The weekend ended faster than anybody would have liked, and the new week rolled right on ahead. They began a new unit in Transfiguration, and Lily was once more struggling to stay ahead. She was beginning to give up on reaching top of the class this year; Hermione was simply too far ahead already in several vital areas. She decided to settle on Charms and Potions instead, where she was far ahead of everybody else. Snape never seemed to care, but Flitwick always beamed with pride every time she succeeded.
Astronomy was business as usual, but the late-night class was really starting to affect Lily's energy levels on the following Tuesdays. At the very least, on Tuesdays they only had regular Potions instead of double. Even so, Lily was finding it more and more difficult to stay awake during those classes, and it was certainly very difficult to pay attention to the instructions.
On one such Tuesday morning, Lily found herself lazily going through the motions of brewing a Forgetfulness Potion, glancing at her book every once in a while, to make sure she was on the right track. She yawned as the stirred her cauldron, and as soon as he eyes closed, she heard a plop coming from the liquid. She opened her eyes just in time to see the formerly clear liquid turn into a viscous brown. She glanced down at the description in her book to doublecheck, but she really didn't need to. She almost knew how to do this Potion by heart, and certainly knew what it was supposed to look like.
"What did you just throw into my cauldron?" Lily asked Malfoy, who was clearly doing his best to hide a smirk. His usually slicked back hair was a little frizzy from the fumes of his potion, as if it was forgetting it was supposed to stay put. Lily's would likely have been the same if she didn't still have it tied back.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter," Malfoy said snidely. "Looks like you managed to muck up the instructions, though."
Lily stopped stirring, wafting the aroma of the potion so that she could get a scent of it. There was a faint smell of mud coming from the sludge, which could really only mean one thing based off of the available ingredients for second years.
"You threw in muckworm eggs," Lily said. "It'd explode if I kept stirring."
Malfoy frowned, clearly disappointed in the results of his sabotage. "Too bad, Potter, the batch is still ruined."
"You're right about that, at least," Lily said with a sigh. She'd have to start over, but they didn't have the time for it left in the class. She'd have to accept the zero, which stung her pride. She glanced over at Hermione's caldron at the neighboring table, trying to gauge how far she'd fall behind. The bushy-haired girl was smiling softly, occasionally glancing smugly over at Lily's now ruined potion.
Lily did her best to clean up her station, making sure to dispose of the contents of her cauldron carefully. She sat at her desk when class ended while everybody else filed up to Snape to turn in their vials. She noticed Ron was taking an unusually long time to fill his own vial; he must have messed up, too, even with Lily's notes written in his own textbook. He spent every weekend annotating the sections they'd be covering in the week's Potions classes. Eventually, the ginger boy found his way over to the line, smiling as he approached the front of it. Lily thought that was strange for sure; he was never happy during Potions.
"This is Lily's," Ron said, handing Snape one of two vials he was holding. Lily did her best to not show surprise, but she was suddenly very thankful for the boy.
"And why, may I ask, are you delivering it for her?" Snape asked, eyeing the vial with suspicion. It seemed to be good work; Ron had clearly followed all the proper tips. Lily wasn't sure she could have done any better.
"She's been feeling a bit under the weather," Ron said. "I just thought I'd help her out, you know?"
"He's lying, Professor," Pansy Parkinson spoke up, looking smugly over at Lily from where she was standing nearby. "He filled up two vials from his own cauldron before he joined the line."
"That's-" Ron started, ears turning red.
"It's true, Professor," Malfoy said smugly. Lily tried pleading with her eyes for the boy to, just this once, not be the world's biggest prat. "Potter messed up her own potion. He's trying to cover for her incompetence."
Snape looked between the two Slytherins, then at Ron, and finally at Lily. She tried her sweetest smile on him, knowing full-well it'd have no effect. Snape never accepted any sort of flattering or groveling from the Gryffindors; only his own house could get away with that.
"Is that true, Potter?" he said in a quiet tone. His black eyes made Lily feel cold inside, and she could feel her smile fading quickly.
"Yes," Lily admitted icily, "But it's only because-"
"Silence, Potter," Snape commanded. Lily did as she was told, shutting her mouth rigidly, pressing her lips firmly together so she couldn't say the rude things she was currently thinking. "And you thought you could get away with this, Weasley?"
"Yes, sir," Ron said, meeting the Slytherin's eyes. Lily was impressed; she would have looked away. Even Neville looked nervous about it, and he was standing near the classroom's exit, chatting with Seamus and Dean while they waited for their fellows.
"5 points from Gryffindor," Snape said without breaking the contest. "But I won't completely ruin your attempt. You shall take Potter's zero, I think, and she will take the pitiful grade for this slime you've so brazenly called a potion."
"That's not-" Ron protested as the familiar flush of red flowed into his ears.
"2 more points from Gryffindor," Snape said, standing up from his desk. "Class is dismissed."
Snape swirled his black cloak around him, and then stormed straight into his office in the back of the classroom, vials of potion in hand, door slamming shut behind. Ron swore loudly, but the Potions Master did not return. He stormed off to the back of the room to pack his things, and Lily joined him and Neville in the Dungeon corridors soon after.
"Snape bloody-well does it again," Ron muttered as he kicked a loose stone down the hallway. It made a small tink as it collided with a suit of armor and then bounced further down the hallway.
"Sorry, Ron," Lily muttered in return. "I shouldn't have-"
"It's not your fault, Lily, I saw what Malfoy did," Ron said quickly. "I just thought I'd help, is all."
"You should have stuck to the story," Neville offered. "He would have believed Lily."
"No, he wouldn't have," Lily said. "Not with two Slytherins saying otherwise. He might not treat me like the rest of the Gryffindors, but he still doesn't show my any favoritism."
"Honestly, Lily, what do you even see in that man?" Ron said. "How could you possibly think he isn't the worst?"
"Hey, now," Lily said in her defense. "To be fair, I only stuck up for him last year. I'm on your side, now. The man's awful."
"Well thank Merlin we can all agree on that, then," Ron snorted. Lily waved her wand slyly from inside her robe sleeve as they passed the stone again, quickly tossing it towards the back of Malfoy's head. She and Ron both sniggered as the blonde boy stumbled from the force, even if it wasn't enough to actually hurt him.
Wednesday was just as busy as it always was; their schedules were too jam-packed for any free time. They could only breath once History of Magic got out, and then they always spent the rest of their free time finishing the homework that was due the next two days (or even occasionally just the very next day, depending on the workload).
Lily came prepared for Potions on Thursday. She was fully rested and on guard the entire class session. Malfoy kept muttering something to himself while occasionally looking over. Lily flashed him a smile each time. She wasn't planning on starting anything herself, but she certainly wouldn't hesitate if Malfoy moved first.
"Heard you've been having a rough time at practice," Malfoy finally said near the end of the class period. "Gryffindor doesn't stand a chance this year."
"I think we'll be fine," Lily said smugly. "I'm back on the team, after all." She wasn't actually all that confident, but she wouldn't let Malfoy think otherwise.
"Please, the way you fly, they'll be scraping you off the field by the time I've caught the Snitch."
Lily frowned at that comment, staring in confusion at her mortal enemy. "You?"
"Me, Potter," Malfoy said. "I'm playing Seeker this year. I'm surprised you haven't heard. Our new brooms are the talk of the castle. Father got us all new brooms, as a matter of fact."
"Then how come I haven't heard any of it?" Lily said. "Lavender lives in my dorm, and she can't hide a thing."
"Probably because you have no friends, Potter," Malfoy said. Lily felt stung, even if she knew it wasn't true. Her eyes flickered briefly over to where Hermione was sitting, but the other girl was too busy helping Neville slice his salamander tails to pay any attention to the table next door.
"So you bribed your way onto the team, then?" Lily said, leaning forward over her cauldron. It smelled pleasantly of the ocean, now that she'd already added her mermaid scales. She wouldn't have mentioned it to anybody, lest Ron laugh at her, but she hoped they weren't hurt in the harvesting season.
"Course not," Malfoy said. "Father made a donation after I'd already secured my position."
"And I'm sure they'll keep you on after we trounce you," Lily said.
"Please, Potter," Malfoy said. "Your old Nimbus can't outfly my 2001, and that's the best broom your sort has. None of those Weasleys-"
Lily let out a snort, then quickly shut off her giggles, trying to appear calm and stoic.
"What's so funny, Potter?" Malfoy said. He lost his sneer. He never liked to be laughed at. That was partially while Lily let out a reaction at all.
"I have a 2001," Lily said. "I got it early. Been flying it all summer."
Malfoy looked furious, although he had no good reason to be. He always looked ridiculous when his face flushed; his hair was too pale to match his darkened face.
"Think you're clever, do you?"
"No," Lily admitted.
"That's right, Potter, you can't do anything without that filthy Mudblood around you," Malfoy said, turning his sneer over at Hermione. Lily didn't know what that meant, but she could certainly tell it was terrible, and she felt anger raising at the mere thought of it.
Lily could see that Neville had heard, and he was clearly furious but unwilling to make a scene, hands clutched tightly against his spoon as he vigorously stirred his cauldron. She couldn't tell if Hermione had heard, or if she'd even understood if she had, as the other girl was still facing away.
"I think I'll still prove that I don't need a bribe from daddy to get on the team, or even to pass my classes," Lily said in her defense. Malfoy bristled at the comment, but he tried to hide it under another smug smile.
"We'll see about that, Potter," Malfoy said. "Maybe that Mudblood on your team will have a little accident. From what I've heard, that Weasley is dreadful. If we can get him to play, you'll never stand a chance." Malfoy nudged his head in Ron's direction. Lily's eyes couldn't help but follow, and she, in turn, couldn't help but notice that Ron's face was also flushed angrily, with Pansy Parkinson leaned over and whispering something.
Lily stewed for the rest of the class, just like her Potion, as she refused to talk to Malfoy any further no matter what he said. He seemed to get bored, eventually, and focused on his own potion instead. Lily packed up as quickly as she could, and then waited for her two companions outside the classroom.
"What does Mudblood mean, Neville?" she asked the boy as he fell in line. Ron looked shocked at hearing the word come from Lily, but Neville seemed to expect the question, even if he wasn't happy about it.
"It means they have dirty blood," he explained. "Purebloods use it against Muggleborns. You're not supposed to say it out loud, though, even if you do believe it. Gran beat my Uncle at a party once after he let it slip."
Lily nodded in an understanding. It was terrible, and Malfoy should never have used it, and that was all she needed to know. Lily took her wand out of her robes, and tucked it into her sleeve where it wouldn't be seen, just as she had done two days ago.
As they were leaving the classroom, Lily took her chance while she wouldn't be noticed. She pointed her wand at Malfoy's bag while the boy was distracted by his goons.
"Diffindo," she whispered. It was something she'd already used, for sure, but it was effective the first time, so why not try it again?
Malfoy's bag split open, spilling his books, quills, and ink all over the ground. Malfoy gave a shout of alarm while the Slytherins around him burst out into laughter; Crabbe and Goyle laughed the loudest, while Pansy Parkinson was the only one who didn't laugh at all. Lily was pretty sure she was hiding a smile under that hand, though.
Lily tucked her wand back into her sleeve as quickly as she could. She noticed Neville raise an eyebrow, although Ron was too busy laughing to notice anything at all. Malfoy seemed to have his own suspicions, however; he was glaring over at Lily. She just shot him a smile, trying to look innocent.
Ron kept going on about it as they went up to their next class. He seemed to enjoy it far more than anybody else did. Neville was silent, and Lily couldn't help but feel that he was judging her, which only served to make her feel bad. She shook that off just as quickly as it came; there was no need to feel bad about doing something to Malfoy, since he certainly wouldn't feel the same for anybody else.
"You shouldn't have done that," Neville said as they reached the third floor. For their Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. Lily looked over at him, but decided not to say anything. She did sniff, though, to note that she was displeased.
"Done what?" Ron asked guiltily. Lily couldn't help but smile at that response, although she had no idea what Ron had done to warrant it.
"You heard what he said, how could I not?" Lily said in his defense. She couldn't let Ron think it was his fault.
"We're not supposed to use magic in the halls," Neville said. "Besides, it was mean."
"Right, like Malfoy isn't?" Lily said. She scratched at her forehead where a stray hair was irritating her skin. Her hair always seemed to be a bit untidy after Potions, but so did everybody else's.
"Wait, that was you?" Ron said in an impressed tone. "I can't believe nobody noticed it! That was practically a silent cast." Lily didn't think that much of it, but she couldn't help but feel pleased anyway.
"Malfoy noticed," Neville muttered.
"Let's see him do something about it, then," Lily said defiantly.
"Yeah, he's a git," Ron agreed. "Can't do a thing himself. Has to rely on his daddy's name for everything. Did you hear that he made the Quidditch team by buying them all a new set of brooms?"
"I just heard that from him, actually," Lily said. "That was partially why I did it."
"So it wasn't the insult, then?" Neville said.
"What insult?" Ron said. "What did he say this time?"
"He called Hermione and Angelina a Mudblood," Lily whispered.
"Oh, so that's where that question came from," Ron said, scratching at his chin in understanding.
"Where did you think it came from?" Lily asked curiously.
"I just thought you must have read it in a book or something," Ron said with a shrug. "You ask questions all the time, don't you?"
"But how often do I ask something like that?"
"You should have said something earlier, I would have-" Ron started to say.
"You would have gotten caught," Lily said. Ron was about as unsubtle as it got when it came to spell craft, almost having to shout the incantations at times to get them working. The only one worse than him was Neville. "Just leave him to me, I can handle him."
"Still, though," Ron said. "Tell me next time. I can help."
"Thanks, Ron, I'll keep that in mind," Lily said as they took their usual seats in the back of Lockhart's classroom. Lily liked to go as unnoticed as possible in this particular class. It never worked, of course. Lockhart called on her for almost everything they did. The Ravenclaws they shared the session with were never happy about it, since they always wanted to show off their own proficiency in the subject.
"Welcome, welcome," Lockhart said as he exited his office and came into the classroom. "Good morning, class!"
"Good morning, Professor Lockhart," everybody but Lily, Ron, and Neville repeated. Lily did not like the man, and the other two were more than happy to follow her lead. They had to stay on her good side, after all, if they wanted to copy her homework. Lily was pretty sure Neville secretly liked the professor, but she was happy to pretend otherwise for her own sake.
"It'll be an easy class today, I'm afraid," Lockhart said with another flashy smile. "Have some other work I need to get done in the meantime. We'll be dividing into groups and writing summaries on my spellwork in Year with the Yeti. Pay especially close attention to the Gravaddo spell I used to give the Yeti a head cold. Just don't go casting it on each other, now! Madame Pomfrey has enough work on her hands as it is."
The class laughed at his "joke" as Lily groaned. She moved her chair closer to Ron and Neville, then propped her book open against the desk to hide her face from Lockhart. He kept trying to remind her to sign Colin's photo during every class, and she was hoping to avoid that today.
"Do you think that one actually works?" Neville asked.
"I'll find out Tuesday," Lily said. "I'll try it out on Malfoy." She'd already tried most of the spells used in Lockhart's books, but most of them didn't do a thing. She wasn't sure if it was because the professor made them up, or if she was just doing it wrong. Lockhart never mentioned any wand movement for any spell that he used.
"Don't," Neville said quickly, glancing around the classroom nervously.
"Do," Ron said with a grin on his face.
"Oh!" Lockhart called loudly from his desk, "and when you're done, I'll be calling on one random member of each group to read aloud your summaries, so do try your best work!" His eyes locked directly onto Lily as he said this, and he shot her a wink that sent a shiver down her spine.
"Lovely," Lily said as she slammed her head down onto her desk.
True to his threat, Lily was the one who gave their presentation. She wrote it herself, and it was only a few sentences long. The rest of the class wrote almost a full essay each. She was still given full marks, of course, "for the sheer brazenness of it!" Lockhart always gave her full marks, even if she just refused to turn in anything at all, which she has done on several occasions.
Lily noticed Hermione taking far longer to pack up her things than the other students, and she let out a sigh in response. She waved Ron and Neville on ahead, deciding that she'd make another attempt to patch things up.
Soon they were the only people in the room, Lockhart practically running up the stairs to enter his office, arms full of letters still unopened. He looked a little worried about the volume, to be honest, but Lily certainly wasn't going to help him even if she was asked. Hermione took a quick look around as she slung her bag over her shoulder, and Lily gave her a wave and a smile while she stood next to the only exit.
Lily could see Hermione sigh, but the bushy-haired girl had no choice, and came straight towards her.
"Hello, Hazel," she said as Lily fell into step with her.
"We're back to that again?" Lily said in a disappointed tone.
"How have you been?" Hermione asked in a falsely sweet voice.
"Do you care?" Lily asked. She winced a bit at the harshness in her tone; this certainly wasn't how she wanted it to start off.
Hermione sniffed, but pointedly did not look over. "I was just being nice, Hazel, but if this is how you're going to act, I can simply ignore you."
"Sorry," Lily said quickly, "It just slipped out, I didn't mean anything by it. How have you been?"
"Do you care?" Hermione asked in return.
"Yes, I do, Hermione," Lily said. "I wouldn't be asking if I didn't."
"Well you sure have a way of showing it," Hermione said. "Am I to assume that display with Malfoy earlier was for my benefit?"
"You saw that?" Lily asked sheepishly.
"I was standing right behind you, Hazel," Hermione said. "You're lucky nobody else saw. You could have gotten a detention. Of course, I'm sure you didn't-"
"Don't finish that sentence," Lily said hotly. "I didn't care if I got a detention, Hermione, he had it coming after what he said about you, don't tell me he didn't."
"Neville agrees with me, you know," Hermione said instead.
"Heard that too, did you?" Lily said. "Look, I'm not going to-"
"Not about that," Hermione interrupted, "Remember when he talked to me a couple of weeks ago? He agrees, Lily, that you shouldn't just do something on a whim. You should-"
"If Neville thought that, he'd say so," Lily said.
"He'd never say anything to you, Hazel, he's just hoping you'll figure it out on your own," Hermione said. "Besides, assuming I'm right from what you just said, he has said something. 'Heard that, too?'"
"That was just about one specific instance," Lily said, brushing it off with a wave of her hand.
"No," Hermione said with a sigh, "It's not, Hazel, haven't you been listening?"
"Look, Hermione, I didn't come here to argue," Lily said. "Do you want to come to Hagrid's with us this weekend? He said you haven't visited him, yet, and he's worried about you."
"I won't be visiting Hagrid this year," Hermione said. "He's been a bad influence. He was expelled a long time ago, Hazel, or have you forgotten that?"
"So you're going to ignore Hagrid, now?" Lily asked. She could feel the surprise and outrage showing on her face, and even Hermione looked apprehensive in response.
"I'm not ignoring him, Hazel, I just won't be going out of my way to have tea with the man," Hermione said quickly.
"Hermione, you can't just keep pushing us all away," Lily said. "If you want to ignore me, fine, I get it, but you never sit with anybody else during classes or after, you don't eat with anyone, you don't study with anyone, you don't-"
"I'm not trying to avoid anyone, Hazel, if that's what you're getting at," Hermione said in her defense. "I just don't particularly care to talk with anyone this year, that's all."
"That's my point!" Lily said, a bit louder than she would have liked. Thankfully, there was nobody around at the moment to overhear their conversation, other than a few Slytherin first years that happened to be standing nearby. Lily was pretty sure she recognized one of them as they looked back at the two arguing Gryffindors, but she didn't have the time to dwell on that matter.
Hermione stopped in the hallway once they were alone, turning to face Lily. "Would you quiet down?" she asked.
"Hermione, if you're lonely, you can just come sit with us," Lily offered. "You don't have to talk, you don't have to laugh, you can just sit there. I won't even talk to you, if you don't want me to. You can just sit there, and I won't feel as bad as I do. Please?"
Hermione hesitated for a moment, seeming like she wanted to say something. Then, she turned again, this time heading in the opposite direction up towards the common room instead of downstairs where lunch was about to begin.
"Hermione!" Lily called out, trying to catch up to her friend. She held out a hand, as if to stop her, even though she was far too away to actually grab onto her robes.
"Leave me alone, Hazel," Hermione shouted back without looking back.
Lily huffed, and stormed off in the other direction, deciding to take out her frustration on some pudding. She made a quick stop in the library first, though; she had a book to return. She ended up spending a lot more time in the library than she thought she would; she had a rather nice conversation with Madame Pince about a tome of magical creatures. She ended up checking it out for some light reading before bed before she left.
Lily ended up skipping lunch, and stayed right until the start of dinner. It was only when she was interrupted by her stomach growling in protest that she finally managed to pull herself away from the pretty librarian to begin making her way downstairs. She was feeling some chicken now that lunch had passed, and she could hardly wait.
Lily gasped in pain as she neared the top of the first landing, hand shooting up to her scar. It was throbbing again, and she leaned against the guardrails to make sure she didn't fall off the staircases.
She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down again. The last thing she needed was for Malfoy or another Slytherin to see her about pass out on the steps for no reason. There were a few Ravenclaws milling about, but they paid her no mind, just as they always did. She would have appreciated some help just this once, of course, but tried not to hold it against them. She walked down the remaining stairs timidly, trying to ignore the thundering in her head, hoping it would just go away if she tried hard enough.
She joined Ron and Neville at the Gryffindor table, quickly piling food onto her plate; they were serving roast turkeys today instead, but Lily supposed that was close enough to what she wanted, so she didn't complain. She wasn't quite as hungry as she had been just moments ago, but she still managed to empty her first plate in record time.
"How did it go with Hermione?" Neville asked.
"I don't get it," Lily said shrewdly between bites of stuffing. "I just think she really doesn't want to be ignoring us, but she just won't come out and say it. I don't know why she's being so stubborn."
"Just get over her," Ron said. "It'll be the easiest thing to do. She's mental, anyway. It's fine for her to go light a professor on fire when you're about to fall off your broom, but forget about sneaking out go save a magical stone from a dark wizard."
"Maybe she just needs some new friends," Neville offered. "Then you wouldn't feel as bad."
"But who wants to hang around her?" Ron said rudely. Lily gave him a glare, and he swallowed the food in his mouth before attempting another explanation.
"What I meant to say was who else could we get to be friends with her? All the groups are pretty much set in stone, at this point."
"Maybe some of the Ravenclaws would," Lily muttered. "The Gryffindors won't have her, she's too bossy for our year." She glanced over at the Ravenclaw table, trying to spot some of them. She saw one small, blonde girl sitting over by herself that she was sure must be a first year, but she didn't recognize any others.
"Some of the first years, maybe," Ron said in agreement. "Our year is still upset with her, I think."
"They are," Lily said hotly, "And only because of you."
"What did I do?" Ron asked, pausing before taking a large bite out of his turkey leg. Lily supposed she was a bit more rude than she should have been, but she still had a dull pounding in her head.
"They're still stung about what you said last year," Neville explained. "When you said they were pathetic to lose to a bunch of Gryffindors."
"That?" Ron said with a scoff. "Blimey, I didn't even remember saying that. How did they?"
"They never forgot it," Lily mumbled. "They're still mad at me, too." She glanced over at the Ravenclaw table again. None of them looked away from her, but she was pretty sure that was only because they were never looking at her to being with. She was pretty sure they simply chose to ignore her existence.
"Maybe Ginny knows some first years," Neville said.
"Where is Ginny, anyway?" Lily asked. "I feel like I haven't seen her in ages."
"She's been around," Ron said. "She has her own friends, doesn't she?"
"But-" Lily started.
"Oh, hurry and eat, would you?" Ron interrupted. He never seemed to enjoy talking about his sister, even though he had no problems discussing his brothers. "You're supposed to be meeting Flitwick later."
Lily gasped, dropping her fork loudly onto her plate. "I forgot!"
"How did you manage that?" Ron said, rolling his eyes.
Lily glanced up at the staff table, noticing that Flitwick was already gone from it. Hagrid waved at her, of course, and she returned the wave, of course, even if she was immensely distracted.
"I should hurry," she said, quickly shoveling the last half of her plate into her mouth. Judging by Neville's reaction, the noises she was making were assuredly disgusting, but she didn't care; Ron made much worse every time he ate.
"Don't hurt yourself," Neville said.
"Won't," Lily managed between mouthfuls. She downed the last of her pumpkin juice, threw her bag around her shoulder, and then hopped off the bench.
"See you later," Ron called after her. Lily threw them a wave, receiving one in return from Neville. Ron was too busy eating to notice it, but she appreciated the effort he had shown in saying anything at all. It was a marked improvement over his previous attempts of nothing at all.
Lily left the Great Hall just as Parvati and Lavender were coming in, and she quickly tried to hide her face so Lavender wouldn't see.
"Where do you think you're going?" Lavender asked.
Lily groaned, but looked up to meet Lavender's pretty, gray eyes. Lily always wondered where the shade came from; she'd never seen it before on any Muggles. Then again, Lavender was a pure-blood wizard, and they could have all sorts of weird colors. Madame Hooch even had yellow ones, but those always unsettled Lily, while Lavender's felt more comforting.
"I have a meeting with Professor Flitwick," Lily said. She supposed there was no harm in telling the truth. She was still hoping to make up with Lavender, anyway, so lying would do her no favors.
"Going to discuss your failing grades?" Lavender said while crossing her arms. Lily tried to hide her smirk; Lavender just had a complete inability to seem threatening to Lily. It was hard to feel threatened by somebody you've seen making baby noises at a cat.
"Wrong class," Lily corrected, "And my Transfiguration marks are fine this year, thank you very much. How are you today, Parvati?"
"I'm doing well, thank you for asking," Parvati answered, trying to pull Lavender away from their fellow Gryffindor. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk. Lily knew she just didn't want to hear two of her friends arguing over something stupid for the thousandth time. Lily was done arguing, of course, but Lavender could go on for a while.
"How's Padma doing?" Lily asked, trying to continue being nice. Maybe doing so would set a better example for Lavender.
"She's well, too," Parvati said. She was forced to stop in the doorway as Lavender wrenched her arm free. The pale-skinned girl pouted as she crossed her arms once more.
"That's good," Lily said, taking a step backwards. She did want to chat, actually, but she really should be going.
"Has Hermione come down to dinner yet?" Parvati asked. She always seemed to be more worried for Hermione than even Lily.
Lily stopped moving. "No, she went up to the common room after class, I thought."
"She did," Parvati confirmed, "and she locked herself in the dorm for a bit."
"That was annoying," Lavender grumbled.
"Is she okay?" Lily asked, trying to think if anything she'd said had gone too far. She concluded that everything she said was perfectly reasonable, and that this was just Hermione being melodramatic again. She felt like Hermione said more hurtful things than she did.
Parvati shrugged. "I thought we heard her leave before we did, but nobody ever came down the stairs. Maybe she just went down to the library, and we missed her."
"She couldn't have been, I was in there until right before dinner," Lily said. "You're certain she didn't come down earlier?"
"No-" Parvati started to say.
"I thought you had somewhere to be?" Lavender said with a huff.
"Right," Lily said, turning and giving them a wave over her shoulder. Ron was right, anyway; she really did need to just stop worrying about what Hermione was doing. It was well past time to move on.
Lily could hear Parvati say something to Lavender in an angry whisper, but she was already too far away to make out the contents. She thought she definitely heard the words 'be nice,' though, and that made her feel slightly better.
Lily bumped into Malfoy and his goons coming down from a class on her way up. Malfoy somehow managed to not notice her, which she took as her lucky chance. As soon as they were far enough away, she whipped out her wand and pointed it straight at the blonde boy.
"Gravaddo," she whispered. Malfoy sneezed, and then started rubbing at his nose. Lily felt pleased at that, and renewed her ascent after tucking her wand back into her robes; that was the first Lockhart spell that actually did anything at all, assuming it wasn't just a big coincidence.
Lily took the steps upward as quickly as she could, since she was already running late for their very first meeting. She passed a few more Ravenclaws and Gryffindors as she went up, and briefly exchanged a friendly hug with Katie and the other Chasers. They invited her to come to dinner with them, and was legitimately sad to turn them down, but she did have to go. She knocked on Flitwick's door rapidly once she got there. She was almost out of breath; she was so excited she'd run up the last few flights of steps. Everybody kept promising her endurance would get better the more she played Quidditch, but she didn't see how flying on a broom could help with climbing stairs.
"Come in," Flitwick squeaked as the door opened. Lily could see him placing his wand back on his desk.
"Hello, Professor," Lily said between gasps for air. She leaned down on her knees, trying to steady her breathing. She heard a giggle from in front of her, and saw a blonde Ravenclaw sitting in front of Flitwick's desk, hands folded in her lap. Lily recognized her, even if she didn't know her name; she was a prefect that hung around Percy all the time.
"Hello, Miss Potter," Flitwick said, hopping down from his seat. "You really didn't need to run, we would gladly have waited for you to finish your supper."
"Sorry, Professor," Lily said as she wiped off her forehead. She took a look around while she tried to regain control, as she'd never been in the Charms professor's office before. Despite being the head of Ravenclaw, or perhaps because of it, the professor's office was far more cluttered than McGonagall's (now that was an office Lily was intimately familiar with).
He had dozens of piles of books scattered across the room, with a dozen more laying open on his desk. His piles of papers and assignments to grade were also scattered across the room, some laying forgotten on the floor. Lily guessed that he simply put things wherever there happened to be space for them. She also now knew what happened to that batch of essays the Gryffindors never got graded during the last year.
"Sorry, Professor," Lily said once more, finally coming in and closing the door behind her. "I couldn't help it, I was excited."
"There's nothing wrong with being excited!" Flitwick said in an excited tone to prove his point. "Now, do you have any idea of what we'll be doing today?"
"No, Professor," Lily said, eyes flicking over to the Ravenclaw prefect once more. She was apparently going to sit in on it, whatever it was.
Flitwick let out a gasp of surprise as he followed Lily's gaze. "Sorry, Miss Potter, it slipped my mind. This is Penelope Clearwater. I just thought I'd introduce you to her today, as she'll be the one practicing with you in the off weeks.
"Hello!" Penelope said with a cheery wave. Lily returned it, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed at her previous behavior. She could feel herself blush, and she scratched at the back of her neck.
"Nice to meet you," she said after far too long of a pause.
"How much time do you have before your patrol, Penelope?" Flitwick asked.
"Only ten minutes, Professor," Penelope answered with a glance down at her pocket watch. "I'm supposed to meet with Percival down in the Great Hall. We were both assigned the dungeons tonight."
"You best get on your way, then," Flitwick decided. "Don't forget to dress warmly, dear, those dungeons are frightfully cold. Dumbledore used to have my classroom down there when I first started at Hogwarts, but Professor Slughorn offered to switch with me. Said it'd be better for his Potions, and he wouldn't have to walk as far from his office."
"Slughorn, Professor?" Lily and Penelope asked together. It wasn't a name Lily had ever heard before, but she didn't know why Penelope would be asking.
"A delightful man," Flitwick said. "Retired the same year Professor Snape got started. He said he asked for it, but he kept finding excuses to return to the castle for the next three years. Kept leaving things behind, you see."
Flitwick chuckled fondly, staring off into recollection. Lily exchanged a glance with Penelope, who quickly stood from her chair.
"Well," she said, "I'll be off then, Professor, if you don't need me tonight."
"Yes, Penelope, take care," Flitwick said as he snapped back to attention.
"I'll see you next Thursday, Potter," Penelope said as she passed. She clamped a hand down on Lily's shoulder, and Lily couldn't help but look away once their eyes met. "There's a classroom up on the fourth floor, the Ancient Runes club uses it for their meetings. We'll meet there. It'll be empty on Thursdays."
"Okay," Lily said quickly. Penelope gave one more pat, then left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.
"Now, today we'll be working on the Disarming Charm, and then, if we still have time, we'll start our actual project," Flitwick said, swiping his wand off his desk and gesturing for Lily to do the same.
Lily drew her own wand, then hesitated. The office space was far too cramped for practicing any spells, and she really didn't want to cause any damage to the surrounding texts. Pince would kill her if she ever found out.
"Should we be doing this in here, Professor?" she asked, wand resting laxly between her fingertips.
"We won't be doing the rest in here, no," Flitwick said, "but it should be fine for today. Are you familiar with the spell?"
"I know it knocks the wand out of your opponent's hand, Professor," Lily said. She also knew they weren't supposed to be learning it yet, even though all the books agree that it's actually a very simple spell. It wasn't part of the curriculum until next year, as far as she knew.
"The incantation is Expelliarmus," Flitwick said without actually casting the spell. "Just point your wand at the wand you're aiming for and that'll do for the movement. Would you like me to demonstrate first?"
"Expelliarmus," Lily said, pointing her wand directly at Flitwick's. It flew wildly into the air, as if yanked by an invisible force, and clattered amongst the professor's piles of books.
"Oh, well done, well done," Flitwick said, clapping his hands together in an excited manner. Lily felt proud of herself, even if she did know it was supposed to be easy.
"Thanks, Professor," she said, rubbing the back of her neck again.
"Five points to Gryffindor," Flitwick said as he stood on his toes to grab his wand. His hand couldn't quite reach, so Lily grabbed it for him. He seemed thankful, and struck his stance again.
"Are you supposed to give out points outside of class, Professor?" Lily asked. She didn't want to get him into any trouble. She was pretty sure it was fine, though, but she'd only ever seen Snape take away points outside of classes. She'd certainly never seen anybody be given them.
"Professors may give out or take away points for any thing they wish," Flitwick said, "so long as it is justifiable. I think an exceptional cast on the first try on a spell deemed above your level is worth it."
Lily blushed again, feeling more pride well up in her. Flitwick had been her favorite professor last year, and he was quickly earning that spot again. Not that he had much competition, of course. Lily was too terrible at Transfiguration for McGonagall to take the spot, and while Sprout was nice, she was too focused on Neville's accomplishments (and Lily hardly paid attention in there anyway). Snape, Binns, and Lockhart she didn't want the attention from, and she never saw Sinistra enough to even consider her.
"A few more, Miss Potter, and then I think we shall move on," Flitwick said. Lily complied, casting the spell to disarm the professor once more.
After half an hour of practice, Lily had worked up quite a sweat. It was getting very warm in the cozy office; Flitwick was showing signs of tiring as well. Lily had to keep fetching his wand for him; it had a tendency to fly up into high places, and without his wand, Flitwick had no way of getting to them. She had to climb up a pile of books once, all while saying a quiet apology to the resident librarian.
"I think it's time to move into the classroom," Flitwick said she handed over the most recent attempt.
Lily tucked her wand into her robes. Flitwick frowned at that, and so she took the hint, quickly taking the wand back out.
"Does that mean we're starting the other spell, Professor?" she asked eagerly.
Flitwick smiled. "It certainly does, Miss Potter."
Flitwick waved his wand at the wall of his office, and the books between wall and them moved aside as a door grew into the side. Flitwick flicked his wand at it once more, and it opened to reveal the empty Charms classroom.
Lily walked into the room in awe. "How did you do that, Professor?"
The Professor's office wasn't even next to his classroom. Some professors had it set up that way, to be sure (Snape and Lockhart both had theirs in their classrooms), but Flitwick didn't even keep his on the same floor.
Flitwick smiled again as he waved his wand again, lighting up the space around them. This was definitely their classroom. Malfoy's split bag was laying discarded in a back corner, and the Slytherins had Charms just before dinner today.
"Every Hogwarts professor has a special way of quickly reaching their own classroom and office," Flitwick said with a smile. "We get to pick it when we join. I won't mention what the others chose, of course, but this is mine."
"When we get to learn magic like that?" Lily asked excitedly. This was the kind of stuff she'd been waiting for, not turning mice into snuffboxes or making people sneeze.
"It's NEWT-level, I'm afraid," Flitwick said with a sigh. He sounded almost as disappointed as Lily felt. "Although, with your quick progress, you might be able to pull it off in your fifth year. Perhaps I'll even show you myself."
Lily smiled, a gesture returned by the professor, who quickly struck his battle stance. Lily followed suit, forming the same stance he did.
"Now, this one will require a demonstration. Try to disarm me, and then watch what I do."
"Expelliarmus," Lily said, wand aimed at his.
"Reddimitto," Flitwick said quickly, with a sharp flick upward on his wand. Lily didn't know what happened, but just a split second later her own wand flew out of her wand. She turned to follow its path, mouth opened in amazement.
"What was that?" she asked.
"That, Miss Potter, was the Reflection Charm," Flitwick said, mustering up an ounce of pride in his voice. "And that is what we will be working on for the next year."
"It'll take that long?" Lily asked, running forward to grab her wand.
"It won't, and it will," Flitwick said.
"I'm confused." Lily scratched the back of her head, right where she had the hair tied up. Normally, she'd let it down once back in the common room, since keeping it up too long hurt her head. It'd still be a while before she got that chance tonight, even if she felt like it was only making her pounding head worse. She tried to ignore it once more; she really needed to concentrate on what she was about to be doing.
"The Reflection Charm can be used to reflect the owner's spell right back at them," Flitwick said, doing the flicking motion one more time so Lily could see it.
Lily frowned. "Why doesn't everybody use that instead of the Shield Charm?"
Flitwick smiled. "Good observation. It's not because the charm is difficult to pull off, no, in some cases it's even quite easy. It's because every spell has a different timing for a reflection, and those can only be learned through practice."
Lily smiled. "How many will we be learning, Professor?"
Flitwick smiled in return, matching the younger girl's energy. "If you can maintain your current pace? I think we'll manage at least two dozen spells."
"How did you learn so many yourself, Professor?"
Flitwick smiled eagerly this time, clearly anticipating the question. "Because I invented the charm, of course."
Lily lowered her wand. "You, Professor?"
"Me," Flitwick said proudly, puffing out his chest. "I used it back in my dueling days. Won me many a tournament singlehandedly, it did. I let it be published once I retired to Hogwarts. That's how it ended up in your book, there. I got excited when I saw it, and I knew it'd have to be the one."
Lily let her mouth fall open again. "Professor? Do we ever get to make our own spells?"
"I'm glad you asked, Miss Potter," Flitwick said as he hopped in place, seeming genuinely happy that the question made its appearance. "We offer a course on spell development here at Hogwarts starting in your sixth year. In order to place into it, you'll need to score an O on either your Charms or Transfiguration OWLs, as well as score an O in both Magical Runes and Arithmancy."
Flitwick produced a pamphlet from his robes with a swish, handing it over to Lily's outstretched hand. She flipped through it eagerly. There were all sorts of diagrams and letters she didn't understand, but it made her heart thump wildly to even think of the possibilities.
"I only need an O in Charms, Professor? Not Transfiguration?" If that was true, she just might have a chance; she'd definitely never get an O in both.
"That is correct, Miss Potter. You will also need to take at least Arithmancy and Ancient Runes as electives starting next year, and then master them as well."
Lily considered it, placing the pamphlet carefully in her robe, right next to where she was currently storing the map. She'd have to look at it more, later. She knew Katie was taking Ancient Runes; she could ask her what it was like.
"Professor Babbling teaches the course," Flitwick continued, "although Minerva and I both assist whenever we can find the time. I certainly recommend it, it's where I invented the Reflection Charm."
"I wanted to take Care of Magical Creatures, Professor," Lily said, fidgeting nervously with her wand. It sounded wonderful from what she'd heard from older students, although the current professor was set to retire after this year. Still, though, she liked animals in general, and she really wanted to know more about magical ones.
"You can always take more than 2 electives, Miss Potter, although your schedule will certainly be packed if you do. For now, though, at least consider it. I think you'd do great in the subject."
Lily had a feeling that she'd likely do exactly as Flitwick suggested, even if it ended up making her miserable from the workload. Flitwick seemed to know it as well, as he spoke with nothing but confidence.
Flitwick took his stand back up, ready to practice the spell.
Lily took the stance as well, trying not to let her thoughts distract her.
"What do I do, Professor?" she asked. She knew the incantation, but she didn't know the timing or the wand movement. She saw the flick, but she didn't know the timing.
"When I attempt to disarm you, simply speak the incantation, and flick your wand upwards at exactly the same time. Normally you don't want to flick until the last two syllables, but as I explained before, every spell has a different timing. Due to the speed of Expelliarmus, you will need to flick immediately. Are you ready?"
Lily bit her lip, but nodded.
"Expelliarmus," Flitwick said, flicking his wand forward slightly.
"Reddimitto," Lily said, flicking her wand up slightly too late. It flew out of her grasp, clattering on the ground behind her.
"Let's try again, Miss Potter," Flitwick said. "I don't expect you to pull it off until our third session, but I'd love for you to surprise me."
Lily tried, tried, and tried again, but she didn't manage to get the spell working in the next hour. She thought she was close, though. The last ten minutes her wand hadn't flown quite as far away, and she could have sworn Flitwick's wand moved in his hand slightly. That could have just been the professor's own exhaustion, though, as her own hands were starting to become unsteady as well. Lily's headache was starting to get worse, as well, but she was pretty sure that was due to the lack of drinks; she could really use a tall glass of water right about now.
"That'll be all for this week, Miss Potter," Flitwick announced after Lily's wand almost rolled beneath the door.
Lily wiped the sweat from her forehead, taking in a deep breath. She took a step forward, tucking her wand back into her robes. She smiled.
"Thanks, Professor, I-"
Kill, Lily heard hear, causing her to freeze. Her body suddenly became cold, the sweat causing a chill. She doubled over, clutching at her head as the pounding worsened.
Kill, must feed, kill, kill.
"Professor, what is that?" Lily asked, pointing her wand at the walls, trying to find the source, one hand still clutched to her scar.
"Miss Potter?" Flitwick asked in a confused and worried tone. "Are you feeling well? Should I call for Pomfrey?"
"Do you- can't you hear that?" Lily asked.
Kill, hungry, kill, the voice said, sound trailing off as it passed away from their location.
"Perhaps I worked you harder than I thought," Flitwick said. "I had hoped to review what we've done today before we split off, but perhaps you should return to your dorm and get some well deserved rest."
"But-" Lily started, biting her lip to cut herself off. The last thing she needed was for Flitwick to think she was lying for attention the same way Gran had done.
"Would you like me to walk you upstairs?" Flitwick said as he stowed his wand in his robes. He seemed genuinely worried for her safety. Lily suddenly became very aware of how frightened she was, and how she must appear. She almost felt like she could throw up at any moment, and she was certain she looked the same.
Lily tried to stop her shaking legs, to steady herself. She'd never heard anything like that before. She did her best to brush it off, excusing it as a passing fancy of her tired and addled mind.
"Sorry, Professor," she said, voice still shaky. "I think you're right, maybe I just need some rest. I just thought I heard something, that's all."
"Very well, Miss Potter," Flitwick said, heading back towards his office door. "I shall see you tomorrow morning for our regular class meeting. Remember: I must ask that you do not attempt to teach your friends what you've learned here tonight. I would not want you all hurting yourselves outside of a controlled environment."
"I promise, Professor," Lily said walking quickly towards the classroom door. "Goodnight, Professor," she said as she opened the door to leave.
"Goodnight, Lily," she heard as she closed the door behind her. Lily started running, heading for the direction the voice had gone in. If she was fast, she could still find what it was, and she could prove to herself that she wasn't going crazy, even if that would probably be better in the long run. It was on the same floor, definitely. It seemed to be coming from below, and heading up to them, based on the way the voice trailed off.
Lily turned the corner near the bathrooms, and slipped, sliding a good two meters in the water on the ground, her ankle giving out beneath her. She spun on the tide, and her head collided with the wall in a crunch. She let out a moan as the lay on the ground, hoping nobody was around to see that. She rubbed at her head to make sure it wasn't split open again. Then she stayed in that position for a good minute; she'd definitely vomit from the now worse pain in her head if she tried to stand. When she did finally manage the strength to sit up, a pain shot through her foot, confirming the twisted ankle. She stood anyway, one hand leaning on the wall for support.
After one step, she almost collapsed to the ground once more. She let out a groan as she fell to one knee. Lily looked around for something to help her walk, then froze in fear once more.
Mrs. Norris, the poor feline, was hanging from a nearby sconce by her tail. She was frozen. Stiff.
Dead.
Lily couldn't bring herself to move, even with the water on the floor seeping through her robes. She sat transfixed, eyes locked onto the deceased feline. She couldn't help but think about Weasley, and how glad she was that he wasn't here.
Her eyes finally noticed the blood writing on the wall above Mrs. Norris.
The Chamber of Secrets has been opened
Enemies of the heir… beware
Lily heard movement coming from down the hall. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain from her ankle, and made a break for it. She whipped the map out of her robes as she ran, quickly murmuring the keywords necessary to make it function.
There were students coming from the other direction as well as from behind. This escapade had clearly been timed well; multiple classes were getting out at once, and the students were heading downstairs for a late supper.
Lily's eyes scanned the map, trying to find an escape route. All the classrooms were empty nearby, but if they conducted a search, they'd find her easily, and she would not be blamed for this.
Her eyes caught onto a hallway she couldn't see in her actual surroundings. There was a tapestry where the entrance should be. She jumped on the chance, shoving herself behind the tapestry and into a hidden corridor.
She whispered a silent thanks to the Marauders (as well as Fred and George for giving her the map) as she heard the students pass by on the other side. She lit her wand so she could see, and watched the helpful tool for any sign of danger. She was extremely thankful that they didn't keep any portraits on this hallway; she'd still have been easily found if there were.
She heard a few screams come from the hallway, and she took that as her cue to leave. She made her way through the darkness, eyeing the map to see where she was going. There were stairs cut into the stone, leading upwards, so she knew it at least went that direction. Some secret hallways were labelled with their destinations, but this was not one of them. Her dot disappeared as she started hobbling up the staircase.
Her dot appeared back on the map on the seventh floor, after climbing for what felt like ages. She was breathing hard by the time she pushed herself out and back into the light; the steps were far steeper in there than she was used to, and her ankle was screaming in protest the entire way. She was also covered in dust, which made her nose itch.
"All students will return to their dormitories immediately," Professor McGonagall's voice rang out through the castle. "All staff will proceed to the second-floor corridor immediately. All prefects are advised to watch out for stragglers."
Lily took that as another cue to leave, and quickly made her way over to the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Abacus," Lily gasped out as she bent over for air, leaning her body weight on a nearby wall. She desperately hoped the Fat Lady wouldn't try to ask her any questions, if only just this once.
"Yes, yes, hurry inside," the Fat Lady responded as she swung open. Lily quickly crawled through the hole into the crowded common room; she really couldn't bring herself to walk anymore. Her fellow students were currently standing around, discussing what could possibly be the cause of this lockdown.
"There you are," Ron said once he saw Lily. He pulled her aside to where he and Neville were sitting in the far corner, offering her a shoulder to lean on as they crossed the packed space. He brushed his hand off on his robe as he sat down, clearly disgusted by how dirty it was.
"Why are you so dirty?" Neville asked curiously. "And why are you soaking wet?"
"And how did practice go?' Ron asked curiously. "Lucky you had it before this lockdown, huh?"
"Nevermind that," Lily said in a harsh whisper. "I have something I need to tell you both, but you have to promise not to say anything to anybody else."
"Promise," they both said at once. Lily was relieved; it was nice to have back-up.
"Mrs. Norris is dead," she whispered.
Ron snorted. "Really, now, what actually happened?"
"I just told you," Lily said. "I was coming out of the session with Flitwick, when I heard this voice saying it wanted to kill something. I followed it around on the second floor, when I slipped on some water near the bathrooms. I hurt my ankle, so I was just sitting there, and that's when I saw it."
The color faded out of both faces. They exchanged a glance, then Ron leaned back into his chair, scratching at his chin where a pimple was forming.
"You're sure she's dead?" Neville whispered.
"She looked pretty dead," Lily said, biting her lip. "Merlin, what do I do? What if they think I did it?"
"Did anybody see you?" Ron asked.
"No," Lily said, quickly taking her tie off so she could breath easier, loosening the collar right after. She still didn't feel like she was getting enough air, and now that the panic was going away, the pounding headache was coming back, and she was starting to feel sick again.
"How did you get back here?" Neville asked.
"I used the map," Lily said.
"The map?" They both asked, confused.
"I need you to promise again," Lily said quickly.
"Promise," they both said at once.
"Fred and George gave me a map for my birthday. It shows me all of Hogwarts, and where everybody is at the time. It also shows me secret passages, and how to take them. That's how I got back here without being seen."
"Wicked," Ron said. "How come they never told me about it?"
"I don't know, Ron, but that's not the issue right now, is it?" Lily said sharply, undoing the top button so she could get more air. She wanted to take off the vest, too, but that wouldn't be appropriate in this setting.
"Calm down, Lily," Neville said, placing a hand on hers.
"Yeah, mate, nobody knows you were there," Ron said. "You didn't actually do it, though, did you?"
"No, Ron," Lily said, shooting him a glare.
"I was just checking," Ron said, holding his hands up. "I believe you, I just didn't want to go around defending you if you actually did do it."
"There was something else, too," Lily said.
"What's that?"
"There was some writing in the wall in blood," Lily asked. "It said something about the Chamber of Secrets, and how enemies of the heir should be afraid, or something like that."
"What does that mean?" Neville asked.
"I don't know, I was hoping you would," Lily said, pulling at her hair.
"Calm down, Lily," Ron said, placing his hand on Lily's other one. "Really, it'll be alright. People will start staring if they notice you're freaking out, and then we won't be able to help you."
Lily bit her lip, but did her best to stop all other signs of panic. She put her hands in her lap, where she fiddled with her wand. She looked around at the rest of the common room, but nobody seemed to be paying attention to a scared second-year. Well, she could see Colin Creevey paying attention to her from across the common room, but that was normal. So long as he wasn't snapping pictures of her, she supposed that was fine, just this once.
"I should go change my robes," Lily said.
"Good idea," Ron said. "We'll stay down here and cover for you if anyone asks. And don't mention the voice to anybody; I'll explain later, but you have to trust me on this."
"Thanks," Lily said, hopping up and quickly heading upstairs before anybody could see. She did her best to ignore her screaming ankle, leaning heavily on the banister as she took each step. She hid her face in her hands as she passed Parvati and Lavender, who were coming down. They didn't seem to notice her.
Lily closed the door gently behind her, then started rubbing the dust out of her hair as best she could. She threw her sodden rob onto the ground, then ripped off the vest, tossing it into the pile, the shirt following soon after.
Lily stopped, startled as she was halfway through pulling off her skirt. She could have sworn she heard someone gasp nearby. The room was, as far as she could tell, completely empty.
"Not again," Lily said muttered as she continued undressing.
Lily threw on her new clothes as quickly as she could. She pulled a new skirt on first and was halfway through buttoning a shirt when the door opened. Lily squeaked in fright, wondering who would dare walk in without knocking.
"I apologize, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said as she entered the room and closed the door behind her, "But I'm afraid this is urgent."
"Professor," Lily said, startled, "I'm changing-"
"Yes, I see that," McGonagall said. "And why, may I ask, where you seen entering the common room sodden wet and covered in dust?"
"I, err-" Lily stammered, trying to find words in her labyrinth of a brain.
"Never mind that, Miss Potter, I'm sure I don't want to know," McGonagall said. "Filius has already cleared you of any wrongdoing. Do you know what I am referring of?"
"Err-" Lily stalled while she tried to come up with a lie. "Some of the older students said something about Filch's cat, Professor, but that was all I heard."
"Quite," Professor McGonagall said, sharp eyes locked onto Lily's own. It took every ounce of willpower to not look away.
"Is Mrs. Norris going to be okay, Professor?" Lily asked, trying to pretend she didn't know the truth.
"She will be fine," McGonagall said. "She has been petrified. We will be able to revive her once Professor Sprout's mandrakes are fully grown."
"P-petrified?" Lily stuttered, feeling absolutely relief as she sat down onto her mattress.
"I'm afraid so."
Lily looked back up briefly. "Why are you telling me this, Professor?"
"Because, Miss Potter, from all reports not a single soul was seen fleeing the scene that should not have been there."
"Professor, I-"
"I am not accusing you, Miss Potter, although I will admit, to my shame, that my mind did arrive at that conclusion first." McGonagall didn't seem to be lying, and Lily relaxed a bit.
"Then why are you-"
"I am here you ask one question of you, Miss Potter," McGonagall said sternly, eyes locked onto Lily's again. This time she did look away, although only briefly.
"Professor?" Lily asked, trying not to squirm anymore than she already had.
"Have you let anybody borrow your cloak this year?"
"No, Professor," Lily said, relieved that it was a question she could actually answer.
"May I see the cloak?" McGonagall asked, holding out her hand.
"Err," Lily stammered again, starting to fidget with her hands. "Actually, Professor, I- err- That is, I, err-"
"Time is of the essence, Miss Potter," McGonagall interrupted, pushing her hand further forward.
"Somebody took it," Lily blurted out. "It was gone after the Sorting, I tried looking for it so I could sneak out, but-"
"But it was already gone," McGonagall said, looking pale. "That is what I was afraid of."
"Professor?" Lily said, worried that her admission could get her into trouble.
"Alert me at once if it returns, Potter," McGonagall said as she fixed her hat back onto her head. "I must go let the Headmaster know immediately."
McGonagall turned and left the room before Lily could ask any further questions.
Lily continued sitting there, shirt half buttoned (thankfully she started at the top), feeling lost and confused, but also relieved. It only occurred to her much later, as she was failing to fall asleep, that she realized she probably should have told the professor about the voice she had heard.