"Adumbro"

(Sketch out, silhouette, outline, represent; obscure; feign.)

Posted: 05/07/2008


"You're not eating anything Lils," Agnes said, noticing for the first time her friend practically hadn't touched her breakfast.

Lily looked up at her, "I'm just not hungry," she said, noticing the look exchanged between Agnes and Mary after she spoke. She sighed. "Girls, I'm just not very hungry. Doesn't mean I'm sick, alright?"

They nodded and, for some minutes, no one said anything. But, of course, silence never lasts forever.

"But you should eat, Lily," Mary said, pushing a piece of cake in her direction, "Even if you aren't sick right now, you'll be if you don't eat properly."

Lily smiled slightly. "Mary, I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself."

Agnes snorted, "I'm sure you can."

"What is that supposed to mean Aggie?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

"Agnes?"

"We heard you arrive this morning," Mary finally said, while Agnes nodded, "You slept in the common room. That's not normal. You're behaving weirdly. We've noticed it. Hell, I'm sure everyone's noticed it."

Lily shrugged, "I'm not behaving weirdly," she answered calmly, though she had the need to close her eyes and put her head between her arms. "I'm just… different. Don't worry, really, I've told you a billion times, I'm fine."

Agnes opened her mouth and started saying something, but Lily was oblivious to that. In that second, James and Remus had entered the Great Hall and were walking towards where Peter and Sirius were already eating. James' eyes locked briefly with hers, and she couldn't help but blush and smile timidly. He smiled as well, but it was an amused smile. It felt like ages since he had smiled at her like that.

"Lily! You're not listening to me, are you?" Agnes said in the background, but Lily didn't really turn her attention to her even when she wasn't staring at James anymore.

Mary smiled goofily. "Leave it. She's not going to listen to a word you say now. Wonder Head Boy has entered the room."

Agnes, who was sitting opposite Mary and Lily and, therefore, couldn't really see the entrance, turned her neck to see where James was. He was already sitting with his friends and the end of the table and didn't even notice her staring.

"Is there something you need to tell us?" Agnes asked as she smiled at Lily, "You're blushing like a first year that just saw the quidditch captain with his chest showing."

Lily and Mary looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Don't change the subject, alright? Did you just blush because of Potter?" Agnes asked.

Lily shrugged. "What does it matter?"

"'What does it matter', she asks," Agnes said, laughing sarcastically, "That's a good one. And you still say you're not acting weird."

"Leave it, Aggie! I can't even look at a guy anymore and there you go making speculations!"

Mary looked at the two of them bemused, "God, join two hot-headed girls and see what happens."

Agnes ignored her, "So?" she asked Lily.

"It's just that he found me asleep in the common room yesterday," Lily finally gave in, "And he laid me down in the common room couch so I wouldn't sleep on a chair."

Mary looked confused, "If he woke you up, why didn't you come to your dormitory?"

Lily looked down the table to where James was eating his cereals, "He didn't."

"He didn't wake you up?" Agnes asked, "That's so sweet!"

"Wait," Mary said, "He didn't wake you up? Then how do you know it was him?"

Lily smiled, "He left me his robe. So I wouldn't be cold. It smells so good."

The two girls stared at her in shock. Mary spoke first.

"I think we missed something," she said, "I think we missed something big."

"Oh, shut up."

"Shut up my arse! Can I remind you that you never admitted James Potter was remotely human, let alone that he smelled good?" Agnes said, looking at her friend like she hadn't really taken a look at her in ages.

"Do you like him?"

The question from Mary caught her out of guard. She didn't know why, she should have been expecting that one, but for some reason so strange to her, that hadn't really crossed her mind.

"I-I don't think so," she said, her eyes travelling ever so frequently to where James was sitting, "I mean- I had never actually thought about that."

The two other Gryffindor girls just stared at her, more confused than ever about what was going through Lily Evans' head.

"Let's get going to class?"