Chapter 9: Of Allies and Swearing
Lily's POV:
I smirked internally as I walked back to the Slytherin table. Lily: one, James: zero. A girl from my dorm, Rhea Nott, was watching me. She had black hair, pale skin, and icy blue eyes. She leaned towards me when I sat down.
"You did spike his shampoo." It was a statement, not a question.
"No comment."
"Thought so. You're intriguing, Lily Potter. Certainly not what anyone expected."
"Why is that?" I asked guardedly. Her eyes pierced into me, as if she was trying to read my mind.
"You're in Slytherin. You don't talk much. You mean every word you say, unless of course you're lying, which you're exceptional at. You made friends with Scorpius Malfoy and girls from other houses."
"What's this about?" Is she trying to strike up a friendship?
"I don't have friends," she said, as if she had read my mind. "I have allies. You, Lily Potter, are cunning, rich, influential, and from what I've seen in class, smart and powerful. I want you as an ally."
"What's in it for me?" She smirked at the question.
"You get me as an ally. I'm cunning as well, and my father has friends in low places. I hear more then he thinks." I was silent for a minute, thinking. She made a good point. I heard a lot from when dad and his friends talked and they didn't think I could hear, but they were all in the upper or middle-class of society, aurors and other Ministry employees. It could prove useful to have an ear a bit farther down the totem pole.
"Fine," I said, holding out my hand. "Allies." She nodded and shook it.
"Allies."
-DT-
"So," said Scorpius as he sat beside me in the common room (we were doing homework). "You pranked your brother. The all-mighty, un-prankable, James Potter." I sighed. Slytherins had an annoying habit of stating facts instead of asking them. Of course, I did it too, so I couldn't really complain.
"Why does everyone assume I did it?" I asked in a hurt tone. "It is impossible, remember." Scorpius just snorted.
"Like that would stop you. You are a prodigy in potions, and have a friend in Gryffindor. Ava Thomas, right?"
"Right. I deny all involvement in the change of James Sirius Potter's hair color. Happy?" I asked as I pushed my Transfiguration essay to the side and grabbed my book to look something up.
"You're lying," stated Scorpius, setting his elbow on the table and his head in his hand to look at me.
"No I'm not," I said, not looking up.
"And how do you figure that?"
"Well, let's say, hypothetically, that I did prank James. I never said that I didn't, just that I denied it. Which is the truth." He laughed.
"You really are something Lily." I looked up to see a fond smile on his face. I smiled back.
"Of course I am. Now where the bloody hell does it talk about the theory behind transfiguring one paper product into another?"
-DT-
"So Viper, how's Scorpius? Have you snogged yet?" asked Jade cheerfully at lunch on Monday (we were outside again).
"Jade Summers, I swear if you don't stop with that I will hex you. We are just friends."
"Methinks our lady doth protest too much," said Jade in a loud whisper to Ava. I gave a frustrated growl before glancing at my watch and letting out a long string of swearwords.
"Come on Opal, we're late for transfiguration."
"Oh, right!" said Jade, jumping up and grabbing her bag. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"You just did," I pointed out as we hurried down the corridor to McGonagall's classroom.
"Where on earth did you learn to swear like you do?" I blinked. That was random.
"What do Muggles say about someone if they swear a lot?"
"Umm . . . that they swear like a sailor?"
"The Wizarding version of that is 'swear like an auror', but Quidditch players come pretty close. Mum's one, Dad's both, I've got two older brothers, an older god brother, and a whole crap-load of redheaded uncles and cousins. And good ears. You pick things up."
-DT-
James' hair was back to normal in a week, but that didn't mean that we got a quiet week or two by any means. No, Jade and I soon discovered exactly why Ava was in Gryffindor.
"I think we should go into the forest," she stated one Saturday afternoon as we sat in The Lair. I glanced up from the drawing of the room that I was working on and Jade looked up from her book.
"The forest? As in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't it filled with dangerous creatures and stuff?" asked Jade.
"Yes, it is," I replied. "Why the hell would we go into the forest?"
"Because it would be fun! You know, the thrill of the forbidden and all that. And maybe we'd see an Acromantula!" I wasn't sure I liked the glint in her eyes as she spoke of seeing a highly dangerous creature that would most likely eat us without a second thought.
"Um, Fire? I've read about those. They eat humans. We don't want to meet one," said Jade, eyeing the Gryffindor warily.
"But it would be so cool!" I decided it was time to jump in.
"Listen, my dad did see an Acromantula. The only reason he got out alive was: one: they didn't eat him as soon as they saw him because he said he was friends with Hagrid. That won't help us because the one that liked Hagrid is dead. And two: a wild enchanted car that used to belong to my grandpa saved him. That won't help us because it's probably broken down by now." Ava looked disappointed, but then perked up.
"Can we at least sneak out?" I sighed. "Pleeeeez? We helped you prank your brother!" They did . . . and sneaking out is a far cry from wandering into a dangerous forest . . .
"But why?" I asked desperately.
"'Cause it would be fun."
"You mean just out to the lake or something?" asked Jade, not sounding her usually bouncy self.
"Exactly. See, no big deal." She looked at us with big puppy-dog eyes. I sighed again.
"Fine. What do you think Opal?" She looked a bit uncertain, but nodded.
"So it's set!" said Ava, her face lit up with an almost maniac glee. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
-DT-
It was Sunday, and the plan was set. We would all meet in the entrance hall at eleven, two hours after curfew. I still had no idea why I agreed to it, but I had, and there was no backing out. Great. This is mad. Damn Gryffindor, I thought as I slinked down the stairs to the common room. It was mostly empty, and I had a knack for not being noticed. Too bad it didn't help where one person was concerned.
"Lily?" I sighed and turned to see the aforementioned looking up from his homework.
"Hello, Scorpius."
"Where are you going?" I bit my lip. Scorpius was the one person I could never lie to. Highly irritating, that.
"I can't tell you, but I swear it's nothing dangerous. Or excessively bad."
"Or excessively bad? How bad is it?" he asked, looking into my eyes and holding my gaze. Curse those eyes! How can they be so damn intense?
"Umm . . . enough to get me a week's detention if caught?" Scorpius sighed.
"I'm not going to stop you, am I?" he asked rhetorically. I shook my head.
"Fine. Oh, and Lily?" he said as I turned to leave, causing me to look back. "Be careful."
