"My sister's ill," Lily confided to Narcissa in a whisper one afternoon as the two of them stretched lazily out in the grass behind the Blacks' country manor.
Narcissa glanced up, "Ill how?"
It wasn't as if she hadn't heard whispers before, but she'd never known what the adults were talking about. Not properly. And this was the first time Lily had mentioned her sister since they'd been friends, proper friends. She couldn't help but be curious.
Sadly, Lily scratched her head, idly ruining the elaborate style her mother had had the Elves weave her copper curls into only that morning, "I'm not sure," she finally answered, "I think she's scared of her magic. She doesn't want to use it and it's making her ill."
"But who'd be scared of magic?" Narcissa laughed. Lily shrugged. "I don't know, but I think Tuney is. I don't know why though. I mean it's beautiful. Look."
At that, Lily cupped her hands and opened them again to show Narcissa a flaming rose curled inside. She laid it on the grass and guided it towards the other girl, making her squeal, "Lily! That's dangerous! What if the grass burns around us?"
But the envy in her voice betrayed her longing to be able to do the same thing.
"Why can't I do that?"
Lily shrugged, "It's just because we're different I guess. When we get old enough to do proper magic – to know what spell we're using, I'll teach you. I promise."
"Okay," Narcissa agreed, wanting to ask more about Petunia, but not quite daring to push her luck. Two years of friendship had taught her to read Lily better than almost anyone else could. She knew asking more would only upset her. She'd tell her more when the time was right.
Sure enough, Lily suffocated her flame and glanced up at her, "But you can do that pretty thing with the butterflies. Show me that again, please?"
Giggling, Narcissa spread her hands. A flock of big white and pale blue butterflies swooped out of them and fluttered about their heads. Laughing, Lily reached up to catch them. Narcissa watched her, proud to have managed to make her friend happy again. True, she hadn't satisfied her curiosity fully, but Lily was more important. The mystery of Petunia would just have to wait for another day.
