The Flawed vs. The Flawless
Rubbing her forehead, Lily Evans slipped around the corner noiselessly, years of patrolling having practiced her silence. The hand previously on her forehead went to her aching neck, kneading her fingers into the strained muscle. Seventh year was tough, but she wasn't one to complain.
She felt like she was doing something wrong, sneaking these corridors like one of the miscreants that normally walked the castle at this hour, she felt as if many eyes were watching her, and scrutinizing her every move. Paranoia crept up on her, and she shook her head to clear it away.
Lily checked her watch, ten fifty-five, time to get back to the common room. She pivoted on her heel, joyous that her shift was over. She hated these late night patrols, it meant she hadn't enough time to finish her essays after dinner, she had to do them when she got back.
How her co-head managed to keep was mystified her. But then again, he was James Potter, semi-boy genius, school hottie, all round nice guy, and touchy subject for one Lily Evans.
Lily almost groaned in frustration, remembering the Arithmancy assignment she had due the next day, the one she hadn't even started on, though she had received it four days ago. She silently thanked Merlin it was Friday tomorrow.
The Fat Lady at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room smiled down at Lily's face with the crumpled forehead and slight shadows beneath her dull eyes. Any fool could see she was being worn down by the growing workload, and pressing emotional problems.
Lily climbed wearily into the Common Room, having tried to smile back at the kindly portrait, only to manage what looked like a deformed grimace, and probably scaring the poor painting for the night.
Too distracted to notice much, Lily collapsed in one of the plush armchairs that dotted the large common room. She lolled her head back, and closed her eyes, tired and grumpy, feeling as if she would punch something very soon.
"Penny for your thoughts?" James asked in his light, carefree voice, over on the opposite side of the room in Lily's perfect line of sight. She cracked an eyelid at him, peering at his handsome face.
Her heart stopped for a second in her rib cage, only to restart again, double time. "Just, you know, normal problems, three assignments, two essays, a missing cat and gossiping friends..." she mumbled, but he obviously heard, because his rumbling laugh washed over the room.
"I'd say I understand perfectly, but the only thing I get it the assignments and essays. I'm too scared to keep a pet other than an owl, and my friends aren't really the gossiping type," he said, mirth shining through his speech. Lily couldn't help but smile.
She 'hm'-ed and closed her eyes all the way again, thinking of how ironic it was that in their last year of schooling they realized that they made very good friends, and had a lot in common, and completely different thoughts on things. It made for a very interesting friendship.
It was also ironic how the year he seemed to grow up, Lily seemed to downsize. Feeling like a silly schoolgirl around him, while he seemed to be unaffected by her presence.
James smiled at her and shook his head before going back to his assignment, scribbling vigorously. They sat in a peace for a while, the only noise being the scratch-scratch of James's quill nib on parchment, and the raw crackle of the fire as it crunched up the logs. Lily kept her eyes closed, very aware that she should be doing her Arithmancy assignment, and her Transfiguration and Potions essays. But really, she couldn't be bothered.
It seemed as if James was finished, as he rolled his parchment, placed it carefully into his bag and stood, stretching. "You done already?" she murmured in question, not opening her eyes, and barely moving.
"Uh huh," he spoke, "Don't stay down here too long, the fires sure to die down soon, and the elves won't be up to throw more logs on 'til while we're at class tomorrow."
"I won't."
He threw his bag over a broad shoulder, and walked to the stair case leading to the boy's dormitory. James stopped, turning back, "And Lily?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't forget your Arithmancy assignment," he warned, before climbing the stairs easily, retreating to his dorm for a well earned sleep.
Lily groaned after she heard his dormitory door click shut, he always had a knack for that. Advising her of what she should and shouldn't forget. But he never seemed to be watching, for all he knew about her life.
She heaved herself off of the couch, and crept up to her dorm to retrieve all the homework that had piled up in the past days.
Sitting there in front of the fire, at almost half-past ten, Lily started to work on her assignment.
- X -
Lily woke to the sun pouring through the gap in the curtains that were drawn tight around her bed. She couldn't remember what time she'd gone to bed the night before, but she did know that the fire had died not long after she had finished her first assignment, and that the room grew cold shortly after her second.
She crawled out of bed, and then noticed the lack of activity in her dormitory. Lily swore, and looked over at the clock. She refrained a screech, the clock read nine forty-five, her first class was due to end in fifteen minutes.
Lily buzzed around her room, no point in going to her first class now, it was only Divination a useless class that one of her old friend's had bugged her into taking. She showered and changed slowly, pulling on her shoes and stuffing her bag with muggle notebooks and magical textbooks.
When she heard the bell ring through the school, she dragged her bag off her bed and ran down the dormitory steps and out of the common room. Lily hurried along until she was within the throngs of people, heading for her next class.
She took the pose she was normally seen in, slightly slouched and relaxed, with her messenger bag over one shoulder and draped over the opposite hip, scuffing her shoes as she walked along. She was strange and messed up, and hardly anybody seemed to care about her.
Today she'd let her straight red hair fall into her face, her fringe masking her eyes and most of her face, she shuffled into the classroom, taking a place in the middle.
James was late. He strode in a couple of minutes after the door had closed, their teacher frowned at him, but made no move in punishment. He simply let James trudge over to the last seat available.
Unfortunately, it was right next to Lily.
Inwardly she groaned, but outwardly she shrunk back and down into her chair more, so her shoulder was almost parallel to the desk, her arm reaching out grasping an eagle feather quill.
James shot her a look that clearly read, where the hell were you before? To which she looked at him as if to say, it's none of your bees-wax. He shrugged in reply and sat back in his chair.
The professor began a very long and boring lecture about the importance of NEWTS, and Lily took this as a queue to let her mind wander. She didn't need this speech, not again.
A piece of paper landed itself on Lily's desk from beside her, she glanced through a sheet of red hair to peer at James. Only he looked as if he were paying attention, almost stock still except for the hand that fiddled with a quill. His ink bottle was open, there was ink drying on the end of his quill, red with gold tinged through.
Lily unfolded the parchment and saw the red tinted gold ink looped across the small space.
You must've slept in. You look like you've had a proper night sleep, not just a three hour doze.
She smiled and discreetly unscrewed her ink lid.
You would think my dorm mates would've had the courtesy to wake me, don't you?
Lily flicked the paper across at him, and looked ahead at the professor, as not to make it look as if she were doing something wrong. But seconds later the parchment landed on her desk again.
Maybe you looked peaceful?
Lily suppressed an unknown emotion, and her heart swelled. He was acting hopeful, he didn't like to think that maybe Lily was just too weird for the girls of her dorm and they wanted her to fail everything.
No, they just don't like me very much.
James frowned over the blunt honesty of her note, and didn't reply, he simply stared up at the teacher for the remainder of the class. After a while Lily gave up hope of receiving a note in reply, hope she knew she shouldn't have had in the first place, and she dragged her eyes up to the professor.
It was boring; she copied notes, and waved her wand without incantations, and barely paid attention to the class, absently picking at her fingernails. She still wanted him to reply, or say something nice, he always knew what to say, but it never struck her that maybe he needed some time to think of those nice, caring words he spoke.
The bell rang, shrill and piercing, and as Lily flipped her note book shut, a folded piece of parchment landed on her desk, she frowned and scooped it into her pocket. She capped her ink and dropped that and her quill in her bag, along with her books, and fled for the exit.
She slipped into a darkened recess in the wall, and pulled the note out of her pocket. Warily Lily folded it open.
It's not that they don't like you, it's that they're jealous.
