ONE LAST CHANCE TO SHINE
In which Sirius is neither nonsensical nor giggly, Lily does not have a group of friends all named Mary Sue, James doesn't magically grow up over the summer, Peter speaks, and Voldemort hasn't gone on a brief holiday.
All recognizable characters and events from this chapter onward belong to JK Rowling.
TWO
1.
"Oh-ho! A perfect potion, Miss Evans! Seems the summer did nothing to your skills, eh?"
Lily fought the urge to bang her head against her cauldron, instead forcing a smile at a jovial Professor Slughorn. "It seems so, sir," she agreed blandly, too tired to joke (the first class of the day generally had that effect). A loud splash behind them made both student and professor turn around to see Caradoc Dearborn and Benji Fenwick laughing it up while their potion bubbled over and onto their desk, a sick, putrid smell penetrating the air.
"Bloody idiots," Lily mumbled, turning back to her cauldron and offering a wry smile and an eye-roll to her Potions partner, Henry Griffin, another seventh-year Ravenclaw. "Keep stirring that, will you? I'll go get the vial."
"Er, how long?" Henry said, eyes flicking worriedly back and forth from their clear mixture and the bubbling mass of Benji's and Caradoc's.
"Doesn't matter," said Lily, pushing back her chair and retrieving the vial from the cabinet. "Here we go," Lily sighed a few seconds later, reaching her seat and waving her wand around so that the cauldron tipped and poured the potion into the glass vial. She took out her book and began working on the homework assigned for that night only to realize that Caradoc was throwing parchment balls at her from behind. Trying to ignore him at first, Lily finally gave up and turned around in her seat, admonishing a scowl upon his figure that he ignored.
"Evans, you want to go out tonight for a snog? Say, the library, six thirty?"
"Er, no."
Benji laughed at him. "Told you mate. She's like a bloody wall." He turned to Lily, donning an innocent smile. "If you wanted to snog me, Lily, I'd make sure and take you somewhere you can't refuse. You, me, Whomping Willow at nine?"
"Well of course, Benji! How could I say no to such a classy offer?" Lily said sarcastically, hiding a grin.
"Oy!" said Caradoc. "Traitor." Lily and Benji laughed at him. "Seriously, though. I need help with this Potions rubbish."
Ignoring Benji's snicker of, "Not going to argue there, mate", Lily said, "Yeah, all right then. I have a meeting with James tonight at seven though – how about eight?"
"It's a date, then," Caradoc said. "Told you she'd rather go out with me than you, Fenwick!"
"Naw, she's just making you feel better," Benji insisted.
"Slughorn's coming over again," Lily lied. The portly professor was all the way across the classroom with a pair of Ravenclaw girls. "Finish your potion." She turned back around to face her desk and yawned, dropping her head onto the hard surface. "Ow. What time is it, Henry?"
"We still have twenty minutes," Henry said. Lily turned her head just slightly to look at him. Henry was an odd sort of friend. While she always joked around with her other mates, Henry was a serious, quiet bloke that was more studious than people like Caradoc and Benji. He was quite good looking, standing almost six feet tall with short brown hair and lovely eyes. She'd gone to Hogsmeade with him once, actually, back in third year, but it never got much further than that, mostly because they couldn't think of anything to talk about besides school. He was particularly contemplative and silent today, which, though not completely foreign, Lily didn't really want to deal with.
"Henry? Anything wrong?" Lily said, deciding to be nosy.
He looked quickly at her, seeming almost surprised that she had spoken. "Er, nothing, I guess," he said, clearing his throat.
"Liar. But okay," Lily said, offering him a smile to say she was just joking. "How did your summer go? I don't think I ever asked."
"It was all right. Stayed at home, most of the time."
"Where do you live again? Somewhere by London, right?" Lily asked.
"Surrey."
"Ah." This conversation was getting boring. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go…" Lily searched the room and said the first thing that she saw. "…ask James about the meeting tonight. Be right back." He didn't reply. Was he sick, perhaps? Lily shrugged and slid out of her seat, walking around the back of the classroom where James and Sirius, an unfinished potion beside them, were puffing wisps of air out of their wands at Susan Bones, who kept rubbing the back of her neck and looking around suspiciously.
"Blokes," she said, shaking her head and catching the attention of the two boys in front of her, who turned around with identical grins. James' faded a bit when he saw her, she noticed, but decided to not let it bother her. "We're still on for tonight, right? Seven o'clock?"
Sirius' eyes bugged out. "What?"
"Head meeting," James muttered. "Yeah, unless you've got to back out, Evans. Gotta date or something?"
"Yes, Potter. I have recently decided to ignore all my responsibilities in order to date this bloke I've fancied for ages. Of course not, you pillock," Lily said.
He grinned at her, dark eyes matching hers. "You know what they say. Seventh year's the last chance to do all the crazy stuff."
"You're right," Lily agreed. "I'll go up to my dorm right now and draw out a list of all the stunts I'm planning to pull this year. First one? Find out how to expel the Head Boy."
"Ouch, Prongs. This bird's got a bite," Sirius said, grinning and leaning forward to cock an eyebrow towards Lily. "Say, Evans, when you get rid of the Head Boy, what are you planning on doing with all the spare time? How about we pair up and take over Hogwarts together, yeah?"
"Evans? Right. When's the last time she broke the rules?" James protested, shoving his dark-haired compatriot on the shoulder and half-laughing. "Besides, she wouldn't devirginize herself with a Marauder, would she?"
Lily didn't bother asking what James was talking about looters for. She didn't think she'd like the answer, just as she hadn't liked the words that led up to the statement. "If it involves you or Black, Potter, probably not. Anyway, I'll see you later, in the library, yes?"
"All right."
Walking out of the classroom and into the hall minutes later, bag slung across her shoulder, Lily felt an arm drape around her shoulder and turned to see Benji next to her, grinning. "Lily, Lily, Lily. Thought you could get rid of me so easily?"
"What are you talking about?" said Lily, trying to shrug off his arm without being obvious.
"I wanted to talk to you, remember?"
"Oh, right. Yeah. Well?"
Benji looked suddenly embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Er, yeah. I know we were joking and all back there, but I really did want to see if you'd go to Hogsmeade with me next visit." He looked briefly panicked at her doubtful expression and added quickly, "Just casually, you know. Not like a date really. What do you say?"
"Er, I don't know, Benji," Lily said hesitantly, careful about wording her thoughts. "I don't really have a lot of time for blokes this year, you know? I'd go out with you, really, but I want to start off lightly. I'm going to have a lot on my mind, with the war and school and Head Girl and such."
He sighed, almost imperceptibly, before grinning at her wryly. "I didn't really expect anything less, but oh well. When's the last time Lily Evans accepted a date from any bloke, recently?"
"Not for ages, I'm sure."
"No…no, I suppose not. Well, I'm always around, whenever you decide to loosen up a bit. Go with me as a friend? I can't have people see me, Benji Fenwick, without a date at Hogsmeade after all."
Lily straightened her face to keep from lifting an eyebrow. "As friends? Sure. But I don't want anything out of it, Benjamin, all right? We're square on that?"
"Completely square," Benji agreed, grinning. "Can I walk you to Charms?"
"No," said Lily, turning her head to the opposite wall so he couldn't see her bare smile. She grabbed his arm and led him down a different corridor. "I don't have Charms right now. Take me to Defense?"
2.
Later that week found Lily sitting alone in the library on a Saturday afternoon, a blank sheet of parchment in front of her and The Daily Prophet sitting somewhere near her right elbow. Brushing the end of a quill against her mouth musingly and frowning at the parchment, she started forward, stopped, then dipped the quill in ink and began to write.
Dear Mum,
I'm sorry for not writing sooner; classes have all started off quickly and I'm having a rather difficult time remembering everything from last year. I suppose summer holidays and weddings have that effect most of the time, anyway. How is everything there so far? I know Petunia was rather worried about the flowers since the botanist cancelled. I hope that got sorted out. I still have to speak to Dumbledore to see if I can leave the school for the ceremony. How many days before do you want me to come, again?
Head Girl duties haven't been too difficult so farI had my second meeting with the Head Boy, James Potter, the other night and it wasn't bad at all. I think we will get along quite well; I hope so, anyway.
Hope all's well including your new job…I miss you!
Love, Lily
P.S. Can you give Dad the letter behind this? Thank you. I love you.
-
Dear Daddy,
It seems like so long since you brought me to King's Cross the first time, and I can't believe that this is my seventh year! Can you even imagine? History is horrible as ever and Slughorn is, as always, half amusing, half irritatingIn Potions the other day I could barely keep my eyes open, I was so tired, and he didn't even notice. I feel sort of sorry for him. He just kept coming back and trying to speak with me. Anyway, it's not as difficult as I imagined keeping up with Head duties would be. Head Girl. Can you believe I got it? Can you believe anything? Never mind, stupid question.
It was such a relief to get back to school; Petunia's wedding arrangements were driving me bloody mad all bloody summerI didn't want to say anything before, and I know it's horrible for you that we get in so many fights, but honestly, Dad. She's mental. And Mum got ME into trouble for charming her closet! She spends so much time fannying around with all things white I thought I was doing a favor by changing the clothes.
I feel like I never know what to say to Mum. Did you ever notice, how I can't relate to her at all? She's all frills and romance and Petunia, and I'm not. I should have been named Lucinda or Ingrid or Pricilla or something else horrid and grim, not Lily.
By the way, James Potter is Head Boy this year. Do you remember him? Can you IMAGINE what I'm going through, then? I suppose that's a bit of an exaggeration. He's not all that bad of a bloke, really, apart from the fact that stupid stunt with the gum. APPARENTLY (not like this makes anything better) the only thing that got me caught up in more pranks was because I spent time with Severus Snape, who, by the way, is still and will forever remain an idiot until he stops hanging around those Slytherins. They sort of scare me. Like today Rosier, he's a sixth year, was cursing the hell out of a Gryffindor fourth year, and half the jinxes he used I KNOW aren't taught in proper school curriculum. I'm sorry, Daddy. I wouldn't talk about such unfamiliar things if I knew it honestly doesn't matter with you. It seems like I don't talk to anyone about the important things, anymore. You know how I used to be such good friends with Alice and Marlene and Rebecca? Well, Becca's been gone for two years anyway, and it seems like now I spend time around blokes more than anything. Dunno why. It almost seems like they're easier to get along with, or something.Simpler.
I sort of wish you were at Hogwarts, Dad. Everything's insane. Not in an I-have-a-horrible-life sort of way, but more of an I-have-a-boring, meaningless, pointless-life. (Which doesn't make sense in a way, I guessHow can something boring also be insane?) You know when you used to say we would grow up and change the world? I want to believe that. I got my Head Girl badge and thought, 'Hey, this is it. Lily, this is your chance.' It doesn't work like that. It's not even that big of a deal, really. I get to stay up a little later, use magic in the hallways, but life goes on for everyone else. There's this Dark wizard, of some sort, coming up now. Dumbledore seems fairly worried about it, and so does James Potter. I can't do anything to stop that either. Alice is. She's gotten engaged, and then she's going to go and fight with Frank. I don't even know what I want to do yet
Anyway, I miss you so much. I want to talk to you It would be nice, to hear your voice again. I'm starting to forget it. I think that's what scares me the most, that I can't remember even though it hasn't been all that long. I feel like home isn't the house anymore; my home is at Hogwarts. I can't really tell, because I don't know where you are. I'm babbling
…I still can't believe Alice is engaged! Seventeen. She's seventeen. Does she even love Frank? I love you, Daddy, but I already know that other stuff doesn't exist. Alice is…was…used to be, I suppose my best friend, and I don't understand how she lost herself like that. She's bloody seventeen. Who knows what will happen when she gets married? She'll tire of him, learn to truly bicker and argue. Won't she? Doesn't everyone? Well, you know how I don't expect anything in that area anywayI'll probably die childless and unmarried and hideous when I'm seventy years old. I am going to Hogsmeade with my mate Benji next weekend, though. I love Benji. He's bloody hilarious. There's never a dull moment when I'm with Benjamin, so I don't have time to stop and think.He knows I don't want any lines, as well, which is nice. Ben's probably my best friend now, Dad.But not really. He's just the one I talk to the most. Is that sad?
Miss you more than anything, but maybe your voice the most,
YourPricilla
Finished, Lily scanned the letters for spelling and crossed out most of the swear words in the second. She then stowed both into her bag, got up, and made her way towards the Owlery, knowing that the letters wouldn't arrive until the next day but still hoping that, if she hurried, they would make it early.
3.
"No, I really don't think so."
"No? No? Come on, Lily, you must be alone in the whole bloody world to think that. Please. I mean, look at the bloke, for Merlin's sake. He's a bloody dish with smile."
"He's an idiot. All he can do is smile. How boring would that relationship be? And I'm going to Hogsmeade with Benji."
"He's not an idiot, he's a fifth year. There's a difference."
"Normally I would agree, but not in this case."
"No, there's definitely a difference. And don't be stupid. Benji won't care! I He knows you never go for a bloke seriously, anyway."
Lily shook her head, trying to blot out her roommate's words by glancing over a Charms essay due the next day. "Marlene, seriously. Lockheart is such an idiot I can't even begin to describe him. Remember that whole greenhouse incident a while back?"
Marlene huffed. "Not the point. He was a third yearthen. Huge difference."
"Hm. You should go out with him, then, if he's so exciting."
"Yes, but he obviously has his heart set on you. Haven't you heard? The bloke's planning to ask you to Hogsmeade tomorrow."
Lily's head shot up. "What?"
"Well, no. But isn't he gorgeous?"
Lily banged her fist on her forehead, once, then stared into an open hand. "Gorgeous. Definitely."
"I agree," a new voice rang into the conversation unexpectedly. "I am rather attractive, I'm glad you finally noticed. What's with the change of heart?"
"We weren't talking about you Sirius," Marlene said.
"Damn. I'm sure the conversation was about to turn that way, though. Wasn't it, Evans?"
"You read my mind, Black," Lily said absentmindedly, chewing on her lower lip and going back to finish off a paragraph with a string of words and a loopy "g".
Lily heard a chair scrape the ground as Sirius Black grabbed the end of one of the chairs across from her and flipped it so he sat on it backwards. Seconds later, another two chairs scraped and Lily looked up to see James Potter and Peter Pettigrew sliding to group around the table that was blessedly empty not five minutes ago. Inwardly sighing, Lily banished her homework to her bag, knowing she would never get anything done with this lot around her.
"So what's on with you blokes?" she said, scooting further into the table and tucking her legs underneath her chair. "Explode any cauldrons yet? Obliviatethe first years? Convince a ghost to haunt Snape?"
"No, hadn't thought of those yet," Sirius said, leaning forward and concentrating on her. Lily felt vaguely uncomfortable. "Although the last one was rather brilliant. Prongs?"
"Excellent," James smirked. "Thanks for the suggestion, Evans. Never knew you had it in you."
"Why do you bother hanging around these miscreants, Peter?" Lily asked exasperatedly, more to the air than the boy. "Honestly, you blokes are all going to end up in Azkaban within six months of leaving Hogwarts. Where's Remus?"
"Ill. He swallowed on of those Blubbering Mangies Sprout was growing for next term," said Peter, carefully managing to avoid answering the first question, Lily noticed.
"What the bloody hell was he eating a plant for?" Marlene said. "They're green."
"Looked like licorice wands," Sirius supplied easily. "They don't turn green until they ferment."
"Is he okay?" asked Lily, feeling like smiling and wondering if it seemed too insensitive. This didn't sound like Remus Lupin, least intrepid of the Gryffindor seventh year boys, at all. It was sort of hilarious, in a bad way of course.
"Barmy idiot'll be out for two days or so, but apparently it's not painful. He just can't really see, his eyes're swelled up to the size of a Quaffle."
"Poor thing. Sounds humiliating," Lily said. "Maybe I should go visit him."
"To laugh? Blimey, Evans, he isn't a joke shop," said Potter, giving her a dirty look. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, Potter, do you think I would really laugh? I just want to see if he's okay, is all. If it was you I might – laugh, that is –, but I'm actually mates with Remus."
"We just told you he's fine. Trust his best friends to know. The poor bloke doesn't need constant attention."
"I was just going to visit him, Potter; Merlin, what's your problem?"
"Had a fight with his girlfriend," Sirius revealed helpfully.
"Shut the hell up."
"I didn't know you had a girlfriend!" Marlene interjected excitedly. "Who is it? It's not that girl from Hufflepuff, is it? She's very nice, a bit obsessed with Ancient Runes though. Kind of strange, if you ask me."
"No, it's—"
"Padfoot, shut up,"
"—that bird in Ravenclaw, Blanchet," Peter finished.
"There isn't a Blanchet in Ravenclaw, is there? I hope there's not, anyway. I don't know her."
"I didn't fight with my girlfriend!"
"Good grief," Lily snapped. "I should have stayed in the Tower. You lot are so loud."
"Shh!" Peter hissed. "She's about to come over!"
All five of them turned in the direction of the front counter, where the librarian had her steely eyes fixed on them. Lily mouthed "Sorry!" and mimed a hand turning down the volume for a Muggle appliance. The librarian sniffed, nodded once, and turned away, obviously dissuaded for a moment.
"Merlin you blokes are loud," Lily said, glaring pointedly at Sirius, who merely grinned.
"Come on, Evans. Tell me you don't want to know about Prong's girlfriend."
"I don't want to know about James' girlfriend."
"That wasn't – I didn't meanit like that! You're supposed to ask. It's not really Blanchet, anyway. Peter was lying."
"Just…shut up, Padfoot," James decreed irritably.
"I disagree, Padfoot. I would like to hear all about James' girlfriend. What is it with these stupid names anyway?" Marlene interjected. "Prongs? Padfoot?"
"Crazy story. The Head Girl won't like to hear it," James said, his mouth smirking at Lily, who glared.
"Why are you still talking? Why are you still here? You'd think you'd've taken the hint by now and left," Lily snapped.
"You mean you don't want us here, Evans? How terrible," said Sirius.
"Does that mean you're not moving?" Lily said. "I'll just go, then. I'd say it was nice chatting with you, but…well…it wasn't."
"Wait, Lily, what about—"
"I don't bloody care about Lockheart, McKinnon! Stop harping on about it," Lily said, suddenly furious. Not knowing how to apologize and still maintain her dignity in the short silence that followed her outburst, Lily decided for shoving her chair in and grabbing her bag, face pale. "I'm going," she said. "To…find Benji. And no, Potter, I won't go and see Remus. Don't want you to get pregnant since your will was defied, or something." She cleared the library in seconds, leaving behind a table of rather confused classmates.
"What the bloody hell was that about?" Sirius said, directing his question to Marlene, who looked nonchalant as she sharpened her quill against the edge of the table.
"Oh, don't worry," she said cheerfully. "Lily's just brassed off."
"Er, yes, we could see that. Why?"
Marlene studied James for a moment, tilting her head with a mysterious smile and a raised eyebrow. "Do you really want to know?"
Two of the three boys grimaced, taking the implication of her words in and shaking their heads. "Er, no, we're fine."
"Yes, actually. Why?" James said, staring at Marlene intently across the table. Sirius and Peter looked rather shocked James asked, seeing as Marlene implied that the reason Lily was cross was gender-specific and involved things they definitely did not want to hear about.
"I don't know. Ask her sometime," Marlene admitted with an offhand shrug. "She gets like this, sometimes, usually right after she gets back from holiday. I'm off, anyway. See you blokes tomorrow."
"That was odd," Peter announced after Marlene had left. "Prongs, wasn't that odd?"
"I don't care," said James. "The cow almost went off at me when I was saying about Remus. I don't care why she's strange."
"Er, I said 'that', not 'Evans'," Peter said hesitantly, but James didn't reply.
"I can't believe they like Lockheart," said Sirius. "All he can do is bloody smile."
4.
"So, Alice, how's Frank doing?" Marlene asked the next morning, buttering a piece of toast and looking expectantly at a now-beaming Alice, how had just received a letter from her beau.
"Good! He says to say hiya to you lot."
Lily plopped into the empty space next to Alice, avoiding Marlene's eyes. Marlene cheerily ignored the tension and said, "Oy, what took you so long to get down here?"
"Couldn't sleep last night," Lily said. "Listen, er, Marlene, I'm terribly sorry about yesterday. You caught me in a really foul mood."
"Oh, that's okay. We're used to it," Marlene said, waving off the apology while Lily stiffened, barely noticeably, at her words.
"What do you mean, used to it? Normally I'm not like that," she said.
"No, not normally," agreed Marlene. "Just after you get back from seeing your family. How's your mum?"
"She's well, I think. I wrote her a letter a few days ago," Lily said. Glancing down at her mixed plate, she pushed her fork around, oozing the cheese and the eggs and the pancake fragments together until she felt queasy. "Er, I think I'll go up to the Tower for a bit. Forgot my Transfiguration things."
"See you in a minute," Marlene said, and Alice echoed her call before turning to Marlene and saying,
"When is the last time she ate?"
Marlene frowned. "Dinner, last night, of course. Lily always eats. What are you on about?"
"I said 'eat', Marlene, which means actually putting food in your mouth and swallowing, not putting it on your plate and playing with it."
"I dunno. I'm sure she has, recently. She's fine though – Lily Evans doesn't need anyone mothering her. We'd better let it be. Say, Alice, what else did Frank say? Your face still looks like a tomato."
Outside of the Great Hall, Lily stopped under one of the arches leading outside and leaned against it, closing her eyes and feeling irrepressibly exhausted. So far this year she'd had an absolutely horrid time trying to sleep, and it was beginning to show, even though they were only little more than a week into the new term. She felt stress beginning to press down on her – not from schoolwork, or Head duties, or any of that really, but more with trying to deal with her emotions. Lily was used to being in control – feeling in control, rather – and lately she felt as though everything was oppressing her and making her irritable. She wasn't characteristically a testy girl, but she had changed so much in the past two years…since Becca left, really, and after Severus Snape killed their relationship. Or at least their amiable relationship. Perhaps it was after that…Whatever the cause was, anyway, it was making her ridiculously insomniac, and it needed to stop.
"Evans, what are you doing out here?"
Potter's voice ran abruptly into her thoughts, a welcome – if decidedly jarring – interruption. Lily didn't really like thinking philosophically at the moment, anyway. Clearing her face and readying it for a smile, she replied,
"Oh, just trying to remember where I left my books before I go all the way up to Gryffindor Tower."
"You, er…you had to stand there for twenty minutes to remember where you left your books?" No doubt meant to mock her, his tone stood little but to make her laugh, which she did.
"James, don't be absurd. Two minutes can't be counted as twenty, honestly! And why were you standing there watching me, anyway?"
"I wasn't," he said, taken aback by her return to normality – or, just as well, abnormality – from the night before. "I was kidding. Why aren't you eating breakfast, then?"
Lily shrugged and brushed her hair back impatiently. "Dunno. Not hungry, I suppose. Plus Alice just got a letter from Frank Longbottom that she's mooning over, and I can't bother sitting and watching. And I had to get my book, of course."
James looked doubtful but rather unwilling to voice disbelief; definitely a smart move, Lily noted wryly. "All right, then. I suppose…I'll…see you later. Feel better." He strode through the doors into the Great Hall, leaving Lily to debate between staying under the arch and risk running into more potential conversationalists, or to go back up to the Tower to perform a nonexistent search for the book currently lying at the bottom of her bag.
In the end, Lily discarded both ideas and went to the library.
5.
With the next weekend arrived the first Quiddich game, and with the Quiddich game arrived a torrential of wind and rain. Huddled in the stands with a group of Ravenclaws, Lily peered through the strands of her wet hair, wondering why she had even bothered to come. Oh, yes. Because Potter was a stark raving mad lunatic and had practically threatened her – and the rest of the Gryffindors intent on avoiding the horrible weather – if they didn't show up to cheer the team on. Which was why, consequentially, Lily was currently sitting in the Ravenclaw stands, stubbornly protesting her forced attendance in the best way she could. That, and because Alice and Marlene were giggling up a storm when they all left and had shown no signs of stopping once they arrived.
"Cole shoots; saved by Gryffindor Keeper Onslen!" cried the unidentifiable commentator, whose voice was so drowned out by the rain and the exuberant cheers circling the pitch that Lily could barely make out the words.
"Catch the Snitch. Catch the Snitch. Catch the Snitch," Lily chanted under her breath, making sure to be quiet so Caradoc, who was chatting non-stop next to her about the match without really noticing her lack of enthusiasm, wouldn't hear.
"GO BENJI!" Caradoc suddenly bellowed, deafening Lily's ears while simultaneously spraying bits of drool from his mouth. "Oops, sorry Evans."
"Eww…" Lily said, but she couldn't even hear her own words because of the roar that had enveloped the pitch after that, cheering the Seekers on as they catapulted towards the Slytherin stands and the Snitch. Lily abandoned her pessimism for a brief moment, joining the Gryffindor supporters (and earning a few nasty looks from the people around her while doing so) with a semi-loud cheer. Within a moment, however, Lily's cry died in her mouth and she sat back down, arms folded across her chest petulantly while the Ravenclaw stands burst into even more raucous screams of delight.
"Bugger," said Lily to Caradoc, who wrapped his arms around her and crushed her up against his front just to be obnoxious. "Your mate's an annoying twit, you know that right?"
"I don't see why! He just won us the first match!" Caradoc crowed, wheeling around to hug a pretty blonde next to him Lily didn't know, and then moving to three other people, all of which looked just as excited as he did.
"Wonderful," Lily muttered, wiping off strings of dripping hair from her forehead and looking around to see the best way to get out. She knew she shouldn't have come to this game, and a pox to Potter for making her. After a long, sopping, windy battle in which she fought to make it to the Great Hall before the onslaught of Ravenclaw supporters did, Lily finally got inside, where she stood for another thirty minutes in an attempt to help Filch keep students coming in single-file.
"Potter," she snapped at the offending boy as he finally trooped in, glasses askew on his nose and hair plastered to the sides of his head. "You could have at least won, instead of dragging me out there to see use bloody lose!"
"Sod off, Evans, if you're the only reason you want me to be upset about losing for, then you can get your head out of your arse, because to be quite honest I don't really care about you right now," James bit back angrily, making Lily blanch. He stalked off, the rest of the team following him with subdued, sloppy steps (Filch looked ready to kill), before she could reply.
Feeling vaguely guilty, Lily turned to Filch and said, "Is that the last of them then?"
The caretaker squinted and peered suspiciously out into the pouring rain before giving her a short jab of his chin, which she assumed was an affirmative sign. "All right, then. I'll be leaving."
Walking back in the direction of the Tower, Lily hesitated, fingering her half-dried, ratty locks of hair. Going to the Prefect's bathroom, she decided, was probably a much better choice than going to the Common Room, where the atmosphere would most likely be stifling and downcast with the loss hanging over their heads. And there was also the small detail that James wouldn't be there, which was definitely a plus. She didn't really know what to say to him after her comment that, she realized now, was unquestionably rude and ill-timed. So much for her vow of courtesy – but, then again, when at all had she managed to control herself this year? At least she was consistent.
-
So is it just me or does this fic seem to have absolutely no point to it? I hope it doesn't come across that way, but I rather think it does.
Sorry about the delay, but it will happen again….perhaps not as long, with any luck. :) Thank you to all reviewers from the last chapter! I love you, even though I didn't take your advice to update quickly.