Good Deed™

As I left the Great Hall, sunlight filtering through the grand windows sent golden arcs of warmth onto my bare arms. I'd planned on consolidating my notes and catching up on Arithmancy (even with Lupin's notes - which were admittedly very thorough - I'd had trouble with the last few assignments) in my usual secluded corner of the library, but the pleasant weather made me direct my path towards the large archway leading outside. While my skin was naturally darker than most, I knew I had grown sallow from months spent in my windowless laboratory.

My feet sank into the soft grass as I made my way to a trio of tall oak trees several paces to the right of the dirt path leading to the Quidditch pitch. Judging by the sun's position, it was getting near dinnertime, so hopefully everyone would be clustering inside and I could avoid being bothered.

After settling myself in among the oak tree's gnarled roots, I allowed myself a moment to relax. I leaned my head against the tree's rough bark, my eyes fluttering shut as I exhaled. The air smelled sweet with the scent of spring, and the soft, clean scent of new grass was better than anything Amortentia could ever summon. Lucy was always chastising me for remaining indoors too much, and perhaps here she did have a point. Of course, I did love the smell of bubbling potions, but this was pleasant, too.

"Thorne?"

I looked up sharply, banging my head against the tree. Above me, a tall, willowy girl with deep red hair looked at me curiously.

Bloody hell, that had hurt. Still, I couldn't reveal any vulnerability. "Head Girl."

Head Girl blanched. "Call me Lily."

I stared at her mutely for several long moments, and she relented with an exasperated sigh. "Evans, then. Just don't call me Head Girl - I'm more than my position, you know."

My gaze dropped to the rather large badge clipped to the front of my robes, and she let out another groan. Against my will, my lips twitched in amusement, and I hurriedly struggled to regain control of my traitorous face. Head Girl's next words, however, served to wipe any lingering amusement.

"Alright, Thorne, who are you?"

I swallowed, thinking furiously, as Head Girl sat herself (entirely uninvited, mind you) down beside me. "Nobody special," I said, cringing as the words left my mouth. Well, that was bloody unconvincing. And cliché.

Head Girl's green eyes flashed as she leaned towards me. Yup, Head Girl was definitely intrigued.

"Nobody special? Thorne - no, Willa, you're a Muggleborn in Slytherin. Merlin, you're a bloody miracle!"

I bristled at both her use of my first name - we were certainly not friends or even business partners - and her incorrect assumption. Had Dark and Hostile not shared my secret with her? That was...surprising. I would have to edit his character assessment at a later time. For now…

I leveled her with a lofty gaze. "I," I said, my voice dangerously quiet, "am not a Muggleborn. I am not your charity case and I am certainly not your friend."

Head Girl frowned but, shaking her head, continued with annoying persistence. "Then how did you know all of those lyrics the other day? That was a Muggle song."

My cheeks burned as I remembered the embarrassing incident - Merlin, I was just lucky no one else had witnessed the effects of the Babbling Beverage. "Lucy likes them," I lied (false: Lucy, for whatever unknown reason, preferred heavy metal to Bowie). "Besides, what, only Muggles can possess knowledge of Muggle things? We have a whole class dedicated to Muggle Studies, for Merlin's sake."

"Hm," Head Girl said, tapping her chin. "And the bat spleen?"

Merlin, she was infuriatingly perceptive. If she wasn't so mind-numbingly moral, I would have gladly recruited her to my business.

I adopted a flustered expression, looking down at my hands. "I'm, well, I'm not the best at potions," I said, careful not to make my voice too pathetic, for Head Girl didn't seem like she was the gullible type. "I thought I could try to get some practice in outside of class."

Pity flashed in her eyes, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I hated being looked down upon, but it was a sacrifice I would have to make. I'd already given up so much for my business - what was one more act of pity?

"I'm decent with potions," she said. "I could help you, if you'd like."

She was being modest - how infuriating. She was far more than decent; everyone knew she and Severus were the best (aside from me, of course, but few knew that) potion brewers in our year.

Looking at the eager Gryffindor, I weighed my options rapidly. I could accept her offer, which would mean I'd gain her goodwill but would also mean I'd have to deal with Ms. Sunshine and Goodness for who knew how long. I could reject her offer, which would mean I'd lose out on a chance to establish a "friendship" with the Head Girl and make her wonder why, if I was so bad at potions, I was rejecting her assistance.

I groaned inwardly. I supposed I'd gotten myself into this mess, so I only had myself to blame. "Alright," I said, forcing a smile. "Thank you, Head G-er, Evans."

"Lily," she supplied helpfully, beaming back. Merlin, she was practically glowing with the force of her Good Deed™.

Swallowing my pride, I forced out, "Thank you, Lily."

"Shall we meet tomorrow afternoon? That way, we can both revise for the Potions quiz on Monday."

Tomorrow afternoon, I planned on giving the first batch of Euphoria #2 to the Slytherins for redistribution.

"Can we make it tomorrow evening? I need to work on my Arithmancy proofs." This was technically not a lie; I really did need to revise for Arithmancy, and I would have been doing that now if not for the redheaded nuisance before me.

To my horror, Lily seemed to glow even brighter, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Dear Merlin, I wasn't sure I was ready for another Good Deed™. Be still, my dark, bitter heart.

"Why don't you ask Remus for help? He's brilliant at Arithmancy. Oh! We should all revise together!"

"Yay…" I said, sounding decidedly unenthused.

Lily clasped my hands, still beaming, and said, "Tomorrow evening in the Gryffindor common room, then?"

I gestured towards the emerald crest on my robes. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

To my surprise, Lily scowled. "Honestly, sometimes I do think the interhouse rivalry goes a bit far," she said primly. "We are all wizards and witches, are we not? Alright, the library, then," she added, her eyes daring me to get out of that one.

"Alright," I relented.

She beamed again, blinding me with her cheerful goodness, and jumped to her feet. "Brilliant! I'll see you at 7 tomorrow," she said. She made to leave before pausing, looking at me curiously. "Are you not coming in for dinner?" she asked.

Merlin, she was relentless. I had the feeling that Lily Evans was going to make a fantastically terrifying (and wonderful) mother someday.

I rummaged through my pack, my fingers closing in on a soft bundle. I lifted the sandwich, displaying it clearly. I often asked the House Elves to pack a sandwich to go, as I was never very comfortable eating in front of everyone. It reminded the Slytherins that I was human and, therefore, vulnerable. "Got it covered," I said. "I really need to get this done, so…"

Thankfully, Lily took the hint (finally. This was the seventh none-too-subtle hint I'd given within the last five minutes alone) and, waving cheerfully, disappeared back into the castle.

Sighing heavily and shaking my head, I turned to stare mournfully at the now-silent clearing. Well, it looked like I would have to find a new quiet space. I stuffed my books haphazardly into my bag and, after considering the sandwich for a moment, wedged the food between my teeth. Then, half-waddling under the weight of my books, I began the long walk in search of a new study space.

xxxxxxxxx

"Be careful with that!"

The Slytherin froze, the vial slanted dangerously close to her face. If Euphoria #2 spilled onto her skin, it would mean the instant loss of two weeks' worth of brewing. The girl would be fine - Euphoria #2 needed to be ingested to be fully effective - aside from a slight increase in bravado, but I needed that vial intact.

I groaned and, striding forward, snatched the potion from her hand. "This," I hissed, holding the glass vial aloft, "is for the Hufflepuffs. No Slytherin should take it."

The potion gleamed in the off-green light from the windows, and I froze, mesmerized by the hypnotic swirl of the bubbling liquid. What would happen, I wondered dimly, if I uncorked the vial and tipped its contents down my throat? What bliss, what freedom could I achieve?

The Slytherin bristled. "And who are you to order me around?" she retorted.

Lestrange stepped nimbly between us. "Sable, stand down," he ordered.

Sable swung around, looking like she was ready to hex whoever had interrupted her, and paled at Lestrange's answering stare. Shooting me another glare, Sable snatched the vial from my hands and, moving with slightly more care, nestled the glass vial into the inner pocket of her robes.

I nodded my thanks to Lestrange, and the Slytherin, smiling thinly, merely held up three fingers. Three months. I buried my fear deep within me and, turning to face the crowd of nineteen Slytherins gathered in the common room, said loudly, "Each of you carries one vial of Euphoria #2. You are to slip the entire contents of this vial, unnoticed, into the Hufflepuffs' dinner tonight. This marks the first trial run of Euphoria #2. If all goes as planned, we should start seeing the effects of the potion tonight and into tomorrow."

The Slytherins murmured amongst themselves, and I rapped my knuckles sharply against a nearby mahogany table. As all eyes turned towards me, I lifted my chin imperiously. "Remember: secrecy is key. Do not draw attention to yourselves. Go about your normal days and, above all, do not ingest the potion yourselves. If -"

I looked at Lestrange and cleared my throat. "When all goes well, we Slytherins will finally begin to free ourselves from this mantle of scorn."

This summoned only disgruntled mutters. I spotted Valencia shaking her head. This was one flaw - some Slytherins enjoyed their separation, their fearsome reputation. I hid a sigh and continued, "And, from that freedom, we will strike when they least suspect it!"
That brought the cheers - of course. Shaking my head, I made to slip away, but I felt a hand land on my shoulder.

"So, the Hufflepuffs become happier than normal. Surely you see the flaw with this plan," Valencia said quietly.

Of course I did, but she didn't have to know that. "They won't just be happier - they'll be reckless. All attention will fall on them, leaving-"

"-the Slytherins relatively free to do what we wish," Valencia finished, dark eyes gleaming. "Lestrange must like that."

I chanced a glance over at the other side of the Common Room and, upon seeing Lestrange staring directly at me, flinched. He raised a glass, smiling thinly, and I nodded.

"He won't take no for an answer for very long," Valencia murmured, bringing my attention back to her. To my utter surprise, she was staring at Lestrange with barely concealed hatred.

"Valencia -" I began, but in the next moment one of Valencia's friends, a pretty Seventh Year with wildly curly black hair, gripped her arm.

"Valencia, come try this wine! Yaxley stole it from his father's cupboard - it's goblin made."

The prior hatred was gone; Valencia's expression was as guarded as ever, and she left without saying goodbye.

I stared after her, wondering what, exactly, Lestrange had insisted upon. Valencia was no friend, but she was the closest thing I had to an ally - if such a thing existed - in Slytherin. I looked again at Lestrange, who was still staring at me, and glanced quickly away. If even Valencia, for all her skilled wandwork and centuries of pureblood family history, feared making an enemy of Lestrange…

I shuddered. It was time to get back to the lab.

AN: Hello! It's been a very, very long time - my apologies (life has been ridiculously busy). I've been reading all of your comments, and I am so honored that all of you are reading this - thank you so much! I'm determined to finish this story!