Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Lily gaped at her fellow captive before promptly turning and pounding on the door.
"Robards! I can't possibly be quarantined with him!"
Robards appeared in the tiny window above the door. He grimaced at her.
"Sorry Lily but we can't risk either of you infecting anyone else."
With that he disappeared.
Lily groaned and slid down the wall to sit against it.
"Not happy to see me?"
"Shut up Potter."
He pursed his lips but said nothing. They sat in silence until Lily couldn't take it anymore. She was curious and maybe Potter knew the answers to some of her questions.
"So why did Voldemort resort to biological warfare?"
"I thought you didn't want to talk."
She glared at him. Of course he was going to be stubborn about this. But she was just as stubborn so she stayed silent. Lily Evans did not beg. After a while, Potter sighed.
"He was running out of people to murder. He was also hoping to scare Dumbledore by hurting innocents, namely children, as well as fighters. Not to mention it would greatly damage the resistance against him."
She generally avoided looking at Potter as much as she could, but even she noticed that something was off about him. His hazel eyes, normally alight with mischief and amusement, had gone dull. It intrigued her. This was a problem as she didn't want to be intrigued by him in any sense.
"Makes sense. Did you know about this before you went to Diagon Alley? Or did you come to these conclusions after Dumbledore talked to you?"
"Before." He muttered.
"Why would you knowingly walk into Diagon Alley?" She asked in shock.
"The order needed a scapegoat." He grinned humourlessly.
She put a hand to her mouth.
"Dumbledore would never…"
"Oh yes he would. He's a master manipulator, in case you haven't noticed."
"He cares about us. He would never force someone to go."
"Oh he didn't force me. He did something much worse."
She watched him in rapt and horrified silence.
"He suggested it to me, knowing that my state of mind was fragile since my parents had just been murdered. He knew I would do whatever it took to end Voldemort because of that and he used it to his advantage. He pushed me in all the right places until I thought it was a grand idea. It was minutes after I had found out about my parents and he prayed on my vulnerability. As soon as I was in this cell the shock and grief and vulnerability subsided enough for me to be horrified at what I had done."
Lily stared at him, appalled. She couldn't believe it of Dumbledore, and yet she could. Had he not forced her into dangerous situations at school to gain information with him? Had he not indirectly resulted in Mulciber attacking Mary? He was doing this all for the greater good, but that did not excuse the way he was using people as pawns.
"I'm sorry." Lily said quietly. For she didn't know what else to say.
His eyes met hers and the intensity behind them scared her a little.
"Thank you."
They lapsed into silence again and Lily didn't know if this silence was more uncomfortable or less than their previous silence.
"Why did you go to Diagon Alley?" He asked her.
"I need out and I knew it would be deserted. I didn't know about the disease or virus or whatever."
He nodded, not pressing her for more information.
"I was feeling out of place. I needed to be surrounded by magic but alone."
He didn't say anything, just listened intently. This made her want to tell him more things, partly because she needed to tell someone and partly just to fill the silence.
"It's hard, having such a big difference with your family. My sister is especially nasty about it and she had her horrendous fiancé over for dinner. I can't stand him and usually end up saying something insulting. It was better I left."
He grinned slightly. It didn't quite reach his eyes but it was an improvement.
"Lily Evans quick to insult someone. Who would've thought?"
She glared at him, recognizing the reference.
"I only insult people when they deserve it."
He rolled his eyes wearily.
She moved over to the bed on the opposite side of Potter.
"You'd think they'd at least give us books or something."
"You'd think." He smirked.
She had the distinct feeling that he was making fun of her about something. She lay down on her bed and made a face, entirely disappointed. Potter chuckled.
"Not as comfortable as you'd hoped?"
She ignored him.
"Personally I think mine's extremely comfortable."
She spared it a glance and noticed that it was larger than hers and there was something poking out from under the mattress. Unless she was very mistaken, that was a book. But how could he have gotten a book? All he had on him was his wand…
"Oh." She mumbled, feeling foolish.
"Forgot about your wand did you?"
He was enjoying this too much.
"You're incorrigible."
"I try." He returned.
She took out her wand and widened her bed slightly, but not too much. She didn't want to be any closer to Potter than she had to be. She transfigured the extra pillows into a colourful quilt in an effort to temper the grey. She could feel him watching her but he didn't say a word.
"Why haven't you put a clock in here?" She asked.
"What would I transfigure in here that's close enough to a clock that would work?"
"Are you telling me the transfiguration master James Potter hasn't been able to transfigure a clock?"
It was the one class where he outshone her, although she had a feeling he could beat her in their other classes too, if he actually tried in them. Not that she would ever tell him that. As it was he got outstanding marks, without even trying. But he would never top her in charms, it was her specialty.
"You give it a go then." He shot back.
She aimed her wand at a bar on the window and muttered the spell, totally confident in her abilities. Nothing happened. He raised an eyebrow.
"Well we have to keep time somehow so we don't go mad."
He lifted up the deep red curtains to show off a very large tally.
"Those are the days I've been here. I can't track the hours but I can track the days."
He started another row below the first set of tallies, starting at one.
"What are you doing?"
"This is a count of all the days you've been here too." He responded simply. "And in case you haven't noticed, the bathroom's through that door."
"We have a bathroom? I guess that makes sense in case we really do get sick. Also for necessities." She said, more to herself than him.
"Have you always talked to yourself?"
"Have you always been a nosy git?"
"At least I'm not an insufferable Ravenclaw type."
"No you're much more of a Hufflepuff."
"Take that back!"
"Never. Arrogant toe-rag." She returned.
"Stuck up swot."
"Pompous arse."
His lips twitched and he moved closer. They were both standing, she didn't even remember that happening.
"Red head."
She snorted.
"I happen to know you have an affinity for my hair."
"Mmm. Do I?"
He was uncomfortably close to her.
"You've only shouted it at me once, or twice, a thousand times."
"It is very pretty."
She didn't know how to respond to that. A clang sounded at the door and they jumped apart.
"Dinner!" Robards exclaimed.
They both got their dinner and avoided looking at each other for the rest of the night. They both eventually climbed into bed and Lily realized that she was essentially having a sleepover with James Potter. What a weird day.
She spared him one more glance before she turned over and fell asleep.