If you've been with me from the start... I am going to apologize profusely (and I couldn't apologize MORE). This story has stuck with me for YEARS and I've always wanted to go back and edit things here and there. As of Dec 2018, this has undergone a revision (ish) to where I've merged some chapters (but haven't made big plot changes). This is something that I DO intend to finish... just need to sit down and get it DONE.
Lily Evans and her friends have made up the ultimate game of tag. Being in their 6th year and the rise of something dark on the horizon, they want to make it a little more serious. A certain group of Marauders find out about their game. Will they let them join?
A thin figure crept cautiously down the corridor, body bent low to the ground to remain undetected, inconspicuous. The night air of September 3rd was unseasonably warm - uncomfortably so, with a heavy staleness clinging to the air that could have been defined as suffocating.
Lily Evans huffed in annoyance, using a free hand to pull at the neck of her dark, cotton shirt, fanning the material to create a draft against the hot, damp skin of her chest. It did little to cool her and not for the first time that night, did the young woman regret wearing the black, long sleeved shirt.
But it was out of necessity. She needed to blend in with her surroundings. She needed to stay hidden.
She paused at the echo of footsteps sounding down the corridor, then moved quickly to action, sliding behind a body of armor set in a small alcove for cover. It took cautious care not to jostle the metal of the long-ago retired night, as she pressed her back flush against the cool stone wall. It did little to soothe her nerves, but it was a nice respite from the heated air.
She grimaced as the hair free from her ponytail snagged on the jagged stone.
The hallway fell silent.
It was still silent a beat later, only sounds from outside the castle's exterior seeping it's way into the corridor's air.
It was possible she had misheard the footsteps, she reasoned. And in reality, it could have been the loud, uneven sound of her heartbeat thrumming in her ears. But then, Lily had always tried to be a realistic girl, with a logical and sound mindset.
She peeked around the corner of the small alcove, focusing her eyes to check for any movement - but there were no physical signs of another human in the hallway, besides the inhabitants of the portraits that lined the wall, most asleep. Maybe her paranoia was starting to get to her.
Lily's lips pursed together tightly as the muscles of her legs were starting to quiver, tense and strained as she held her position. With a steadying breath, she forcibly tried to relax her body, loosening her limbs so that she could lean further into the wall to support herself. The tense moment lasted for what seemed like ages, but she remained still - vigilant. Her shoulder blades began to moan in protest against the rough stone and she practically snarled when her hair caught against the stone again, ripping out strands from the nape of her neck.
Breathe, she intoned. Breathe.
It did little to decrease the anxiety that was building in the pit pf her stomach.
Her body jerked, rather violently, when the sound of (real) footsteps resumed, but she soon relaxed as the footsteps slowly retreated away from her temporary hiding spot. When they altogether disappeared, her relief was overwhelming, tension leaving her body as she collapsed against the wall and released the breath she had been holding. Sweeping the long strands of hair out of her face, Lily braced herself, shifting forward to scan the darkened hall with a calculating gaze.
A shiver of apprehension ran through her, and she quickly forced herself to take another shallow breath to ease her nerves, holding the air deep in her lungs to intentionally slow her heartbeat.
Get a hold of yourself, you ninny, she thought.
Tentatively, she forced herself to step further away from the protection of the armor's alcove, not wanting to waste any more time.
Mistake. Stupid mistake.
"Cesso!" a voice screamed, sudden and shrill.
The bright blue flash of a spell blinded her, a chaotic supernova in comparison to the dark corridor - but the spell streaked past her shoulder, grazing the fabric of her shirt so hot she gasped loudly, falling backwards into the suit of armor.
The shoulder piece of the suit fell and Lily cried out when metal struck her jaw on its way down, clanging loudly onto the ground beside her. She bent at the waist and blinked rapidly to try to clear her vision, rubbed at her face furiously to ease the pain.
"I see you, Lily!" a voice rang out mockingly, but shouting out another spell. Blue sparks shattered against the knight's armored chest, raining down in front of Lily's vision. She cursed, falling to her hands and knees to get back behind the armor. It was a clumsy and mindless move, as the stone scrapped the skin of her hands and knees raw.
The voice continued on though, cackling gleefully. "I have always loved the way the blue light causes your hair to look bright magenta!"
The steps drew nearer.
"Like a river troll's skin," the voice added cheekily.
Lily's eyes narrowed at the mocking statement as she regained her position, pressing herself against the stone wall as she refocused on assessing the situation. Her knees ached and her jaw was still smarting though. But she forced her body to stay low, adjusting herself further so that she crouched even closer to the ground. A muscle in under her eye ticked in annoyance when the enemy cackled delightfully once more, sensing her defeat.
Lily was trapped.
"Are you to afraid to face me head on?" the other girl's voice called out, lazy in tone as she tried to bait Lily's ego.
The grasp on Lily's wand tightened worryingly as she fought against the rising temper climbing in her throat. She swallowed hard, forcibly dampening as she tried to remain focused on the task at hand. Another deep breath and she loosened her grip on her wand, for fear of the wood snapping.
"Come out and face me, little Evans!" the girl goaded. "At least a river troll has bigger balls!"
"Mar?" Lily called out in aggravation, her shoulder pressing against the leg of the silver armor as her body leaned forward. It rattled, the metal unstable. "Why don't you do me a favor and shut it? You'll wake the whole castle with your banshee shriek!"
As anticipated, an outraged guffaw escaped from Marlene. Lily seized the opportunity, the muscles of her legs protesting as she jumped into an all-out sprint toward her opponent's position.
"Cesso! Cesso, Cesso!" she casted, throwing the spells blindly as she neared the area Marlene had been taking cover.
A shriek of panic sounded at the abrupt attack, revealing that Lily's spell had missed it's target. Still, the attack worked in favor, allowing her enough time to put more space between herself and the enemy. As a precautionary diversion, Lily tossed another spell over her shoulder before pushing herself harder.
The corridor ahead of her split into a perpendicular hallway, but she knew she could not afford to slow down. Lily focused on her feet, willing herself to speed further ahead in order to stay out of range of assault.
The turn of the corridor was fast approaching. In preparation, Lily moved her body closer to the wall, using her momentum to hook a hand against the stones' edges in order to hurl her body around the corner. Her speed nearly caused her to stumble and fall, her shoulder knocking into the wall she threw herself against it, skidding to a dangerous halt in order to listen for Marlene's approaching steps. Her own breath hitched as she grinned, feeling crazed and emboldened by the adrenaline rushing in her veins.
This feeling was addictive. Feeling invincible. Manic. Powerful.
And certainly well worth all of the aches and pains that she was putting her body through.
But she had no time to revel in the moment; Lily was already analyzing and planning her next steps. She knew she had erroneously chosen the direction that led her to a dead end, which would result in an inevitable standoff she knew would happen.
A shuddering, excited breath escaped from her lungs as Lily steadied her thoughts.
The curious occupants of the portraits in the hallway peered down at her in sluggish, tired interest (it was the middle of the night, after all), watching curiously as the redhead visibly braced herself, straightening her shoulders and moving into a lower stance. Preparing for a duel.
"Didn't think you'd be this dumb, Trolly!" Marlene called, her footsteps slowing to an unnerving pace. Likely to boast and draw out the anticipation.
Lily huffed, searching furtively around her, searching out any ways of an escape she knew there was no chance of. She shifted restlessly.
There were many things in her life that Lily found herself hating - no, she corrected herself - loathed.
Wet socks, pumpkin flavored treats, fights with her sister.
And losing.
Face to face combat had never been her strong suit.
Suddenly, as if Godric Gryffindor himself heard her silent plea, a large rounded portrait swung wide, the wooden frame slamming loudly against the stone wall.
Lily jerked, cowing under the sound as if it were a shotgun.
Confused, her initial thought was that the the portrait had been knocked off of the wall by a nonverbal spell, casted by her opponent illegally - but upon further inspection, a large opening had revealed itself in the wall.
An escape.
Before the dust had even begun to settle, Lily made the mad dash towards the opening of her newly found getaway, looking back just in time to catch sight of Marlene rounding the corner. Lily swan dived through the opening, turning her head away as Marlene raised her wand.
"Oi!"
She slammed against a solid body with so much force they both tumbled to the ground. Lily's heart stuttered, as her mind shut down in terror, blinded by fear of being caught.
It took her brain a moment to realize she was, in fact, not blinded from the shock that overwhelmed her - but that she was now in a room so dark not even her trained eye could see into. It took her brain another moment to register the fact she was still lying across the fallen body beneath her.
Male, she noted idly, feeling his chest beneath her palms. It was too dark to make out his features. She hoped he hadn't knocked his head against the stone hard when they had fallen. Hoped he didn't have a concussion from possibly injuring his skull.
When her body finally caught up to the rest of her thoughts, she rolled off of him, clumsily standing in order to face towards him, raising her wand in self-preservation. The male did the same, with the rightful defensiveness a person who had just been knocked down would have.
Merlin, she hoped it wasn't a bloody professor.
From beyond the secret passageway entrance, Marlene case the spell in another shout. Instinctively, Lily fell to her knees to avoid the charm, using a hand to grip the shirt of male in front of her and drag him down with her.
With a surprising lack of resistance (he must really have a concussion), the person followed her movements, sliding smoothly to crouch on his knees to avoid the oncoming spell. Not a teacher, Lily suspected then. A student.
He did, however, give another shout of surprise when Marlene continued her attack, the sound of his voice nearly muffled by the sound of the spells bouncing and ricocheting off the walls.
"Shut it! Shut the portrait! Shut the bloody portrait!" someone ordered from inside the room - another male voice - as the onslaught of spells continued.
Lily complied, scuttling forward to reach through the opening, using her nails to grasp onto the portrait's cool frame. With great effort, she slammed the portrait shut, effectively cutting off her friend's assault.
It was a quick series of events that had left her ears ringing as she braced herself against the back of the portrait, a crazed laugh escaping from her chest. She clapped a hand over her own mouth, cutting the sound off mid-laugh, but it echoed in the dark room.
There were no lights or torches, the room dark and inky. She squinted, trying to adjust her vision in the darkness.
There were three standing shadows, most likely male, judging by their tall height and wider builds.
There was a fourth body on the floor. He must've been hit by one of Marlene's rogue spells. Lily bit her lip in guilt, silently apologizing to the fallen figure who had the luck of being struck.
At least she hoped he had been struck. God forbid he had a stroke.
"Lum-" the male figure closest to her began to spell.
"Don't!" she shouted in panic, flinging her wand in the direction of his darkened shape. They could not find out who she was.
The figure tensed, sensing her trained wand. Maybe even her desperation.
"What the bloody fuck?" one of the others barked.
Now that her eyes were more adjusted to the dark, a quick cursory glance found all of their wands were already trained on her form.
Lily raised her hands high in surrender, in hopes they could see the universal signal even in the dark. "I mean you no harm," she said, deepening her voice to mask it from recognition.
It did little to appease the occupants of the room, their wands unwavering. It felt even trite to her.
"Are you bloody joking?" hissed the male closest to her, his voice incredulous.
"You've already 'harmed' one of us!" another male snapped, his wand pointing towards their fallen comrade.
Faintly, Lily could hear Marlene cursing from the other side of the portrait behind her and scratching and clawing to find a way into the passageway. The figures in front of her shifted uneasily, their expressions hidden from Lily's view.
She jumped as one of them finally moved, breaking apart from their defensive line to check on the figure on the floor. He bent low, whispered, "Ennervate."
"That won't work," Lily said softly, as least threateningly as she could, but clamped her mouth shut as the two others standing snapped their heads back towards her, their wands pressing closer towards her.
"What have you done to him?" questioned the male still closest to her in a hard, fierce tone. He asked a lot of questions.
Unnoticed in the dark, Lily's eyebrows creased together in annoyance at his rudeness. She shifted between feet, fighting hard to locate her empathy, trying to rationalize that it was most likely not in this boy's plan to be shoved and attacked by a mysterious person in the middle of the night.
She certainly struggled with empathy as he stepped closer to press the tip of his wand into her collarbone, just below her throat. She swallowed hard against the quick sliver of fear that traveled down her spine, the wood of the boy's wand cold as it pressed her exposed skin.
"Prongs," hissed the boy who had attempted to revive their fallen friend. He was still kneeling next to the frozen boy on the ground, but Lily could tell his face was turned towards her. "What do we have to do?" he asked of her (reasonably, she thought).
"We can't just trust-," Prongs began to snarl, but was cut off by a shush from the (obviously more common-sensed) boy who was kneeling.
"There's nothing you can do," she explained, glancing at the fallen boy's figure, but quickly returning her gaze to Prong's shadowed face as his wand pressed tighter into the muscles of her throat. If she squinted, the lines of his face became slightly more focused, more defined.
She subconsciously shifted closer, but stopped short as the pressure of the boy's wand directed back against the portrait. Tosser, Lily thought rather meanly.
"I mean," Lily amended aloud, angling her body away, but the wand at her throat followed her stubbornly. "He'll be waking any second, so there's nothing you have to do."
There was a tense moment as the three boys processed her words and then finally, the wand's pressure at her throat eased fractionally.
Lily took the opportunity to lean further into the portrait behind her, feeling the corner of portrait's frame press into her elbow. With slow, searching movements, her fingertips brushed up against the painted wood of the hanging portrait, ready to push for an escape.
The pressure of the wand returned three-fold.
Her cheeks warmed in annoyance as her temper flared, surprised by this boy's gull. Through clenched teeth, she said, "He'll be fine, I promise. Now get your wand off my throat before you commit involuntary manslaughter."
"Listen here, you-" he hissed, but was cut off as a pained groan sounded in the room and all four heads swiveled at the sound. Just as she had said, the boy who had been frozen was released from the spell. There was a collective sigh of relief from the group of boys.
Unnoticed, Lily smiled in gratification as she used a finger to shove the wand away from her, its owner successfully distracted. His body had already begun to turn away, his back facing her as he moved towards his friends.
"Wanker," she muttered under her breath, the verbal jab involuntarily.
His head snapped back towards her as one of the others released a sharp bark of laughter at her insult.
The now-revived boy was sputtering and coughing as he struggled to sit up. Lily winced for him, familiar with the sensations he was experiencing all too well.
He was being helped up by the reasonable one, groaning in pain and discomfort. "I think I knocked my head," he whimpered, bringing a hand up to his head. "What the hell happened?"
"We'll grab you a pepper-up potion," the boy who helped him soothed. "I've got one up in the dorm -"
"Hey," snapped the boy who had laughed at Lily's insult in warning. He had turned his attentions back to her. "We need to figure out what to do with her."
Lily watched warily as he moved forward with predatory, casual steps, curling her fingers around the portrait's frame.
"Who the bloody hell are you? Why did you attack us?" he continued, moving forward to stand beside Prongs the Wanker. "How did you find us?"
"I didn't find you," Lily said, almost forgetting to use her disguised voice. "But you shouldn't be out after curfew."
"Oh, so you're a Prefect?" sniped Prongs the Wanker. "Surprising to find one out this late. Sounds like someone's breaking the rules, eh, Padfoot?"
"I-I'm not a Prefect," she was quick to deny. "But I can certainly tell Dumbledore about this!"
Padfoot snorted. "Tell him what? Prongs, do you see anything illegal or rule-breaking happening?"
"Certainly not," Prongs said mockingly. "We weren't even here."
"Which means that really, nothing happened here, did it?" Padfoot mused darkly, shifting closer to her. Prongs mirrored his movements eerily, taking a half-step towards her.
Lily quickly moved into defensive mode, ready for the oncoming curse or hex. "I'm not here to hurt you," she said, repeating the words from earlier.
Their voices, their heights, they couldn't be much older than her. What could they do to her, that she couldn't do to them, right?
The Frozen boy groaned again, pitifully slow, and took a deep breath as if to stave off nausea.
Padfoot did not respond to her placation, but nor did he move to attack her. Maybe he had the same thought.
After another long tense moment of which Lily assumed he was debating with himself, he surprised her by backing off, moving to walk over to the boy who had been frozen, helping the reasonable boy with this weight. Her eyes darted to the boy nearest to her, and though his body language expressed less comfort at leaving her alone, he eventually followed Padfoot's suit, joining up beside the other three.
The four boys used this moment to talk in an hurried, hushed conversation, their voices too low for Lily to hear their words.
Putting her naive and absolutely misguided trust in them, she turned her back to press an ear against the portrait, listening for any sounds of movement.
Silence. Which meant that either Marlene had left - or was simply waiting her out.
And while she was definitely breaking school rules (that didn't bother her), she was absolutely breaking the Game's rules (this did).
Glancing over her shoulder to confirm they were still distracted, Lily bent over herself more, gently pushing up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a low, golden light against her skin. After a few painful seconds of her eyes adjusting to the incandescent writing on her arm, the letters and numbers soon came into focus.
Her eyes widened and she nearly gasped, biting back a curse.
She had been in 2nd place… 2nd place! Now she was in 4th?! Un-bloody-believable!
"Oi, what've you got there?" one of the boys demanded from behind her - but Lily barely heard as she huddled closer to herself.
The score couldn't be right - she hadn't been hidden away for that long. They couldn't have bumped her from 2nd this quickly... Her teeth ground painfully, eyes glancing at the ticking time... only less than five minutes.
Five. Minutes.
Her eyes slammed tightly, her mind routing out the quickest way to get back to the Entrance Hall... and maybe... just maybe... She could cut off at least two others - score at least 20 more points. It could put her back into second. Maybe even 1st, if she were lucky enough to -
"Oi!"
She jerked down the sleeve of her shirt sharply, nearly ripping the fabric in her panic. "What?" she yelped, whipping around to find the two of the four boys standing just behind her.
The fourth boy who'd been struck by the spell was bent over standing now, bracing his hands on his knees, clearing losing the fight to the nausea.
"We asked you a question," Prongs said, a protective hostility to his tone. "We've asked you multiple questions, actually."
Lily almost scoffed, surprised that he would expect her to answer any of their questions. She ignored him, tilting her chin down to make sure the spell on her arm was sufficiently covered. She started to turn when he grabbed her arm - surprisingly gentle - and pulled her back to face them.
"What the bloody hell are you running from?" he asked, not unkindly. As if concerned?
She tried to shrug off his hand, slightly mystified as his turned attitude. Did he think she was in trouble?
"Tell us who you are," Prongs ordered, his grip on her arm tightening fractionally. She remained silent.
"Prongs," Padfoot cut in smoothly, "why don't we switch to other methods of interrogation?"
This boy clearly thought she was the trouble.
Padfoot stepped closer to stand between them and Lily studied his movements, trying to determine out how serious his threats could possibly be. He placed a hand on Prongs' arm that held onto hers, and she could see the gleam of Padfoot's own wand raise towards her face.
To hell with this, Lily thought, decision made. "Alright, I'll tell you. Why I'm here."
She took a steadying breath and they both leaned forward slightly, waiting for her next words.
Before they could stop her, Lily shoved herself backwards against the portrait - hard - ripping her arm out of Prongs's grip. The doorway gave way much easier than she was expecting.
She tumbled backwards, wind knocked from her lungs as she landed hard, the impact jarring her bones. Her elbow had smashed against the stone floor, nearly causing her to lose the grip on her wand. She tried not to cry out.
A splash of sparks exploded above her.
Marlene had been waiting, wand poised and ready. At first sight of the redhead, the girl had fired off a spell quicker than anticipated. She fired another.
Lily managed to successfully evade the spell, rolling away and clumsily knocking her face into the swinging portrait's door just as it began to swing close. She did cry out this time, pain blossoming on against her nose and chin. The spell hit the backside of the portrait, exploding in a bright mix of sparks and light.
The boys from inside the hidden passage all gave great shouts, surprised and alarmed, but Lily no longer paid them attention, twisting to stand and charge at Marlene head on, in hopes that she could catch her friend off-guard.
"GO!" Lily gasped, winded from the pain.
"What?!" Marlene yelped in shock, having caught sight of the surprised party just within the portrait's hidden entrance.
"Run!" Lily ordered sharply as she darted past her stunned friend.
"What?!" Marlene repeated shrilly as Lily passed by her, double-taking as one of the boys gave another shout for the two to stop, before she finally took Lily's advice and started running behind her.
The four figures had already began to clamber out of the hidden room as she skidded around the corner out of their sight, relieved to hear Marlene's footsteps close behind her.
Lily laughed wildly, hearing Marlene's own laugh echo as the two girls turned this way and that down corridors, stair cases, and passageways. As the distance between the two girls and the boys became greater, Lily began to feel less uneasy, the familiar hum of adrenaline and excitement singing in her veins.
Once she felt absolutely sure they were safe from further discovery, Lily swung around.
"Cesso!" she cried, only feeling slightly guilty over the sudden attack, as the move a low blow after such a surprise run-in.
But Lily was determined for redemption. She wanted those points.
Her aim was off, the spell flying over Marlene's head by quite a few feet.
"Missed me!" Marlene sang, unfazed, as she slowly gained speed. Lily jumped awkwardly as her friend shot her own spell, barely missing the redhead's feet. She began to push herself harder, trying to gain more distance.
The score floated to the forefront of her mind and her jaw clenched in determination.
Seizing the moment, Lily brought herself to a sliding stop and spun in place, raising her arm to aim towards Marlene. "Cesso!"
This time, the spell hit its mark.
Lily released a wild sound of glee as Marlene fell to the ground, frozen, and she took off once again without a second glance backwards.
As she bounded down the corridor, she rolled up her sleeve, smiling in satisfaction as her attack awarded her just enough points to be put into third place. Now all that had to be done was to make it before the clock hit zero.
The Entrance Hall. The Entrance Hall. The Entrance Hall.
Her mind repeated the words like a ritualized pray, as she pushed past the burning in her lungs and thighs. An elated giggle escaped as she made it to the homestretch, arriving at last, at the lowest set of staircases that led to the Great Hall.
Her movement halted abruptly as another opponent revealed themselves across the at the other end of the corridor.
"Cesso!" Emmeline's voice shrieked, her aim dead accurate.
Lily fell hard to her knees in order to avoid the spell, taking advantage of her tired and sore thigh muscles. The warmth of the spell zinged past her ear as she swung her wand arm around and returned the spell hastily.
Even Lily was surprised as it hit her target, freezing the girl with a look of surprise.
Trying to move as quickly as she could, Lily forced herself to stand and straighten, putting one foot in front of the other as she moved towards the top of the stairs. Her adrenaline was wearing off. Fast.
The Entrance Hall below was satisfactorily empty, filling Lily with a sense of immense accomplishment. The triumphant feeling drove her forward, clutching onto the stairwell's handrail to guide her down.
She lied to herself earlier. This feeling was addictive. Having set forward goals - and defeating them. The reward of completion. Proving to herself (and others) that she could do this. The overwhelming taste of achievement that filled her chest with warmth.
Her right leg seized on the fourth step down, forcing the knee in her right leg to gave out without warning.
Maybe it was her overly-self assured thoughts or good old Karma bringing Lily back to earth. Or, quite possibly, the lack of stretching that Mar always bloody warned her about.
All thoughts of victory, fulfillment, and gloating were wiped clean from her mind.
Lily fell.
Her sound of surprise echoed loudly as she twisted and tumbled the rest of the way down the staircase, using her arms to try to protect her face from the stone stairs as best as she could.
Her body, bruised and beaten, rolled to a clean stop at the bottom of the stairs.
Dizzy and winded, she gazed up at the Entrance Hall's tall ceiling, trying to regain her sense of equilibrium. Her eyes rolled, unable to focus on a specific point as barely-smothered laughter sounded around her.
She groaned, pitifully and painfully, as she rolled herself up into a sitting position. It helped with the dizziness, but there was a sore spot on her hip bone and at her ankle, and she rubbed them, trying to soothe the pain that blossomed beneath the skin.
"Is it ever possible for you to not get hurt?" asked Marlene, her voice full of mirth, the giggles around Lily now dissolving into a full-out laughter.
Lily gave her friend a baleful look, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from joining their laughter. "It's not nice to laugh at someone injured," she said, put out, doing her best to sound serious.
"But it was funny!" Marlene laughed, skipping down the stairs gracefully, arms linked with Emmeline, having unfrozen from Lily's spell. "If you broke your leg this time though, I am not carrying you."
Lily's eyes narrowed into a glare before turning her eyes onto Emmeline's form, expression turning reproachful.
"You know I can't help but laugh in stressful situations," Emmeline defended, biting her lip hard to smother the escape of more laughter.
Lily gasped, pressing a hand to her heart. "Some friends you are!"
"We are wonderful friends," Marlene said teasingly, evading the redhead's hand as she tried to reach out and swipe at her leg. She plucked Lily's wand off of the floor where it had rolled and handed it to her, before collapsing into a seated position on the floor a few feet away. "It's not my fault that you're so prone to tripping."
Lily's eyes narrowed at her friends. "I do not trip. I fell. I can't help if I'm not afraid of -"
"Breaking bones?" Emmeline filled in, taking the spot beside her.
"Infirmary visits?" Dorcas supplied helpfully, sitting back on her feet.
"Death," Marlene said resolutely.
Lily's glare deepened as it took turns settling on each of her friends. "Going hard. I've just had a bout of bad luck. You're making it out like I'm breaking a bone everyday."
Two of the four girls nearly choked on their scoffs. Marlene clucked impatiently. "The sooner you accept you have an issue, the faster you'll recover. Tripping is a very savage addiction, Lily."
The redhead scoffed and made to swat at them with her wand, nearly rolling forward when the pain of her ankle overwhelmed her. "I do not trip."
Marlene laughed, wriggling her finger. "Denial is a nasty look. But fair enough. You can replace your addiction with something else. Something constructive." She hummed, pressing her finger to her chin in thought. "Like going hard with someone else," she said, winking, as she threw Lily's earlier words back at her.
The others quickly fell into a fit of giggles at the innuendo as Lily's next hit landed true, smacking Marlene on the arm with her wand.
"Ow!" Marlene yelped, rubbing the sore flesh.
Lily huffed. "I seem to recall a time that a young Gryffindor chaser fell off her broom and broke her leg in four places. For going too hard. With Nguyen from Ravenclaw."
The girls fell into another round of laughter that took a long moment to recover from.
Marlene was waving her off. "That comes with the territory of Quidditch. You have to make sure you please your fans. You, on the other hand, seem to be some sort of sadist."
"I think you mean 'masochist'," Dorcas mused. "Lily's not that cruel."
"Sadist, masochist," Marlene waved her off with a smirk. "We all know Lily's kink."
Lily scoffed, twisting her hair back into its original ponytail to give her something to focus on other than her warming cheeks. "Can we not speculate about my kinks?"
"So you do have a kink!" Marlene crowed.
"Mar!" Lily whined.
"It's so easy to tease you. I love it," said Marlene, blowing the redhead a raspberry. Lily reached forward to smack the girl's cheek, earning her a shocked gasp. She stuck her tongue out, avoiding a jab from the blonde.
"Alright, alright, let's get down to business," Emmeline cut in with a mock-serious tone, "before we go down a path of learning more than we want about Lily."
"Oi!" Lily groused, but fell to a somber silence like the other girls around her.
Emmeline cleared her throat, straightening to appear more reverent. "Lily, will you do the honors?"
"No doubt she will," Marlene winked, trying to get another rise out of her.
But Lily ignored her, lips mashing together to hid her amused smile. "As is my duty," she answered with solemnity, quickly breaking the facade with an excited smile. She waved her wand.
On the stone floor before them, a chart materialized, golden letters twining up like spilled ink, listing each of the girls' names and scores in golden scrawling writing:
A. Prewitt- 45
D. Meadowes- 40
L. Evans- 30
M. Mckinnon- 25
E. Vance - 15
"Ha!" Alice crowed in victory, while the others around her groaned in dissatisfaction. "The 1st Victory! I defeated you all!"
"Five points," Dorcas scoffed from beside Alice, shaking her head in disbelief as she crossed her arms unhappily. She reached over to lightly punch Alice in her shoulder. "You're a bloody cheater. I would've caught you if you hadn't taken that passageway you and Frank discovered last year."
Alice was unfazed by the jab, grinning happily. "Five points, fair and square."
Marlene was whining. "Fourth?" she huffed, folding her arms into her chest in a similar way to Dorcas. She turned to stare at Lily, unimpressed.
"You need to be faster," the redhead laughed and nudged her best friend with her elbow with a teasing smile. "Like with Nguyen."
Emmeline laughed heartily, reaching over to muss up Marlene's light hair. "I'm sure you'll do better next time."
"Yeah, yeah," Marlene mumbled, unable to prevent a smile as she slapped Emmeline's hand away. "Let's just get back to the Common Room before Alice's head gets too big to fit through the door..."
"Oi!" Alice protested, shoving at her friends as they made to stand.
Dorcas smiled over at Lily, offering the injured girl a hand to straighten. "Think you can stay off your arse next time, Lily?"
"Har, har," she murmured, appraising her injuries as she accepted the offered hand and allowed herself to be pulled up. "I don't think my body can take another year of bruising."
She leaned against Dorcas, testing out her right ankle. It was tender; a dark bruise already beginning to blemish the pale skin on her foot.
"I think it's sprained," Emmeline noted, bending to examine it quickly. "And I'm betting you don't have any pain-reliever potions made yet."
"I'll go to Pomfrey tomorrow morning," Lily assured, trying not to grimace as Dorcas helped her hobble up the steps they had come.
But it was all worth it, she thought with a lazy grin, letting go of Dorcas to test walking out on her own.
Even though their 6th Year started just two days ago and even though she had just made 3rd Place, Lily was all too eager to get back into the routine of the Game.
The group, which consisted of the three 6th Years and two 7th years girls, had this planned a fortnight before their Hogwarts letters had even arrived. After much deliberation (not really), the girls had chosen tonight to start the year's Game off - despite classes starting in the morning.
Holding games on nights that had class the following morning was always safest - less students out, less chance of being caught. The girls were also willing to risk falling asleep the first day of classes to have their secret fun.
Lily hissed when she set her weight onto her injured ankle.
Marlene reached out to help her. "I was actually joking about you being a masochist, you know. You always go all out, Evans. I know you've been taking all those extra potion classes to become a Healer - but you can only do so much to heal yourself. Especially if you keep hurting yourself."
Lily laughed aloud, grinning at her friends slightly bashful. "It's more fun that way. Why wouldn't I give it all I've got?"
"Self-preservation?" Dorcas supplied with a grin.
"That's the least Lily word I've ever heard," Marlene said, giving Lily a proud smile.
Lily returned the smile easily. "Besides, didn't I tell you I'm thinking about becoming an Auror?" She hummed in thought, focusing on a spot down the corridor before them. "What's the point of the Game if I can't use it to my benefit?"
"An Auror?" Emmeline asked bewildered from in front of them. "Since when?"
"Just this summer," Lily said softly. "Maybe a little before then."
Alice and Dorcas shared similar looks of surprise, hiding it quickly from Lily for her benefit.
Marlene was looking at her closely, analyzing her expression for any signs of joking.
And then, just like the best friend she was, it only took Marlene another half-second to accept Lily's statement unquestionably. "I don't think they'll accept self-diagnosed masochists. Too dangerous and wild. Not too mention, you're a big whiner. The academy would never accept you."
Lily chucked the closest thing to her - her wand - at her friend, the wood knocking Marlene squared on the forehead.
-:- -:- -:-
The next morning dawned early for the girls; the sun unforgivably bright as it filtered in through the 6th Year dormitory windows. When Lily blearily opened her eyes, her body immediately shied away from the morning light, shutting her eyes tightly and rolling over to tuck the warm covers closer to her body.
"Oh, no, no, no. No going back to sleep!" Emmeline hummed in disapproval and tugged at the corner of the redhead's comforter.
Lily clutched tighter at the sheets, wincing as the soreness of her muscles and joints made her efforts more difficult.
"Come on," Emmeline insisted. "You're already up."
"I'm not," Lily murmured into her pillow, losing the battle as Emmeline tore the sheets away. "I need more sleep. Sleep is necessary for the human mind to work. Don't you know that?"
And surely, after the late night, she had earned just a few more minutes of pleasant, warm sleep.
As her unofficial duty as 'Dorm Mother', Emmeline ignored Lily's whinging, tapping gently on her calf. "You need to see Madam Pomfrey before breakfast. You know how she always likes to chat, especially about summer holidays."
Lily sighed heavily into her pillow, knowing this to be true.
"You'll miss getting your schedule if you take too long," her friend added with more reason.
Despite Lily's own body protestation, her mind woefully agreed with her friend's words. She released the hold on her pillow with regret and slowly sat up in order to swing her legs swung over the side of the bed. It was a tedious thing, forcing herself out of bed and gingerly testing out her sore ankle.
She regretted not icing the appendage over night.
Emmeline shot her a sympathetic look from where she stood making her own bed. "Need help getting to the bathroom?"
Lily shook her head, retrieving a pair of clean clothes from her trunk. "I think I'll be okay," she replied softly, careful not to wake the other girls in the dorm. "Just a little stiff."
Although the shower did alleviate some of the pain at her ankle, the skin around the bone had blossomed into a mottle shade of black and blue. The scrapes on the heels of her hands and knees were raw, and Lily also regretted not taking the time before term to brew up a healing balm. There was even a bit of a hint of a bruise where her nose and chin had hit the portrait from last night.
The portrait. From last night.
Lily stared at her reflection for a moment longer, contemplating.
Sure, they had run-ins with other students before. Nothing had happened before... and nothing would happen from this.
She had, Lily tried to reason with herself, nothing to worry about.
Her reflection nodded back resolutely, assuring her doubts.
"Nothing to worry about," she murmured.
The grimace on her face was involuntary as she re-entered the dorm, the bathroom slamming shut before she had a chance to catch it and soften the sound.
"Merlin, Evans, trying to wake the dead?" Marlene glared at her sleepily from her bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"Of course," Lily responded with a grin, hobbling back towards her trunk. "It's never too early for Halloween." She collapsed at the edge of her bed and reached over the end to rifle through her trunk for the rest of her clean uniform.
"Good thing you already have your costume on," the blonde said scathingly, the effect ruined as a yawn overtook her.
"Too bad yours is scarier," Lily replied with a bright smile.
"Too bad you -"
Marlene's retort was cut off by their fourth dormmate's, Beatrice, groan of annoyance. "I'm trying to read here," she complained.
"Sorry, Bea," Lily said apologetically, giving her a sincere look, unseen as the girl had already buried her nose back into her book.
Marlene caught her eye, giving Lily an exaggerated eye-roll as she divulged herself of her covers.
"Another dirty novel, Beatrice?" Marlene queried with faux-interest, leaning against one of the post's of Lily's bed. "Pirates or cavemen this time?"
Beatrice raised her eyes to glare. "Neither," she said in a withering tone, raising her wand to magic the drapes around her bed closed and casting a silencing charm.
Lily gave her friend a chastising look. "You don't always have to tease her, you know?"
Marlene shrugged a shoulder. "I don't mean to. I'm not being mean."
"You kind of are," Emmeline pointed out. "Just because she flirted with Beckerson once-"
"He was my boyfriend!" Marlene hissed, glaring as Lily opened her mouth to interrupt. "Never-mind that he had just chucked me - but everyone knows you shouldn't go after another girl's ex."
Emmeline was deadpanned. "That was second year."
"And she only asked him for a book he had, in the library," Lily added.
Marlene glared at them equally. "Who's side are you on?"
Lily chuckled at her friend's response, adjusting her sweater over the top of her school shirt. "I think it's time you got over it."
She huffed, moving away. "He was my first."
"You only held hands."
"You never forget that," Marlene sniffed, moving away back towards her own trunk.
Lily reached over to retrieve her wand from the nightstand and used a quick spell to magic her hair dry, using her fingers to comb through it.
"You let it grow," Marlene observed, pulling on her own school clothes. "You normally cut it before school starts."
"Decided to leave it long." Lily shrugged, pulling at the long strands. "Time for a change - hey! Don't be stealing one of my ties!" she ordered at Marlene, pointing an accusatory finger
"I always forget them. You know I need to just borrow one until mum sends me mine."
Lily huffed, unable to deny her friend. "Just don't ruin this one, please," she warned, collecting her socks and slipping them into her book bag, deciding to put them on later; once Madam Pomfrey would heal her ankle. "You at least helping me to the infirmary then, McKinnon?"
"If you're going to be like that..."
Lily lifted her swollen, bruised ankle. "You're going to let me suffer?"
"Oh, come off it," Marlene laughed, already sliding off her bed to join Lily's side.
The climb down the dormitory stairs was tricky. As the staircase spiraled, the steps themselves were steep and thin. As the walls were too close together to walk side by side comfortably, they had to readjust so that Marlene led and Lily followed, hand held securely on her friend's shoulder.
Marlene noticed the uneasy look on Lily's face and smiled consolingly. "If you trip, I'll be there to break your fall."
Lily shuddered mockingly. "That's reassuring."
Marlene smiled, turning slightly to blow Lily a raspberry and the movement, albeit small, jostled Lily's hold on her friend's shoulder and pulled her forward. Her foot slipped on the last step, but Marlene reacted quickly, grabbing onto Lily's arms tightly to prevent her from falling.
They both let out a nervous chuckle as Marlene loosened her grip, allowing Lily to stand on her own.
"You're lucky you're a better Quidditch player than a crutch," Lily declared, tugging at her friend's ponytail.
"So are you," Marlene agreed with a grin, allowing Lily wrap an arm around her shoulder as she wrapped an arm around her waist.
They walked through the empty common room, awkwardly trying to find a pace that worked. As Marlene was quite a few inches taller than Lily, her shoulder was digging painfully into Lily's armpit - while Marlene had to walk with a hunch to allow Lily to 'comfortably' wrap an arm around her.
"This isn't working," Marlene stated bluntly, once they successfully exited the Common Room's portrait hole after a long struggle.
"I agree." Lily winced, rubbing at her underarm. "Piggyback?"
"As if! That's how I sprained my back last time!"
Lily scoffed. "You did not!"
"Well, it certainly felt like it did," Marlene said, grimacing in memory - then grinning when Lily swiped another punch on her arm. "How about we walk together and you hold onto my arm?"
"Okay," Lily agreed, gently grabbing onto Marlene's offered arm as they continued on at a slow place.
"We could've grabbed a broom," the blonde suggested after a few steps.
"No," Lily snapped quickly, as they rounded the corner to the staircases. "We're doing just fine."
"O-kay," Marlene replied, smirking. "What about a charm to make you lighter? Then I could totally carry you."
"I don't know one," Lily said, admitting to herself that a spell like that would be very helpful right about now. Marlene raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look," Lily retorted. "I don't know one that works on humans," she elaborated.
"I'd like to point out again, that I don't understand how someone can be so accident prone."
"I try to think of it positively. Gives me a thicker skin. Makes me tougher."
"Right," Marlene drew out, beginning their descent down the main set of cases to the Entrance Hall. The process was slow - and painful on Lily's part. "As if anyone could mistake you for being weak."
"I don't even know a spell to make myself lighter," Lily pointed out, focusing on her feet below her.
Marlene let out a loud guffaw. "One small spell - it ain't going to kill you."
Lily rolled her eyes.
"Speaking of which," Marlene continued. "Last night, that portrait's passage... who were those blokes? I heard at least two voices."
"Four, actually." Lily grimaced. "Boyish men. It was too dark to see their faces, but your spell hit one of them. They went absolutely mad!"
"Did they hurt you?" Marlene asked seriously.
"Oh, no," Lily was quick to assure. "They were more shocked than anything... I mean, rightfully so."
Marlene fell quiet for a few moments, contemplative. "Sodding hell, Lily... I know we've had run-ins with other students before, but we were able to make an excuse. Are you sure you didn't recognize them?" she asked her, helping the redhead as the stepped onto the final staircase towards the Entrance Hall.
"I can't be sure," she murmured, wincing as she placed too much pressure on her bad ankle. "They had to at least be fifth years. I hope they weren't Slytherins…"
Lily dismissed the idea - while the boys had been understandably angry with her, they weren't violent. But nor were they overly kind or apologetic... so it's unlikely they were Hufflepuffs then. But Lily knew better than to stereotype.
"Well... Hopefully they won't do anything. Report us? Would you recognize them if you ran into them? Heard them?" Marlene asked her curiously, pausing to let Lily rest for a moment. "Maybe we should have all the boys line up - say something?"
Lily laughed outright, leaning against the railing. "Like some sort of warped Cinderella?"
Marlene looked at her strangely. "Cinder-who?"
Lily's smile fell slightly. "You know, Cinderella. Fairy godmother, glass shoe… pumpkin-turned-carriage?"
Marlene raised an eyebrow. "What do those Muggle schools teach you?"
"Seriously?" she muttered to herself, gripping the railing tight as they resumed their descent. "You call that strange? With your Soap Blizzards and Uric the Oddball? A wizard who, literally, fell off a mountain and landed in a village full of pilgrims who thought he was a god."
Marlene looked back up at Lily and shrugged, unbothered. "I guess if you're not all that worried, I'm not either."
"I'm not," Lily quickly assured. Whether it was directed more towards her friend or herself, she wasn't sure.
She continued to hobble down slowly after Marlene, watching as the girl's shoulders slowly began to shake. "What are you laughing at?" Lily asked, a smile pulling at her lips.
"Just... remembering... your face," Marlene replied, pausing to let Lily catch up. "Last night... oh, the pure terror on your face. You looked ready to be sick after."
Lily's smile dropped. "Ah, yes, hee-larious. Injuring myself. Almost breaking my neck. I live to entertain." She gestured with a grandeur arm movement.
"Sarcasm doesn't become you," Marlene sang.
"See if I bat an eyelash next time you take a bludger to the head," Lily drawled, leaning heavily once more against the railing to pause.
Marlene reached up to offer her arm in assistance, but Lily slapped it away lightly as the girl continued to giggle. "I guess with your pension for falling, we probably could have been more worried."
Lily scowled openly at her friend, using her free hand to smack the girl's shoulder. Marlene let out a laugh and skipped a few steps down further.
"Your concern is incredibly endearing," Lily added, her gaze dropping down to watch her feet, making sure her ankle didn't twist beneath her.
Lead with your good foot first, she had learned, then bring the bad food second. One stair at a time.
"I am your best friend, of course," Marlene said, skipping down a few more steps.
"That's debatable," Lily muttered under her breath, bracing herself for the next step.
Marlene huffed in amusement. "I heard that."
Lily gasped loudly, landing with a misstep as she felt her weaker ankle give out from beneath her, sharp pain shooting up her entire leg.
Uselessly, she swung her arms out to balance herself, but it had been too late. She reached for Marlene's outstretched hand but fell short, tumbling down the rest of the stairs in an incredibly painful manner.
"Lily!"
It had been luck, that they were already so near the bottom of the stairs. Lily's body rolled to a stop at the bottom of the landing, similar to the night before, dizzy and breathless. It took her a moment to gather her bearings, feeling an immense sense of dizzying deja-vu.
Someone cleared their throat above her. She peeked an eye open.
"Alright there, Evans?"
James Potter hovered above her, sitting forward on his knees as he stared down at her with concern.
Speechless and still slightly dazed, she cataloged herself.
Lily was laying on her back, spreadeagled across the last of the steps. Her ankle throbbed, but nothing else seems to be sprained or broken. With the exception of, quite obviously, her pride.
She glanced back up above her.
James Potter was the type of boy who could make anyone smile; he was always carrying one of those easy, contagious smiles that appeared quickly, without a second thought. For a very long time now, Lily thought that he wielded it as both a weapon and a shield. Using it as a defensive mechanism to ward off insults.
The smile slid into place the longer she stared.
"Evans?" he repeated, holding out a hand as if to help her.
She'd only run into him once this year, surprisingly, at the Welcoming Feast. He hadn't even sat near her - their only interaction was when she had gone to stand once all the food had disappeared and nearly ran into him. He had been polite and standoffish.
Hastily, she mentally shook her mind of the muddled cobwebs and subconsciously moved to fix her skirt, the hem riding up dangerously on her thighs.
Begrudgingly, she accepted his offered hands to balance herself into a standing position, avidly avoiding how her cheeks burned.
Marlene came nearly crashing into her before he could make any further comments.
"Lily! Bloody hell! I really didn't think you'd fall. Again. For feck's safe, I should've waited for you. You should've stopped me."
"I'm fine, Marlene," Lily said shortly, nerves suddenly on edge, as she quickly dropped Potter's hands as soon as she realized she was still holding onto them. She swayed dangerously, putting too much pressure on her inflamed ankle.
Annoyingly, Potter quickly reached out to place a hand on her waist as a way to steady her, his body shifting the tiniest bit closer.
"Thanks," she said in a clipped tone, moving farther from him to step closer to the railing. His smile dropped the same way he let his hand drop from the position just below her rib cage as he stepped away.
Lily watched as he took another step back a safe distance, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Careful there, Evans," he said, his voice sincere. "Didn't want you to get hurt."
He said it as if... it had a double meaning. As if he was referring to... Lily's eyes narrowed.
Marlene was tutting, uncharacteristically maternal. "Merlin's beard, Lily! I was literally two feet away." She turned and acknowledged their fellow housemate. "I literally have no control over this witch- " she hitched her thumb towards Lily in exasperation. "I swear on Circe, she will be the death of me."
Potter chuckled, a touch awkward, but the smile had already fallen into place. "I don't doubt it."
Lily sent him a withering stare, unnoticed.
"Come on then, let's get you to the infirmary," Marlene ordered Lily, helping her move along.
"Need any help?" Potter offered, rocking onto the balls of his feet, hands still tucked into his pockets.
"No thanks, I'm fine," Lily said in her same clipped tone as she glanced back at him, raising her arm to wrap it around Marlene's shoulder.
Potter nodded slowly and shrugged, moving around them to continue his way back up the stairs.
From the corner of her eye, Lily watched as him begin his ascent up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Merlin, had he grown a foot over summer?
Unbidden, Lily thought back to the last day she had seen him; the last day before summer break, just after their O.W.L. exams. When he - she immediately pushed that day (that ugly, ugly day), far away from her mind and allowed Marlene to lead her the rest of the way to the hospital wing.
The large room was bright as ever as Marlene and Lily entered into the doorway silently, shuffling awkwardly through the doorway.
"Madam Pomfrey?" Lily called, using Marlene's arm to balance herself. The school healer appeared outside the small office in the back, grinning good-naturedly at the two girls.
"Miss Evans and Miss McKinnon!" the woman welcomed. "Not even a week into the school year and I'm already seeing you?" she admonished, directing them to an empty bed with clean linen sheets. She tsked as she gently helped Lily onto the firm mattress, lifting Lily's injured ankle onto a pillow with easy movements.
Once settled in, Marlene jumped into the bed beside her and sat crossed-legged, resting her chin in her hand as she watched the healer begin work her magic.
"What was it this time?" Madam Pomfrey inquired with a slightly stern voice, the affect comical as the woman was only five years older than the girls - ten year at most.
Lily appeared sheepish. "The stairs."
"Why am I not surprised?" the healer murmured, examining Lily's ankle.
"Wouldn't you have been more surprised if I didn't show up?" Lily smiled warmly.
Madam Pomfrey looked up at her from over her reading glasses, giving Lily a stern look, but looked away with a fond shake of her head.
"As you've probably guessed, it's sprained," Pomfrey informed her. "Let me go whip something up to fix this. It'll be just a moment." She spun on her heel and disappeared back into her office.
Lily sighed softly, settling deeper into the soft pillows around her. Her eyes closed slowly as she fell into her thoughts.
"Only two more years, Mar," she mused out loud, smoothing down the fabric of her skirt against her thighs. "Before we're out in the real world and we can't return to this infirmary at the smallest injury."
"For a couple of stitches," Marlene added.
"A broken bone," Lily giggled.
"A gashed skull," Marlene grimaced. "Blimey… Depressing much?" She adjusted her legs so that they now hung off the cot. "But I guess it's true... I try not to think about it, you know? Dorcas and Alice will be gone next year. We'll all be split up after that."
"I know," Lily replied softly and fell silent as the healer returned with a vial of dark liquid. Lily's nose wrinkled at the stale smell.
"Drink up," Pomfrey told her cheerfully.
"Try not to think about it," Marlene supplied helpfully as Lily moved to sit up and then grinned when her friend shot her a quick glare.
Lily popped open the vial quickly and brought the opening to her lips, swallowing the potion to two swift gulps. "Bleh," she gasped, trying not to retch as she breathed quickly through her mouth.
"You always make such wonderful faces," Marlene teased, failing to conceal amusement at her friend's distress.
Lily motioned to chuck the empty vial at her friend, but Pomfrey had already plucked it from her fingers with expertise. "No mess this year please, ladies," their healer chastised, setting the vial down in a safe place.
"We promise," the two students chorused together.
"Just five minutes for everything to set and you'll be on your way," the healer smiled, patting Lily gently on the knee.
"Thank you," Lily replied with a smile, the pain already easing. Even the pain in her side she hadn't realized was there began to recede. It helped her breathe.
Pomfrey glanced around curiously. "Where's Severus? He's usually not too far behind."
Lily's stiffened as if she just received a punch in the gut, breathe knocked back out of her.
Marlene spoke up mildly, sensing Lily's distress. "Haven't seen him."
"Well, be sure to say hello for me," Pomfrey said pleasantly, unable to sense the sudden tension in the room.
"Sure," Lily replied with a tight smile and the healer turned away with a sincere smile and left the two girls alone.
"You okay?" Marlene asked quietly, trying to read Lily's expression.
The redhead gave a noncommittal shrug. "I'm fine," she murmured, glancing over at her friend to gauge her reaction.
It was obvious that Marlene didn't believe her, raising an eyebrow in a mildly challenging manner.
But then, Marlene wasn't one to push too deeply. She was highly empathetic in the sense she could tell when someone was uncomfortable - but had always been particularly choosy when to use this insight.
Marlene fell silent. Lily was grateful.
The five minutes were up. Lily jumped off the bed with renewed purpose, the pain of her ankle entirely gone. "See you soon, Madam!" Lily called to healer as the two girls left the infirmary.
The trek to the Great Hall was quick with Lily's newly healed ankle and they realized it was still early - the table still nearly half-empty.
"The others should be down soon," Lily mused as Marlene began herself a plate. "McGonagall should be passing out the schedules shortly..." she grabbed herself a piece of toast and began nibbling on it, studying the rest of the Great Hall as she chewed.
"Do you think we should be worried?" Marlene wondered aloud, scooping up some eggs and dishing them onto her plate.
"About schedules?" Lily asked, reaching forward to grab some jam.
"No, about the boys you ran into."
Lily took her time spreading strawberry jam onto her toast, licking off the excess jam spilled onto her fingers. "They didn't recognize me," she reminder her, shrugging her shoulders. "And they don't exactly have proof of my presence…"
Marlene nodded slowly, picking up her fork to take a bite from her plate. "Should we tell the others?"
Lily mulled this over. "I don't see any need to. We can just lay low for a bit. We should really wait a week or so till the next game. I don't think we really need to worry... To be logical, if they were students, they shouldn't have been out either."
"You have to let me know if you recognize any of them."
"I will," Lily promised, dusting off her hands and grabbing a glass of juice.
"Hello," Dorcas greeted them, falling into the seat beside Lily. Emmeline and Alice followed suit, sitting on the other side of the table.
Alice sleepily rested her chin in her hand as she reached forward to grab a pastry from a nearby plate. "So tired," she murmured.
"Mm," Dorcas agreed, resting her forehead on her arms. Lily laughed, sharing an amused look with Emmeline.
"Have some tea," she suggested, gesturing towards the multiple cups around them. "Classes start today. At least attempt to look alive when McGonagall comes around with the schedules."
"Think this year will be easy?" Emmeline asked, as she began to fill up her own plate with eggs and a croissant.
"You don't have N.E.W.T.S. to worry about this year," Dorcas said, her voice muffled from behind her arms.
"Don't get my hopes up for an easy year, ladies," Marlene whined, stirring sugar into her tea.
"O.W.L.s were hard enough."
"We'll definitely need some stress relief," Alice teased, taking a sip from her cup.
"I thought Frank helped with that," Marlene smirked, as Alice's cheeks bloomed red.
"He certainly does," Alice replied blithely, refusing to succumb to Marlene's teasing.
"When should we plan our next rendezvous?" Dorcas asked, raising her head with a grin.
"Sometime next week?" Marlene responded automatically, thoughtlessly. "Or even this weekend?"
The other girls murmured in agreement, excitement bubbling under the surface.
Lily caught Marlene's eye silently, shooting her a sharp look, as if to say, Are you MAD? What did we JUST talk about?
Marlene had the decency to look sheepish.
"Let's get our schedules first," Lily smartly suggested, unsurprised by the lack of assistance from Marlene.
And despite the slight endangerment of being caught, she still did want to play...
"We'll compare classes and see when's best."
They broke off as McGonagall approached them, a stack of parchment in her hand.
"Good morning, ladies," she greeted, nose down, glasses on, as she used her wand to sort through the countless amount of parchment.
"Morning, Professor," the girls replied dutifully; half the group eagerly awaiting to see their schedule, the other half... maybe couldn't care less.
With a flick of her wand, McGonagall spelled the respective schedule for each girl to land in front of them. "Have a wonderful first day, girls. Any questions regarding your schedule can be brought up outside of class hours." She turned and left them, continuing down the table.
Lily picked up her schedule and scanned the parchment thoroughly, nodding to herself silently as she read it once, then twice. "Not bad for me," she murmured aloud.
Alice groaned from across her, nearly slamming the paper back down on the table. "Divination: Monday and Wednesday mornings," she complained. "I hate Divination. Especially in the morning."
"It appears we can enjoy the perfume and tea together, Alice," Dorcas told her, waving her own schedule in a sort of surrender.
"I thought you dropped that," said Lily. "Wanted to focus on your N.E.W.T.S?"
"After taking Advanced Potions and Advanced Runes last year, I deserve a break," Alice said succinctly, pushing her schedule towards them to view.
Dorcas shrugged. "I just wanted an easy class."
The girls laughed, having long ago accepting Dorcas's blaise attitude towards schooling.
Alice, of whom Lily had always admired, had long ago chosen to take the path of an Auror. When the two girls had met in Lily's 2nd year, it was something that the older girl had not been ashamed to share (when it was something taboo of a witches to aspire to become). It's possible that it's what even helped Lily's own change in career paths.
"Advanced Charms and then Muggle Studies for me on Mondays," Emmeline stated. Lily grinned, showing off her own schedule.
"Advanced Charms for my morning, too! But I've got Advanced Defense this afternoon and Thursday. Advanced Potions on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
They took a moment to pass around each others' schedules, pointing out the free periods and commiserating when they didn't coincide. Lily collected her schedule back, scanning it with an excited eye. While there might be certain things she wished were switched around, she was pleased.
But it was easy, after analyzing and planning all these years, to find the opportunities between their schedules.
"Thursday night, then?" she asked without thought. She nearly smacked herself in the face.
"I'm in," Dorcas said immediately. The rest of her friends agreed almost simultaneously.
Nothing to worry about, Lily thought again. "Thursday, then. Midnight," Lily said, the words settling like a judge's sentencing, hoping she wasn't condemning her friends to getting caught.
But Lily was a sensible witch. She believed in logic. Because really, what was the probability that they'd run into trouble a second time?
"Midnight," Marlene repeated with a wink, (purposefully?) forgetting the conversation they had just had.
Lily leaned back with her cup of tea cradled to her lips as she listened to their chatter, lazily letting her eyes scan the Great Hall.
It was the first day of classes; the buzz of excited chatter was contagious. Her eyes settle briefly on the large group beside them, consisting of most of the 7th Years. Her eyes flitted over the ones she recognized - Burke, Rochester, and Jones. The three boys had been in study group she had joined McGonagall had held last year. Rochester waved candidly when he caught her eye and she returned it, moving her gaze further down the table.
Lily smiled at a couple of the younger 1st Years she had helped heard towards the Gryffindor tower; many recognized her and smiled back, thankful for her acknowledgement.
Involuntarily, her eyes skidded over the top of their heads (short as they were) and caught sight of the 6th Year Gryffindor boys sitting further down the table.
Black seemed to be sharing a tall-tale to the small group, gesturing wildly as he brought Potter into the story telling. Black had always been someone she was wary of, someone who appeared not to care about others' thoughts or judgment. It was a characteristic that, Lily had come to realize, made someone dangerous. There had always been a subtle meanness to him, though it rarely showed, especially when he was near his friends.
Remus, her fellow Prefect, was seated beside them as he listened attentively, if not a little tiredly, while Peter seemed to hang onto every word.
She studied them a little longer over the top of her cup.
Potter took turns adding to the story. It was a known fact that Potter and Black shared similar mannerisms, as if brothers spending too much time together. Black's hair had grown exponentially since last year, long and wild; while Potter's hung low in eyes, his messy curls around his scalp like a misshapen halo. His lips were pulled into his usual grin, the smile easy and genuine.
It struck her suddenly how genuine the smile truly seemed at that particular moment.
Her eyes hardly strayed towards them. Lily had avoided the four as much as she could, barely paying them any mind - unless she had to. As a Prefect, of course.
It was a bitter realization then, as Potter had never seemed to share the smile with her.
Not that it bothered her directly, she thought hastily. When she did pay attention, he had spent every (however few) interactions over the past years forcibly taunting her, a leery smirk on his face whenever he turned towards her.
She never knew if his true façade was the genuine smile she'd peek whenever his focus wasn't on her - or if it was the jaunty grin he'd send her way. He obviously did it to mess with her, she knew.
As if suddenly sensing her gaze, Potter's head swiveled towards her spot up the table, neatly catching her eye. She quickly let her gaze drop to the content of her cup, hoping that it looked as though she had been, and still was, studying the loose tea leaves.
"Lily?"
"Hm?" she answered absentmindedly, glancing over at Marlene to find her friend standing from the table. Marlene was looking at her impatiently.
"We're leaving. Classes are starting soon," Marlene said slowly, motioning towards the rest of their friends already walking out of the Great Hall. "You want to join, or…" she raised her eyebrows bemused.
"Oh!" Lily collected her things quickly, swallowing the rest of her tea quickly and took off behind Marlene. Chancing a backward glance, her eyes locked onto Potter's own. As if in a timid manner, he gave her a soft smile, a hybrid of the genuine look he had earlier.
She scoffed.