Lilly said, as she gave her friend a very stern, slightly ridiculous look.

"Very well then. I shall try my hardest to keep a clean mouth in your presence."

"Thank you. Are you sure you don't want any help with that?"

Carrie valiantly attempted to defeat the seal on the bottle for a few moments more, and then reluctantly handed it to Lilly, at which Lilly began to laugh, causing Carrie to laugh, and they were both laughing uncontrollably at nothing particularly funny for several minutes. They were very good at this, and that was the reason why Lilly's mum, Ginny, had told them to get out of the house before their never-ending giggling drove her to madness. They were sitting on a hill nearby the house, watching Lilly's eldest brother James and his friends playing quidditch. Lilly was making a chain out of clover flowers, and Carrie was watching the game very intently, trying to decide which one was the "hottest." They sat there for a little while, gossiping and talking about what had happened since they had seen each other at the end of last school term, until Carrie said something Lilly had not expected.

"I've decided."

"You've decided?"

"Yes. I have decided which one of the guys is the hottest."

"Oh," said Lilly. "Do tell me who it is."

"Well..." Carrie was quiet for a moment.

"Are you going to tell me? You know you have to after you've acted like that. I am very curious now."

"Well. You probably won't agree with me." Carrie seemed nervous.

"It wouldn't be the first time we've had different opinions. Come on, tell me!"

Carrie took a deep breath.

"It's your brother," she said very quickly.

"Oh. Well, you're right, I don't agree with you. I mean, I get how you might see that, but since he's my brother, I definitely don't think about it that way."

"You mean you don't think I'm crazy? And you're not mad at me or anything like that?" Carrie seemed vaguely confused and quite relieved.

"No, of course not. I can't think of one rational reason for you to think that I would be. And who knows, I might be able to put in a good word for you with James."

"Would you really do that? Yay!!!" Carrie got up and started doing a happy dance. This encouraged a new round of giggling.

"Now it's your turn," said Carrie, trying her best to stop laughing. "Now you get to tell me who you like."

"No, I think I'll keep that information private, thank you."

"Not fair! I told you, you have to tell me. If you don't, I'll tell Scorpius that you like him and that you'd really love it if he'd ask you out." Carrie looked smug. "I'm not joking. And you know he probably would, he's so desperate for friends. The only person he ever hangs out with is that cousin of his, Enchantè Noir, and she can't be very pleasant company." Carrie went on in this manner, complaining about Scorpius Malfoy's cousin and all her many evils. She was said to be the school slut and despite this fact all of the guys adored her. She was very pretty, but she was also quite obviously practicing the Dark Arts. Not that anyone would ever be able to prove that. The girl was completely blameless in the eyes of the teachers. What's more, Enchantè Noir wasn't even her real name, it was something Black, she just called herself that for the show. Carrie concluded by saying that Enchantè was an all-around bitch and that she would not be at all sorry if the evil little thing were to die a very terrible death.

"Yes, I know she's as cold as an iceberg, and I know she probably belongs in the mental ward at St. Mungo's," responded Lilly. "But really, I think you've gone on with that exact same rant at least a hundred times before now. It'd be very cute if you could give it a rest."

"Oh, alright. It's just that the very thought of her infuriates me. But I am so off topic. Now, are you going to tell me who it is you like, or are you going to go out with Scorpius. Because that's the catch, you know. If you don't tell me and he does ask you out then you have to say yes." Carrie said gleefully.

"You are having way too much fun with this. But I really don't think it matters whether I tell you or not, because either way you're probably going to tell him that, and I know I'd say yes either way, so you can do whatever you'd like to do." Said Lilly, quite superficially.

"Wait, you don't mean that you... You don't mean that you like Scorpius! I mean, the guy's name is ridiculous, and then there's the fact that your fathers HATE each other. You didn't mean that, did you?"

There were a few moments of silence. Carrie looked shocked and amazed.

"Oh God, you did. Lilly, why in the world? Has someone been messing with your brain? Has he? Because you know he likes you, the way he's always staring at you like he want's to eat you. It's positively obscene. Lilly, how could you?" Carrie's eyes were wide with horror.

"Well, other than the fact that he has a really strange name, and I can't disagree with you there, he's really hott. And he prefers to be called Sam, you know. I hear Enchantè calling him that sometimes."

"Yes, but he's a Malfoy! Lilly, I mean I just can't understand it! How could you?"

Lilly's voice was loaded with sarcasm as she said; "Yes Carrie, thank you for being so understanding and open minded. You really are an angel that way."

"Well, yeah, I guess I'm not being very nice. But I just don't get it. you're supposed to hate him!"

"Hate who?"

Both of the girls jumped. They hadn't noticed James coming up the hill towards them.

"None of your business," replied Carrie. "what do you want?"

"Mum say's it's time to come in for dinner."

At this the girls got up and followed him inside. As they went in the door, Carrie whispered "how could you?"