"You know, if we sit here for much longer, I'm not going to have a foot anymore," I said, trying to wiggle my toes in my shoe. We were sitting outside, cross-legged on a chair that we had wiped clean of snow (thanks Emmeline!), digesting our lunches and finding more people to make this party the best one ever. Oh, and my left foot was going to sleep.

"Ooh!" cried Emmeline excitedly, completely ignoring the fact that I had just said something. "That's Georgie Sparrow! If we don't invite her, that's like social suicide!"

"You've said that about everybody," grumbled Dorcas, writing the name down.

Emmeline then realized that I had said something. "What? Why won't you have a foot? Where's it going?"

"Are we going to the Canary Islands?" asked Dorcas, grinning widely and looking as happy as a kid in Honeydukes.

Emmeline and I stared at her blankly.

"Dorcas," I said slowly, "how on earth did you come up with that?"

"Well, I was writing Sparrow, then Emmeline said, 'Where's it going?' so I thought of islands, and I like islands, but then I thought of the Canary Islands, so I thought that we were going there. But, judging by the looks on your faces, I'd say that we're not going…" Dorcas trailed off sadly.

Emmeline blinked. "Um…I think that we've got everyone here," she said abruptly, standing up.

I stood up as well, and went to take a step towards the castle. All of a sudden, my ankle twisted sideways.

"Ouch!" I yelped, which caused numerous 'what a freak' looks from the very popular people sitting all around.

Dorcas and Emmeline looked at me with some concern.

I tried to take another step, but that was even more painful, and I screwed my face up to stop myself getting any more 'weirdo' looks.

"Wanna go to the Hospital Wing?" asked Emmeline gently.

"Yeah," I grimaced.

With much hobbling, hopping and moaning (most of the moaning from Dorcas. Honestly, she could take over Myrtle's day job) we made it to the Hospital Wing.

"I told you, no more –" began Madam Pomfrey, as she bustled out of her office. "Oh, hello dears. What's the matter? Shouldn't you be outside on this lovely Saturday?"

"My ankle really hurts," I said, surprised to find that I sounded like Dorcas.

"Come here, sit on this bed; I'll take a look at it."

I did as I was asked and found it was really hard to sit still whilst someone was waving a wand back and forth over your left ankle. Maybe I should be Dorcas.

"Hmm…I think you've torn your ligaments dear," said Madam Pomfrey, straightening up.

"My what?" I asked her.

"Your ligaments," she repeated. "Now, they're funny things, I've done the best I can, but do try to keep off it for a few weeks. Oh, and wear this bandage around it, so as not to tear anymore."

She Summoned a bandage and dropped into my hands.

"But – But – I – A few weeks?" I all but shrieked. "But I've got a party to organize!"

Madam Pomfrey smiled at me. "Well, you'll just have to hop to it." Chuckling at her lame joke, she went back into her office.

"Hmph," I muttered, reaching down and wrapping my ankle tightly with the bandage.

"Do you wanna have a hopping race?" asked Dorcas excitedly. Trust her to find something good about my pain. Honestly, the girl's never low on energy.

"It'll be good practice," agreed Emmeline. "To Gryffindor Tower then."

"Fine," I said, hopping to the door; Emmeline and Dorcas walking beside me.

"Ready?" said Dorcas, grinning. "Set. GO!"

We took off; with me wondering how the hell I was gonna survive a few weeks of this when Emmeline and Dorcas were clearly ahead of me. I was also wondering how I was going to explain this to anyone who saw us.

Emmeline stopped for a moment, hopping in one place. "Come on Lily!" she called to me. "You can hop! I know you can! Channel your inner frog!"

Damn Emmeline and her 'channelling'.

It seemed to work though. I got a sudden burst of energy; like the ones Dorcas has all the time; and I streaked past Emmeline, steadily gaining on Dorcas.

"Marble staircase, coming up!" Dorcas called from ahead of me.

"Crap," I heard Emmeline mutter. "This is where I always stuff up."

I had a very odd thought that they had been doing this while I was doing my many study sessions. They did say that they were going to study in the library in a funny way…

No time to dwell on that now. This is where I have to say that hopping up ten flights of twenty stairs (and steep ones at that) without being able to change feet and with the potential to kill possibly twelve people if I fell, is not something that I recommend. I, however, was in no place to argue with the logic of this race. But by now, I was getting pretty good at hopping.

"Hey!" cried Dorcas, as I hopped past her, and went around the corner.

I reached the portrait just as Emmeline and Dorcas came around to see me.

"Not fair!" said Dorcas. "I've been hopping for years, and you win?" She scowled. Then she tossed her long, corn-coloured hair. (I'm not jealous. Really. Who wants hair the colour of corn?)

"Children," was all she said. "Niti est nitere," she said to the Fat Lady, as if they were most important words to say.

The portrait swung open obligingly and Dorcas scrambled through, without so much as a backwards glance.

Emmeline and I looked at each other.

"Well?" said the Fat Lady irritably. She was still hanging open. "Are you going in, or what?"

Emmeline went through quickly, and I guess that I was expected to go after her.

Believe me; do not spend any longer than you have to in that space between the portrait hole and the bliss of the common room. Being able to use only one foot to get myself through, I did not have the greatest of times. You start to get paranoid, claustrophobic, arachnophobic (even though I don't actually think that there are any in there. Of course not…), and most of all, you end up coming out into the common room with the reddest face because of how embarrassing it is that you were thinking those things, even though you've been through there over a thousand times.

I'm getting off the topic, aren't I? Trying to turn this into some sort of… Never mind. Back to the story.

Emmeline was patiently waiting for me in the common room. "Do you wanna talk to Dorcas, or should we just leave her?" she asked me.

"Leave her for a while. We can work on the list ourselves."

"But she has the list," said Emmeline.

Sometimes she can be so slow.

"No, she doesn't," I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the many sheets of parchment.

"You are a sneaky one," said Emmeline in awe. "Now let's go sit down; you should keep off that ankle."

We found a spare armchair that Emmeline let me sit in, while she sat on the ground.

"I thought of someone," she said, smiling. "Rebecca Windle, in Ravenclaw."

"How could we have forgotten?" I said, pulling out an old quill and writing her down.

Emmeline turned away from me and looked at the fire that was burning in the grate. She was silent for a moment. "I'm gonna miss this place," she said wistfully. "I've never even had a boyfriend."

I grinned. "Oh yeah? What about –"

"No," said Emmeline shortly. "He does not count."

"But you went to Madam Puddifoot's with him," I argued. "Plus, he bought you all those Chocolate Frogs."

"I wouldn't count him if he'd bought me the earth. He was not a boyfriend." Then Emmeline smiled at me. "What about you? How many have you had since you've been here?"

I turned away. "Not many."

"Lily," said Emmeline, smiling at me with a slightly astonished look. "You've been out with: Joe Bert…"

"Ugly."

"…Freddy Priven…"

"Ugh. Just ugh."

"…William Dentry…"

"He bought me a frog and thought that it was a romantic present."

"…Walcha Weyden…"

"Walcha…Why on earth did I go out with a guy named Walcha?"

"…and then there was sixth year –"

"Okay, Emmeline, stop," I said, holding my hands up in defeat. "Okay, so I've had, what, like a dozen boyfriends. But none of them have been right, you know?" I looked at her, hoping she understood.

"I know. But I know who is right –"

I stopped her before she began. "I've told you before, I'm not going to go out with –" I threw a glance over to the other side of the common room where four boys were sitting. "I'm not."

I stood up gingerly, but I was trying to make an abrupt exit. "Night, Emmeline." I walked, actually, hopped to the staircase and went to bed.

I sensed Emmeline giving me her 'why doesn't she understand?' shake of the head as I hopped off.

.x.x.x.

Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter! Haha! ...

I wish.

Hi! I got a good response of reviews and I'd like to thank all of you who did. From now on, I'm gonna be sending out review replies just to thank you guys. Keep on reading! Lily-James things start happening soon. Sorry if you've been waiting for them! Next chapter, I promise!

By the way, don't think that Lily hates her friends. 'Cause she doesn't. She just...gets annoyed with them from time to time. Like all good friends do. And, if you were friends with Dorcas Meadowes, wouldn't that be frustration enough?

:D

Tyem.