Dominos

I pretty much had auto-piloted myself into the great hall. My mind was too busy replaying on a loop the last twenty minutes.

I did not see Fiona. In fact the hall itself was looking a little sparse. It was such a nice day out most people probably took their food outside. But the idea of sunshine and a good time was the exact of opposite of what I was feeling now so I rebelled against it and took a big portion of soup -the anti-nice weather food.

My mind kept flipping between excitement over getting to straddle Potter and horror about getting trapped by Mulciber and then being embarrassed about tackling and straddling Potter and being furious about being trapped by Mulciber.

"I thought you were hungry?"

I jumped at the voice, Potter was sitting across from me. "I did not see you there," I said trying to excuse my over-reaction which Potter had frowned at.

"Yeah, you looked in your head, stirred your soup enough you have a little whirlpool going on in there."

I laughed at that, "do you even know what a whirlpool is?"

Again he frowned at me, "muggles are not the only ones who figured out sitting in circling warm water can be relaxing," then he seemed to smirk in spit of himself. "Though I understand where you're coming from I have been to some really good muggle parties that featured a hot tub, whirl pool thing at the end."

"You've been to muggle parties?"

His smile grew but then he shook his head, "you're sidetracking me, "he admonished. "I sought you out to apologize."

The panic was instantaneous. "Where's Sirius!?" I snapped turning around looking for him behind me and in my blind spots.

He laughed but stopped it short when I turned back to look at him, "Not as a distraction ploy. I shouldn't have reacted like that before," and through gritted teeth added, "after Mulciber threatened you." He took a deep breath and looked me dead in the eye. "It was not my place; it did not happen to me and I should have been more concerned about how you were then running off to punch him because it would have made me feel better. Even though, and I think we can agree, he deserves to be punched in the face for calling you or anyone else that word. People need to realize words mean things. Alright?" He did not really wait for me to answer. He put his hands flat on the table, nodded in his own agreement with another, "alright." and pushed himself up from the table.

My mind was reeling, Potter doesn't apologize to me. He once literally set me on fire in potions and I barely got so much as an "alright Evans." Plus, I had a whole bunch of examples and history that would suggest that, no, in fact Potter did not know that words mean things.

My mind though stilled on a thought and I shouted it after him, "I am sorry too." I stood up to look into his incredulous face. "I shouldn't have actually tackled you. I could have really hurt your head or something."

His lips tightened like he was trying not to laugh at me but soon gave that up. "Evans you couldn't hurt me if you tried, bear that in mind during the duel yeah?"

"Psh," I indignity responded and went back to my cold soup.

"What are you doing here!?" Fiona yelled from behind me. I turned around again to see she was not talking to me but to Potter. She had a sheet a paper waved above her head and Sirius trailing behind her trying to snatch it, she threw him a dirty look quick before going back to Potter. "If you are doing what I think you are doing, first off its stopping now and secondly it is not going to work! She is not falling for your manipulation." Sirius made another grab for the parchment and so she grabbed my hand, slammed it in there. "Watch this." She commanded and went back to glaring at Potter.

Potter, for all indications did not seem to care, instead he asked, "whats the paper."

"She made a copy of the duel sign up sheet, it updates automatically. The list has really picked up." Sirius responded some how in a dead pan voice that still sounded bitter as hell and then addressed Fiona "even though she could just make herself another one."

I turned to the parchment. There was now about twelve other signatures.

"I am not giving you any advantage over Lily." She turned to me and whispered loudly in my ear, "and there is some intel. when looking at the real time of their signing up." She winked.

"I thought you were against me doing this."

"Yeah cause its stupid, but you've since done it and so I am invested and therefore I am going to be your coach."

"Oh now we should really be worried." Sirius said still in his dead pan. Potter chuckled.

Fiona smiled, "you know Lily, who signed up right after you? Severus…" She trilled off. I had seen that, plus Hufflepuffs and Ravelclaws and another Gryffindor, Marley McKinnon. She plays on the Gryffindor quidditch team, Sirius and Potter are probably going to have second thoughts injuring her.

I looked back up at Fiona and saw her smugly looking at Potter.

"Accio parchment." I vaguely heard and the list flu out of my hand.

"Merlin Lily! what was that?" Fiona shouted at me as Sirius and Potter walked away. Sirius holding the list. "Can't even block an accio!" She sat down next to me and when they were out of earshot started laughing.

"Don't worry I wanted them to get it." She explained conspiratorially. "I am actually finding this fun. Now they are going to be questioning the motives of everyone that signs up on that list. I bet some of them aren't even going to make it to the duel now, whether because they are sent to the hospital wing or will be stuck in detention."

I nodded in agreement since that did already nearly happened.

"So what exactly does this coach business mean?" I pondered to her out loud.