The Seven

Summary

The Seven! They may all be arrogant, rebellious and occasionally irrational, but Lily sees them as an extension to her family. Even when her own brother drove her away. Years later, Lily is determined to reform the seven by securing their happiness. How better than to make them official members of the family. After all, what man can resist a Weasley woman?

Chapter 001

July 2024

"So Lily, how about it then; shall we add the shredded Balmsom Root before or after we add the sliced Gensun Weed? It's your choice." A male voice asked encouragingly.

Sixteen-year-old Lily Luna Potter chewed on her bottom lip as she weighed the two options. Previous experiments had provided them with valuable information on the properties of the potion. It strongly depended on the order those two ingredients were added to the brew.

The addition of the Gensun Weed prior to the Balmsom Root, made the potion more potent so smaller doses were needed. However, this made the potion unstable so extra care needed to be taken when adding the other ingredients. If one was to add the Balmsom Root first, the potion would be less likely to blow up in their faces, but it was slower acting.

However, this knowledge came before they speculated that a small amount of powdered Bezoars was required for the tonic to truly be effective. It made sense since they were trying to create the perfect hangover cure. Alcohol was toxic to the body so an ingredient known to be an antidote to most poisons would likely be useful. They'd added the untested ingredient in the earlier stages of the potion.

"Why do one when we can do both?" She asked after skimming though her notes and confirming the amount of potion they had. Lily was on a quest to create potions to cure every ailment imaginable. She wanted to be able to remove scars and break curses among other things. The hangover cure was more for her friends. It was supposed to be practice but the task was proving more troublesome than expected. Her companion thought her ambitious but supported her in her discoveries. He was a fellow Slytherin after all. It was under his instruction that Lily kept a detailed ledger recording all her experiments. That way she was constantly learning from her mistakes.

"An excellent idea." Arn Goyle said cheerfully with a wink in her direction. "I'll just gather the equipment together so we can split the potion in half."

Over five years her senior, Arn Goyle or Goyle as he was better known as by his friends, had already graduated from Hogwarts. He treated Lily as one of the group, and not as another members' annoying little sister who was too stubborn, and too persistent to be left out of their meetings.

It mattered little to Lily that her own brother Albus was a member of the infamous group referred to as 'The Seven,' although Lily disliked the title. It was such an unimaginative name and had nothing to do with the guys it referred too, other than their number. However the seven friends were not the ones to name their group and nor would they. Therefore, it was unlikely that a more appropriate title would be given them. They refused to on the principle that giving themselves a name was reminiscent of group of wizards in the past that generated fear. It was not something they wished to promote. They were reckless and a little uncouth but they could also be charming and amusing. They may appear cold and aloof to the outside world, but if you got to know them, they had a great capacity to love. Lily knew that they were not people to be feared, despite their bad reputation.

The group was regarded by others with various states of awe and fear. Not that her brother: the second son and visual replica of Harry Potter - the defeater of the Dark Lord and bringer of peace; and his friends ever got up to any serious mischief. They were just seven young men trying to distinguish themselves from their fathers and live their own lives, even if they sometimes went about it the wrong way.

Since the dark days, there was always an element of fear that an intelligent witch or wizard could turn to the Dark Arts and terrorize the people of Britain once more. It was not something the seven were interested in. Efforts to improve their reputation in the early years failed, so the seven friends eventually gave up trying to convince people they were not what others thought. Lily had known them for years and thought of them as family. Not that she lacked for family members since the truth was quite the opposite. Her mother being a Weasley meant she had a whole clan of relatives to love and adore. Nevertheless, Lily had no problem opening her heart to include Albus' six friends.

"Why do you encourage her?" Christian Vane demanded to know in an exasperated tone. The former Hufflepuff sat observing them from the card table at the far end of the room. It was nearest the escape tunnel heading towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He shuffled a pack of cards and continued. "You know Potter would happily blast you to smithereens if you blow up his beloved sister. And frankly, explosions follow her everywhere."

Lily could not deny Christian's words. She was a self-confessed potions nut and always tried to create her own concoctions. It was unfortunate that her creations had a habit of blowing up in her face. Still… it was worth it to create something new and unique. "I don't recall anyone asking for your opinion." Lily shot back with a smirk on her too full lips.

Lily cast a quick glance in Christian's direction. Even in the dim lighting of the torches, she could tell how handsome the nineteen-year-old was. With curling blonde hair framing his face and blue eyes as light as the summer's sky, the hearts of women of all ages tended to melt on sight. Though, his angelic looks were what attracted them, they were extremely misleading. Christian Vane was no angel. How he had ever been sorted into Hufflepuff was beyond her. Okay, so he was loyal to his friends, but that was it. He was as competitive as any Slytherin and he kept his heart guarded in a way that only a few had managed to creep their way in. Time after time women threw themselves at him and tried to make an impact. Lily had seen it happen and shook her head absently recalling the heartache on each woman's face when they failed. This had lead to the opinion that he lacked the vital organ.

"Would you like to keep a closer eye on us?" Lily asked with a sly twinkle in her thickly lashed hazel eyes.

"No thanks, dearest." Christian replied unimpressed by the offer. He set down the pack of cards and retrieved his wand from his pocket, twirling it between his fingers. "I'll sit here and prepare to put out any fires. The last time I got anywhere near one of your witchy brews, it bubbled over and my left hand came up in boils."

Lily laughed as she recalled the incident. It had actually been an early attempt of her scar removal potion before she had perfected it. The skin had to bubble for it to smooth out again and she had managed to make the process pain free. The potion worked for all types of scars, including ones caused by curses. Her father and Uncle Bill now had a way to remove their scars if they ever decided they wanted to. With that potion turning out to be such a success, Lily was surprised the hangover cure was not going so well. It kept exploding and was currently unsafe for human consumption.

"It melted through your boots if I remember correctly. That expensive pair made from dragon-hide you were silly enough to wear here." She teased gleefully waving her hand around the room, which was the lower floor of the shrieking shack. The guys had made it their meeting place when they'd first formed their group, when they had all been at the school. It was still a convenient place to meet up since most had graduated. Only Lily's brother Albus and Scorpius Malfoy remained at Hogwarts and they couldn't stray too far away from the school grounds.

"Just remember that your delicate skin would have disintegrated if I hadn't got in the way. We wouldn't want you to scar, dearest."

Lily rolled her eyes. "All that would have done was make me more determined to perfect the potion to remove scars. Which, I did if you remember rightly. You even used it to get rid of the scars the boils left behind."

Christian opened his mouth to say more but Goyle cut in. "Don't you be listening to him Lily. He has been in a prissy mood all day. It's the Hufflepuff in him." Goyle laughed and Christian glared. He could look particularly cold and intimidating when he wanted to. Lily half wondered which one would win in a fight: Christian or Goyle, but she had more important things on her mind.

Goyle had finished setting up the equipment so they could continue with their experiment. Together they divided the potion between the two cauldrons equally while Christian watched. "Which one would you like to take charge of?" Goyle asked.

Lily dismissed Christian's groan of dismay with a quick flick of her hand. It was clear the he was anticipating another explosion. Lily acknowledged that that could indeed be the case. She chose to mind the second cauldron then she and Goyle split the remaining ingredients evenly. "Which ingredient should I add first? The Gensun Weed, or the Balmsom Root?" She asked, happy for him to choose either option.

She was not worried that Goyle would mess up her experiment. Arn Goyle was living proof that genetics were a marvellous and yet mysterious subject. His height, brawn and dark green eyes were inherited from his father's family, while his good looks and ashen blonde hair came from his mother. Although, Arn's intelligence and potions knowledge was far superior than both his parents put together. Lily idolized the man and felt no shame in befriending the son of a former Death Eater, even one who had fully supported the Dark Lord. Gregory Goyle had paid a hefty fine and he was still under house arrest for his crimes. Arn's mum, a former Drumstrang student, had married Goyle out of family obligation not long after she graduated school. She'd been barely out of her teen years when she gave birth to Arn's elder brother, Caleb, with him soon to follow. They had a sister Andrea who was Lily's age. Thankfully, they all took more after their mother than their father.

Gazing at her with unnervingly deep greed eyes, he slid the pot of shredded Balmsom Root in her direction. "Don't think for a moment that I'd let you take the other option. And that has nothing to do with how crafty your brother gets during duels and everything to do with how much I enjoy our experiments." He assured her. "You make a better apprentice than the others put together."

Lily beamed at her mentor and ignored the unappreciative grunt from the other side of the room. She loved Christian but she was not feeling a lot of love and support from him right then. She wished there was someone else with them who had faith in her capabilities. "Where's Zabini this afternoon? I expected him to be here by now." Lily asked as she added the Balmsom Root and watched the liquid turn vibrant amber. Goyle's potion turned a periwinkle blue.

"He's not going to make it to this meeting. He's having problems with the wife." Jeremy Sinclair said darkly as he descended the stairs.

Lily frowned at his words. Devlin Zabini was only two years older than her brother Albus and had been forced to marry on his father's behest. Despite this, Devlin genuinely loved his wife but she did not seem to return the sentiments. Now that she was pregnant, her favourite sport had become making her husband's life as miserable as possible. It was Lily's opinion that Shakira Zabini nee Parkinson, was not good enough for Devlin. However, having learnt that it was often in her best interest to keep her opinions of the match to herself, Lily pursed her lips and continued with her potion brewing.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched Jeremy join Christian at the card table they had set up. It was impossible not to look at him. Jeremy was the handsomest man she had ever laid eyes on, he was even more gorgeous than her part veela cousin, Louis, and that was definitely saying something. Jeremy's sun-kissed skin was framed by slightly too long jet-black hair, which made his remarkable cobalt blue eyes pop out. His eyes were definitely his most noticeable feature and had an exotic slant about them. The nineteen-year-old was another hit with the ladies, but then as a group and individually, the seven men were certainly something to drool over. All except for her brother. Well he was gorgeous according to her classmate Mika, but Lily would never say so herself; he was her brother after all.

Despite thinking Jeremy was the most attractive man on the planet, she wasn't at all romantically interest in him. She had long ago decided that he was not for her even if he happened to regard her as anything other than a sister. Jeremy had been in the same year as her brother James and cousin Louis, and a Gryffindor at that. Although Jeremy and James Potter had shared a dorm throughout their years in Hogwarts, the two had never been friends. James had once admitted to Lily that he was jealous of all the attention Jeremy got and his close relationship with both his siblings. James' rivalry with Jeremy had brought out the worst in him, but since leaving school they were rarely in the same place. Therefore they were no longer in competition with each other and were both a lot nicer to be around.

Although he had graduated the year previously, Jeremy attended the Friday meetings without fail, which often lasted the entire weekend. They would have gone on longer if Albus and Scorpius had not had to attend classes. The duo was currently sitting their Ancient Ruins NEWT examination, whereas Lily had finished her OWLs earlier in the week and had decided to join the gathering early. Lily was the only non-group member ever to be invited to their sessions. Even at an early age, they had not minded her intrusion. They had each found something to share with the girl and often fought over spending time with her. Just as she regarded them as family, they thought the same.

As an eleven-year-old redhead who was proud as punch to be sorted into Slytherin, she had enchanted Devlin Zabini from the start. He had been Slytherin's prefect and would later become head boy. They shared an interest in Herbology and he had been impressed by her inquisitive nature that was advance for her age. He had introduced her to new species of plants, some of which were his own creation, and he was always bringing her potted clippings as gifts. Her favourite was a calla lily the same shade of red as her hair, which had glow in the dark properties. He had named it Lilium Lunae after her.

Another, fellow Slytherin, Goyle, had instantly been charmed by her precocious younger self who would run around the common room with flowers in her hair, wearing summer dresses whatever the weather. She was a breath of fresh air in the usually reserved common room. Arn had influenced Lily's love for potions over the years and always encouraged her to go beyond what was set in the textbooks. Their absent friend Gabriel St James had bonded with Lily over their love of animals. Much to her brother's dismay, the former Ravenclaw would take Lily into the Forbidden Forrest in search of Unicorns and Hippogriffs, as well as avoiding the occasional Acromantular. Albus had secretly celebrated the day Gabriel and Arn graduated. That way he would hear no more stories about his little sister sneaking into the Forbidden Forest at night.

Gabriel looked so much like Jeremy in facial structure and build that they were often mistaken as brothers. However, their colouring differed. Gabriel's eyes were an unusual turquoise instead of cobalt and his wavy hair was brown rather than the colour of pitch. It was always distracting to be around them both at the same time, but Gabriel would also be absent from today's meeting. He had been given guardianship of his sister, Juliana, after their parents died in a tragic accident over a year ago. Gabriel refused to talk about the incident that had lead to his parents' death but that ensured that he did the best he could do for his sister. He was unable to find someone to take care of her for the weekend, so he was staying at home with her. Although he loved her dearly, he was counting down the days until she started Hogwarts in September. He was eager to regain some freedom. Nevertheless, Lily thought it was very honourable for the twenty-one-year-old to put his sister's needs before his.

Lily had close relationships with other members of the group as well. Jeremy had taught her to play cards and had helped her perfect the perfect poker face. That way no one knew when she was up to something and was able to hide he feelings when necessary. It had gotten her out of trouble when questioned by her teachers. Before Jeremy had thought her the technique, Lily's every emotion used to flash across her face. Now she was able to hide the fact that she would sneak off to the Shrieking Shack and the teachers were none the wiser. Her new ability had not gone over too well with the others since they loved the range of emotions they used to see from her. They had made her promise not to abuse the skill. Lily had agreed in order to keep them all happy.

Lily also found time to spend with her brother. Albus was the best at duelling Lily had ever known and she was not afraid to admit it. He was cunning for a Ravenclaw and he trained her so that she could hold her own in a duel. Christian's influence on her was less obvious but caused a severe dent in her allowance. Christian had shared with her, his love for expensive clothing. He indirectly influenced her to become a famous potion master. Although Lily was far from vane, she always liked to look her best. It was also useful that her cousins Dominique and Louis owned a successful clothes shop.

The remaining member of the group was Scorpius Malfoy. The Slytherin had spent many weeknights helping her master her Chaser skills and how to avoid a punch. As he put it, her tendency to say what was on her mind could lead even the gentlest woman to violence. Since their housemates were not known for their gentleness, Scorpius thought it a worthy skill to learn. Last year Lily had been disappointed when he cancelled their sessions and it had taken Lily a while to work out why. That day one of their play fights had ended with them rolling about on the floor. Once he had rolled off her, he had flushed pink and announced there was nothing more he could teach her.

It was then that Lily decided that there was at least one more thing she wanted him to teach her. She had realised it the moment she worked out why he had stopped their meetings in the first place. Against the odds, Scorpius found her attractive. Lily shared a secretive grin with her potion as she stirred it counter clockwise. Although she missed her private time with that particular Slytherin, she was silently pleased that he had noticed her as a female in her own right and not his friend's little sister. She had always been a little self-conscious of the fact her curves were a little more pronounced than the other girls in her class, but Scorpius didn't seem to mind them so she guessed they couldn't be too bad. The more she thought about it, the more she found herself thinking about him. Her feelings for Scorpius changed and she was determined to know what it was like to kiss him. His tendency to avoid her posed a set of problems for her and she had not managed to work around that yet. She still had to convince the blond that she was perfect for him and she could not do that if he was deliberately avoiding her. Her thoughts admittedly elsewhere, Lily grabbed for the Gensun Weed and tipped it into the potion.

"Lily, watch out!" Christian shouted as he alerted everyone, including Lily to the situation.

Lily's eyes widened in surprise, the addition of the powdered Bezoars had dramatically altered the composition and stability of the potion. The method that should have been the safest option suddenly was not.

Jeremy rushed to pull her out of the way whilst Goyle tried to stabilize the potion. His efforts came too late. The potion exploded and a cloud of smoke erupted from the cauldron like a volcano. Lily was horrified to hear the girlish scream escape her lips. It was so embarrassing. She staggered backwards with Jeremy's help as Goyle and Christian tried to put out the fire the potion had started.

Jets of water battled with the flames as Lily choked on the thick black smoke. Jeremy took out his wand to cast a spell to dissolve the smoke but there was too much of it. It took a while to make a difference as the smoke kept being replaced by more smoke.

"Are you ok?" Christian asked when it was all over.

Lily groaned. She really hoped he was not going to make his 'I told you so' speech as he checked her for burns and other injuries. Lily felt dizzy and in need of the fresh air that was now spilling out of Jeremy's wand. She breathed in greedily. Goyle was watching her warily obviously berating himself for setting up the potion in such a confined space. Lily half wondered if anyone would want to try the hangover cure if they ever found out how many times the potion had exploded before they managed to perfect it. Lily was still convinced that they were on the right path, and that the potion Goyle had been working on was the way to go. She meant to tell Golye that but the words never escaped her lips. Her eyelids drooped and Lily felt the gentle slap to her cheek to get her attention. "I'm fine." She snapped then coughed, chocking on her words. She tried to get to her feet. "I'm just peachy Chris-." Lily never managed to finish that sentence. Her vision began to fade and her strength wavered. To embarrass herself further, she slumped to the floor and fainted.

UPDATED 26/07/14