Dissonance in A Minor

Chapter Seven

"The Leave Taking"

When Lily walked out of the Ball Room, cool air hit her in the face. She hadn't realized how hot it was under the glass ceiling. The light in Filch's lamp came back to life as he led them into the dungeon corridor.

"You know," Potter began.

Lily wanted to turn around and slap him. She knew exactly what he was going to do. He was about to tell her that she only had a few more minutes to realize that he was the love of her life and she'd better confess right away.

"You've only got a few more minutes to realize that I'm the love of your life. You'd better confess right now."

What he had said matched her thoughts so perfectly that Lily couldn't help but laugh. After a long day of cleaning Muggle-style and putting up with Potter, laughing was the last way she had expected to end her detention. But here she was, laughing her head off while Filch led them back to Professor McGonagall's office.

Potter frowned at her. "I mean, you've had ten hours now, Evans. I think I've given you plenty of time to make your feelings known."

"Shut it, Potter," Lily said firmly.

The door to McGonagall's office had just opened. The Head of Gryffindor House looked them up and down. The Head Boy and Girl were covered in filth. Potter's hair was filled with cobwebs and dirt, and Lily's ponytail had slipped sideways.

"Well, I think that will do," McGonagall said.

"Actually, professor," Filch grinned. "They didn't get their task done. They were just talking when I came to fetch them"

McGonagall flared up at once. Her skin went white, her lips formed a thin line, and even her black bun seemed to tremble with rage.

"That's not true, Professor McGonagall! Mr. Filch led us to a room in the dungeons and we cleaned it top to bottom. We only found the hidden entrance to the Statues of Slytherin Ball Room about twenty minutes ago. At least, that's what I think it was. I haven't read that part of Hogwarts: A History in a long time."

Potter rolled his eyes. "Look, Professor, Filch didn't give us specific instructions. We thought we had to clean the room he left us in, so that's the room we cleaned."

McGonagall turned to Filch, eyeing the gloating man with something very like disgust. "I agree, Argus. No one could be expected to clean a room that size without magic in one day."

Filch's smile drooped. "You … er, know about the Ball Room, Professor?"

"Naturally," McGonagall said, puffing up her chest. "When I was a young Gryffindor, we were required to attend four balls a year, and one of them was in the Statues of Slytherin Ball Room."

Potter opened his mouth, a sly smile playing on his lips. Lily elbowed him hard in the ribs. She was not going to let him crack a joke about McGonagall's age by comparing her youth to the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

"That will be all for you then," McGonagall finished. "And I trust the Head Boy and Girl to show more maturity in the future."

Lily couldn't hold back her snort. Potter cast her a dirty look while McGonagall arched an eyebrow in her direction. The teacher let the wordless comment pass, however, and retreated into her office.

"All right, Evans," Potter said, once Filch and Mrs. Norris had disappeared. "This is your last chance to tell me that you're madly in love with me."

Lily looked at him with a mixture of pity and disgust on her face. She closed the gap between them and spoke very quietly.

"You can drop the act, Potter. I know you're not going to change for me. You're too bull-headed for that. But I know what happened this summer, and I know that you're different now because of it. Maybe I'd give you a better answer if you didn't insist on pretending to be someone you're not."

Lily pulled aside a tapestry and stepped into a shortcut. She was seven floors above Potter and in front of the Fat Lady's portrait in two minutes flat.

As she mounted the stairs to the top-most dorm in Gryffindor Tower, she wondered if Potter would break the Marauder's Code. He had to know that Remus was the one to tell her about Sirius leaving his parents' house and James's reaction to that. Would he go ballistic on Remus? She hoped not.

Remus had only told her so that she wouldn't make inflammatory remarks about Sirius's family when she had nothing else about him to insult. A discussion about how James had cleared away his junk in the Potter's spare bedroom and stayed up all night writing letters to Remus and Peter so they would know had followed naturally.

Lily had to admit, she was impressed. Her best friend in the whole world, Dorcas Meadowes, had done the same thing for Lily after Petunia had gone crazy one night and spent hours shrieking about how Lily was a freak and a disgrace. She had expected Potter to be a little more mature when he came back to school, knowing what Sirius had gone through, but no. He was still the same old annoying toerag, still acting like the entire world revolved around him. Lily had been more disappointed than she cared to admit.

When Lily entered the seventh-year girls' dormitory, Dorcas greeted her with an evil smirk. That was never a good sign. Dorcas only smiled like that when she'd had a very good day and someone else had had a very lousy day.

"How was detention?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"How was Potter?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Give him the answer he was so longing to hear?"

"I don't – WHAT!?"

Lily had just sat down on her bed, but she sprang up at once. The clean clothes she had fished out of her trunk landed on the floor. Her cheeks were burning, her temper was flaring, and she was in full fight mode.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT!?"

Dorcas laughed heartily, not one bit frightened by her friend's infamous temper. She motioned to the picture on her nightstand. Dorcas and Sirius were standing in front of the Quidditch pitch, their scarlet robes fluttering in the high wind, broomsticks in one hand, making lovey-dovey eyes at each other.

"Sirius told me, of course. He told me all about James's fake Stunning Spell, and how Pete is now serving a month's worth of detentions for provoking Peeves. Sirius had a narrow miss, I'll tell you that much. Slughorn almost saw him change back."

"Change back?" Lily shook her head. Dorcas's incomprehensible rambling wasn't the most important point at the moment. "What do you mean fake Stunning Spell?"

Dorcas sat bolt upright, a look of positive glee on her face. "He didn't tell you! Oh my God! James really didn't tell you!?"

Lily was about two seconds away from jinxing Dorcas when her best friend flew off her bed and out the door. She raced down the stairs, yelling as she passed the other dormitories.

"Sirius! He didn't tell her! Can I tell her!?"

Lily collapsed onto her bed and buried her face in her hands. Everything had gone all to Hell since Dorcas had made friends with Sirius and James. Everything had been so peaceful in their dormitory before that fateful day. Now, Lily's whole life had turned on its head.

"Not quite," Lily mumbled to herself. "If I dated Potter, then everything would be upside down."