Lily Potter and the Millennium Serpent

by colcustard

Lily Potter managed to survive her first year at Hogwarts. Over the summer, she receives a grave warning: Hogwarts isn't safe anymore. She returns, heedless, and is faced with the menace that is the Chamber of Secrets. Will Lily find the Heir of Slytherin in time, or will she fall victim to the Millennium Serpent? Sequel to Lily Potter and the Enchanted Mirror. Fem!Harry

35. The Order of Merlin

"Lily!" Neville shouted. "Why are we running?"

"She's almost back, Nev!" Lily called back to the puffing boy. He really needed to get more exercise, he could hardly keep up.

"Who?"

"Hermione!" Lily said happily. She had to adjust Katie's scarf around her neck. It almost came off in her haste to get away. Mrs. Weasley sent it for her just a few days ago, and Katie absolutely refused to take it back. She'd taken to wearing it, even if it was starting to get too warm for it, if only to hide her lack of tie. She lost it somewhere, and couldn't be bothered to put on a different one.

They were running across the grounds on a Saturday morning. Ron and Katie were getting breakfast in the Great Hall. They had a game coming up in just an hour, after all. Lily didn't bother them. She wouldn't want to impose.

It'd been over a week. They were in March, now, and well into it. Hermione had stayed at home much longer than anybody had expected. The second weekend was here, and it was time for Quidditch. Gryffindor was playing Hufflepuff, and she was really looking forward to watching Ron play. He'd been doing very well in practice, lately, although he looked sick this morning. That was normal for him, though. He was playing a new position now. It was only natural to feel nervous. She'd been much worse off the first time she played Seeker.

Lily was missing Hermione quite dearly. Ron and Neville were always good company, of course, and Katie certainly helped, but her heart felt a bit empty without the bushy-haired girl around. She wrote, borrowing Monty, but she'd yet to receive a single reply back. She'd been worried that Hermione wasn't coming back at all.

But then, this morning, over a bowl of porridge, she overheard Professor McGonagall talking with Professor Flitwick, conspicuously talking right in front of the open Hospital Wing doors.

"Granger should be coming back now," McGonagall said.

"A shame nobody is available to walk her back from Hogsmeade," Flitwick had replied loudly.

"Come on, Nev, hurry up," Lily groaned. She jogged in place while she waited for him to catch up. They weren't even halfway across the grounds yet.

"She's coming back now?" Neville huffed out. Lily started running again in her impatience.

"Yes!" She said impatiently. "Come on, please, hurry!"

"I'm going to die," she heard Neville say from behind.

"You'll be fine!"

She was wrong, of course. As they neared the border of the grounds, Neville had to stop to catch his breath. Lily gave him a pat on the back as he heaved into the bushes. She knew that feeling all too well. She kept a much slower pace after that.

"We're not supposed to leave the grounds," Neville complained as they finally continued towards the village.

"Third years get to go," Lily said with a sniff.

"Only on certain weekends."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Fred and George sneak off all the time. Besides, we're just going to see Hermione, that's all. I doubt they've even noticed we're gone."

"We better not miss the match," Neville grumbled. Lily punched him lightly on the arm.

"You didn't have to come with me, you know," Lily said. "You could have stayed at breakfast." He was the only one who showed up at the Hospital Wing this morning. Katie and Ron went down the Great Hall to eat with the rest of the team. Lily tried to send him down with them, but he'd refused. She was just impressed he'd managed to keep up with her this far.

"Somebody had to make sure you didn't get into trouble."

"Well, you're doing a bang-up job, aren't you? You even came off campus with me. You'll be joining me in detention, after this."

Neville smiled. "Never said I was any good at it. It'll be worth it. Haven't gotten one all year, Gran was getting a bit worried for me."

Lily scoffed at that. "I'm surprised she hasn't pulled you out of Hogwarts yet. Surely my presence here is considered a negative."

Neville shrugged. "She'd never actually pull me out of Hogwarts. My dad came here. Besides, I don't think she actually hates you. She seemed really confused after I woke up."

"What did you see, anyway?" Lily said. "I never asked you. Sorry about that."

"It's okay, I got a bit tired of talking about it, to be honest. You gave me a nice break. I saw you trying to come up the stairs on the map. When I came down to check on you, you were gone, but you were in your dorm on the map, so I started going back up. Then I saw Hermione coming down, and I thought that was strange, so I waited for her. She ignored me, walked straight out of the common room, so I followed after her. Lost her on the fifth floor, saw her on the map coming back upstairs, and then happened to look at a window. You know the rest."

Lily whistled. "You should have woken Ron, he could have gone with you."

Neville shook his head. "It was better this way. If Ron had gone, he might have- might not have seen the window."

Lily understood. It was complete luck that Neville was still alive. Complete luck that any of the victims were still alive.

It was complete luck that she was alive.

"Should have blinded yourself," Lily jested. "That's what I did. Worked like a charm!"

"I'll keep that in mind next time," Neville said with a smile. "How much further is it? I'm dying over here."

"Not much," Lily said. She pointed towards the village at the crest of the hill. "We ran most of it. Took much longer when McGonagall had me walking."

"And do you think she's there yet?" Neville asked nervously. "I don't want to be in the village too long, they might send word to McGonagall."

"Not so eager for the detention anymore?"

"Not at all."

"We'll be quick," Lily said with a wink. "You can stay under the cloak, if you want. I brought it with me. Then you won't get in trouble."

"Too late for that," Neville countered. "I'm already here, might as well see it through."

"And you were worried you weren't a real Gryffindor. Look how brave you are!"

"I wouldn't call this brave," Neville said nervously. "More like tremendously stupid."

Lily winked at him again. "Trust me, Neville, it comes with the territory."

"I suppose you're speaking from experience," Neville mumbled. They were approaching the village, now, and he was clearly getting more nervous. Lily was considering telling him to stay at the edge, but then she got excited again, and she ran towards the cause without thinking.

"Hermione!" she shouted as she threw herself around her infrequent companion. Hermione's head barely reached her chest. She really had grown quite a bit.

"L-Lily," Hermione stammered out. "W- What are you- what are you doing here?"

"McGonagall sent us!" Lily lied. "Said we could bring you back with us."

A nearby man cleared his throat, then quickly extended his hand for Lily to shake. She did so eagerly, barely able to contain how excited she was. He was balding, just a bit, but he had the same brown eyes as Hermione, and the same slightly too large front teeth. He didn't seem nearly as ashamed of it, though, as he didn't bother trying to cover it up like the daughter always would.

"Henry Granger," he said as Lily firmed up her grip. "A bit boring, I know. This is my wife, Vera."

"Hello!" Mrs. Granger piped up. Lily quickly shook her hand, too. "After the singer. Might be a bit before your time."

"Never heard of her!" Lily agreed. Hermione seemed a bit embarrassed at these interactions spreading around her. Neville was standing awkwardly a few meters away, as well, which was a nice touch.

"That's a blessing, really," Mrs. Granger said in relief. "Can't stand her, myself. Mum used to play her all the time, to 'show me my origins.'"

Mrs. Granger had the same bushy hair as Hermione, although her eyes were blue, instead, and her teeth were absolutely immaculate. She had the same nose, too, and she wore her hair tied back, so it appeared far more managed than her daughters.

"You're very pretty," Lily accidentally said out loud. She could hear Hermione groan from not very far away.

Both the Grangers laughed at the comment, although the Mrs. seemed pleased.

"I'm Lily!" she continued. "Lily Potter, Basilisk Slayer Extraordinaire and the Heir of Slytherin!"

Mr. Granger perked up and exchanged a look with his wife.

"You're Lily!" He repeated eagerly. "Excellent, we were hoping to meet you! We've heard all about you from Hermione, of course, and we're very grateful you saved our daughter, I don't think that can be stated enough."

"If there's anything you need," Mrs. Granger piped up, seizing Lily by her hands, "Anything at all, you just let us know. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't gone down there to save her."

"We've all had quite a few cries together," Mr. Granger said, placing his hands over his wife's. "Thank you so much, really."

Lily was feeling embarrassed herself, now, most of her excitement replaced by nerves.

"Glad I could help," she said at last. "I- I don't know what to say, really. I appreciate the offer!"

Mrs. Granger leaned in a bit closer, lowering her voice. "Hermione wanted to ask you, but we think she's a bit nervous. How would you like to come stay with us over the summer, if just for a bit?"

"Err-"

"It doesn't have to be the whole time," Mr. Granger added. "Hermione told us you have- err- obligations after your birthday. How about you come back with us, right off the train? We'll drop you back off at home before we head off to France for our own Holiday."

"S-sure," Lily said. "I'd love to!"

"It's settled, then!" Mrs. Granger said with a clap of her hands. "Hermione, dear, we'll leave you here, so you can walk back with your friends! Have a good rest of term, we'll see you in the summer! Don't forget to write!"

"I won't, mum," Hermione called back.
"I'll just leave this with you, young man," Mr. Granger called to Neville. He pat Hermione's trunk, then stepped away a few feet. Neville looked surprised to be acknowledged, but ran forward quickly to accept the duty.

Neville and Lily both stood back as Hermione said a more private farewell to her parents. They hugged for a long time, then Hermione turned to join them, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her robes. Lily just noticed she was dressed for school. She wondered if that Governor's Rule would still be enforced. They were already dropping most of them, now that the Governors felt more satisfied with the state of the school. From what Lily had heard, it was Gran that was pushing for their dissolvement. That only served to confuse her.

"Lovely people, them," Lily said happily. The Grangers waved one more time at them, and Lily waved back.

"Why did they introduce themselves like that?" Neville asked.

"Thank Merlin somebody else asked that," Lily said with a laugh. "I thought it was a tad strange, but I wasn't going to say anything."

Hermione seemed a bit embarrassed, and she hurried on ahead just a bit.

"They think their names are boring," she admitted. "That's- that's why they named me Hermione. They thought it was clever. I don't mind, I actually like the name, it's just a bit embarrassing when they explain it. They always introduce themselves that way."

"How was your stay?" Neville asked quickly, as if to hide his shame. They all knew, though.

"It was wonderful," Hermione said as she slowed her pace to let them catch up. "I really needed it, I think. It was nice to get away. But it'll be nicer to get back to the common room."

"Let me know how that goes," Lily said in a feign of happiness. "I'll be in the Hospital Wing, if you need me."

Hermione gasped. "You're not still hurt, are you?"

Lily laughed, although she thought it sounded a bit fake. "No, Hermione, I'm not. They just don't want me joining the common room yet, is all."

Hermione frowned. "Why would they not want that?"

"Did you not know?" Neville asked sheepishly. Lily bit at her lip. She'd forgotten how dark it was down there. Hermione must not have seen, or noticed afterwards. She hadn't been wearing school robes while she slept, and Hermione left before she woke. This wasn't a discussion she thought she'd need to go through today, and certainly not so early on. Hermione didn't look like she was capable of handling it. She was already tearing up, and Lily hadn't even said anything yet!

"Know what?" Hermione asked nervously. "You- you weren't expelled, were you?"

"No," Lily said with another false laugh, "Nothing as bad as that. I- err- I joined Slytherin, is all. Had to, to get down into the Chamber."

Hermione stopped walking, her mouth falling open. Lily just smiled sweetly at her.

"You- you- you didn't," she said quietly, "you- you couldn't have, Lily, I- I-"

Lily pulled her into a hug. She could feel her shaking.

"It'll be fine, Hermione," she said gently. "Really, I'll be fine. I've already made a friend, right, Neville? Her name's- err- she's a first year."

"Right," Neville agreed awkwardly. Lily was pretty sure he didn't remember this at all.

"L-Lily," Hermione cried out, "I- I- I'm so s-sorry, this- this is all my fault."

"No, it's not," Lily said. She pulled Hermione tighter. "It's Tom's. Don't blame yourself. If Lockhart hadn't modified my memories, I would have found out sooner, and we would have stopped the whole thing. It's not your fault."

"B-b-b-but-"

"I went down there because I wanted to, Hermione," Lily said. "I didn't have to. I- I was mad at you and I- I wanted to hate you, but I couldn't. You're my friend, Hermione. It's not your fault. It's not."

Lily held Hermione as she cried it out. They sat together, leaning on the ground. Neville went on ahead to give them some privacy, and she appreciated it.

"I'm here, Hermione," Lily said. "I never could have left you down there. And I'm still here. Being in a different House doesn't change that. If you need me, I'll come, I promise you."

Hermione sniffed again. "I'm sorry, Lily. I- I should- Maybe I could ask the- the hat to-"

"No," Lily said gently. "The others already tried. It wouldn't let them. Don't tell them I know, Dumbledore wanted me to keep it a secret."

Hermione pulled Lily closer. Lily let her cry it out while she held her. She wondered why she wasn't crying herself. She certainly felt like she should be.

"Do you want to watch the game?" Lily asked. They walked hand in hand the rest of the way, Neville walking ahead of them both just out of earshot. They hadn't talked much, but Lily appreciated it anyway.

Hermione glanced over towards the Quidditch stadium, her eyes still red from the crying. They really only had ten minutes before the game. Most of the student body was already at the pitch, while a few were still streaming towards it. They'd spent a lot of time crying it out. Far more than Lily had expected.

"No," Hermione said in a quiet voice. "I- I'm a mess right now, I shouldn't. I think I'll just- just head inside for a nap. You go ahead, though, I'll- I'll see you afterwards. For lunch."

"Okay," Lily said. She squeezed Hermione's hand again, let go, and then waved Neville over. He was watching them from ahead. "Can you take the trunk from here?"

"Yes," Hermione said confidently.

It felt strange being on the wrong side of the Quidditch field. She felt her heart just couldn't get into it, even with Gryffindor playing so well.

"And Angelina scores again!" Lee Jordan called out. "That makes it 140-30, Gryffindor!"

"Come on, Ron, find the Snitch!" Neville shouted. Lily wanted to shout with him, but just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"It's by the Hufflepuff Goals," Lily said. She pointed towards the fleck of gold, shining in the bright sun.

"Blimey, Lily," Seamus Finnegan said from behind, "How'd you see that?"

"I played Seeker," Lily mumbled. The sound of it was lost as the crowd roared again, most of Gryffindor jumping to their feet, Neville included. Lily feigned the same reaction, cheering for Alicia Spinnet, who'd just scored another goal.

"It won't matter at this rate," Dean Thomas said right in Lily's ear. "They're almost ahead by 150!"

"Where's the Snitch, now, Lily?" Lavender asked. She was sitting right next to Lily, and she hung onto her arm as she spoke, sending butterflies into Lily's stomach.
"Err-" Lily stammered out. "I- I'm not sure, haven't- haven't found it again, yet. Everybody stood up, I- I lost it."

"Leave her alone, Lav," Parvati said gently. "She's not a pair of omnioculars."

"There!" Lily shouted, rising to her own feet. She pointed low on the field, towards the Gryffindor changing room, near the exit. Ron saw it a moment later, finally getting his first sighting of it, and dove. Lily lost sight of it again as the crowd roared, jumping up and down in their anticipation. Lily had to hop up just to get a glimpse of the action. They were sitting directly behind a bunch of tall seventh year boys, and not even she could get over their heads.

"Oh, I hope he gets it!" Lavender said excitedly, bobbing up and down as she clung to Lily's arm.

"AND WEASLEY HAS FOUND THE SNITCH!" Lee announced a bit too late. "DIGGORY GOES AFTER HIM, THEY'RE NECK AND NECK, DIGGORY STRETCHES- HE'S GOT- OH, EXCELLENT BLUDGER FROM FRED WEASLEY!"

The crowd roared again, chanting their names, Lily joining in whole-heartedly.

"WEASLEY! WEASLEY! WEASLEY!"

"HE'S GOT IT!" Lee shouted. The crowd roared again, and Lavender threw Lily into a very tight hug. Lily returned it awkwardly. The girl was crying, for some reason.

"Gryffindor wins!" Lee announced. "290-30! Better luck next year, Hufflepuff, that takes you out of the running!"

"That's not fair," Lily said. "They could still smash Slytherin."

Neville snorted at that. "Even if they did, they're too far behind, now. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are almost tied up, it'll be a close call. Hufflepuff would have to beat Slytherin by almost 500 points and hope neither House scores very much."

"Oh, I can't believe Ron did it!" Lavender squeaked out. She pushed Lily forward eagerly, practically dragging her along. Lily thought her arm was going to fall off, for sure.

"Glad we're in the running," Lily said sadly.

"Did you see me!" Ron practically screamed. They were walking along the grounds, now, Katie walking awfully close to Lily's side. Their hands kept brushing, which kept making Lily feel weird again. She didn't know what was up with everybody showing her so much affection today.

"We saw you, Ron," Neville said again. He looked happy about it, though. "You did great, mate, really!"

"I can't believe I caught it," Ron said. He let out a loud cheer again, then ran forward, sprinting for their usual tree as he let out another whoop.

"You did great, too, Katie," Lily said nicely. "Really. Sorry you got knocked off your broom, though, that looked like it hurt."

"It's fine," Katie said with a shrug. "I'll do better next game. I just felt a little weird out there today, is all."

"Why would you-" Lily started to say.

"Lily!" Ron shouted from ahead. "Hurry up, will you, come on!"

"Fine, Ron," Lily called back. She ran on ahead. She'd promised him, after all.

"Okay," Ron said with a big grin. He drew his wand out, facing her eagerly. "What are we working on first?"

"Disarming," she said simply as she drew her own. "It's what I practiced first. We should move a bit further from the water, I don't want our wands landing in the lake."

"Good idea," Katie said. "Neville and I will run after them, you two just stay here."

Neville nodded in agreement.

"What's the incantation again?" Ron asked.

"Reddimitto," Lily said impatiently. "Four syllables. Flick up your wand on the third, right as you make contact with my spell. Expelliarmus is going to be really fast, so you'll want to flick immediately. The timing is always different."

"Well which is it?" Neville asked. "Is he supposed to flick on the third syllable or immediately?"

"It depends," Lily answered. "Immediately for spells that are instant, third syllable for spells that have to travel. And don't worry if you don't get it immediately. It took me a whole day to get it once, and you have a wand that didn't choose you."

Ron frowned. "What's that matter?"

Lily scoffed. "Ron, if a wand doesn't choose you, it won't work as well as one specifically for you. Why do I know that, and you don't?"

"Dunno," Ron said with red ears. "I've- err- Never bought a wand before."

"I'm using my dad's old one," Katie piped up. "I haven't been either."

Lily was confused. "Really? Neither of you do?"

"What's the big deal, Lily?" Ron asked. "Neville doesn't have one, either."

Lily turned towards Neville. "I thought Gran took you last year?"

Neville's face turned red, and he looked down at his feet. "She tried, but- I- I didn't want to. I'm fine with my dad's."

"Okay," Lily said again, "Well, if any of you change your minds, I'll gladly pay for a new one. I'm already buying Ron one over the summer."

"Why are you doing that?" Katie asked.

"Birthday present," Lily answered. "Didn't get him anything else, and he needs a new wand. You ready, Ron?"

"Ready," Ron said nervously. He struck an awkward stance, but Lily didn't try to correct him quite yet. She really didn't know enough about proper stances to do so, anyway.

"Expelliarmus."

"Reddimitto," Ron shouted. He flicked up a tad too late, and Lily thought he'd messed it up.

Then her wand flew from her hand, soared above Katie's surprised face, and clattered on the stones of the beach, rolling into the shallows of the water.

"No!" Lily shouted as she ran for it. Ron was cheering behind her.

"I did it! I did it!"

"Are you still mad about the wand, Lily?" Ron asked a few days later. "Really, we got it out! Can't you just-"

"No," Lily said a bit too harshly. "That's why I wanted to move away from the water in the first place. I didn't want to lose a second one. Still hasn't worked quite right since it happened. I'm worried something's wrong with it." Her fingers spun the wand in its socket. She'd get it checked out over the summer, if it was still weird. To be honest, she wasn't sure if it was the wand or her memory that was messing things up. Her mind still got very cloudy on occasion.

"Lucky Katie found it," Neville mumbled.

"Where is she, anyway?" Ron asked. He glanced down the shore towards the castle. "You'd think she'd be out of class by now."

"She has Potions, Ronald," Hermione piped up. "Maybe she had to pack up?"

"Well, she's going to miss tea with Hagrid if she takes much longer," Ron grumbled.

"I'll wait for her, you lot go on ahead," Lily offered. "Really, I don't mind."

"Suit yourself, mate," Ron said with a shrug. "Better you than me!"

"I'll wait with you," Hermione offered. She stepped to Lily's side before she could respond. She shrugged, instead, feeling a stupid smile come over her face.

"Suit yourself," she said. "You two go on ahead, we'll catch up soon."

"Come on, Nev," Ron said. Neville followed shortly after, waving goodbye to the two girls. Lily returned it lazily.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked.

"P-Pardon?" Hermione asked nervously. She chewed at her fingernail again. Lily noticed her doing that quite a bit, lately. She never used to before. She hadn't mentioned it, yet. She didn't want Hermione to feel weird about it. She was ruining her nails, though, Lily could tell that much.

"You wanted to talk to me about something," Lily said again. "I saw you glancing at me. You just didn't want to say it in front of the boys. What was it?"

Hermione glanced around nervously, but didn't speak. Lily put her hand on her shoulder, and she jumped from the contact.

"It's okay, Hermione," Lily said with a smile. "You can talk to me."

"I-" Hermione said. "I- I was wondering if- if you'd- if you'd like to come visit over the summer?"

Lily laughed. "Oh, that. Yeah, your parents asked me when I was shaking their hands. I'm coming home with you all from the station, I even wrote Mrs. Weasley about it already. They're going to take my trunk back with them and hand off my normal clothes. Do you think they'd be alright with me bringing Weasley? I was supposed to ask, but it slipped my mind."

Hermione looked surprised, but her face quickly broke into a smile.

"No, not at all!" she said. "In fact, I think they'd love him! They thought about getting me a cat to bring to Hogwarts before first year, but we decided to wait, and then you got me Hedwig, so I- I didn't need to. I'm not talking too much, am I?"

"No," Lily said with a laugh. "You said less than I did, Hermione. Where do you live, anyway? Mrs. Weasley wanted to write to your parents, but didn't know where to send it."

"Skipton!"

"Skipton!" Lily repeated with equal enthusiasm. "Where- err- where is that, again?"

"Oh!" Hermione squeaked. "It's- err- in North Yorkshire. I thought you would have known that."

"I hardly ever get out, Hermione," Lily said with a shrug. "Used to live in Surrey, but I don't think I ever left the neighborhood, other than school."

Hermione looked surprised. "I thought you stayed with Neville before Ron? Doesn't he live in Chesire?"

"Err- Maybe? I don't- I don't think I ever asked, to be honest."

Hermione gave her a strange look. "Did you- did you not learn geography in primary? Even Ron knows it. Err- The UK, at least. I don't think he'd know much else."

Lily felt ashamed of herself. She could hear the old Muggle teachers screaming at her to pay attention.

"I- err- I suppose I didn't. Sorry."

The conversation lapsed into silence as Lily stared at her feet, contemplating how little she knew. She was even having trouble recalling where she currently lived.

St. Ottery Catchpole. Where is it? South? It had to be, it was lower than London. She'd seen a map.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said at last. "I didn't mean to make you feel stupid. It just surprised me, is all. When did you live in Surrey?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Lily said. "I- err- wasn't happy there. Can we leave it at that?"

"Of course," Hermione agreed. "I think I see Katie coming, anyway."

"About time," Lily said with relief. She waved towards the quickly approaching girl. "Wonder what took her so long?"

"Sorry," Katie said. She crouched over, leaning on her knees, as she caught her breath. "McGonagall needed to see me about an essay I forgot to turn in."

"Did you do it?" Lily asked.

"No," Katie said with a smile. "But she thinks she just lost it. Gave me a week to write a replacement."

"Welcome back, Hagrid!" Lily said excitedly as the large man opened the door to his hut. Lily threw him into a hug as best she could. Her head sank into his bushy beard. He closed his own arms around Lily, nearly crushing her, but she didn't mind.

"Good to be back," Hagrid said in that thick accent of his. "Been too long, it has, far too long. You lot feed Fang for me while I was gone?"
Lily stammered in response, looking around desperately for the dog. She hadn't heard him barking. She'd definitely meant to, but it slipped her mind (just like everything else), and her chest was tightening from the sudden fear.

"Only joking," Hagrid said with a deep chuckle. "Minerva was feedin' him for me. Great lady, that one. He's out back digging, if you wanted to see him."

"Maybe later," Hermione said kindly. She didn't much care for the boarhound. Lily got the impression that she didn't much care for dogs or, at the very least, large ones that tended to leave slobber stains on your robes.

"'Ello!" Hagrid said suddenly. He took Katie's hand in a firm shake, Katie's entire body moving from the strain of it. "Haven't met yeh, I don' think. Who'd you be, then?"

"K-Katie," Katie said. "Katie Bell. I'm- I'm Lily's friend."

"Well, any friend of Lily's is a friend of mine," Hagrid said cheerily. "Come in, come in, I jus' got the kettle down. How do yeh take yours?"

Katie looked around the room nervously for a seat. Lily was already in the armchair by Hagrid's fireplace. It was one of her favorite places on the whole campus. She gave a pat on the seat closest to her, and Katie took it eagerly.

"Two sugars, please," she said with relief.

Hermione took the one on her other side, looking a bit nervous. It had been quite a while since she'd joined the group for a spot of tea.

"Two Lily's, then," Hagrid chuckled.

Katie looked over at Lily with a raised eyebrow, and Lily shrugged back at her with a smile.

"How have yer classes been?" Hagrid asked kindly. He was still fussing about in the kitchen. She was expecting him to produce the rock cakes at any moment. She'd have to stop Katie from biting into one. Didn't want that perfect smile to get ruined, after all.

"Busy," Ron said with a scoff.

"Really busy," Neville agreed.

"Terribly busy," Lily agreed.

"Well, I imagine so!" Hagrid said. "The two of yeh missed a lot. Get caught up, yet?"

"Not even close," Neville answered with a grumble.

"Almost," Lily countered. "I had the Holidays, though. Neville was just stuck in the Hospital Wing. I still have to go over all the History of Magic that I missed, though, haven't even started on that, and I'm mostly counting on Neville to pass the Herbology exam."

"Blimey," Ron said, "What are you worried about that for? Exams are ages away."

"They're in two months, Ronald," Hermione said.

"Exactly!"

"I've been helping Neville get caught up," Lily said. "We've been practicing after supper. Him and Colin Creevey."

"Colin?" Ron asked in a surprised tone. "What are you helping him, for?"

"I've been helping Angelina catch up," Katie said. Lily wasn't sure if anybody else even heard her.

"Ron," Lily said, "He was out even longer than Neville was. And I- err- felt bad. You should help him, too, it's your fault he got petrified at all."

"Right," Ron said quietly. "Almost forgot about that. You'd think saving his life would have made up for it."

"We didn't save him, Ron," Lily said. "Killing the Basilisk didn't do a thing for him after, did it?"

"Saved the school, though," Hagrid countered, "Can' forget abou' that. Saved Hermione too, didn' yeh?"

Lily saw Hermione shuffle her feet nervously.

"Saved you, too," Lily said to drag the attention away. "Sorry they took you away, Hagrid, and sorry it took so long to get you back out."

"Bah," Hagrid said with a dismissive wave of the hand. "Don' you go worrying 'bout that none, yeh have enough on yer plate as it is. Heard yeh got a reward, though, how'd that go?"

"It was just a special service award, Hagrid," Lily said in a bored tone. "I don't even get to bring it home with me, it's just in the Trophy Room."

"No, not that," Hagrid said. "I thought the both of yeh got one, didn't yeh? Dumbledore tol' me this mornin, when I got back."

Ron and Lily looked at each other, then back at Hagrid.
"Hagrid," Ron said, "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

Hagrid looked confused, then suddenly stood up much straighter, as if suddenly realizing a very important thing.

"Never you mind!" He barked out. "You didn' hear a thing from me."

Lily and Ron were absolutely convinced they were getting something over the next month, but they never found out, and they didn't particularly have the time to worry about it. Those two months Ron was so glad to have quickly turned into one, and their workload was only increasing as the exams approached. Lily wasn't even attending the practices to support Ron and Katie anymore. She was using all that time to help Neville and Colin catch up. Colin's material was really easy, at the least, so he was getting caught up really quickly. Lily was quite proud of it.

Neville, on the other hand, she was worried was a hopeless case. He'd always been a below average caster, but he'd been carried by his written application. Now, he didn't even have that, he was so far behind. In addition to his time with her, he was also in near nightly lessons with at least one professor. He was always a mess when it was Snape's turn. It'd be a complete miracle if he made it through that one. Lily didn't mind helping him, though; she needed the refresher, too, truth be told. Her mind still wasn't clearing up, although she was now having daily sessions with Madame Pomfrey to try and fix it, and she was having trouble remembering the material they covered during the last year.

At the very least, their heavy workload meant that Malfoy didn't have time to get his revenge in. He still taunted her in the hallways, of course, but that was easily solvable with a stealthy hex. That tended to shut him up for a few days. He'd stopped trying to hex her back after the duel, so Lily was fairly certain she was the clear winner. She wasn't really, though. They hardly had the time to do anything other than study. That was all they did next to the lake, now. Lily very desperately wanted to draw, to doodle, to do anything else than work, but she knew it wasn't a good idea. She needed the release, though. It was killing her.

Their only chance for a bit of relaxation was next Quidditch game: Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin. Lily, unfortunately, chose not to attend. They'd long since passed the lesson on turning things into pincushions, and she'd never mastered it. She was almost certain it'd be on the exam, since everybody else had done so quickly, and she was desperate to get it done in time. From what she heard, though, it was a very exciting match, ending in a Hufflepuff win. The score was only 320 to 310, though, which wasn't nearly enough to win either House the Quidditch Cup. That made it official: it was between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, this year. Lily really wished she could play. She hadn't flown since before fighting the Basilisk.

"Cheer up, Lily," Neville said kindly. They were already filling the stands, even an hour before the game. Neville really wanted to get good seats. Hermione was still studying up at the common room, but they offered to save her a seat. Or, well, Neville did, anyway. Lily hadn't seen her yet today. Nobody had come to see her at breakfast on this particular morning, not with all the work they had to keep up with. Now there was only five minutes left, and Hermione was still nowhere to be seen.

"I'll try, Nev," Lily said with a lax smile. "I think I'll feel better once exams are over with. I'm just so tired lately."

"I feel that," Neville agreed. "Tried to go over some more Potions last night, but I fell asleep. Was drooling on my essay when I woke up."

"Better rewrite it, Nev. I don't think Snape will take it."

"Probably not," Neville agreed. "I'll get it done tonight. Didn't write much, anyway, only got a paragraph in."

"I'll help you with it," Lily offered, "Assuming the game doesn't go too long. I promised Colin I'd go help him practice Defense later tonight."

Lily yawned deeply, her jaw straining from the effort.

"You should get some rest," Neville said. "You've been working yourself ragged."

"Soon," Lily said. "It'll all be over soon enough."

The Ravenclaw players were heading onto the field now, to prepare and do their stretches. Gryffindor always liked to come out last. Wood would talk to them until the last possible moment. The Ravenclaw students clapped and roared as their team came out, fanning their blue and bronze banners into the air.

"Who's that?" Lily asked. She pointed towards the girl at the end of the line.

"Cho?" Neville asked. "She's the Captain and Seeker. Well, Davies is the actual captain, but everybody says she's calling the shots. That's why they're so much better this year, she's been drilling them hard."

"She's pretty," Lily said with a confident nod.

"How can you even tell from up here?" Neville said. He was squinting in the bright sun, holding a hand up to block out the light.

Lily pointed at her eyes with a smirk.

"Right," Neville said. "I don't know how I keep forgetting that."

"I don't either," Lily said with a shrug. "Wish I'd gotten to play against her. Maybe next year."

"Still, though," Neville said, "I can hardly make her out from here."

"Maybe you need glasses?"

"I can see just fine," Neville argued, "Maybe you just have abnormally good eyesight."

"Are you saying I'm a freak, Neville Longbottom?"

Neville smirked back at her. "You can speak Parseltongue, Lily."

Lily punched him on the arm again, just as the Gryffindors finally came out of their own dressing room.

"Ron looks like he's about to heave," Neville pointed out.

"He is a bit green," Lily agreed.

A body suddenly pushed between the two of them, pushing Lily into the Hufflepuff boy sitting next to her.

"Sorry," Hermione said, "Got distracted. Did I miss anything?"

"No," Neville said. "Game's just about to start."

"What do you think Hooch is saying to them?" Hermione asked.

"Play nice, play fair," Lily said with a shrug. "I didn't even realize you all couldn't hear her up here until last game. It's always the same thing."

"There go the bludgers," Neville said.

"And the Snitch," Lily said. "Always moves faster right after getting out, it'll be a while before anybody sees it."

"I'll have to trust you on that," Hermione said. "I don't think I've ever seen it until somebody's caught the thing."

"You just have to know what to look for," Lily said. "I look for a shimmer of light, first. Sometimes that can lead you right to it. That's why you have to keep moving, you might not notice it at your angle if you stay in one place."

Hooch blew her whistle as the crowd roared, and Katie snatched the Quaffle first. She'd kept her center position after Angelina's return. Lily was pretty sure it was the broom she'd gotten her. She was proud of that. Angelina was flying Katie's old broom. She donated it to the Muggleborn girl right after she woke up. It was old, sure, but it was leagues better than what Angelina had been flying before.

"Is that why it always takes you so long in the stands?" Hermione asked as she clapped. Katie just passed the Quaffle to Angelina, who was making a run for the goals. Lily had to think for a long moment as she attempted to remember what they'd been talking about seconds before.

"Yes," Lily grumbled at last. "Can never get a good look up here, too many people in the way."

"Almost had them there, Angelina," Lee Jordan called out. "Play passes to Ravenclaw, Davies taking the Quaffle."

"Come on, Wood," Lily yelled as the Ravenclaws approached.

"Davies scores! 10-0, Ravenclaw!"

"FLY HIGH, RAVENCLAW, FLY HIGH!"

"Is that their chant?" Lily said. "Merlin, that's so much better than ours, what happened there?"

Neville laughed. "I forgot you haven't seen the Ravenclaws play yet. Yeah, that's their chant."

"I like ours," Hermione said with a sniff.

"Theirs rhymes, Hermione!" Lily said. "Merlin, Slytherin's rhymes, too."

"Well, what are you going to rhyme with Gryffindor?" Neville asked.

"More more?" Lily suggested.

"Try 'snore snore,'" Malfoy drawled from behind. Lily let out a sigh.

"Do you have to sit behind us, Malfoy?" she asked. "We were having a perfectly good time without you."

"Missed me, Potter?" Malfoy said smugly. "Can't say I blame you, considering the company you keep. A blood traitor, a Mudblood, and a Mick?"

"Always pleasant talking with you, Malfoy," Lily said angrily. "Where are your goons? Couldn't stand your presence anymore?"

"Waiting for me over there," Malfoy said, pointing towards the opposite side of the field, where all the green and silver was. "I was supposed to come fetch you, Potter. Won't do you any good sitting over here."

"I'll pass, thank you very much," Lily said.

"Don't say I didn't try, Heiry," Malfoy said venomously. "That was your one chance. I won't be offering you another."

"That's the best news I've heard all day, Malfoy," Lily said.

"Gryffindor scores! 10-10! Good shot, Katie, really pulling your weight, now!"

"You shouldn't fight so much with him," Hermione whispered.

Lily glanced down the stands, where Malfoy was pushing his way through.

"Forget about him," Lily said just as angrily. "'One chance.' As if I'd take it after what he said, he knew what he was doing."

"Still, though," Hermione said nervously. "I don't think it's a good idea to antagonize the Slytherins so much, Lily, you're supposed to live there next year."

"I'll be fine, Hermione," Lily said as she rolled her eyes. "Really, I don't think it'll matter. As if I'd get all chummy with Malfoy in the first place. Who cares if he still hates me?"

"I agree," Neville offered. "She's better off without taking his advice."

"Still," Hermione said. She was biting at her nails again. Lily threw an arm around her shoulder.

"Look!" she said, pointing towards the middle Gryffindor ring. "Found the Snitch! Wonder if-"

"And Cho Chang has found the Snitch!" Lee Jordan roared. "C'mon, Weasley, get after her!"

"FLY HIGH RAVENCLAW, FLY HIGH!"

"COME ON, RON!" Lily yelled with the rest of the Gryffindors as she jumped to her feet. "RON! RON! RON!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Lee Jordan screamed along with half the stadium. Lily sank back down onto her seat, head in her hands.

"Ravenclaw wins," Lee Jordan said with real pain in his voice. "160-10. Ravenclaw takes the Quidditch cup."

"I messed it up," Ron grumbled at dinner in the Hospital Wing. "Katie's not even here. Can't stand looking at me."

"It's not your fault, Ron," Lily said compassionately. "Really, she started much closer, you never could have caught up to her."

"I should have found it first," Ron grumbled. He hadn't even touched the food Madame Pomfrey had given him. Lily had spent the last ten minutes picking at it herself, wondering if Pomfrey would bring her some more if she asked.

"Katie's not here because she's busy studying, Ron," Lily said a bit less kindly.

"What about Hermione and Neville?" Ron asked. "What about them, huh? They busy, too?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Lily said. "Ron, exams are in just a few weeks! I'd be studying, too, if you weren't in here. Might still do some, if you want to help me with Herbology."

"Thought you were relying on Neville," Ron grumbled.

"For the practical section, yes, Ron, but if I fail the written section, then I still fail. Can't completely ignore it."

"Fine," Ron said. "You can quiz me."

Lily sighed again. "Ron, I need you to quiz me."

It was time. The day had arrived.

The first of the exams.

Transfiguration.

The worst one of them all.

Lily was pacing in the hallway, waiting for her doom to begin. It was due to start in just a moment, and she was having trouble remembering a single definition. The rest of the second years were trying to relax, or pouring over their notes until the last moment. Lily was finding it hard to believe.

Hermione kept trying to talk to her, but something was wrong with her ears. She just couldn't hear a word of it. She felt like she might throw up. She was sure she looked like a mess, she'd hardly slept the night before from the nerves. Even Madame Pomfrey commented on it just a few hours ago, tried to shove a Pepperup Potion down Lily's throat. You would think that would have helped with the hearing issue, but you'd be wrong.

Neville was talking to her now, she was pretty sure. He looked like he was feeling only slightly better than she was. She pulled at her hair. She hadn't even bothered tying it back; it was hanging loose around her shoulders. She didn't remember it being this curly before, but it'd been a while. She had to stop when a few hairs came loose in her hand. That wouldn't do, not one bit. She settled for wringing her hands, instead, although that didn't let off nearly enough energy.

The doors were open. Students were streaming in.

"Oh, Merlin," Lily whispered to herself. She took a shaky step forward, along with a heavy swallow to force the bile back down. She was doomed, she knew. Her feet felt like they were made of lead, as if she was moving far slower than those around her.

She took a seat way in the back, first available one she could find. She didn't trust herself to walk much further. She wasn't sure her legs could support her for much longer. Hermione took a seat right next to her, giving her a gentle pat on the hand. It didn't do much to make her feel better. She felt like her vision might be blurring a bit.

There was an exam in front of her, now. When did that get there? She couldn't have told you. She glanced at the first question. She didn't recognize it. She moved on to the second one. She read it three times, failing to understand what it was asking of her.

She looked up, glanced around the room. Hermione was on the third page. How long had they been sitting here?

She took a deep breath, and moved on to the third question. That one, at least, she could answer. She drew the necessary diagram, praying that the practical section would go better. She skipped the next question. This one was multiple choice. That was a good sign. She circled the third answer. McGonagall almost always made the right choice the third one. She'd have to hope. She did the same for the next one, then wrote a definition for the next one. Her brain was working now. That was also good. She went back to the second question, doing her best to describe Thurman's Law of Elemental Configuration. She thought she'd at least get half the point for it. She needed all she could get.

She was halfway through the final page. She thought she could do it. She hadn't even skipped any of the last seven questions. She was almost there.

"Quills down," McGonagall called out.

Lily swallowed again. Now that she was looking at her exam, her explanations were woefully insufficient. She'd only named two of the five steps on transforming a stone to coal. She didn't know how she'd messed that one up.

She blamed Lockhart.

"Nothing to be done," she said in defeat. She set her quill down. A moment later, the papers were flying to the front as McGonagall collected them magically.

"When I call your name, proceed into the next room," McGonagall said. "In the meantime, you may talk amongst yourselves. And do try to relax."

Lily was pretty sure she was looking right at her as she said that. She didn't think she'd be able to follow that instruction.

"That wasn't too bad," Ron said from two seats down. "Really, could have been much worse. I actually managed to answer every question this time!"

"Good job, Ronald," Hermione said.

Lily stared down at her desk. There was talk going around her, but her ears were doing the thing again. How strange.

Hermione's hand was on hers again. She hardly felt it. She tried glancing up, though. Even offered a weak smile. Then she went back to staring. Hermione's hand left after what felt like just a moment. Lily's eyes followed her path out of the classroom without prompt. She must have been called.

Ron was sitting next to her, now, trying to talk to her. She never noticed him move. She saw Neville get up from his seat, walking towards the next room. He looked just as dead inside as she felt. At least she wasn't alone.

There was a bird sitting at the window. She wondered if it was nice outside. It was awfully hot in the castle, now. She was just now noticing how sweaty she felt. She wiped her forehead with her sleeve, then unbuttoned her robe to give herself some air. She normally liked to keep it closed, but the pressure around her chest was suddenly suffocating. She'd join the rest of the castle with proper summer attire, instead. She loosened her tie and her collar. If she was going to fail anyway, then it was worth McGonagall's ire.

"Potter, Hazel," McGonagall's amplified voice called out. Lily took a gulp, then rose to her unsteady feet.

"Luck," Ron called kindly. She nodded in response. She never even noticed how empty the room had gotten. At least Malfoy wasn't here to say anything. He probably already did. She wouldn't have noticed.

The door swung shut behind her as she entered the next room. Lily was surprised she didn't jump. She hadn't noticed how far she'd gotten.

"Have a seat, Miss Potter," McGonagall said. She gestured to the lone chair in front of an empty table. She was sitting on her own seat a few meters away, glasses on, clipboard in one hand, quill in the other. She was staring at her, for some reason, the corners of her mouth teasing the hints of a smile.

"I believe I told you to have a seat, Miss Potter," she said again.

"Oh," Lily squeaked. She hurried forward, almost throwing herself into the chair. It was very warm in this room. Lily wiped at her forehead again.

"Now," McGonagall said, "Your task is very simple, Miss Potter: transfigure the table in front of you into a tortoise. Can you do that?"

Lily blinked very slowly. She needed to buy herself some time. She couldn't remember the incantation. She was almost positive they'd never talked about it, but they must have. What was the spell?

"The spell is Tetrifors, Miss Potter," McGonagall said gently. Lily did jump at that. She hadn't meant to say that part out loud. That'd get her some points deducted, for sure.

"Te-tetrifors," Lily said, hand aimed at the table.

"You have to draw your wand, Miss Potter."

Lily fumbled with her sleeve. The wand slipped from her hand, and she had to scramble to the ground to fetch it. Sitting back down was awkward.

"Deep breaths, Miss Potter," McGonagall said. "There's no need to be so nervous. Try to calm yourself. Take your time."

Lily took a deep breath. It didn't do anything to relieve the pressure in her stomach. She tried again. Nothing.

"When you are ready," McGonagall said. She still sounded patient. She must have gotten better about pretending.

She took one more breath.

"Tetrifors," She said. The table shifted, legs growing short and stout, jutting at an awkward angle as the tabletop curved, forming patterns and ridges.

It was still a table, though. No real shell. No head. No tail, if tortoises were even supposed to have those. She was having a hard time remembering. She'd never seen one in real life. She only had pictures to go off of.

McGonagall waved her wand, and the table shifted back.

"Give it another try, Miss Potter," she said before making some notes on her clipboard.

Lily took another deep breath, taking the chance to wipe her sweaty palms on her robe. It didn't help any. She felt like she might cry. She wiped at her face again.

"At your ready," McGonagall said.

"Tetrifors," Lily said a bit more confidently. The table shifted again, the same exact way, but this time a neck started sprouting from one side of the table. And the opposite, as well.

It had two heads. Still no tail. At least there was a shell, this time. The two heads of the "tortoise" moved the legs in opposite directions. Lily laughed loudly. She just couldn't help it, it came bubbling out of her.

McGonagall waved her wand again, and the poor creature turned back to a table. Lily was still laughing, though. She was finding it hard to breath.

"Calm yourself, Miss Potter," McGonagall said. "And give it one more try. You can do it."

Lily breathed deeply and raggedly, a few chuckles escaping from her. She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. Merlin, she was crying, now.

"Tetrifors," she said just to get it over with. She had to force down another laugh.

The table morphed again, shrinking towards the ground. It grew four legs, as was proper, and they were even facing the correct direction. The next grew, mouth snapping as the head came into existence. She didn't think tortoises were supposed to have fangs, but it did. Still no tail. It was moving, though, and it seemed sturdy enough. Lily laughed again, although this one felt more out of relief than whatever wild instinct had come over her before.

"Adequate work, Miss Potter," McGonagall said proudly. "I'll have to detract a few points for the fangs, however. Otherwise, it is the spitting image of a tortoise."

"N-No tail," Lily admitted between chuckles. She wiped at her eyes again. The pressure in her stomach was starting to release.

"Very well, the tail too, then," McGonagall said. "All things considered, you did remarkably, considering how many classes you missed. I don't suppose you realize what it is you have just done?"

"Failed, Professor?" Lily said.

"Not at all, Miss Potter," McGonagall said with a smile. "I believe I told you, just a few months ago, that your marks have been above average in Transfiguration."

Lily thought she vaguely remembered something like that. It felt like ages ago.

"The spell you just completed, Miss Potter," McGonagall went on, "Is a third year spell. You have not had a single day of practice on it. And, yet, you have cast it to a satisfactory level."

"I have?" Lily asked in a surprised tone. She glanced down at her tortoise. It was currently trying to chew on the end of her robe.

"You have," McGonagall confirmed. "I understand that these last few months have been exceptionally difficult for you, but as you can see, there is no need to worry. Your hard work has clearly borne fruit."

"But," Lily said, "I- Professor, I only answered half of the questions."

"I never said you earned perfect marks, Miss Potter," McGonagall said, "But I never expected you to do so. Not with the gaps in your memory. Rest assured, you have passed your exam. You may leave, now. Good luck on the rest of them."

Lily glanced over to the exit, wondering if it was really okay for her to leave. She really felt like she'd made a fool of herself. McGonagall gave her one more nod, along with a kind smile, and Lily finally got up from her seat, just as the professor transfigured the tortoise back into a table and called for the next student.

Lily laughed one more time, just because she felt like it, then practically skipped towards the exit. She really needed to grab some lunch, she was absolutely starving.

Lily twirled on the spot as they left the Greenhouse for the final time of the year. The sun was absolutely blazing. She could feel her neck burning from the strain. She ignored it, and let out a loud cheer as she ran towards the lake, enjoying the breeze on her skin.

She threw herself onto the ground, hugging herself as she rolled in the crisp grass. She turned to face the sky, her chest raising rapidly as she laughed to some private joke.

"Blimey, Lily," Ron panted as he ran up. "I'm glad to be done, too, but you could have waited for the rest of us."

"We're free!" Lily yelled. The bird resting in the tree above flew off, startled by her cheer. She laughed, letting out all the tenson she'd felt the last few days.

"How'd you do?" Hermione asked as she sat down nearby. "I think I might have drawn my diagram of a Fluttering-"

"No more class talk!" Lily interrupted loudly. She put her finger to her lips in a shushing motion to emphasize the point.

"I agree with Lily," Ron said as he stretched out on the ground next to her. "Glad to be done. That was awful. Never did so much studying in my life."

"You signed up for every class next year, Ronald," Hermione said sternly. "It'll only get worse from here."

"I know," Ron said with a groan. "Don't know what I was thinking. If I'm still alive this time next year, I'm dropping at least two of them."

"Hey," Lily said far more quietly. "Will you all still come sit here with me next year?"

"What?" Ron said with a sharp laugh. "Why wouldn't we, Lily?"

"Of course we will," Hermione said.

"Every day, if you want," Neville offered. "Can't leave you with the Slytherins, can we?"

"Thanks," Lily said with a smile. "Merlin, it's really hot now, isn't it?" She was already wrenching her tie loose from her neck, now that they were free for the day.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. He threw his robe in a ball to the ground near the rock. The sleeves on his shirt were already rolled up. Lily quickly matched him, although it was awkward to do from her position on the ground.

"Hope it isn't like this all summer," Neville said. "I've got a lot of work to get done in the garden."

"It shouldn't be," Lily said with a hum. She put her hands behind her head to relax. There was a hawk flying far above, circling in the sky.

"How would you know?" Ron grunted.

"McGonagall told me," Lily said. She mimicked Ron's grunt. "She said 'Hogwarts weather is amplified by the magical power of the castle, causing the extremes to be more extreme.'"

Ron laughed at her. "Merlin, Lily, is that your best McGonagall impression?"

"Let's see you do better, then."

Ron cleared his throat.

"Turn to page three hundred and twenty-four."

Lily laughed back. She could hear Hermione and Neville nearby.

"That was more Professor Snape, Ron," she said.

Ron's ears were red. "Well, can't do McGonagall, can I? Voice is too deep."

"Oh, yes, Ron," Lily said with another laugh, "You're just the epitome of manliness, aren't you? Want to sing us a tune with those dulcet tones of yours?"

"Oh, shut up."

Lily laughed again, then hopped to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked. He was lazing in the sun, using the tree roots as a pillow.

"The rock," Lily said. She ran a hand over her relief. It was still moving. The impression of the troll's face was stretched in fear. Or, at least, she imagined it was. It was hard to get fine detail carved into stone, especially on the first try. She'd do better next time.

"You should add one every year," Neville suggested. "You know, just to celebrate."

"Maybe theme it after everything that happens?" Hermione added.

"What do we do for this year, then?" Ron asked. Lily thought for a moment, running her hand over the arm stone surface.

"Something easy," she said. "I need more practice. Don't think I could do the Chamber."

"What about the Dueling Club?" Neville suggested. They all glanced over at him, and his face flushed a bit. "You know? When Snape knocked Lockhart flat?"

"You weren't even there for that," Ron said.

"And it was really more of a routine disarming," Hermione added. "He hardly moved an inch."

"I'm just saying what I heard, is all," Neville said.

"Well, I think it's brilliant, Nev," Lily said happily. She already had her wand out, and was picturing the event in her mind. Doing so couldn't help but bring a smile to her face, even if it wasn't real. She'd just pretend it was.

Lily tossed her last book into her trunk. The feast was in under an hour, but she was utterly exhausted. She just wanted to go straight to sleep afterwards. Which, of course, meant that she needed to get packed now, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do.

She was finally done, though. There was nothing else left to delay the inevitable. She let out a sigh.

She'd have to sit at the Slytherin table. She'd already heard most of the student body heading down, she'd put it off of long enough as it was.

"Best get going, dear," Madame Pomfrey shouted from her office. Lily grumbled to herself, stuck her hands in her pockets, but pushed the doors open. She was right.

It was time to go.

They still had to award the House Cup, and Dumbledore said they had something special to announce, in addition. It wouldn't do to miss it.

She had to go.

Her stomach was in knots again. She wasn't sure if she'd even be able to eat. She knew Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Katie were probably on their way down, right now, to fetch her, to walk with her. But she didn't think she could bear having to separate from them afterwards.

She straightened her tie as she made her way down into the Entrance Hall. She wanted to at least look presentable for her first official meal as a Slytherin. She'd forgotten her hat upstairs, but it didn't matter. Slytherin was in last place for the House Cup, everybody knew that. Malfoy's fault, officially, but her fault, actually. The hourglasses weren't in the Hall anymore. Dumbledore liked to pretend the winner was a mystery during the last month of term. Nobody knew who was actually in the lead. It was only known that Slytherin was in dead last.

The Great Hall was decorated back in the colors of Ravenclaw, the winners from last year, the blue and bronze. Lily started walking towards her old spot, but caught herself just in time, and turned towards her new home instead. She sat at the end, as far away from Malfoy as she could possibly get. He was all the way at the front of the table, sitting with his friends across from a seventh-year girl wearing the Head Girl badge. Veronica Wilcox, if Lily recalled correctly. She'd never said a word to the girl, but was pleased that the name came back to her at all. It would only make sense that her brain would start working again after exams were done.

Lily drummed her fingers on the table as she waited. Nobody was sitting around her, but she didn't mind. She wasn't sure if she wanted anybody to. The few Slytherins who hadn't already come in refused to look at her. She'd been unpopular again ever since she slayed their monster. Tough luck, that. Some idiot had to go and ruin the whole thing.

Lily looked away when she saw Ron enter the Hall. She was pretty sure he'd raised his hand to wave to her, but she didn't want to see it. This was already hard enough. She waited a full minute before daring to look back up. She could see him sitting with Neville in their usual places from the corner of her eyes. She didn't try to look directly. She was pretty sure they were looking in her direction. Katie was sitting with Alicia and Angelina, occasionally glancing over at her, while Hermione was sitting with Parvati and Lavender, chatting away with her back towards Lily.

"You look good in green, Potter," a girl said as she sat across from Lily. Lily scrambled to remember her name, but, thankfully, one came to her.

"Sae!" Lily said a bit too excitedly. "Good to see you again!"

"We go by last names in Slytherin, Potter," Sae said with a smile. "It's Asari, if you forgot."

"I didn't forget," Lily said. "I just don't care. Hope you don't mind."

Sae pursed her lips a bit, glancing down the table. "Well- err- Just don't do it for the others. They might not take kindly to it."

Lily scoffed. "What's it matter?"

"Family name is more important in Slytherin," Sae said in a clear tone. "It shows your origins. Nobody cares what your first name is."

"Well, which do you prefer?" Lily asked. "That's all that should matter. Call me Lily."

Sae was silent for a moment. "Fine, Potter, call me-"

"Lily," she repeated with a sweet smile.

"Lily," Sae said quietly. "You can call me Sae, I don't mind. Just be aware that the others will care."

"Whatever you say," Lily said. "Any idea what the special event is for?"

"Not a clue," Sae said. "Doubt it's anything good, though. Hardly ever is with Dumbledore."

"What's wrong with Dumbledore?" Lily asked in a confused tone.

Sae scoffed. "Right, Potter, you were a Gryffindor, of course you'd like him. Just don't go around Slytherin with that attitude."

"We'll see," Lily said a bit less pleasantly. "Not a fan of all these rules."

"You wouldn't be, I suppose. We'll save the rest for later, then, next year. Or I could write you over the summer, if you prefer."

"Sure!" Lily said pleasantly again. "I'm at the-"

"Don't say," Sae said quickly. "Most of Slytherin would love to hear your location, Lily, but you shouldn't let them know. I'll get it from you later."

"If you say so," Lily said in a bored tone. She was drumming her fingers on the table again. She glanced up at the staff table. Snape was staring at her, nothing new there. McGonagall was staring straight ahead, that was a little unusual. She waved at Hagrid after he gave her a thumbs up. Flitwick was laughing at something Professor Sprout was telling her about. Professor Sinistra looked upset about something the person next to her was saying. Dumbledore was happily chatting with a small, rotund little man sitting next to him, wearing a purple robe and a bright blue bowler hat.

"Shouldn't slouch so much," Sae said. "Sit up straight, you'll-"

Lily smiled at the first-year girl. "I thought we were saving the rest of the rules for later, Sae."

"Not a rule," Sae said with a smirk, "Just a suggestion. If you insist. Last one, though: Invest in some trousers and a nice, thick pair of boots. All the girls wear them in Slytherin. Gets bloody cold down in the dungeons."

"I'll definitely keep that one in mind," Lily agreed. "I thought girls had to wear skirts, though? Says so in the 'school rules.'" Not that she'd ever paid attention to all that.

"Nobody ever goes after the Slytherins for it," Sae said. "I think they understand. You'll see in November. If you thought the Potions classroom was cold, you haven't seen anything yet. Common Room's right under the lake."

"Lovely," Lily muttered. "Who's that sitting by Dumbledore? The one in the funny little hat?"

Sae's jaw dropped. "Do you- Do you not recognize him?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "If I did, why would I ask?"

"Cornelius Fudge?"

"Who?" Lily asked. "Sounds delicious."

Sae laughed nervously. "Blimey, you really haven't a clue, do you?"

"I have a clue. He's Cornelius Fudge. Is he- err- the new Defense professor?"

"Lily," Sae said gently, "He's the Minister for Magic."

"Oh," Lily said in a long realization. "What's he doing here?"

"Probably the big event," Sae said as if it was obvious. "Why else would he be here?"

Lily shrugged as Dumbledore stood, the Hall quieting around him. He cleared his throat once before speaking.

"Another fine year at Hogwarts!" he said to a round of applause. Lily joined in, although she noticed most of Slytherin didn't. It was mostly the students near her end of the table who were applauding.

"A few words before we begin our feast," Dumbledore said as the clapping ceased. "First, to Ravenclaw, our Quidditch Cup Champions!"

Lily joined in the clapping for that, too, although most of Slytherin jeered; they were last place.

"And now, I believe, it is time for the House Cup. In last place, with three hundred and twenty-two points: Slytherin."

Lily joined in the jeering for that one, if only to blend in. It did feel bad to be in last place for both cups.

"In third place, with three hundred and forty-seven points: Ravenclaw."

More applause. Lily clapped lazily. She was just glad the blue and bronze wouldn't be sticking around.

"In second place, with three hundred and eighty-two points: Hufflepuff."

Gryffindor cheered loudly, a few students erupting from their seats as they realized what this meant. Lily's heart sank.

"And, in first place, with four hundred and fourteen points: Gryffindor!"

Lily clapped sadly, although she was the only Slytherin student to do so. Ron was clapping wildly over at his table, a huge smile lit across his face. Fred and George were dancing arm in arm.

"Well done, Gryffindor, well done! And now, I believe, a change in decoration is in order!"

Dumbledore clapped his hands, and the blue and bronze banners of the hall were immediately replaced by those of red and gold, bearing the proud lion of Gryffindor. The proper table grew louder, truly celebrating their victory. It was well-earned, Lily knew.

She'd helped do it. She knew it, and so did others, based off the stares she was getting.

"We'll get the Cup next year, Potter," Sae said kindly. "I'm sure you'll-"

"It's Lily," Lily said again.

"And we have one more announcement to make before the feast begins," Dumbledore continued. He gestured to Fudge on his right, who was now standing and waving to the bemused crowd.

"If I may introduce our Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who has most graciously deiced to attend our humble feast!"

Lily clapped along with the rest of the confused attendees. She even exchanged a befuddled look with Ron from across the room, although she hadn't meant to.

"If I may," Fudge continued where Dumbledore left off, "Will the following students please approach: Ronald Bilius Weasley and Hazel Lily Potter."

Lily and Ron exchanged that same look again. Lily rose first, at Sae's eager urging, wondering what could possibly be happening. Ron rose shortly after, but he reached the table first, being much closer. The students looked confused, but Lily couldn't help but notice how proud the staff were. McGonagall, especially, seemed immensely pleased, and she winked at Lily as she approached. Hagrid was smiling even broader, giving her the same happy gesture.

"A pleasure to meet the both of you," Fudge said as they stood beneath the dais. He smiled widely, extending his hand towards Lily first. She was clearly the favorite. He only looked at her as he said it.

"Your middle name is Bilius?" Lily asked with a glance towards Ron as she shook the Minister's eager hand.

Ron groaned as he took his own turn. "You would. We can't all be named after a flower, can we?"

"If I may have your attention," Fudge continued a bit roughly. Lily briefly wondered if she should apologize, but she didn't get the chance. "Mr. Weasley and Miss Potter, please kneel."

Lily looked towards Ron, then stooped forward awkwardly. The tile in the Great Hall wasn't very comfortable, and it hurt her knee. Ron followed her lead, dropping to his own knee. Lily could hear a few coughs and mutterings around them, and even some sniggering that sounded suspiciously like Malfoy.

Fudge cleared his throat again.

"It is my great honor to present to you, Hazel Potter, for the great service you have done not only Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but also all of Magical Britain: An Order of Merlin, Second Class!"

The Great Hall erupted into applause again, and Lily beamed over at Ron, who gave her a rough shove with his elbow in his own excitement.

Fudge knelt down to Lily, first, and affixed a purple ribbon to her chest, a golden medal hanging from the cloth with Merlin's Staff engraved on it. Her hands immediately flew towards it, checking to make sure it was real.

"And to you, Ronald Weasley," Fudge continued, "For your exemplary bravery in the face of duty and danger, I present to you: An Order of Merlin, Third Class!"

Lily laughed under the roaring din of the Gryffindor table. "Only third class."

"Oh, stuff it," Ron said happily. "Didn't kill the Basilisk, did I?"

"In addition," Fudge continued impatiently, "For your service, you each will receive an award. 500 Galleons for the Second Class, and 250 for the Third. Congratulations to the both of you!"

"Galleons?" Ron repeated incredulously. The crowd around them was roaring, now, and even Slytherin was joining in. Fudge was waving at them eagerly, and he helped the two students to their feet. Lily waved at them too, a huge smile on her face.

"I got more," she said smugly.

"Oh, shut up, Lily."

Her trunk was clunking down the stairs as she made her way down. It was really too heavy to lift. Not that she cared to try.

She was still wearing her ribbon. She really couldn't believe it. It felt like a dream. She'd been mugged by Slytherins afterwards, nobody willing to let her sit alone all of a sudden. She'd hardly made room for Sae, but they relented at her insistence. The only person who wasn't pleased about it was Malfoy, but he'd spent the meal alone. Even his goons had tried to make nice to her, Pansy in particular trying to get as close as humanly possible. That made her uncomfortable, although not in the way it normally would have.

The Great Hall was crowded with students saying their farewells to each other. Most of them were seventh years, clearly not yet ready to say goodbye. Two girls from different Houses were crying and hugging each other. That broke Lily's heart, and she pushed onwards. The carriages were already leaving, and she wanted to grab them all a nice compartment.

Plus, she was smuggling contraband out, and didn't want to get caught with it.

She was almost scot-free. She was lifting her heavy trunk into the nearest carriage. Nobody was even looking at her! She just had to get the bloody thing in, and then she was gone.

"Allow me, Miss Potter," McGonagall's stern voice said from behind. Lily sighed. It was over.

With a wave of her wand, McGonagall had the trunk securely in the carriage. Lily tried to hop in before McGonagall could check it, but the door slammed shut in her face.

"Professor?" Lily asked innocently as she turned.

"Miss Potter," McGonagall said with a soft smile. "I believe you have yet to return your Quidditch robes. It is a good thing I found you before you left the campus."

"Yeah," Lily said with a nervous laugh. "Good thing. I forgot, Professor. Sorry."

"I assume they are in your trunk?"

"Yes," Lily mumbled.

"What a shame," McGonagall said. "It is very irresponsible of you to have lost them, Miss Potter."

Lily looked up in surprise. "Professor?"

"I will, of course, have to notify the Headmaster," McGonagall continued. "It is unfortunate that a search of your living quarters will come to no avail. Have a good summer, Miss Potter."

"You too, Professor," Lily said in a stunned tone. McGonagall was already walking away, heading to assist a few more departing students. Lily glanced at her trunk again, smiled, and then climbed into the carriage. It rolled off shortly after she closed the door, the vehicle swaying with the movements of the illusionary steeds pulling it. If Lily listened closely enough, she thought she could hear the hooves clopping on the path below.

She was starting to doze off when a loud thunk awoke her. She jumped from the sudden fright, hand almost going to her wand, before she heard Ron laughing.

"Serves you right," he said. "Not waiting for us. Lucky we found you when we did, Malfoy and his like were crowding around outside, making bets on how long it'd take you to notice if they sat in the same cabin."

"Oh," Lily said. Her mind took a moment to catch up before the embarrassment came in. "Sorry. Had a hard time sleeping last night, with all that happened."

"I get it," Ron said with a yawn. He sat down right across from her. "Hardly slept myself, to be honest. Seamus and Dean kept asking me questions. Only stopped because Neville threatened to go to Percy if they didn't let him get some sleep."

"Where is he, anyway?" Lily asked. They were the only two in the compartment, their trunks the only ones in the storage above.

"Helping Hermione get her trunk," he said. "She packed it too full, then dropped it down the stairs when we tried to grab a carriage."

Lily smiled awkwardly. "Sent you ahead, did they?"

"Somebody had to," Ron said with a shrug. "We checked for you at the Hospital Wing, but Pomfrey said you'd gone already, and then you weren't waiting for us downstairs. We thought you might be avoiding us again."

"Why would I avoid you?"

"I dunno, why did you?" Ron asked. "You didn't come to the feast with us, either, and then you didn't even look at us when we came in."

Lily stared out the window instead of replying.

"We get it, Lily," Ron said uncharacteristically kindly. "You can talk to us, mate, we're your friends."

"I'm fine, Ron," Lily said without looking at him. "I just felt like being alone, is all. You don't have to worry about me."

"If you say so. Hey, what are you going to do with your award money?"

"Oh!" Lily said as she hopped up onto her seat. She clicked her trunk open, then rummaged around with one hand, searching for the heavy bag of coins.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting it for you," Lily grumbled. "There it is!"

She hauled it out of the trunk, almost falling off the seat from the effort. Ron hopped up and caught her just in time, and she quickly rolled out of his grasp, landing gracefully on her feet for the first time.

"Tada!" She said as she spun, thrusting the bag into Ron's chest.

"What?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your birthday present!" She said, thrusting the bag a bit more forcefully.

"You're joking."

"I'm not!"

"Lily, come on, you can't just-"

"I can!"

"Lily, it's too much money, I can't-"

"Ron," she said grumpily with one final push, "If you don't take it, I'll give it to the twins, and tell them to make your life miserable for the next year. Think of all the ideas they'll be able to make possible with this much money."

Ron took the bag hesitantly with both hands, staring at it in awe.

"Why me?" he asked at last.

"Because you're my friend," Lily said happily as she sat back on her seat. "Better put it away before the others see. They might ask you for a loan for once."

"They ask you for money?" Ron said. He followed her suggestion, though, and climbed up on his seat to get access to his trunk. He was almost tall enough to reach it without the extra height, but not quite.

"No," Lily admitted, "But I'd give it to them if they asked."

"Blimey," Ron said in a dazed tone. He clicked his trunk locked again, then sat down. "This is too much, Lily, really."

"Save it or use it, Ron," Lily said with a smile. "I promise you, I have enough money to get by. My parents left me quite a bit."

"More than five hundred galleons?" Ron said with a scoff.

"Perhaps," Lily said with a smile. "Do you really want to know?"

Ron shook his head vigorously. "Bloody hell, no, not a bit, not if you're throwing around 500 galleons as a casual gift. Thank you, Lily, really, this is-"

"I'll still buy your wand over the summer, as promised," Lily cut him off. "But not as a gift, just because I said I'd do it for the others, too. Don't want to be called a liar, do I?"

Ron shook his head again. "Really, Lily, you can't just-"

"Shh! I see the others coming now."

"Lily!" Katie said excitedly. She came in first, hauling her blue trunk in behind her. Ron stored her trunk above while the two girls exchanged a hug.

"Help me get Hermione's in, Ron," Neville said from outside. Hermione climbed in right afterwards, looking very grumpy.

"Her trunk clasp is broken," Katie explained softly. "Couldn't get it to stay closed. Neville had to carry it for her, she couldn't manage it herself."

"Why didn't you just levitate it?" Lily asked.

"We're not supposed to use magic outside of school," Hermione grumbled.

Lily rolled her eyes. "We're still at school, Hermione. 'Hogwarts property is Hogwarts campus,' remember?"

"That got rolled back ages ago, Lily," Katie said. She pulled Lily into the seat next to her, right next to the window.

"Did it?" Lily asked. "I should have sent for a change of clothes, then, I'll have to leave the station in my school robes."

"If you take the robe and vest off, you'll look like a normal schoolgirl," Hermione suggested.

"No thank you," Lily said with a chuckle. "I don't like how people stare at our legs in skirts, it's creepy."

"Borrow some trousers?" Katie suggested.

Lily chewed on that idea for a moment. Ron helped Neville up, right after securing the last trunk in place. She didn't think it'd work, though. Everybody was far too short, except for Ron, who wasn't as wide.

"Lily," Hermione whispered as she leaned in close. "Did you see the horses, too?"

"What horses?" Lily asked curiously. She glanced out the window, but only normal humans (and Hagrid) were visible.

"Never mind," she said. She sat down next to Katie, falling quiet as she thought about something.

Neville closed the compartment door closed behind him, then collapsed onto the seat behind him. He looked like he could go for a good nap. They all did, as a matter of fact.

"What are you all doing over the summer?" Neville asked as he shut his eyes.

Lily laughed. "What am I not doing? Merlin, I don't think I'll have enough time to make my notes before next year starts."

"I'll help," Ron offered. "Wanted to get ahead myself, since I have so many classes to get through. I'll do Transfiguration and Herbology, since those are your weakest."

Lily was shocked at the kind offer. "Alright, thanks, Ron, really. I'll do Charms and Potions, then, and you can copy. Sorry I can't help you with Muggle Studies and Divination."

"Not to worry, Lily, I think dad'll help me enough with Muggle Studies as it is. He already wrote me about reading through the textbook first. I think he's more eager than I am."

"I don't think that's hard to do," Neville mumbled. His eyes were still closed.

"We're heading to France once Lily leaves," Hermione said. "Sorry, Lily, I tried to get them to let you come, but neither of them wanted to bring another kid abroad with us."

"It's fine, Hermione, I couldn't have gone anyway," Lily said. "Ignoring my'contractual obligations,' I already promised Katie I'd visit her."

"We're heading to Egypt to visit Bill," Ron said. "We don't have a date yet, though. That's what I'm using my award money on. Mum and dad almost threw a fit at it, but they gave in. I think they just want to see Bill, too."

"Well, now you can get yourself something nice," Lily said with a knowing smile. "What about you, Nev? Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," he said. "Staying home, just like always. Gran doesn't much like travelling."

"What about you, Katie?" Lily asked.

"Err-" Katie stammered. "Staying home, I suppose. We- err- never really go anywhere, either."

She seemed almost embarrassed to say it, although Lily couldn't have said why.

"Anybody want to see a Quidditch match over the summer?" Lily asked. "My treat! England plays on August 17th against Sweden, right here in Britain. Should be able to get tickets."

"I'm in," Ron said eagerly, "But I'm buying. Consider it your birthday present."

"Sure!" Lily agreed happily. "What about the rest of you? Katie, we can just meet him there, if I'm still with you then."

"I'll- err- have to ask mum and dad," she said.

"I don't think Gran will let me come," Neville grumbled. "She doesn't like Quidditch much, either."

"I'll still be gone, then," Hermione said. I come back two days afterwards, actually."

"We'll see the Harpies, then," Ron suggested. "They're a few days after, should be able to make them. Easier to get tickets for, too. When are you all doing your shopping? We're going right after we get back from Egypt."

"As soon as we get back from France," Hermione said.

"Whenever Gran wants to go," Neville said.

"My parents do it without me," Katie said.

"I'll just do my shopping on the first," Lily said with a sigh. "I'll be there, anyway, for my first signing. After that, I'm supposed to do some work around the shop."

"Why do you still have to go, anyway?" Ron asked. "I thought we couldn't work until we were thirteen."

"I turn thirteen before then, Ron."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "But you signed before. Can't you get out of it?"

"Maybe," Lily said with a shrug. "I thought working at Flourish & Blotts might be fun, though. I don't want to ruin that by backing out."

Lily let out a big yawn, echoed by everybody else in the room. That made her laugh.

"I think I might nap," Lily said after another one came to her.

"Neville's already way ahead of you," Ron said. It was true. He was softly snoring with his head leaning against the window.

"I'll wake you all up later," Hermione offered. "I'll get some reading in."

"Suit yourself," Lily said sleepily. She was already leaning her head against the window. The glass was warm from the hot sun, and she could feel her neck burning from the light. She hadn't realized how tired she was until then. She was already drifting off, as a matter of fact, the noises around her becoming hazier and hazier. She heard Ron rustling around in the rack above him, heard Hermione and Katie saying something to him, and then she was gone.

Lily was very comfortable. She didn't know how that happened. She was laying across the seat horizontally, but her head was laying on something soft and warm. She almost didn't want to move. It was nice. Nobody was talking. The only noise was the constant chugging of the train, and the swaying of the locomotor as it moved was almost soothing. She felt like she'd slept for a long time.

There was a blanket over her, she thought. She pulled it tighter around herself. It was soft, and smelled vaguely of some tropical fruit. Pineapples, maybe? She wasn't sure if she'd ever even seen a pineapple. Petunia took her to the supermarket once, years ago, but then never again. Some strange man came right up to younger Lily, bowed to her, shook her hand, and called her a hero. Got her locked in her cupboard for a whole summer. Vernon didn't even do that one, it was all Petunia's idea.

She was surprised she remembered that. She couldn't have been older than 4 or 5. It was the first time she'd been stuck in there. Mrs. Figg hadn't even given her the first notebook at the time.

"Ow!" Ron shouted suddenly. "Little bastard bit me, look!"

"Of course he bit you, Ronald," Hermione said quietly. "He's a rat. You were teasing him with the popcorn. What did you expect him to do?"

"I dunno," Ron said in an aloof tone. "Thought he'd be too lazy to try it, to be honest."

"Shh," Katie said gently. "You'll wake them both."

Katie's voice was directly above Lily's head. That was weird.

"They need to get up soon, anyway," Ron grumbled. "We should be there soon. Besides, Katie, you were just complaining about needing to use the restroom."

"I don't want to move her," Katie said. "She looks so comfortable, doesn't she?"

Whatever Lily was resting on suddenly shifted slightly. Lily let out an involuntary groan at being disturbed.

"You disturbed her," Ron said slyly. "Can't believe you'd do that. She was so comfortable."

"Shut up," Katie said playfully.

"Are you awake, Lily?" Hermione asked nicely.

Lily grunted in response, then rolled over to avoid the noise. Katie let out a squeak, her pillow moved slightly, and only then did Lily realize what was going on.

"Oh!" she said as she sat up quickly. She could feel her cheeks turning red, but she tried to hide it with a quick stretch and a fake yawn. Katie's robe slid from her body, crumpling to the floor in a heap.

"Smooth, Lily," Ron said. He had Scabbers in his lap. The fat rat was eating some popcorn Ron had spread out across his legs. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Thanks," she said with an embarrassed smile. "We're almost there, then?"

"Time is it?" Neville mumbled. His head was still leaning against the window.

"Time to get up," Ron said. "Seriously mate, you should both get changed."

"Gran's going to kill me," Neville said as he shoved the torn trousers into his trunk. He had it set on the seat, since they were supposed to be leaving now.

"I told you they wouldn't fit me," Lily said. She hadn't even wanted to try, but she was guilted into it. She got stuck, as she guessed would happen, and had to cut her way out. She was back to wearing her skirt, now, following Hermione's previous idea, with the addition of her Order of Merlin resting proudly on her chest. Ron still had his pinned, too. He didn't make a big deal out of it, but Lily was pretty sure he wanted to show off to his parents. He was quite proud of being the first in the family to earn one.

Many students were still milling about, gathering their belongings and hurriedly packing them back in. Ron was one of those students, fighting with Scabbers to try to get him back in his cage. Lily thought that was a losing battle.

"I said I was sorry," Lily said again, noticing Neville's continued glowering. "Maybe she won't notice?"

"She'll notice," Neville said gravely. He snapped his trunk back closed again. "Maybe she'll buy that I fell down the stairs."

"I'd believe it," Ron said. "C'mon, Scabbers, we haven't got all day."

"Just carry him, Ron," Lily said with a sigh. "We need to get going, Katie's practically losing it."

"I am not!" Katie said too quickly. She'd been staring out the window for a few moments now, her hands flexing from the nerves.

"I don't like being late, either," Hermione grumbled. She was sitting on the seat, broken trunk on the ground in front of her, one leg resting across the other, foot shaking from impatience.

"Fine," Ron relented. He shoved Scabbers in his shirt pocket. The rat sat there lazily, head and front legs poking out. Lily might have thought it was cute if she cared for the rat.

"Let's go!" Lily said excitedly. She took the charge, as always, and hopped out of the carriage first, her trunk following behind her shortly after. She did turn to wait for the others to exit. Ron came out second. He'd have to help Neville get Hermione's trunk out.

"Miss Potter! Miss Potter!"

"What's going on now?" Ron asked curiously. Lily had to agree. She turned to face two people approaching her in extravagant wizard robes, both a bright red, one of which was carrying the same large camera that Colin Creevey always had with him. Well, it was almost the same. It was significantly larger that Colin's ever was, and had several bulbs jutting out at strange angles.

"Excuse me, Miss Potter," the lady of the two asked. "Angeline Prescott with the Prophet. Do you mind if we ask a couple of questions?"

Lily glanced back nervously to Ron, who gave a shrug.

"S-sure?" Lily said.

"Great!" Angeline said. She clapped her hands together, and a quill and pad shot in front of her, both moving and floating of their own accord. Lily stared at them for a moment, then looked back at the pretty reporter in front of her.

"We've all heard the tales, Miss Potter," Angeline continued, "And we'd hate to keep you for too long, when your family is waiting for you. What was it like in the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Dark," Lily said. "And- err- wet. I didn't see much, to be honest, I- err- blinded myself. To fight the Basilisk. Because it could kill with its eyes."

The quill was writing down every word she was saying, she could see, and she was pretty sure she saw the stammers as well. That made her face turn red, she was sure, since the pen was now describing that exact thing happening.

"Don't mind the quill," Angeline said. "About the Basilisk: Were you ever scared at all?"

"Of course I was," Lily answered with a nervous laugh. "How could I not be?"

"And yet you fought it anyway? Didn't you ever think about calling for help?"

"I tried," Lily said. "I- err- didn't get any."

"And do you resent Hogwarts for sending you in alone?"

"She wasn't alone," Ron butt in. Lily was grateful for the help, she felt far more relaxed with him standing by her side.

"And you are?' Angelina asked nicely. Her eyes flickered to Ron's ribbon, and her smile grew a bit more genuine.

"Ron Weasley," Ron said. "I went down there, too. I would have fought the Basilisk with her, if the tunnel hadn't caved in."

"Oh!" Angelina said excitedly, clapping her hands together again. "Milton! Get a picture of the two of them, these are our Order of Merlin winners!"

"Hang on," Ron said as he held up his hands, "We don't want-"

"Smile for the Prophet, dears," Angeline said. Lily nudged Ron with her elbow, then smiled nervously. There was a flash of light that stunned her for a few seconds, then Angelina was quickly shaking her hand, followed by Ron's.

"Thank you very much," she said, "We won't keep you any longer. You'll see the interview and photo in next week's Prophet, I'm sure."

"I'm sure," Ron grumbled. He was rubbing at his eyes with both hands.

"I think they killed Scabbers," Lily said as she poked at the still form of the rat, still sitting in Ron's shirt, his little hands poking out from the lip.

"He's just stunned," Ron said. He poked at the rat, too, just to make sure. "C'mon, we should get going, they're all waiting on us."

"Right," Lily said eagerly. She grabbed hold of her trunk again, following quickly after Ron. Katie, Neville, and Hermione were all waiting, just a few meters away.

"Can't believe they hounded on you like that," Katie said. "Couldn't even give you five seconds to yourself."

"It's fine," Lily said with a nervous smile. "It was- err- good practice? I'll have to do more over the summer."

"I should get going," Neville said. He pointed towards the crowd. "Gran's waiting for me."

"I'll go with you," Lily said quickly. "I- err- have something I need to tell her before you leave."

"Suit yourself," Neville said. Lily left her trunk with the others as she went with him. Gran was still wearing that awful stuffed vulture, and she watched them approach apprehensively. Lily was pretty sure she stiffened as they got closer.

"Lily," she said nicely. That was an improvement.

"Gran," Lily said with an equal nod. If she could play nice, then, well, so could Lily.

"I expect you'll have a busy summer," Gran continued. "Saw in the paper that you have a signing. You've certainly been very popular lately."

"Got an Order of Merlin," Lily said happily, pointing to her shiny medal. "Turns out a lot can get done when you weren't lying about a monster attacking the school."

There was an awkward silence as Neville looked between the two of them. Lily wasn't sure what Gran would say next. To be honest, she hadn't meant to steer the conversation in this direction. She had intended on something else entirely.

"I suppose I owe you an apology," Gran said at last. Her body practically deflated at the admission. Lily almost felt bad.

Almost.

"I am sorry, Lily," Gran continued. "I should have believed you. I was wrong to doubt you. I'm wrong to still doubt you. There's just something telling me not to trust you."

"That's why I came over here, actually," Lily said. "I- err- we went down into the Chamber of Secrets with Lockhart, did you know that?"

"Of course I did," Gran said. "He came out nearly insensate. What are you getting at? I suppose you're responsible?"

"I am, actually," Lily admitted proudly.

"Pardon? Are you saying you attacked a professor? Is that supposed to-"

"Let me finish, please," Lily said sweetly. "See, while we were down there, he pulled a wand on the two of us, me and Ron. He was going to obliviate us, wipe our memories completely, and pretend that we'd gone mad when we saw Hermione's body."

Gran looked disturbed and horrified, her mouth hanging open weakly. Lily continued on.

"I reflected the spell back at him," she said. "That's what caused the cave in, and that's why Lockhart can't remember anything. He said he'd already modified my memory once before, that's why I wrote that public apology for him. He made me think I liked him."

"That's terrible," Gran said angrily. "He better hope I don't get my hands on him, or I'll-"

"There's one more thing," Lily interrupted. She held up her finger to emphasize the point. "He modified one more person's memory that year. He told me so himself."

"Who?" Gran asked sharply. She sounded as if she already knew the answer, and she didn't like it one bit.

"You," Lily said. "That's why you voted against expulsion, but then were so sure it was me. He made you think it. Lucius Malfoy told him that if he did, he'd make sure Lockhart's secrets didn't leak out, keep the public on his side."

"Malfoy," Gran said darkly. "I thought something was strange. The way the other Governors came out against him, I knew something had to be going on. Thank you for telling me, Lily. I'll see some sort of punishment thrown his way. Come, Neville, we have a lot to get done today."

"See you at school, Lily," Neville called back. Lily waved back at him, then turned to head back to the others.

"Where's Katie?" she asked. Her friend was nowhere to be seen, not a single brilliant hair of her.

"Over there," Ron said, pointing lazily. "Her parents were calling for her."

Lily followed the finger, then skipped forward quickly. She still needed to say goodbye before they split apart.

"Katie!" she called out. Katie turned first, a nervous smile on her face. Her parents turned afterwards. Her father had the same brown hair she did, although he didn't share any of her facial features. Neither did her mother, as far as Lily could tell. She had no idea where Katie had gotten her looks from.

"Who is this, Katherine?" her father said in a deep voice

"Katherine?' Lily asked sharply. "Never mind. I'm Lily! Lily Potter!" Lily gestured towards her scarred forehead, even though her hair was covering it, then extended her hand forward. The man took it in a firm grip.

"Hermann Bell," he said. His voice didn't have much inflection in it. "So, you are the friend Katherine wrote us about? This is my wife, Margaret."
"A pleasure," his wife said in a high-pitched tone. They were almost complete opposites. Lily had to stop herself from laughing.

"Nice to meet you both!" Lily said pleasantly.

"A pleasure to be sure," Mr. Bell agreed with a nod. "Come along, Katherine, lots to do."

"See you in a few weeks, Lily," Katie said. Her hand grabbed onto Lily's, then lingered just a tad too long. Lily was sure her mother was glaring at her.

"I believe you were already told, Katherine," Mrs. Bell said. "Your father and I will be going abroad for the summer."

Katie looked horrified. "But you said I could-"

"We will discuss it later, Katherine," her father interrupted. "A pleasure once again, Miss Potter. We will be seeing you soon, I am sure."

"Bye, Lily," Katie grumbled. The spring seemed to all be gone from her step as she followed her parents.

"Bye, Katie," Lily called back. "See you in a few weeks!"

Hopefully they got the point. She skipped back to Ron and Hermione.

"They seemed nice," Hemione said pleasantly.

"No, they didn't," Lily disagreed. "Reminded me a lot of my aunt and uncle, to be honest. I'll have to write Katie over the summer, make sure she's fine. Should we go?"

"Aunt and Uncle?" Hermione asked in a curious tone. "I thought you didn't have family, you hardly ever-"

"Should we go?" Lily repeated with a firm smile.

"Yeah, don't want to keep mum waiting any longer," Ron said. "She's been trying to wave us over for ages now."

"His dad is talking to my parents," Hermione said as they strode forward. She pulled Ron's and Lily's trunks, while they carried hers awkwardly between the two of them. It felt like most of the books were shifted towards Lily's end, which she thought was a bit unfair.

"I'm sure they're having a wonderful time," Ron said with a smile.

"Fascinating," Arthur was saying as they approached. He still had Mr. Granger's hand in a firm grip from whenever they'd started shaking them. Mr. Granger was clearly uncomfortable, but couldn't figure out how to get out of the situation.

"There you are, Hermione!" Mrs. Granger said excitedly. She threw her arms around her daughter in a tight hug, and Mr. Granger seemed to finally find the strength to break away, joining in on the affection.

Lily, for her part, soon had Mrs. Weasley pulling her into a hug, her ribs nearly cracking from the pressure.

"What were you thinking?" the woman shrieked. "Fighting a Basilisk, I mean, really now!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Lily wheezed out. "Had to save Hermione."

"Yes, well," Mrs. Weasley said as she broke the hug, "Next time, do send for a Professor, won't you? We'd hate to lose you, dear, really, we would."

Mrs. Weasley was pulling at Lily's cheeks now, checking the health of them, so to speak. Lily was very uncomfortable, but she wasn't one to fight against it.

"Give her some space, dear," Mr. Weasley said as he dragged her from the woman. "We brought your things already, Lily. The Grangers already took it to their car. And here's the cat."

Lily smiled appreciatively as she took Weasley's travel cage into her arms. She made some soothing noises to the cat who, as always, tried to swat at her face through the bars as he meowed excitedly.

"Rambunctious little thing, isn't he?" Mr. Granger said happily. "We'll take good care of her, Arthur, I promise. You hang onto that number I gave you, you can call her any time you want."

"Right," Mr. Weasley said excitedly. "On the felly-tone."

"Telephone," Mr. Granger corrected. "We'll bring her by in few weeks. We head abroad on 10th, so the day before, perhaps?"

"That'll do great," Mrs. Weasley said. "We leave the same day for Egypt, we won't have to find somebody else to watch the chickens."

Lily didn't know whether or not to be excited at the prospect of having the house alone. She'd certainly never been trusted with it before.

"About that, Lily," Mr. Weasley said as he cleared his throat. "I'm sure you're excited, but I must warn you not to use magic while we're gone. The Ministry is already aware we're leaving, they'll know that any magic occurring has to be you."

"How?" Lily asked in a shocked tone. "They- they never noticed before, did they?"

"Hard to do in a wizarding household," Mr. Weasley whispered. "Don't tell the others, but the Trace isn't infallible. That being said, make sure you don't go casting any magic around the Grangers, either. That'll be the easiest way to get the both of you expelled."

"Got it," Lily said with a nod. "I'll wait to practice until you all get home."

"Err- maybe hold of a bit after, too? You're not supposed to use magic out of school."

"Too late for that, Mr. Weasley," Lily said with a smile. "Can't just go back at this point, can I?"

"I suppose not," Mr. Weasley admitted. "Still, though, try to keep it hidden, will you? Molly wanted me to forbid you completely, of course, but I- err- let's just say I got into a fair bit of trouble in my own youth. Who am I to judge?"

"Here," Lily said, unsnapping her holster from her wrist. "You can take it home with you, I won't even be tempted."

"Good idea," Mr. Weasley said. He took the wand from her and tucked it safely into his robes.

"Shall we be off, dear?" Mrs. Weasley called out. She had the rest of the Weasley clan with her. Lily waved to Ginny and Ron.

"I suppose so!" Mr. Weasley said. "We'll see you soon enough, Lily. Have a great trip!"

"You too!" Lily said. She skipped over to the Grangers. Mr. Weasley pulled away her trunk. He'd take it home for her.

"Well, let's be off, shall we?" Mr. Granger said happily. "You'll love our home, Lily. What say we get some takeaway on the way home?"

"That sounds lovely," Lily said with a hum.