Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything
On Tuesday it was Lily's turn to make her statement about the train attack. As she and James had the same appointment she arranged to meet him in the common room so they could head down together. At ten to twelve Lily left the from and proceeded to the common room where she found an eager looking James waiting for her, Lily suspected that James had been waiting a while even though she was on time. The interviews were being held in a previously unused classroom on the third floor. As they headed down the stairs Lily decided she had to thank James for helping her on the train
" em Potter?" she began
" yeah?" replied James enthusiastically, seemingly excited that Lily wanted to speak to him
" thanks for you know..." muttered Lily playing with her hair nervously
" thanks for what Evans?" asked James his forehead creasing in confusion
" helping me out on the train" smiled Lily looking up at James
" no problem Berry" smiled James warmly
" Berry?" asked Lily
" you know you've got red hair strawberries are red but strawberries is a mouthful so I shortened it to Berry" explained James as if it was the most obvious thing in the world
" how on earth does your mind work" laughed Lily as they approached the classroom
" it doesn't" smirked James
" I knew it!" declared Lily triumphantly doing a sort of victory dance, James's laughter was cut short as they had reached the classroom where they were to be interviewed. Lily knocked on the door hesitantly, it was opened by a stern faced ministry official in black robes
" James Potter and Lily Evans?" He questioned looking down at his clipboard
" yes" answered James
" come in" said the official making a tick on his clipboard .
There was a table set up in the middle of the room where a blond witch sat.
" hey Eden" greeted James cheerfully a he sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk
" James it's lovely to see you" smiled Eden shifting the papers on her desk absentmindedly
" so they've got you interviewing then?" said James
" unfortunately yes, I think I might scream if one more child cries onto my shoulder" laughed Eden
" it astounds me that you passed the dealing with bereaved families and witnesses part of auror training" laughed James
" who said I did" replied Eden
" you need to pass all sections to become an auror miss Selwyn" smiled James
" hmm maybe I'm sleeping with the boss" said Eden pretending to think it over
" eww your boss is mad eye moody , that is one mental image I never ever needed" grimaced James shaking his head as if that would get rid of the mental image
" it's weird being back at Hogwarts" mused Eden looking around the room, Lily wanted to ask her if the actual interview was ever going to start but she didn't want to be rude so she kept her mouth shut
" are you staying here?" Asked James
" like am I sleeping here? Or am I staying at Hogwarts ?" asked Eden
"Are you staying at Hogwarts?" Clarified James
" I'm here for the whole year" replied Eden
" excuse me ma'am I don't want to interrupt but you are scheduled to interview Cara Vega at 12:20 and its five past right now" interjected the stern faced ministry official
" oh of course sorry about that Harkins, assumedly you are Lily Evans?" Asked Eden looking at Lily for the first time since she entered the room
" yes" replied Lily
" James could you give me your version of events for the death eater attack which took place on the first of September on the Hogwarts express" asked Eden in a professional manner
" well I left my compartment to get changed and on the way back to my compartment with my friend Alice Carroll I ran into Jude Eversham, Charlotte Amadeus and Frank Longbottom we started to have a conversation about quidditch when Lily Evans approached us. Suddenly the lights went out and when they came back on there were several death eaters in the carriage. We managed to subdue several of them but Lily sustained a wound to the abdomen which was bleeding so I bent down and sealed it temporarily then one of the death eaters filled the compartment with water so Frank opened the carriage door and we got through into the other carriage. We got separated from Alice, Jude and Charlotte. We decided we needed to get the younger students off the train Frank is the only one old enough to apparate so he went to the apparition blind spot in the next carriage while Lily and I rounded up kids to be apparated. Lily was cornered by three death eaters, Antonin Dolohov used the cruciatus curse on her so I punched him in the face I was then disarmed and hit with the cruciatus when Alastor Moody entered the compartment and bound the death eaters" stated James cooly
" that was very professional James" smiled Eden
" Mr Potter if you could sign here" demanded the ministry official handing James an eagle feather quill and indicating the parchment his statement was written on. James signed his name with a flourish and then it was Lily's turn.
" miss Evans if you could give your version of events for the death eater attack which took place on the 1st of September on the Hogwarts express" said Eden
" I went to look for James and Alice because they were taking ages and other people needed to change in the bathroom, I met James and Alice in the corridor where they were speaking to Charlotte, Frank and Jude. All of a sudden the lights went off and when they came back on we were surrounded by death eaters. I managed to put one death eater in a full body bind but someone hit me with a curse the sliced open my abdomen. James sealed the wound temporarily but then a death eater filled the compartment with water, Frank opened the door and we escaped into the next carriage. We decided that we needed to get the younger students out but there was anti apparition spells on the train so Frank went to the blindspot while James and I rounded up students to be side appareted out. I was cornered by three death eaters who used the cruciatus curse on me, James entered and punched the death eater in the face. He was then disarmed and hit with the cruciatus curse, auror moody entered and bound the death eaters" stated Lily aware that her statement was as professional as James's had been and frankly she didn't care.
" thank you Lily " replied Eden
" sign here miss Evans" stated the ministry official, Lily signed at the bottom of the statement and finally she and James were free to leave.
Outside in the corridor they met Cara Vega the 4th year Gryffindor seeker who was waiting to give her own statement, after James and Lily greeted her they headed back to Gryffindor tower each immersed in their own thoughts about the train attack.
3pm the following day saw the girls waiting anxiously in their dorm for the return of their two absent friends. Alice had taken to nervously pacing back and forth across the room while Lily frantically unmade and remade Aria's bed several times.
" would you two just stop your making me more nervous" snapped Sapphire as she watched Alice tour the room yet again
" I want to make sure everything's perfect for her coming back " explained Lily smoothing out the bedspread for what seemed like the hundredth time
" Lily I doubt a nicely made bed is going to make her feel any different" reasoned Sapphire
" I know but making the bed is taking my mind off being nervous" said Lily
" well then make your own it looks like a hippogriff nested there" joked Sapphire looking over at the mess of tangled sheets that was Lily's bed
" you can't talk" smirked Lily referring to Sapphire's own messy bed
" guys we should go down to Mcgonagall's office they'll be here soon" said Alice nervously
" not for another twenty five minutes " replied Sapphire looking at her alarm clock
" well we don't want to be late " said Alice
" a daughter of house Adriani is never late nor are they ever early they always arrive precisely when they mean to" imitated Sapphire sounding just like her overbearing grandmother
" need I remind you how many times Mcgonagall gave you detention for being late last year" laughed Lily
" double transfiguration first thing on a Monday is just an act of pure evil though its no wonder I was always late!" Defended Sapphire with a cheeky grin
" at least we don't have it this year, it's potions first" pointed out Alice
" like that's much better" grumbled Sapphire as she put her shoes on
" hey I happen to like potions I'll have you know" replied Lily heading for the door
" only cause Slughorn fawns over you, your his little potions princess" teased Sapphire following behind Lily as they headed down the stairs
" only a little bit" protested Lily
" yeah a little bit" said Sapphire sarcastically
" would you two be serious " snapped Alice as they exited through the portrait hole. Both Lily and Sapphire fell silent and the group stayed silent for the whole journey to Professor Mcgonagalls office.
When they arrived they were ushered inside by Mcgonagall, Charlotte's roommate Emmeline Vance stood in the corner of the room along with Coryn's two bestfriends Hestia Jones and Maria Fenwick. The four sixth year girls joined the rest of the group , nobody was talking everyone was staring anxiously into the fire while Mcgonagall kept glancing at her watch. At 3.30pm exactly the flickering flames turned a startling shade of green and Coryn tumbled out of the fireplace, her two bestfriends hurried forward to embrace her and after a quick conversation with Mcgonagall the three girls hurried from the office. Next out the fireplace was Charlotte, although she was close with the sixth year girls Emmeline Vance was her childhood bestfriend and it was to her that she went to for comfort practically collapsing into her friends arms. Like Coryn Charlotte spoke briefly with Professor Mcgonagall and headed back towards Gryffindor tower.
The four girls braced themselves as they knew Aria had to be next out of the emerald flames. They weren't prepared for Aria's appearance however, her usually bouncy curls hung limply her startlingly blue eyes were extremely bloodshot and ringed with huge dark circles but it was her clothes that surprised the group the most- Aria was famed for her colourful dress sense but today she wore loose fitting plain jeans and a white top. Lily stepped forward to hug her but Aria just stood there wrapped in Lily's arms without responding. Without even speaking to Professor Mcgonagall Aria moved towards the door and the girls followed. As they made their way through the corridors the occasional passerby couldn't help but stare at Aria but she didn't seem to notice at all. Lily was extremely grateful that classes had been cancelled for that week as they corridors were mostly empty. However the Gryffindor common room was packed as per usual and all eyes followed the girls as they made their way up the girls staircase to their dormitory. Without speaking to the girls Aria flopped down onto her perfectly made bed.
" Aria would you like something to eat?" asked Alice politely offering a tray of sandwiches which they had earlier gotten from the house elves, Aria shook her head.
" something to drink?" asked Alice setting down the tray and offering a glass of pumpkin juice instead, Aria shook her head again. Alice was clearly panicking and looked around for the others to help her.
" Aria is there anything you would like us to do for you?" asked Lily to the obvious relief of Alice
" could you leave me alone please" requested Aria quietly, the girls complied and headed down to the common room.
The common room was packed full of people as there was no classes. Lily could tell immediately that everyone from the tiniest first year to the tallest seventh year was trying not to act overly happy out of respect for Jude Eversham's family and friends yet there was still a faint buzz to the room. They spotted the marauders lounging on the best seats by the fire and made their way across the room to join them. The four boys immediately sat up straight at their approach, well three of them did Sirius continued to lounge lazily across the couch.
" how's Aria? We seen you coming in to the common room but we didn't want to bother her" inquired James nicely
" understandably very upset she wanted us to leave her alone" replied Sapphire sitting down beside Sirius
" hence why we are down here" continued Ruby really it was creepy how they could finish each others sentences
" is there anything we could do for her?" asked James
" not that I can think of " mused Alice
" oh wait you could stop people bothering her" pointed out Lily
" right we shall definitely do that" insisted James looking around the common room as if he would spot someone trying to bother Aria
" thanks a lot" said Lily gratefully
" no problem Evans " smile James
" I'm going to see Frank" said Alice looking over at where Frank had just entered the common room,over the last few days she had been spending a lot of time comforting her childhood friend much to her boyfriends chargrin
" okay " chorused the group watching as Alice jumped out of her seat and hurried towards Frank
" have you lot seen Charlotte yet?" asked Remus his kind eyes filled with concern
" well we did see her but we haven't actually spoken to her, when she got back she pretty much fled Mcgonagalls office with Emmeline so we are giving her some time to settle in before we go and see her" replied Lily
" her other roommates aren't up there are they?" Asked Remus
" I don't know" admitted Lily shrugging her shoulders
" nah look there they are over by the window" pointed out Sirius nodding his head towards the seventh year girls
" I can't talk about this any longer it's all anybody is talking about, can we please talk about something else" pleaded James
" I agree the last thing Charlotte and Aria need is people talking about them constantly even if it is just us" said Sapphire nodding her head in agreement
" well on that note guess who's got a girlfriend" proclaimed Sirius triumphantly
" nobody cares if its you Sirius you have a new girl every day" teased Sapphire poking Sirius gently with her foot
" it's not me for once, you'll never guess who" smirked Sirius
" is it James?" Guessed Sapphire
" nope he's still pining over darling Lilykins" grinned Sirius
" Sirius!" Groaned James chucking a cushion at his best mate
" what? Everyone knows" defended Sirius
" doesn't mean you have to say it" grumbled James avoiding looking at a bright red Lily
" right we have established its not James, is it Remus?" said Sapphire returning to the guessing game
" unless you count books as a girlfriend then no" replied Sirius looking across at Remus who sure enough had his nose buried in a book
" books are educational Sirius" said Remus looking up from his thick book
" so are girls it's just a different type of education" smirked Sirius with a flamboyant wink, Remus just rolled his eyes and returned to his reading
" right so it's not James and its not Remus hmmm, is it William McDonald?" Sapphire asked hopefully
" no he's dating Alice why would you guess that" replied Sirius looking confused
" a girl can dream" sighed Sapphire wistfully
" dream that her friend's boyfriend breaks up with her?" Inquired Sirius raising one eyebrow
" oh come on like we all don't want it to happen" replied Sapphire defensively
" never a truer word was spoken m'friend" said Sirius tipping an imaginary hat in Sapphire's direction
" plus then she could date Frank " pointed out Lily glancing at where Frank and Alice sat talking
" Frank likes Alice?" asked Peter his eyes opening wide in surprise
" Frank liking Alice is an understatement , Frank adores Alice seriously where have you been for the past six years" said James looking at Peter as if he was crazy
" I never noticed" replied Peter staring intently at Frank and Alice
" you are an idiot wormtail" stated Sirius
" talking of people liking people guess who asked Sapphire out" said Lily half amused yet half angry
" what kind of insensitive arsehole asks someone out when all of this is happening?" Asked James gob smacked
" arsehole number 1 aka Beric Dearborn" grimaced Lily
" prick! " exclaimed James
" prongs are you thinking what I'm thinking ?" glowered Sirius his eyes filled with rage
" guys wait till after things start to get back to normal the last thing Aria and Charlotte will want to see is people duelling" pointed out Sapphire
" I agree with Sapphire on this one, however after a suitable amount of time has passed I will happily help you two kick his sorry arse" said Remus
" Remus John Lupin! What has gotten in to you! Did I just hear you agree to not only condone physical violence but take part?" Exclaimed Sirius in mock shock before pretending to faint
" sod off padfoot " replied Remus kicking Sirius's 'unconscious' body
" anyway Lily dear I thought James was arsehole number one in your opinion" teased Sirius
" he has been temporarily bumped down to second" replied Lily almost smiling
" did you hear that prongs? you are now second on Lily's arsehole list, start planning the wedding now" smirked Sirius although in truth James did look quite happy to be second on the imaginary list
" I still want to know who has a girlfriend!" Demanded Sapphire impatiently
" didn't your grandmother ever tell you that patience is a virtue Sapphire?" teased Sirius
" yeah she did , that and every other pureblood cliche going but I want to know!" Insisted Sapphire
" put the poor girl out of her misery padfoot" said Remus
" she can wait just a little bit longer " grinned Sirius
" some best friend you are" pouted Sapphire
" fine it's Peter" declared Sirius finally
" really?!" Exclaimed Sapphire loudly, attracting the attention of nearby fourth years
" thanks for the confidence boost Sapphire" muttered Peter from the opposite couch
" sorry Peter it's just in all the time I've known you you've never had a girlfriend" said Sapphire apologetically
" don't worry about it " smiled Peter
" so who is she?" Asked Sapphire eagerly
" her names Estelle she goes to Beuxbatons" replied Peter proudly
" how did you meet her?" Asked Lily
" she was over here on holiday with her family staying in the holiday cottage near ours" explained Peter happily
" what's she like?" Said Sapphire
" she's really nice and funny , she even likes quidditch. I think you would like her" beamed Peter
" aww I'm really pleased for you Peter" smiled Sapphire fondly
" me too Peter" said Lily nicely
" I think we should go and see Charlotte now " said Sapphire
" yeah get Alice too she is over there with Frank" said Lily glancing over to where the pair sat
" let's go, see you later guys " said Ruby standing up and heading towards the staircase with the rest of the girls behind her. Tentatively Alice knocked on the door of Charlotte's dormitory
" who is it?" Called out Emmeline Vance in her usual loud voice
" just us" replied Alice her hand on the doorknob
" come on in" said the softer voice of Charlotte after a moments hesitation.
As soon as the four girls entered the room they were hit by the overwhelming smell of mint and possibly lavender. Charlotte was kneeling on the ground stirring a bubbling cauldron with one hand while flicking through ' Practical Potions for Practical People' with the other. Emmeline was sprawled out on the floor beside her chopping some green leaves with unneeded ferocity.
" hello" said Charlotte softly , looking up from the purple potion
" Charlotte I am re-" began Sapphire but Charlotte interrupted her
" if your going to tell me how sorry you are for my loss please don't, I've lost track of how many times people have said that to me it's driving me round the bend" she said with the hint of a smile
" of course I wasn't going to say that I was going to say that I um really like your outfit?" Suggested Sapphire half heartedly
" oh really" smirked Charlotte looking down at her grey sweatpants and white camisole top which was smeared with some sort of blue paste
" you know me Charlie always on the lookout for new and innovative fashion trends" joked Sapphire
" anything we can do to help you Charlie?" Asked Lily tenderly
" to be honest if you really want to help just keep me company and act normal" replied Charlotte
"Are you sure?" Lily pressed looking at Charlotte sympathetically
" yeah I mean everyone is going to be all weird now just like when my family died, what I really need is some normality. In time ill maybe want to talk about Jude but not right now" said Charlotte with a half smile
" okay doky then what are you making?" Asked Lily curiously peering into the cauldron
" a potion for dreamless sleep" explained Charlotte showing Lily the recipe
" for you?" Asked Sapphire looking over at the potions book
" for me and Aria" confirmed Charlotte adding a spoonful of bright purple powder which gave out a puff of smoke as it made contact with the cauldron
" how is she anyway?" Inquired Emmeline from where she was sprawled out cutting up dandelion roots
" she wanted us to leave her alone" shrugged Alice
" she was like that when we were home" said Charlotte worriedly
" she doesn't look herself" interjected Sapphire
" yeah Aria is a riot of happiness and colour , this just isn't her" pondered Lily
" well it is to be expected, remember what I was like after mum died" pointed out Alice sitting down on the floor beside Emmeline
" has she been sleeping?" Sapphire inquired of Charlotte
" nah she pretended to but I could hear her sobbing hence why I am making this" said Charlotte pointing to the simmering cauldron
" you know I'm sure Slughorn would give you some potion if you asked him" suggested Lily
" and the marauders probably have a vial or two" pointed out Sapphire
" nah I want to make it this take my mind off things besides if I asked Slughorn I'd have to listen to him prattle on about some old student of his" smiled Charlotte
" I wouldn't drink anything you got from the marauders anyway you never know what they could have done to it" laughed Lily
" think I should get rid of them then?" Joked Charlotte nodding to an absolutely massive bunch of flowers of all shapes sizes and colours that sat inside a pretty glass vase on the windowsill
" the marauders got you those?" Questioned Lily
" yeah they are the nicest bunch I have received so far" said Charlotte indicating to the various bunches of flowers that covered most of the available space in the room
" merlin it's like a florists in here" exclaimed Lily
" and I'll probably get more tomorrow at the memorial service" pointed out Charlotte a sad look passing across her face for a moment, Alice leaned across and rubbed her arm sympathetically
" speaking of the memorial service Sapphire can I borrow something of yours to wear? I don't own any appropriate black outfits except the one I wore to my parents funeral and that just doesn't seem right somehow" asked Charlotte
" sure help yourself to anything you like" smiled Sapphire
" If I did that it'd take me a few days" joked Charlotte
" I don't own that many clothes!" Defended Sapphire
" Sapphire I've been to department stores with less clothes than you" laughed Lily
" what can I say my parents try to buy my love and I'm powerless to stop them" smirked Sapphire
" yeah powerless " laughed Alice
" do you want to come look for an outfit now Charlie?" Suggested Sapphire
" sure this has to stew for an hour anyway" said Charlotte referring to the sleeping potion.
The four sixth year girls plus Charlie stood up and headed out the door. More flowers had arrived in the sixth year dormitory since they had left, Lily spotted a huge bunch similar to the one Charlotte had received from the marauders and guess they had also given a bunch to Aria. Aria herself was curled up on her bed but her blue eyes remained wide open. When they entered the room she bleated something about needing a shower and darted off to the bathroom. Sapphire strode over to her wardrobe and flung open the door.
" this always reminds me of Narnia or the Tardis " laughed Lily, while Sapphire's wardrobe was normal sized on the outside it was magically extended on the inside to fit all her clothes
" what in merlins name is narnia and Tardis?" Said a bemused Charlotte
" don't even ask " said Sapphire shaking her head, she had listened to Lily's explanations several times and was still none the wiser
" right this is here is black skirts above it is black tops " Sapphire told Charlotte indicating to a section of the wardrobe
" over there is black dresses and black dress robes help yourself" smiled Sapphire stepping back to allow Charlotte to get a better view
" watch you don't get lost in there" laughed Lily as Charlotte stepped into the wardrobe
" it's not that big!" Insisted Sapphire, she was met with four pairs of disbelieving eyes.
After Charlotte had picked out a simple yet elegant black dress they headed back up to the seventh year dormitory to check on the sleeping potion. When they entered Emmeline hopped off her bed and joined them beside the cauldron which was bubbling away merrily.
" Charlie are you feeling up to going to dinner cause if you aren't we can go to the kitchens or ill bring you something back?" Asked Emmeline looking over at her best friend
" I'll have to face everyone eventually plus I'm starving ill go" decided Charlotte after thinking for a few moments
" are you sure Charlie?" Inquired Lily concerned
" yeah just let me get changed first I can't go out looking like this" replied Charlotte indicating to her clothes, she stood up grabbed some clothes from her dresser and headed to the bathroom
" she's handling this really well" whispered Ruby
" I thought so too" agreed Alice in hushed tones
" this is her way of coping , she was exactly like this when her parents died" whispered Emmeline
" guys I may not be able to hear you but I know your talking about me!" Shouted Charlotte from the bathroom
" sorry " chorused the girls guiltily
" don't worry about it" smiled Charlotte as she returned to the room
" ready to go" Charlotte asked the room at large, they all nodded and headed out the room.
" we should see if Aria wants to come" suggested Lily as the walked down the stairs
" I doubt it but we can try" said Charlotte knocking on the door of the dormitory
" what?" Called out the voice of Aria weakly
" Aria it's us do you want to come down to dinner ?" Asked Charlotte
" no" replied Aria dully
" do you want us to bring you something back?" Called out Charlotte
" no" replied Aria again
" bye then" said Charlotte but she received no reply.
The common room wasn't as busy as it had been earlier meaning most people were having dinner in the great hall. When they arrived the hall was packed and talking loudly but once people started to notice Charlotte they fell silent and instead stared at her. Lily reached out an squeezes Charlotte's hand reassuringly, acting like she was oblivious to the staring mass of people Charlotte strode over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to the marauders. The rest of the girls followed her impressed by her quiet composure. Slowly but steadily the chatter started back up again.
" Charlotte we are-" started James but Charlotte cut him off
" no! I don't want to hear it! Seriously if I ever become minister for magic I'm going to ban that damn phrase" interrupted Charlotte as she viciously stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork
" sorry" mumbled James looking down
" it's alright just be normal please" begged Charlotte
" us be normal? You have clearly never met the marauders Charlie my dear" smirked Sirius his black hair falling ever so casually across his face
" your right you lot don't have a normal bone in your bodies" grinned Charlotte
" hey that's not fair I'm sure Remus has at least one" pointed out Lily
" yeah he's the sensible one " agreed Sapphire
" moony is even less normal than the rest of us" protested Sirius but he was met with disbelieving eyes
" if only you knew my dears if only you knew" said Sirius dramatically earning himself a punch in the arm from Remus and a chuckle from James
" guys I'm going to go sit with William ill see you later" said Alice looking over to where William had just entered the hall
" didn't they argue yesterday?" Asked Ruby after Alice was out of earshot
" yeah what a shock" said Lily sarcastically
" I mean why is she going to sit with him if they argued?" Said Ruby
" when it comes to William Alice's forgiveness knows no boundaries" said Sapphire rolling her eyes
" merlin why does she put up with him" exclaimed James looking over to where Alice was kissing William on the cheek
" our theory is that she hopes she can change him" said Sapphire
" why would she want to?" Said Sirius baffled
" apparently her dad wasn't the nicest of guys back in his Hogwarts days but when he met her mum he changed we think Alice wants to be like her mum" explained Lily while Sapphire nodded in agreement
" did she tell you this?" Questioned Remus
" nah but just look at who she's dated since her mum died" pointed out Sapphire
" remember she dated Beric Dearborn ugh " said Charlotte with a tone of disgust
" and that slytherin seventh year with the curly hair" added James
" Rainier was his name" said Lily
" what sort of name is Rainier" said Sirius
" what kind of name is Sirius" retorted James making the group laugh
" who else did she date?" Asked Remus
" well she's been with William for the past six months" said Sapphire indicating to where the couple sat with her fork
" oh look there's Maddie!" Exclaimed Lily gesturing a few seats along from the simpering couple
" who's Maddie?" Asked Charlotte James and Sirius in unison
" she came to us to give Aria her condolences apparently she was with Jude when he you know..." Explained Sapphire rather awkwardly
" that was nice of her" said Charlotte attempting a smile
" you don't have to pretend your not upset Charlie" reassured Lily
" I'm not pretending that I'm not upset of course I am but there is no use sitting around moping , I know for a fact Jude would much rather I got on with my life" said Charlotte firmly
" that's a good stance" said Remus although his eyes were full of pity for Charlotte
" plus this way I can go out and get the bastards that did it" she said fiercely
" hear hear" said Sirius raising his goblet in Charlotte's direction in his usual dramatic manner.
Suddenly Professor Mcgonagall appeared behind Sirius and asked Charlotte for a quick word. Charlotte got up and followed Mcgonagall from the hall.
" blimey how does she always do that" said Sirius
" do what?" Asked Lily
" appear out of thin air like that it freaks me out" said Sirius
" it freaks you out because she usually catches you doing something you shouldn't be doing" laughed Sapphire
" like she's never caught you Sapphy" retorted Sirius a mischievous look on his face
" me? I'm perfectly innocent darling" smirked Sapphire
" what about November last year? When she caught you in that cupboard..." Teased Sirius
" nobody needs to hear that story again Black" said Sapphire as the group roared with laughter
" what are we laughing at?" Asked Charlotte sitting back down beside Lily
" nothing" said Sapphire
" Sapphire" said Sirius at the same time
" do enlighten me" smiled Charlotte
" just talking about that time last year when Mcgonagall saw a bit more of Sapphire's assets than she would've like" laughed Sirius as Sapphire bounced peas off his head
" I almost forgot about that" laughed Charlotte , Sapphire was about to remind her about the time she and Jude got caught snogging in the Astronomy tower when she remembered what happened
" so what did Mcgonagall want?" Asked Sapphire
" just finalising the arrangements for tomorrow, you guys know you are helping release the lanterns right?" Said Charlotte, everyone nodded
" and that you've to wear a bit of either red or gold?"
" got my sparkly corset all ready " joked Sirius
" now that would be interesting " said Charlotte
" I've seen him in a corset before it ain't pretty" said James
" oh yeah like you looked good in yours " retorted Sirius
" do we even want to know?" Mused Lily
" you really don't I'm still scarred" said Remus
" oh don't pretend like you didn't enjoy it moony " teased Sirius with a saucy wink in remus's direction
" I'm finished I'm heading upstairs " said Charlotte, as everyone else was already finished they decided to go back to the tower too.
When they arrived back in the common room they found that Alice was already there. The four sixth year girls decided it was time to go check on their bereaved roommate.
" Aria how are you feeling?" Asked Alice tentatively as they entered the room
" how am I feeling? How am I feeling? Let me tell you how I'm feeling Alice I feel like fucking crap my brother is dead, my big brother is gone. He was 17 years old. Seventeen year olds don't die seventeen year olds go to school, sit exams, go to parties, get drunk , make friends, have sex , argue , play quidditch, listen to music, merlin some of them even have kids but they don't die they just don't. It's not supposed to happen like this Alice he was supposed to grow up and get a job and marry Charlotte and have kids he wasn't supposed to die!" Shouted Aria standing up and knocking over a vase of flowers.
Alice hurried over nervously and started to pick up the fallen flowers
" leave them! There just flowers Alice no one cares when flowers die cause there just flowers. Plus it's not like I'm running out of flowers I have flowers galore, every half an hour another stupid bunch arrives from someone. Someone that didn't care about Jude someone that didn't know him yet these people send me fucking flowers as if that makes up for him being dead.
' oh your brother died have some tulips it's practically the same thing' is that what people think. I hate this!" Shouted Aria stamping all over the pretty orange flowers that were strewn across the ground
" Aria we understand-" started Alice
" you don't understand Alice, I know your mum died but its not the same she was an auror that's what she done but Jude he was just a boy. He wasn't supposed to die he was supposed to have this great future with Charlotte." Shouted Aria sitting back down on her bed
" he wasn't supposed to leave me" she whimpered quietly as tears streamed down her face, quickly she pulled the bed hangings shut.
The girls tried in vain to get Aria to talk to them but nothing they said or did got a response. Eventually they left Aria in peace and headed down to the common room. When they went back up Aria was pretending to be asleep. However at around midnight Lily felt Aria climb into her bed beside her. Aria didn't say anything but Lily could tell she just needed comfort. Aria snuggled into Lily, her tears soaking Lily's top until she drifted off to sleep.