Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the song 'Freak Out'. They belong to JKR and the band Chic.
'Exam Time'
or
'Freak out'
(Lily's PoV)
"Bloody hell!" I screeched as I glanced at my watch. Transfiguration was in five minutes. As I shoved my books and unfinished essay in my bag, Madam Pince glanced up, opening her mouth angrily. "I know, I know, volume, I've got class though, you can yell at me later!" Pince looked dumbstruck as I brushed past her. A few students glanced up from where they were intent on their books. It was exam time and everyone was exhausted. Including me. I had been studying so much and even though I knew I would pass my exams, I was still nervous. Exams started in not three days and I was panicking. Not as much as Hestia, but I was still studying every minute of every darn day.
As I burst through the doors to the Transfiguration classroom, McGonagall looked up sharply. "Miss Evans, you are late to class. I expect better of you!"
"I'm sorry Professor, it won't happen again." I panted as I slid into my seat, conveniently located next to Potter and Black. Great. I really needed to sit next to the biggest troublemakers in the whole school in the class that I had the most trouble with. I pulled out my books and began to arrange them on my desk, flipping to the review page that McGonagall called.
"Hey Evans, what's up?" Potter asked me, running a hand through his jet-black hair. I glanced up.
"Studying" I said. Black chuckled from where he was sat on the other side of Potter. "What?" I asked a little defensively.
"Prongs and I here have a pact about not studying too much during exam time" he said. I rolled my eyes. Honestly, those two.
"Nothing wrong with studying, though" James interjected quickly.
"That's rich coming from you who does their homework the night before." I scoffed, fiddling with the corner of the page.
"Actually, that's not necessarily true" he informed me. "We just don't stress about it." Of course. I pointedly stuck my nose in the text book. Potter got the hint and turned away just as McGonagall began to speak.
"Today we are going to be reviewing how to…" I tuned her out. Bad thing to do, as it turns out. I'm horrible at Transfiguration but today, instead of having my usual problem of not being able to perform the spell without Marlene's help, I didn't even know what the spell I was supposed to be using was. A Ravenclaw, Benjamin Hopkirk I think his name was, walked around passing out buckets to each desk.
I sat there like the idiot I was until my stupid pride gave out and I hissed to the boys, "What the name of Merlin's saggy left earlobe are we supposed to be practicing?"
James' s eyebrows shot up. "Don't tell me Lily I-know-everything-in-the-whole-world-and-I-am-a-perfect-prefect-and-all-that-other-dumb-crap Evans wasn't paying attention in class?" he teased. Black's silver-grey eyes twinkled. I was going to kill them.
"We're supposed to be turning buckets into drinking glasses and back" Black laughed, flicking his wand and performing the spell.
"Thank you" I said stiffly, turning back to pick up my wand. I muttered the incantation and the bucket morphed. I muttered another spell to change it back.
"Nice work" Potter complimented. I looked at him shocked. Had Potter, arrogant conceited, my-head-is-so-big-I'm-surprised-my-broom-can-get-off-the-ground, Potter just complimented me? My head spun and I wrenched my stare away from the two boys who had begun to joke with each other. That was the second time in 2 weeks Potter had spoken with more than his usual passive politeness to me. Now that I thought about it, Potter had been less overbearing lately. Weird. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and turned back to my parchment.
"Erm, Lily?" someone stuttered to my right. I glanced up from my essay. Peter Pettigrew, a rather mousy boy with watery blue eyes, was standing in front of me. In the background, I could see Black, Potter, Remus, Hestia, Emmeline, Mary, and Marlene. They were huddled around the table in front of the fire, laughing and studying.
"What?" I asked, glancing pointedly at my History of Magic essay.
"I was wondering if you would help me with the charms homework, since, you know, you're the best charms student in our year." I sighed and glanced at my parchment before standing up. Peter's eyes lit up and he led me over to his friends.
"Nice seeing you here, Evans" Potter greeted me cordially. I jerked my head in what I hoped was an appropriate gesture for the one-sided animosity Potter and I shared. I plopped down next to Peter on the floor.
"What seems to be the problem?" I asked. Peter grabbed a couple papers, a quill and a textbook and set them before us.
"Every time I try and do the aguamenti spell, I only get a couple drops of water instead of a steady stream" the mousy boy explained.
"Try the spell" I ordered. Peter said the spell and flailed his wand. I inspected his movements and concluded. "The problem is that you are moving your wand too much, it needs to be more of a quick twist to the left." I demonstrated. Pettigrew tried it, failed, tried again and a jet of water shot out of his wand tip and hit Sirius straight in the face. Black spluttered and wiped his eyes.
"Bloody Merlin Wormtail, you couldn't have aimed somewhere else, could you?" Peter sniggered. I joined in. The sight of Black's precious hair disheveled and soaking wet was surprisingly funny when compared with his expression. It looked like he'd been covered with stinksap, not water.
I stood up to leave but Marlene spoke. "Leaving so soon? Sit with us, it'll be more fun!" she coaxed. I shrugged, but smiled, unusually glad to be invited.
"Sure" I stood up and stepped over Hestia to get my book bag from the table. Shoving Marlene off the couch, I stole the brunette's spot.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, pretending to look wounded. Emmeline giggled from where she had been murmuring with Mary. Mary just so happened to be bright red. "Spill when we get up to the dorm" Marlene ordered before picking herself up off the floor.
"Who said I had anything to spill?" Mary asked innocently, though her pink cheeks gave her away, as did the look on our plump roommate's face. Emmeline's rich brown eyes sparkled with secrets. I often envied those eyes. My eye/hair combo made me look like a walking Christmas face, literally.
"I know that look" Marlene said wisely, perching on the arm of Sirius's chair. I groaned, knowing what was coming.
Turning her body to face Sirius, she leaned down to whisper something in his ear. He chuckled and replied, "Let's see about that, eh?" I narrowed my eyes. Why did Marlene always have to flirt with bloody Black? It was kind of irritating because she always whispered in his ear so everything had to be relayed later that night in a long-involved conversation over chocolate frogs and treacle tart. I rolled up my essay.
"I'm going to bed" I announced. Exams started tomorrow and I wanted to be well rested for them. I said as much when Hestia complained.
"But Lily! We only have another week of sixth year! Shouldn't we have some fun?"
I rolled my eyes and yawned. "We can have fun next year, okay?" I yelled as I slugged up the stairs. I could see her roll her eyes in my mind.
"Merlin, she is a strange one, Lily" I heard Potter chuckle before I shut my door and snuggled into bed.
I woke the next morning and leapt out of bed. Exams started in an hour! I ran a brush through my hair as the other girls started waking up.
"Why are exams always so bloody early?" Marlene complained, yawning. I smiled and grabbed my bag.
"They're at the same time as classes on normal days" I said, hoisting my bag onto my shoulder. "You just don't want to write for three hours."
"You know me too well for your own good" grumbling.
"Hey, wait up!" Mary cried, frantically dragging a brush through her dark brown hair. "I'm almost ready!" I sighed and sat down to wait for my friend.
"If you want to eat breakfast with me, you should start getting up earlier" I muttered. Mary ignored me knowing I wasn't mad and slipped on her school flats.
"Ready!" she announced. I stood and we descended the steps to the common room.
As we entered the great hall, Mary glanced over at the Hufflepuff table. I followed her gaze. My eyes landed on her herbology partner, Reg Cattermole. He was a slightly ferrety looking boy with brown eyes, but he was kind of cute. Comprehension dawned on me.
"You like him!" I shrieked, bouncing up and down. Mary clapped a hand over my mouth, her gold hoop earrings swinging as she frantically shook her head. "Mmmfp" I mumbled
"Don't yell about it" she hissed, removing her hand. This turned out to be a bad idea on her part.
"This is what you and Emmeline were giggling about last night! OH, you two will be so cute together!" I squealed, clapping my hands. She glared daggers at me, but I ignored her, piling bacon on my plate. "Ahh, young love." I sighed dreamily. Mary smacked me.
"Now, now, violence is punishable with detention" I warned, mock serious. She made a sarcastic face. Wait, is that even possible? Oh, why not, of course it's possible. I glanced over at my friend who was distractedly shoveling eggs into her mouth while staring at a certain someone and smiled. She might deny it, but now that I knew her secret I could tease her incessantly.
"Ah, exams are over!" I sang cheerily, laying back on the soft grass. Marlene plopped down next to me, stuffing her quill into her bag.
"We all knew you'd get perfect scores without stressing. I however, am certain I failed everything" She grumbled.
"Oh, don't be so cynical, I'm sure you did fine" Emmeline encouraged. Marlene rolled her blue eyes and gazed up at the sky. As we stared at the fluffy white clouds drifting lazily about for a while, we heard the murmuring of voices around the lake and the lapping of waves against the shore. Occasionally there would be the whoosh of an owl flying overhead.
"That cloud looks like a dog" she pointed to the cloud. I looked.
"It looks more like a donkey, in my opinion" I snorted.
"No, no" Emmeline interjected. "It looks like a hippogriff."
"What about that one?" Mary pointed. "It looks like Snape's nose." I frowned out of principle as I looked, noticed how much it looked like my ex-best-friend-turned-Death-Eater's nose, and burst out laughing.
"You're right" I giggled.
"Who's right?" A new voice spoke. I looked around to see Potter leaning casually on a tree.
"Sod off, Potter" I suggested halfheartedly. He grinned. Stupid arse had to butt his overinflated toerag head into everything I did. Wow, I really have a brilliant amount insults for that boy.
"Hey Prongs! That cloud looks like Snivelly's nose!" A mirth filled voice rang out behind us.
"Hi Black" Emmeline greeted.
"Well, well, well, aren't we looking… pulchritudinous… today" I teased. James laughed softly and Black looked confused.
"What's that mean?"
"I thought you were one of the top students at Hogwarts?" Emmeline snickered.
"That doesn't mean I read dictionaries for fun"
"Let's just say it describes Cinderella" I laughed. Mary joined in, being Muggleborn and therefore understanding my reference. Sirius's face screwed up in confusion.
"What's that, a disease?"
"Nope!" I said, popping the p. He rolled his eyes.
"Bloody girls" he muttered. "Come on, Prongs." He said, dragging James away by the elbow.
"Bye, ladies" Potter called, waving. Marlene waved back. I stared resolutely at the sky.
"Oh, come on, Lily. It wouldn't kill you to be nice to him…." I snorted.
"Watch it" Mary warned. "She can really hold a grudge sometimes. Don't get in her bad books because she might not write you over the summer."
"Hey!" I protested. "I'm not evil, of course I'll write to you Marlene! Don't listen to her!"
"Why should I believe you?" Marlene teased. I lunged at her and started tickling her. "Hey!" she screeched. "Help! Emmeline! Mary!" Mary grinned and sat back against the tree.
"Oh, knock it off" Emmeline said, though she was smiling good-naturedly. I sat up and Marlene glared at me.
"What was that all about?" she complained.
"I've got to what was it, 'live a little' I believe Hestia said last night" I noted.
"Oh naturally, you start by attacking me."
"I didn't attack you."
"Yes, you did!"
"Bye Marlene! "I cried, throwing my arms around my friend. "Be sure to write this summer."
"No need to be so heartbroken, we'll see each other in three months, and possibly in Diagon Alley" rolling her eyes.
"That's three months!" I dramatized. She rolled her eyes again.
"Bye, Lily" she said pointedly.
"Bye" I grumbled at her unsentimentality (is that even a word?), knowing she would be writing me to complain about her brothers in a week at most.
"Bye Evans" a new voice murmured next to me. I looked up surprised.
"Bye Potter, Black" I nodded to the boy standing behind his best mate.
"Lily!" a voice cried from behind me. I spun around, my eyes lighting up.
"Oh, Remus, goodbye" I said, giving him a quick hug.
"Bye, hey be sure to write" he smiled.
I nodded. "Of course." The four of us stood there smiling like the awkward idiots we were for a while until I said "I gotta go and find the other girls, so bye!"
"Oh, right" Remus said, stepping aside. "Bye."
"Mary! Emme! Hestia!" I yelled, spotting my friends and walked swiftly towards them. There were lots of 'goodbye's' and 'be sure to write's' as I hugged them in turn.
"You're crying already?" I teased Emmeline. She wiped her eyes.
"I just love you guys so much!" she said. Hestia hugged her and I patted her head. She glared at me over Hestia's shoulder.
"I'm not a dog, Lily"
"I could have been fooled by those eyes" I smiled cheekily.
"Lily!" Another, oh so familiar voice greeted. I turned around.
"Mum!" I shrieked. "Dad!" I ran to them and hugged them tightly.
"Hi baby girl" Dad said, smiling. Mum kissed my cheek and I beamed up at my parents, glad to see them again. Also, glad that me, my bed, and the fridge could spend some quality time together. And to see Tuney if she would be nice to me. But mostly to see my parents, yes. And with that, I turned and walked with my parents off the platform for my last summer before I graduated school.
A/N: Hello all! I hope you enjoy the chapter. I wrote this one in Lily's PoV because it just felt right. I'll probably be writing from Lily and James' PoV's as well as third person because some chapters sound better that way. I will put a note at the beginning telling you what the perspective is so no one gets confused. :)
In response to my reviewer, Choc0 Chipz, yes this starts in sixth year and goes to the end of seventh.
Also, last night, I had a dream that I got a review. Maybe it was an omen that one (or more!) kind readers will review? (maybe that wasn't as subtle as it was supposed to be?)
Anyway, thanks for reading! If you have any tips or constructive criticisms, tell me!
Where-We-Are-Just-And-Loyal
