Thanks for the reviews, ShashankRaj, CB and AnnaMT. Cheers!
ShashankRaj: Haha, that's flattering! I'm sorry – if you want a large number of chapters in a small time frame, you'll have to wait like three months for me to write four or five chapters… I guess this is better, then. :-P
CB: Hey, you're back! Here you go – next chapter's up!
AnnaMT: Totally! Bloody Gryffindors – never heard the phrase 'Better safe than sorry', I suppose!
Hello everyone, here is chapter four. Readers, please review. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.
Chapter Four
"The best way to learn a subject is to teach it."
"You have a plan?" repeated Marlene, her eyebrows raised. James grinned. "Yep," he said confidently, and Marlene shook her head. "That's what I'm afraid of," she said, a little tensely.
"Don't worry – it's going to work," said James firmly, as more people ran past them. He looked left and right before turning to face them all. "Right – I'm going to get as close as I can to those dustbins, and try to blow them open or something. Those goons won't be able to defend themselves until it's too late!"
"Don't be ridiculous," said Lily, shaking her head, "That's just stupid! Are you telling me you're going to run right towards the dustbins? You're just going to get hurt!"
"I'll be Disillusioned, Lily," said James impatiently, and she drew in a sharp breath. An embarrassed smile came to her face; she had disregarded that possibility. "All right, then – I can take care of that," she said, and James grinned. "Right – I'm going to run straight ahead – Lily, Marlene, cover me, OK? Once I'm close, I'll blast those dustbins – then, Sirius, Liz, proceed towards the people trapped inside. Got that?"
"Understood," said Liz, nodding.
"And while they're doing the rescuing, Lily and I will assist you, James," said Marlene, and Lily nodded in agreement. James nodded and grinned before raising his wand. "No – let me," said Lily at once, and raised her wand. "Pellucidus!" she whispered, tapping him on the shoulder with her wand; a second later, he almost vanished from view, courtesy of her powerful Disillusionment Charm.
"Wow – nice one, Evans," said Black admiringly. Lily smiled thinly and said, "I've been practising…"
"Right – you all ready?" came James's disembodied voice, as more screams rent the air; the attackers had clearly upped the ante. "I'm going in – cover me!" added James, and (presumably) set off towards the dustbins. However, to their shock, he suddenly reappeared two seconds later – it looked like the Disillusionment Charm had worn off.
"No! Help me, Mar!" Lily yelled, just as a jet of yellow light flew towards James; Lily quickly countered it with a Stunner which deflected the spell. James kept running ahead, and Lily and Marlene set off in hot pursuit, shielding him from the jets of light that flew in his direction. My word, he's crazy! Lily thought frantically as she ran. He's just running headlong into danger! And how did the Disillusionment Charm come off? Do the attackers have a protective barrier that can remove it? She kept using the Shield Charm again and again, protecting him – just as Marlene shouted, "Protego!" too, extending her own Shield Charm to cover them both.
"Wildschweinus!" James screamed, and to Lily's great surprise, one of the dustbins suddenly transformed into a – wild boar, of all things. The goons recoiled in surprise, as the angry beast reared its head and gorged the closest thug with its tusks. Taking advantage of their distraction, James shot a Stunner at them, but it missed – there was a jet of green light instead, and the wild boar fell to the ground heavily, dead.
"Diffindo!" yelled Lily, and a couple of the dustbins were sliced in half. "Reducto!" Marlene shouted, and the remaining dustbins were reduced to pieces. Their protection gone, the thugs began to rain spells upon Lily, Marlene and James, who managed to block or deflect all the jets of light. "Stup –" Lily screamed, but was forced to dodge a jet of blue light that came her way. Dammit – I can't get a clear shot! she thought in frustration. She hated being reduced to defending herself, but the attackers were too skilled to let up, and she could feel themselves being overpowered. However, to her relief, she could hear footsteps behind her, and understood – more witches and wizards were coming to their aid.
"No, heads up, James!" she shouted as three jets of light headed his way. She cast a Shield Charm to protect him; it worked, but she was thrown off-balance by the force of the spells. She fell backwards and hit her head on the cobbled street. "Ow," she moaned dizzily, just as James called out, "No – Lily!"
"'M'OK," she groaned, trying to get up, but the world swirled around her once again, and she closed her eyes and let out another soft groan. She could feel someone shaking her shoulder, as an unfamiliar voice yelled, "Look – Aurors!"
"Enough – let's go!" another uncouth voice snarled, and Lily opened her eyes just in time to see three hooded figures vanish into thin air. No, they got away! she thought angrily, but there was nothing that could be done…
"Lily!" came Marlene's worried voice. "Lily – you OK? Say something!"
"I'm fine," she managed to whisper, before trying to sit up. "Easy there," said James, and he supported her as she slowly pulled herself upright. Around her, smoke still rose from the Apothecary, but there were several witches and wizards who were trying to put out the fire.
Her hand was still on James's shoulders, and his other arm was wrapped around her firmly as they walked ahead slowly towards the half-burnt Apothecary. Lily felt grateful and embarrassed at the same time due to James's support, but she let him half-lead, half-carry her with him as Liz and Sirius came into view.
"Lily!" Liz exclaimed at once, "Blimey, you're bleeding!" She immediately pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket, and pressed it on Lily's forehead. The slight wetness of the kerchief made Lily realize dully that she was indeed bleeding; she'd cut herself when her head had hit the ground.
Black gave her a concerned glance before saying, "Nicely done – when you three set off, Hunt and I sneaked towards the back window and blasted it open. People came out one by one, and Hunt Summoned their wands – some of them joined you, as did some other shoppers. Then the Aurors arrived – Fortescue came through for us!"
Just then, the man in question came running up to them. "I told you to stay out of trouble!" he exclaimed, before glancing at Lily's forehead. "Wait – let me take care of that," he said; pulling out his wand, he tapped Lily's forehead and whispered, "Episkey." The cut healed at once, and Lily noted to her relief that her forehead felt unblemished and whole once more. "Thanks, Mr Fortescue!" she said gratefully, and the man nodded at her briefly.
"C'mon, Florean – they were attacking people, we couldn't just sit around!" James reasoned. He was still supporting Lily; realizing that she could stand steadily now, she said awkwardly, "Er – thanks, James – I think I'm OK now." He nodded and withdrew his hand, and she stepped away from him before swaying on the spot immediately. "Still a bit woozy," she admitted, steadying herself.
"Thought I'd find you here," came a familiar voice, and Lily and the others swung around to find Mr Potter standing there. "Dad!" James exclaimed, and Mr Potter gave him a tired sort of smile. "Why," he began with an air of resignation, "Is it that I find you all wherever there's trouble?"
"Er – bad timing?" suggested Black, and they all smiled nervously. Mr Potter shook his head and asked, "What happened? A couple of blokes over there said that they saw three teenagers running right at the villains responsible for this mess – so, tell me, what were you thinking?"
The last few words came out with a fair bit of fury, and Lily saw James shrink back slightly. "Er – well – you see, Dad, those goons had barricaded themselves behind those big dustbins –"
"They set the Apothecary on fire," Black interrupted earnestly. Together, the five of them narrated what had happened briefly, as Mr Potter's eyes narrowed more and more. He appeared to debate internally whether to reprimand them before asking, "And why is there a – wild boar next to the dustbins?"
"That was me – I Transfigured one of the dustbins to distract them," said James, grinning rather proudly. "Worked well, didn't it?"
"Yep," said Lily, and Marlene nodded fervently. "Nice move," she said admiringly, and James's smile widened. "I figured we could use some pork chops for dinner after the battle," he remarked dryly. Lily rolled her eyes but chose not to wisecrack as the others guffawed.
Mr Potter remained unamused, however. "Look – I know you're fancying yourselves as soldiers – rescuers – heroes, of some sort," he said disapprovingly, "But listen to me – this is serious business. If something like this happens around you, you need to get out of there – and you need to contact the authorities. Is that understood?" The force in his voice was unmistakeable, and they all nodded meekly. Lily noted that James was looking rather mutinous, but there was no doubt: Mr Potter had a point, perhaps they should've stayed out of the way.
"We managed to stop them," James said sullenly, and Mr Potter shook his head. "You're lucky you didn't get killed," he said bluntly. "These people are dangerous and unpredictable – leave this to the professionals. And that goes for the rest of you, as well," he added, surveying the group as a whole, and they all nodded once again.
There was a silence, but Mr Potter broke it. "That being said, it was extremely brave of you to try and help," he said. Lily caught the note of pride in his voice and her heart lightened at once. "I will never forget what you did for us a few months ago," Mr Potter continued, "But please – please, try to stay out of trouble. These are dark and dangerous times, and schoolchildren like you all should stay safe, not charge headlong into trouble like this."
"We understand," said James. "We were just trying to –"
"I know, son," Mr Potter cut across him swiftly, his tone proud and exasperated at the same time. "Now – go home, all of you – before people start getting worried."
"Er – Mr Potter," Lily began uncertainly, as familiar fears took a hold of her once again. "Er – we did magic outside of –"
"I'll take care of it, dear," the older man said kindly, and Lily relaxed at once. "Thank you," she said gratefully, and he nodded. "Right – now, back to the Leaky Cauldron, all of you – and don't forget your things," he said, and Lily recognized the dismissal. With a final wave at him, the little group proceeded to Florean Fortescue's took their bags, and began to trudge towards the Leaky Cauldron.
"He could've been more grateful," grumbled James as they walked through the archway that connected Diagon Alley to the Leaky Cauldron. "But no-o-o, we just get scolded –"
"He had a point," Lily countered, "And he's right – didn't you notice, those goons nearly overpowered us? I couldn't fire a single attacking spell!"
"That's because you were busy protecting James," said Marlene, with a barely concealed note of amusement in her voice. Lily blushed and said with discomfort, "Well – someone had to! He's clearly thick enough to not do it himself!"
"Ah, I always knew you had my back, Evans," said James, with a familiar cocky grin as he slung an arm across her shoulders. She shook him off and said reprovingly, "Not a laughing matter, you prat! Thank God they didn't fire a Killing Curse at you, there's no defence against it!"
"Don't worry – James would've just dived out of the way," said Liz reasonably, also smirking. "In any case, he could attack because he had you protecting him –"
Lily's embarrassed retort was lost as everyone else guffawed, and she could feel her cheeks flaming. Really, teasing her with James – in front of him, that too? She shook her head and tried to look as dignified as possible as they passed Tom the barman and stood in front of the fireplace.
"Right – well, fun day," said James, "See you on September the First!"
"Yep," said Liz, and a round of hugs and goodbyes followed. James pulled Lily into a tight embrace and whispered, "Thank you, Evans – I'm glad you have my back." Lily grinned despite herself and said softly, "Count on it." They broke apart, and the boys waved at the girls one last time before stepping into the fireplace and vanishing.
Lily immediately rounded on Liz and Marlene. "Really?" she said, her tone laced with annoyance, as her friends smirked. "How immature! Why're you teasing me with James?"
"Because it's fun," said Marlene, but Liz went a step further. "Because something's going to happen between the two of you – where there's smoke, there's fire, Lily!" she said mischievously.
"Why would anything happen?" Lily asked in confusion. "James and I became friends just a couple of months ago! We barely even know each other!"
"You know each other enough," Liz responded, her sea-green eyes dancing with mischief, as Marlene began to laugh again. "It would be great if you did get together with James," her best friend added, "You two would make a very cute couple!"
"And you'd have such pretty children! I mean, James is definitely good-looking –"
"C'mon, so is she! Just imagine – when they have a girl, and when she grows up to this age – my God, boys would be queuing up for her!"
"And if it's a boy – his hair will turn red every time he gets angry – ooh, wouldn't that be funny?" Marlene said, and Liz snorted with laughter. "If he has his Mum's temper, his hair will permanently be red," she said wickedly.
"All right – enough," Lily said with as much dignity she could muster, but failing horribly. "If you're done planning my marriage – let's go home, shall we?"
"As you wish," said Liz, who was still laughing. Turning to Marlene, she asked, "Come over, Mar?"
"Nah, can't – Allan's coming around for dinner tonight," said Marlene, before looking at her watch and letting out a loud exclamation. "Oh, no! I was supposed to help! I hope Mum's not back yet – or else she's going to be livid!" She waved a quick goodbye to them before stepping into the fireplace and spinning out of sight.
"Well, let's go, then," said Liz, and Lily nodded. Within seconds, they were back in Liz's living room. They headed upstairs to dump their stuff, before taking quick baths to clean themselves up. Finally, after dinner (and an account of the day's events that culminated in another admonishment from Liz's parents), they settled down comfortably on Liz's bed.
"So – James," said Liz promptly, and Lily made a face. "Ugh, enough – let's talk about you and Blackie instead!" She winked suggestively at Liz, and was satisfied to see a faint tinge of colour on her best friend's cheeks. She swept her long blonde hair back before saying, "There's nothing to talk about!"
"I think there is," said Lily, smirking like a Cheshire Cat. "I know you still like him, and you're not doing anything about it out of respect for Marlene, but when she's given you her blessing herself –"
"I still don't know how I feel!" Liz burst out.
"Liar," said Lily, her smirk widening. "I saw how you were looking at him during our DADA OWL –"
"Rubbish! I was nowhere near him!"
"You were right behind him, and when you'd finished writing, you just stared at him with such longing that –"
"No, I didn't!"
"And today – when he was praising you for your quick thinking with the Summoning Charm – it looked like you were two seconds away from jumping into his arms –"
"Rubbish!" Liz exclaimed again, and Lily laughed openly. Liz slammed a pillow in her face, and Lily gave another shout of laughter before retaliating in kind. A pillow-fight of sorts ensued, until finally, Lily had the upper hand; she held both pillows against a defenceless Liz and said triumphantly, "Admit it – you like him, and you'd like nothing more than have a good snog with ol' Sirius Black!"
"Never!" exclaimed Liz stubbornly, and was promptly whacked in her face with a pillow. "What's the –" she started to say, but Lily whacked her with a pillow again. "Admit it!" she said, smiling widely.
"OK, OK! I like him – happy?" Liz said, holding up her hands in surrender, her face flushed. Lily grinned and said, "Considerably." Liz rolled her eyes before laying back down on her bed, and Lily followed suit.
"Are you going to tell him?" she asked with a sideways glance at Liz, who shrugged. "I dunno," she said uncertainly, "What if he doesn't feel the same way?"
"He does," said Lily confidently, and Liz turned to her swiftly. "What makes you say that?" she asked, her tone doubtful yet eager at the same time. Lily wrinkled her forehead and pondered. "Nothing concrete, I suppose," she said finally, and Liz shrank back in disappointment. "But just the way he looks at you – I think he likes you, too. It's a feeling," she added.
"I dunno," said Liz again. Lily squeezed her shoulder affectionately and said, "Well – the best way to find out is to take a chance. Who knows?"
"I guess," replied Liz, with a small smile. "We'll see…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The rest of Lily's holiday passed without incident, and she returned home on the thirtieth of August to spend some time with her parents before she left for Hogwarts. She was going to go back to Liz's on September the First, with her trunk this time, and they would be going to King's Cross together.
With Petunia absent, Lily had a much easier time at home, laughing and talking with her parents as she went over a final check on her trunk. The night before she left, they all had dinner, and through her parents' prodding, Lily briefly narrated what had transpired between her and Petunia a few days ago. Her parents were naturally distressed (even when she concealed what Petunia had said about being the second-favourite child), but assured her that one day, her sister would come around. Lily had given them a sceptical sort of smile before not saying anything more on the subject.
Finally, September the First arrived. Lily was quite excited to be starting her sixth year, and made her way to Liz's after an affectionate goodbye to her parents, assuring them that she'd be seeing them on Christmas. "I didn't know you could Floo directly to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters," said Lily, as Liz handed her a pinch of Floo Powder. Liz gave her a confused look and said, "Well – you can't! Blimey, just as well you asked me now – we're going to the Leaky Cauldron, and from there we can go to King's Cross – either we walk, or take the Muggle Underground. That's how I go there every year."
"Oh!" Lily exclaimed. She had never really wondered how Liz travelled to London; she'd simply assumed that it was by magic… Well it is, she thought wryly. Just not how I thought it would be…
About an hour later, Lily and Liz were walking through the enchanted barrier at King's Cross, pushing their trunks (mounted on trolleys) ahead of them. The sight of the familiar scarlet steam engine sent a leap of excitement through Lily. It was time to go back…
"Well – shall we find a compartment?" Liz asked her, and she nodded. "It has to be quick – I need to go to the Prefects' compartment," she replied.
"Ooh, Little Miss Prissy, the Perfect Prefect," said Liz mockingly, and Lily gave her a little punch on the arm. "At least I'm not leaving you to carry my trunk," she said, and Liz grinned. "I'd sooner leave it on the platform," she teased, and Lily contented herself with a shake of her head. "Some friend you are," she said, and Liz's smile grew wider. "I try," she said, a little loftily, and Lily rolled her eyes before following her best friend onto the train.
They stowed their trunks into an empty compartment, and Lily pressed the sleeping Cavana's cage into Liz's hands. "Watch her – I'll be back by lunchtime," she said, before changing into her robes quickly, and setting off towards the Prefects' compartment. She didn't want to be late, so she broke into a jog, stopping only when she bumped into someone who had just exited the compartment on her left.
"Oh, sorry," she murmured quickly, stepping back; the boy turned, and Lily felt a strange rush of anger and dislike. It was a completely foreign feeling – she only remembered that emotion when she'd ever come across Mulciber or Avery. Well, it wasn't Mulciber this time – it was Severus.
"Er – hi, Lily," he said bravely, after an awkward pause. "Had a good summer?"
Lily shook her head and tried to shove past him, but he grabbed her hand. "Please – please, talk to me," he pleaded, but she angrily shook him off. Shooting him a look of pure fury, she snapped, "I'd rather eat Hippogriff dung." She marched ahead with her nose in the air, aware that he was following her and mumbling something – but she didn't pay him any attention.
"Remus!" she greeted her friend as soon as she entered the Prefects' compartment, ignoring her former friend who was still right behind her. The brown-haired boy grinned and said, "'Morning, Lily – quite an adventure you lot had in Diagon Alley, didn't you?"
"Yup," she responded, glad for the distraction. She began to relate it to Remus softly, and out of the corner of her eye, spotted Severus sit some distance away, shooting them glances that alternated between furious and resentful. She determinedly avoided eye contact with him, greeting the other Prefects instead as they filed into the compartment one by one. Finally, the Head students arrived, and Lily drew in a sharp breath; the Head Boy was none other than Kevin Bell, Liz's ex-boyfriend. Up close, he looked even more handsome. The Head Girl was a medium-heighted, dark-haired witch with an expressionless sort of face and a prominent chin.
"Welcome," Kevin said cheerfully. "My name's Kevin Bell, and this is Natalie Sutton – we're your Head Students this year. How about – we start off by introducing ourselves, so that the new Prefects know who the rest of us are." They all obeyed, and the Head students followed the introductions with the usual – patrol timetables, Prefect duties, and a reminder that Prefects could only dock points from their own Houses.
Severus lingered outside the compartment after the meeting, but Lily waited for everyone else but Remus to leave before standing up herself; she simply ignored him and marched smartly past him with Remus in tow. She nodded to the other sixth-year Slytherin Prefect, Ashley Bond, who was standing a little way up the corridor, staring outside the window and clearly lost in thought. As she noticed Lily, however, the dark-haired girl said pleasantly, "Hello, Lily – good summer?"
"Yep – not bad," she replied politely. She liked Ashley; they'd worked together on a Potion once, and Ashley's sarcastic sense of humour was remarkably similar to Lily's own. Lily supposed that she was the only Slytherin in their year who didn't mind being associated with Muggle-borns; on a better day, she would've counted Severus in that bracket, but that wasn't the case anymore.
"How was your summer?" she continued, and Ashley gave her a small smile that didn't reach her light-blue eyes. "It was OK," was all she said, before stealing a glance to somewhere behind Lily. "Still not talking to Snape, are you?" she added in an undertone, and Lily felt a rush of anger. "No," she whispered aggressively, and Ashley grinned. "I don't blame you," she said softly, "That git brought it upon himself." Her gaze turned towards Remus, and she said, "I don't think we've met – Ashley Bond."
"Remus Lupin," said Remus, shaking the offered hand; Lily noted that his eyebrows were raised, and his voice carried a note of surprise. "Ah, yes – awfully good at Defence, aren't you?" Ashley asked, and Remus gave her a slight smile. "Lily's better," he said, with a sideways glance at her, and Ashley grinned. "Lily's better at almost everything," she said, "Tell me, Lily – how many O's did you get on your OWLs?"
"Er – six," said Lily, blushing a little. Ashley's grin widened, and she turned back to Remus and said, "Like I said, better at almost everything. You should be teaching the Slytherin dunderheads in our year –"
"How many O's did you get?" Lily cut across her swiftly, not wanting to hear any more praise. Ashley chuckled a little and said, "Six."
"Then you must be praising me to imply that you're frightfully intelligent," Lily said dryly, and Remus snorted. Ashley's smile widened, and she responded, "Perhaps." She didn't say anything more, however, continuing to smile instead before averting her eyes. Lily noted the change in her behaviour from before; she wasn't particularly interested in making conversation, and her smile seemed forced. Indeed, there were worry lines clearly etched on her face.
"Er – Ashley? Is everything all right?" Lily asked tentatively, and Ashley seemed to snap out of her reverie. "Yes, of course," she said quickly, too quickly in Lily's opinion. She averted her eyes again, and to Lily's shock, they'd filled with sudden tears.
She signalled for Remus to go ahead, and her friend wrinkled his forehead before obeying and leaving. Lily placed a comforting hand on Ashley's shoulder, and said gently, "What is it, Ashley?" That little act of kindness from Lily was enough for the other girl to let out a little sob, and Lily hugged her and stroked her back comfortingly as Ashley broke down completely. Finally, after a few seconds, she drew back and gave an embarrassed little sniff.
"Sorry – didn't mean to do that," she said thickly, "I – I'll see you around, then…"
But before she could walk off, Lily grabbed her hand. "You're not going anywhere," she said softly, her voice firm. "Tell me what the problem is – perhaps I can help you!"
"No one can help me," said Ashley, with another sad sniff, "It's done…"
At that moment, a girl with brown hair came up to them. "Ash?" she asked, concerned, "What happened, Ash?" She rounded on Lily and asked rather rudely, "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing!" Lily said, stepping back defensively. She had recognized Brenda Hastings, another Slytherin sixth-year and apparently, a friend of Ashley's. "She just started crying, and I was trying to help –"
"We don't need your help," said Brenda loftily, and slung an arm around Ashley's shoulders. "C'mon, Ash – let's go… I've got some Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Frogs, that'll cheer you up!" she said to her friend, who remained static.
"She was trying to help, Bren," Ashley said thickly. "And perhaps she can…" Turning to Lily, she added, "Follow us to our compartment, and I'll tell you."
Intrigued, Lily obeyed at once, and silently followed Ashley and a reluctant Brenda into their compartment. There was another girl sitting there, with dark-blonde hair and blue eyes, who rose as they entered. She cast a suspicious glance at Lily, who gave her a tentative sort of smile that was merely met with a hostile look.
Everyone sat down, and Ashley said, "Look – I need your help, OK? I know that you know James Potter, Liz Huntington and Marlene McKinnon…"
"I do," said Lily, nonplussed. "But what –"
"Their parents work at the Ministry," Ashley interrupted. "They might know something – anything that can be done."
"About what?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows. Ashley closed her eyes as though steeling herself, before opening them again and locking her light-blue gaze onto Lily's emerald-green one. "D'you remember me telling you once that my father – he's a Hit Wizard?"
"Yes," said Lily.
"Well – there was a raid, and he – he –" Ashley let out another strangled sob, and her friends tried to comfort her. "He was one of the people that got injured," Brenda supplied to Lily in an undertone. "Mr Bond is in St Mungo's – unconscious, and getting worse day by day."
"They don't know what's wrong with him, other than he was exposed to some kind of poison," the girl with dark-blonde hair said. "They're trying to figure it out, though…"
Ashley surfaced, wiping her eyes. "Apparently, the Ministry was working on poison antidotes – Felicity here thinks it was under the initiative of that Researcher, Madam Burke," she said, with a sideways glance at the girl with brown-blonde hair. "Her Dad heard a rumour like that – Regardless of whether it's true, that research was affected – because Madam Burke was attacked… Twice! Apparently, she's in hiding now – and no one can help my Dad!" A fresh wave of tears came to her eyes, and she covered her face again.
"Er – I'll talk to James and Liz and Marlene," said Lily firmly. "Don't worry – I'll see if they can help you…"
"The Ministry – they're just a bunch of prissy, arrogant people in spick-and-span robes who couldn't give a rat's fart about the people who do all the important work – Aurors, Hit Wizards and the like," said Ashley savagely. "No wonder more and more people are joining You-Know-Who – with the Ministry's attitude like this, no one thinks we can win the war!"
A heavy silence followed this ominous outburst. Lily frowned; she didn't particularly have much of respect for the Ministry, but if they didn't treat their injured and fallen employees better, she could sort of see Ashley's point. She stood up; giving Ashley's shoulder a gentle squeeze, she said softly, "Don't worry – I'll see what I can do. Maybe they can help, put more pressure on the Ministry internally…"
Ashley smiled wetly. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "I appreciate it…"
"You're welcome," said Lily, returning her smile. With a nod to the other two Slytherins, who looked less suspicious and somewhat friendlier, she exited the compartment and began to walk back to her own, deep in thought.
So, poison was being used as a weapon by the Death Eaters. Well, that was bad news… As if the damage from attacks wasn't enough, she thought acidly. Muggles and Muggleborns were being targeted, and there had been a substantial number of deaths over the past few years. So, why would they be using poison now?
The answer came to her soon enough. If they had access to some kind of unknown poison, they could simply expose their targets to it, and watch them die slowly and painfully. The Avada Kedavra Curse was a powerful tool for killing, but it wasn't infallible… True, there wasn't a direct defence against it, but it could be dodged, and if one was quick enough to Summon something in the way of the Curse, one would be safe. But as for unknown poisons…
This is just another way to spread terror and fear amongst the masses, she thought. An unknown danger is much harder to face than a known enemy… And to face an unidentified poison was a deadly prospect. She marvelled at the weapons the Death Eaters had in their arsenal. Really, was this it? Couldn't they be stopped at all?
"Hello," she greeted her friends dully as soon as she entered their compartment. There were now several people in there aside from Liz and Marlene; Mary and the Marauders were also present. By the looks of it, everyone had just finished lunch, and seemed to be engaged in swapping Chocolate Frog Cards.
"Hey," said Liz, "Where were you? Were you walking the new Prefects through their duties, as well?" She laughed at her own joke, and some of the others chuckled, too. Lily smiled as James gave her a quick hug, before exchanging pleasantries with the others; she sat down next to Mary and hungrily unwrapped a Cauldron Cake. "Ha, ha… Funny," she said to Liz, "I met a few people." She didn't elaborate, but something in her voice probably gave her away, because Liz asked, "What happened? Everything OK?"
Sighing, Lily related what had transpired between her and Ashley Bond. She finished by saying, "She specifically asked me if I could talk to you – to ask you to speak to your parents, Liz and Marlene – and you too, James." She spared him a sideways glance. "She wants to know if your parents know anything about this new poison – 'coz St Mungo's has told her and her Mum that it's definitely a poison, something that they have still failed to identify."
There was an ominous silence, before James broke it. To her surprise, his hazel eyes carried no warmth as he asked, "Are you sure she was telling the truth, Lily? What if she's looking for information?"
"What do you mean?" Lily asked curiously. He sighed and said, "Look – her Dad may be in St Mungo's, but perhaps for some other reason. For all we know, he may even be secretly working for Voldemort and the Death Eaters – to see what we know about this new poison that they've been using as a weapon."
"Er – don't you think that's a little far-fetched, James?" Lily asked impatiently, and Marlene sided with her at once. "I agree," she said, "She was crying, James – Lily told us she seemed distraught."
"Mark my words – these slimy Slytherins can't be trusted," said Black, shaking his head and coming to his best friend's defence. "Lily here trusted Snivellus – and we all know how that turned out."
There was a deadly silence in the compartment. Everyone looked from Lily to Black, as though unsure how to react; Lily herself gave him a scorching glare, and he averted his eyes. I cannot believe he brought that up, she thought furiously. But before she could say anything, James gave Black a light smack on his head. "That's irrelevant – focus on Bond, Padfoot," he said evenly.
Lily's anger evaporated almost instantly. This had been a golden opportunity for James Potter to bad-mouth Severus Snape – and, to her astonishment, he had passed it up. Unbelievable, she thought. There could only be one explanation for this – James valued their incipient friendship, and he didn't want to do anything that could damage it. She gave him a gratified nod and continued, "My point, Black – is that every case is different." Turning to James, she added, "Why do you think she could be faking it?"
"Because," he said slowly, "I heard my parents talking about this stuff recently. They said that St Mungo's had three cases of Aurors showing up with unexplained symptoms, and they'd just recently concluded that it was a poison of some sort. We don't know what it is – though rumour has it that the Burke lady – who was targeted twice in the past couple of months – is the one who is working on the antidote."
"That would explain why she was targeted," Marlene said thoughtfully. "She's in hiding, isn't she?"
"Yep," said Mary. "I can sort of see James's point – if Ashley Bond's father is really an agent for the Dark Side, it would help them understand how much progress has been made with the antidote."
"He's a Hit Wizard, for Heaven's sake!" Lily exclaimed. "He's on our side!"
"Could be a double agent – you never know!" James responded stubbornly. "All I'm saying is, we need to be careful about who we trust."
Lily turned to Liz for support. "C'mon, Liz – you've worked with her, she's OK, right?"
Liz considered before saying carefully, "Yes – she seems OK to me… But you never know. People can be good actors, and her apparent distress could've simply been for your benefit."
Lily shook her head; clearly, convincing her friends to help wasn't working out as well as she'd thought. She racked her brains to try a different tack – but it was the hitherto silent Peter who spoke.
"I think we can have a compromise, of sorts," he said, a little nervously, shrinking back as all eyes turned to him; however, he raised his chin determinedly and continued, "Say, for now, your parents do make inquiries – and get back to you. It really is up to us, how much we want to tell that Bond girl, isn't it?" There was a pause as everyone mulled over this, and Peter ploughed on, "You can even ask your parents if they think her Dad is on our side – or some kind of spy. It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?"
"A simple and surprisingly elegant solution, mate," said James, clapping the fat boy on the back. Peter went pink with pleasure, and Lily gave him a cheerful smile and said, "You're right, Peter! So, it's settled then, right?" She gave Marlene, Liz and James hopeful glances, and to her relief, they all nodded.
"Fair enough," said Liz. "We can ask them what they think – then see what can be done."
Lily smiled triumphantly, glad that Peter's suggestion had been accepted. Perhaps there was more to this than what met the eye… It didn't seem like an open-and-shut issue. What was clear, though, was the fact that the new poison was dangerous and potent, and unfortunately, still unidentified. The person who had apparently been working on the antidote was targeted by Death Eaters, which indicated her competence and abilities. Perhaps the Dark Side was afraid that she would succeed, and that the antidote would seriously hamper their plans to wreak new havoc on Britain's Wizarding population… She frowned. Had the attack on the Apothecary a few days ago been an amateurish attempt to prevent the researcher from obtaining new ingredients? She shook her head; if that was the case, the attackers had to be really naïve… Didn't they understand that there were so many better places to procure Potions ingredients?
The rest of the journey passed enjoyably, with games of Exploding Snap, more food, and a healthy discussion on the NEWTs that they'd be taking. Peter was still fretting over whether he'd be allowed to take Potions and Herbology… He had A's in those subjects, and he wasn't sure Professors Slughorn and Sprout would allow him to continue.
"I only got an 'E' in Charms because of you, Lily," he said, giving her a sad smile. "An 'E' in Defence and an 'O' in Transfiguration – that's it. I have an 'A' in all other subjects, and I failed History and Divination."
"Nobody cares about those two subjects, Pete," said Black dismissively.
"I think Slughorn and Sprout may allow you to continue, Pete – if you promise to study remedial Potions or Herbology," said Lily reassuringly. "In fact, I'm ready to help you with Potions – perhaps in our first class, I'll talk to Slughorn and ask if that can be done. Yes – I'll do that," she added resolutely.
The fat boy's face lit up at once. "You'd do that?" he asked her, smiling hopefully. She smiled back at him and ruffled his hair. "Sure, why not?" she said cheerfully. "The best way to learn a subject is to teach it."
"You've inspired me, Evans," said Black. "Pete – I'll give you a hand with Herbology, mate. And if I run out of patience, Mary can take over, right, Mary?" Mary smiled and nodded. Peter was now smiling so widely that his eyes were crinkled to slits. "Thanks!" was all he said, though. Lily gave him an encouraging grin before staring out of the window.
"I can see Hogwarts," she said, and at her words, the boys stood up. "We'll see you later – after we change," said James, and with smiles and waves, the Marauders exited their compartment. "I wonder how they can be so far away from their luggage for this long," Marlene commented. "I can't do it!"
"Why, are you worried someone's going to open your trunk and see your teddy-bear knickers?" Liz asked her, a wicked glint in her sea-green eyes. Lily and Mary giggled as Marlene went beetroot red. "Shut up about Mr Whiskers!" she said, furious and embarrassed at the same time, and the other girls laughed even more uncontrollably. Marlene threw them all a disgusted glance before changing into her robes.
The train came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station, and Lily, as a Prefect, supervised the students getting off the train and directed the first-years towards Hagrid the gamekeeper, who was calling them towards him. She waved at the huge man, and he returned her greeting with great enthusiasm before shepherding the older students towards the hundred or so horseless carriages that were waiting near the station. Finally, she found Remus as the crowd thinned. "Let's get going, then," she said, clutching Cavana's cage to her. The owl was now awake, and Lily immediately released her. "Had a good nap, girl?" she cooed, and the owl gave a little hoot of satisfaction. "Wait a few minutes – you can go to the Owlery once we're within the gates."
They were joined by a few more students, and the carriage set off. The dark silhouette of the castle came closer and closer, and Lily exchanged a happy smile with Remus. It was her second home…
They alighted from the carriage, and Lily released Cavana at once before proceeding to Banish the cage to her dormitory. She made her way with Remus towards the Great Hall, thinking contentedly about the start-of-term banquet; the Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties seemed ages ago, and she was quite hungry.
As she sat down, she glanced at the teachers' table. With Redbeard having (presumably) returned to field work at the Auror Office, the DADA teacher post was vacant once again. Lily came across a new face at the table, and drew in a sharp breath as she recognized the witch with pixie-cut strawberry blonde hair and oval-shaped glasses… It's Pamela Burke, the Magical Researcher! she thought excitedly, but before she could say anything, Professor McGonagall arrived with the line of first-years and the Sorting Hat, and all chatter died at once.
After the Sorting ceremony (and the addition of about ten new Gryffindors), Professor Dumbledore stood up and announced, "Let the feast begin!" Lily gave a happy sigh as food magically appeared in the plates on the table, before helping herself to bread, sausages and mashed potatoes. They all laughed and talked, and as was tradition, Black and Peter decided to have another eating contest – of chicken sandwiches, this time, with James and Remus being assigned to quickly keep preparing the food from the available bread and chicken pieces, all of which were chopped into equal sizes with a few intelligent cuts with the Severing Charm.
"Ready – and GO!" announced Liz, and the boys began to wolf down their food at once. Mary and Marlene kept count of the sandwiches that were being eaten, and Lily said, "Ooh, a Galleon says Peter wins."
"You're on," said Liz, "But I get five if Sirius wins, because frankly – the odds are against him."
"Dondens," said Black, his mouth completely full, before returning to his sandwiches. Lily made a face, but said to Liz, "Done."
By then, neighbouring students had caught on to what was going on, and Lily soon found herself the unwitting record-keeper of bets. She quickly Summoned parchment, a quill, and ink, and began to write down names of several enthusiastic spectators, while Liz took their money in her own pointed hat. Finally, about fifteen minutes later, Black and Peter began to slow down.
"What's the count?" Liz asked, and Mary said, "Peter's at seventeen."
"We're on eighteen here," said Marlene, unable to keep the surprise from her voice. "Good God – you two are pigs!"
"That's it – I'm stuffed," Black proclaimed with a heavy sigh. "I can't eat another morsel!"
"C'mon, Pete – just one more!" encouraged James, who was making the fat boy's sandwiches. "C'mon!" Peter took the encouragement very seriously, and ate his eighteenth sandwich at a slow but steady pace, looking rather green in the process.
"C'mon – just one more bite, and you win!" James exclaimed. Buoyed by his friend's proclamation, Peter took the offered sandwich, and ate half of it in one bite. An explosion of cheering and laughter followed, and Peter stood up. "I win," he declared hoarsely, before his face turned greener. Suddenly, he retched, and Lily reacted instantaneously; she Summoned an empty pudding bowl into his hands, just as he made a gagging noise and spewed bits of half-eaten food into it.
"I win!" Black proclaimed jubilantly, as the students around them either burst into laughter or drew away with disgusted faces. "You great lump – why eat if you couldn't keep it down?"
"Evanesco," said James, and Peter's pool of sick vanished at once. The fat boy gave Lily a grateful glance and said, "Thanks, Lily."
"Sure – I didn't particularly fancy changing my robe colours from black to, er, light-brown," she replied dryly, and the others laughed. "Well – Peter ate more than eighteen – so he wins," Lily continued, addressing Black, who looked indignant. "He threw up at least one sandwich!" he exclaimed, and Lily laughed. "Bet was to eat the most, not retain the most," she said, and Black gave her a glare before shrinking back, defeated. "You're a sly little minx, you know that, right?" he said, and she grinned triumphantly at him as the crowd around them guffawed.
"I know," she said, and promptly began to distribute the Galleons to the people who had placed bets. The Welcoming Feast is always eventful, she thought happily.
At long last, when all the tables had cleared, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Well – now that we've all been fed and watered – perhaps too much so," he added, with an amused glance at the Gryffindor table, causing Peter to go bright red, "Let's get down to business. I have a few start-of-term announcements to make…" He spoke about Argus Filch's infamous list of banned objects, before concluding with the usual warning about the Forbidden Forest being exactly that – forbidden.
"Finally," he said, "I am pleased to welcome Professor Pamela Burke, formerly of the Ministry of Magic, as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." The short-haired witch stood up, but didn't smile or wave; she merely sat back down two seconds later to a smattering of polite applause and a great deal of excited murmurs.
"So – this is where she came to hide," said Liz in wonder. "As long as Dumbledore's here – she's safe from the Death Eaters. And if she is carrying out her research on the poison antidote, what better place to be at than Hogwarts? Perhaps Slughorn will help her, too!"
"Makes sense," said Lily thoughtfully. Around her, the others appeared to have come to the same conclusion. "Ingenious," said James admiringly. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with such an idea… Hogwarts is the safest place in all of Britain!"
"She's still going to have to be on alert," said Marlene. "She can't afford to let down her guard –"
A sudden rumbling noise interrupted her; clearly, Dumbledore had just dismissed the school. Lily and Remus remained behind to help the first-years, before following them to Gryffindor Tower. "Rubrus," said Lily, as soon as they'd come up the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open, and admitted them into their circular, comfortable common room lined with tables, chairs, armchairs and sofas near the fire, which glowed steadily. She bade goodnight to Remus and climbed the spiral staircase towards her dormitory.
"So – we're NEWT students now," she said to Liz, who had already changed into her nightclothes. Her best friend nodded and said, "I think you're the only person who is excited about that!"
"Oh, lighten up," said Lily, laughing. "It's going to be fun – I can feel it!"
Liz snorted but said nothing more. Instead, she bade Lily goodnight before disappearing behind her hangings. Lily followed suit, and settled comfortably into her warm four-poster bed, smiling with slight excitement… She was sure that lessons were going to be tougher from now on, and she was looking forward to it. Getting top grades in her NEWTs was her final thought before she drifted off to sleep…
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