04. Better and Better

"So I told him, if this doesn't pass I'll..." The conversation at the dinner table had turned boring, so Lily nudged Hugo and looked directly at James.

This time it didn't even take a moment for the thoughts to clear up; Lily could just automatically discern her brother thinking:

I've got to find some way to prove myself to him... I mean, even if Teddy only wants me as his plaything now, maybe I can change it... Not feel so lonely and rejected all of the time...

Lily didn't even bother trying to cover up her gasp as she realized something about her brother James.

And the subject did not leave her thoughts the entire evening.

Finally it was time to say goodbye. Lily hugged her aunt and uncle and said, "See you" to Rose and Teddy, but pulled Hugo aside for a moment.

"Listen, I'm not sure I want to use this mind-reading thing. I mean, what if I get something really... embarrassing... and I can never look at the person the same way again?"

Hugo just looked at her. "Did you get something from James?" he asked.

Lily nodded, but said nothing else. Knowing Hugo, he probably only wanted to know so he could tease James about it.

After she had got ready for bed, Lily stood outside her brother's door, nervously pondering whether to go in or not.

Finally, she decided to do it.

"James?" she called from outside.

He walked to the door and saw his sister there, then said, "Good. You're here. I need to talk to you."

"So do I," Lily agreed wearily, entering and sitting down on James's bed. "So what first?" she asked just as wearily.

James just cut right to the point. "Can you read minds now, Lily?" His tone was bordering on disgusted.

"I'm pretty sure," said Lily, "but it's too strange... James, was it your cup of water that did this to me?" James wasn't the only once who could get right to the point. Lily raised an eyebrow suspiciously to illustrate just how serious she was about this.

"It's not mine, OK?" Her brother sounded irritated.

"Then where did you get it?" Lily demanded back, every bit as irritated.

"A friend," James said evasively, rolling his eyes and sighing in exasperation. "But that's not the point! The thing is, you're not supposed to be able to do this, Lily!"

"I know this too," Lily said in an even tone she knew would aggravate her older brother. "And that's why it does matter what those objects on your desk were. Let's see... the first time I was in your room, I spilled that -- I doubt it's water... the second time, you knocked down that glass ball, or whatever it was, and then I could read minds really clearly. Before I just got bits."

"Fine," agreed James after he had heard his sister out. "S'pose those objects were the problem. There's still got to be a way to reverse this. Without Mum and Dad getting involved."

Lily and her brother thought for a moment, then looked at each other at the exact same time. "There was a third object!" Lily was first to say, grinning.

"Yeah... a Chocolate Frog card, right? I reckon I've got it over here..." And he got up and looked for it as Lily waited, thinking about how she felt about the whole event. It -- reading minds -- was strange; and confusing, when she thought about what she had heard from James; but also fun, when she remembered her day of teasing Hugo.

The memory brought a little smile to her face, but it quickly disappeared when she saw James empty-handed.

Lily glared. "Tell me you haven't lost it," she began angrily, "or I'll--"

"It isn't lost," James interrupted. "I lent it to Teddy."

"Wh-- JAMES!" Lily shouted, furious. "He was the one you got it from in the first place! Don't bother denying it, because I heard it in your thoughts!"

Lily thought she heard him mutter something in response like, "Worse than I thought..." but he said out loud, "Then we need to get it back from him, don't we? Come on!"

"What? Now? We can't go now!"

"Lily, there's... there's one more bit to this... you -- you can control minds too. You can get Mum and Dad to call the Knight Bus, and then convince the driver to take us to Teddy's house."

Lily simply stared at him. This just kept getting better and better, she decided sarcastically.