VI
A/N: These chapters have no point. I agree with you, reader, but guess what? I am updating like crazy!!!! thanks for the compliment my dearest reviewers. ^.~ You guys still haven't told me if you want Voldemort in here or not! R/R, I would love you forever. Poor Lily too, this chapter is depressing. I warned you, so read it at your own risk.
The day was not clear and sunny. It was not seventy degrees in spite of the November cold. It was weekend, which meant the Hogwarts students could go to Hogsmeade and stay all long as they pleased, although curfew was at twelve, and the regular customer could either go to the Three Broomsticks or stay home and avoid going mad watching infatuated couples make eyes. It definitely was not time for calm and quiet, for the last quidditch match was the day after, and the Gryffindor quidditch team was off at the Three Broomsticks making enough hell to reach the most silent nook and cranny of town. Last of all, as Lily decided, it was not time to think of getting thrown out in the street with not a penny to her name.
James was beside her, going on about how the Ravenclaw Seeker was no match for Third Year Judy Carmon of Gryffindor. She (Lily Evans, duh) was not listening to him. She stared at a sign on the Order Pick-Up table, "Waitresses Wanted." Now that the conversation had taken on a life of its own, no one was listening to the Captain. Somehow the discussion had turned into something about cute, athletic girls. James sighed. It was always about girls. Whoever said men did not gossip must have been a girl. He squeezed Lily's hand, signalling that they get their own table. She seemed preoccupied, but followed him obediently. The Chasers had a cheery glint in their eyes. Now they could talk about the juicy gossip about Evans and Potter!
"What are you looking at, Lily?"
"Do you know if the waitresses here get leave?"
"What?! You're not going to work here?"
"Why not?"
"Well, you aren't...beautiful enough!"
"Oh that's a nice thing to say. This is only our second date, don't get too comfortable." She crinkled her nose a little.
"That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean?" James spaced a little. Why wasn't he soaked in butterbeer, dateless, and carrying one more rejection for his record? Girls were unfathomable, but Lily was downright confusing.
"Hello? Earth to Prongs??"
"I didn't mean that you weren't beautiful, 'coz, uh, look at you," she narrowed her eyes.
"Make up your mind."
"It's awkward, isn't it? I mean, all these old blokes'll be hitting on you and..." he trailed off, trying hard not to make the wrong impression.
"Why you're-" He didn't want her to think that he was-because he wasn't-
"You're jealous!" Miss.
"Of course I'm not!" She moved from across from James to beside him. She pinched both his cheeks playfully. He let her, for some odd reason.
"How cute! Have gotten jealous with any of your other girls before?"
"I'm NOT jealous!" James felt a blush creeping up to the tip of his ears.
"Jimmy, you're BLUSHING!" He frowned, clearly not liking the way things were going. "Wait till Fiona hears this, and of course," she looked suggestively at him, "We'll *have* to tell Sirius."
*
"No, you girls are the traitors. You don't even know me! You all are bloody jealous that she has something that you will never have and you hate her because she befriended someone that you would like to be! For some boy you lost a valuable friend. I have no idea why the Hat put you in Gryffindor anyway Tam, and not in Slytherin with the other slimes; and Kate, and Jo, you should have stayed in Hufflepuff where you belong! Don't you have a mind of your own? You listen to everything that Tammy tells you to? Now apologize!"
The Marauders were lounging in the large squishy sofa watching the scene amusedly. Lily had her hand protectively on Fiona's shoulder and the guilty party, the three other Gryffindor seventh year girls seemed to cower under every one of Lily's words.
"I'm sorry Fi,"
"Yea, so am I, will you forgive us?" The eyes turned expectantly to Tammy, whose eyes were filled with tears threatening to spill.
"I'm really sorry too you guys!" she wailed helplessly. The four girls hugged and by the time they seperated, Lily left, not wanting to intrude on a private moment. They carried on with their usual chatter, and began flirting with the Marauders, Tammy with James, Fiona with Sirius, Jo with Remus, and it seemed that Cathy and Peter were both Chocolate Frog Card Collectors. They put Lily into the back of their mind, and remained occupied for the next few hours. The next day, December fifteenth, was the first day of Christmas Break. On account of the Ball, mostly all fifth years and above were staying.
"I heard you have a waitress position open?"
"Yes, dear, walk around this way for a second." Madam Rosmerta guided Lily around to the back room where the drinks and food was being made. She pointed to a large breakfast bar type window that overlooked the drinking bar. "You cut off the boys after twenty drinks. The notebook," she pointed at a small worn notepad, "is the credit book. You check their names before givin' 'em the drinks." Lily must've looked intimidated, because soon Madame Rosmerta said, "I can see you're doin' this for the money, aren't you?" Lily nodded, tongue-tied. "It's okay, we get those once in a while. You'll get used to it. Can you work holidays?" She nodded 'yes', "You have no problems wearing short things?" she didn't let Lily answer, but looked down at the miniskirt, then waved the question off. "You'll fit in perfectly." 'Rosie' as she asked Lily to call her, continued to explain, for a full half hour, her expectations and rules etc., etc.,
Rosie was true to her word. Within a week, Lily got used to the bar. The regulars asked for her by name. She worked from six to twelve, and did her homework on the one day that she had off. She realized the day before the ball that she didn't have a date. Luckily, five minutes before the ball, as Lily rushed to put on the dress and (she already did her make-up for work and planned it that way) stockings and fix her hair with a charm, she saw Remus Lupin looking as tired as she did, drowsing on the banister, on the last step, completely dateless.
"Let's go bud, you're my date for tonight."
The couple spent most of their evening with their chin on the punch glasses, eyes half-closed, which no one found surprising.
"Oh James, you are so athletic!" Lily jumped at the Tammy's breathy tone. The chair and table jerked with her, and Remus dipped his nose into his glass, but continued sleeping, unlike Lily. She felt her hair to see that it hadn't staticked and groped her shoulder to pull up her loose pyjamas. There was nothing. She realized she was wearing a muggle short black muggle strapless with a lacy, tight robe that clung to her. She realized where she was and rubbed her eyes.
"Hey Remus, why don't you dance with me?" Jo's squeaky voice roused Remus from his slumber slightly, and he mumbled incoherently. Giving everyone at the table (all the seventh years were there, Lily suddenly noticed) a apologetic smile, she dragged Remus off to the dance. A slow dance, lucky for Remus. Sirius was making out with Fiona, and Peter was glaring at Cathy, who was whispering and giggling with her Ravenclaw date. Tamara was trying to compete with Jo and so she pulled James like Remus had. People kept coming to Lily to congratulate her on the theme that she came up with (Christmas in Australia), but she was snoring softly, asleep on the table.
"Lily, Lily?" James shook her petite figure, making feeble attempts at waking her, she replied, "Bugger Off, I have the night shift tomorrow."
"You're working the nightshift on Christmas Eve?" Lily was suddenly wide awake, at the chance to defend herself. She was already a bit angry that no one had talked to her for longer than five minutes for the past week and a half. She was too sleepy to think that it was because she was hardly awake in Hogwarts longer than five minutes.
"What's it to you?" she looked cranky and pissed off.
"Chill Miss Horntail, I was just worried about you." James looked parentally at her.
"Miss Horntail?"
"You're temper is like a dragon's." Lily fixed her gaze on the new voice, which turned out to be Fi's.
"We're not letting you work on Christmas Eve, now," Sirius said. The redhead turned her face away, pretending to look at a Hufflepuff couple on the dance floor.
"Since when did I have so many mothers?" she muttered. Sirius and Fiona continued where they left off. James vaguely heard Lily's heels click away as Tammy finished her dance with Cathy's cute Ravenclaw partner. Remus was yelling at Peter to stay away from some boy that Cathy was flirting with before she noticed. The beginning strands of a prank tugged at of James's mind.
Lily did not leave because the people at her table were showing entirely too much concern for her. She only suddenly remembered that she had to talk Dumbledore about something. Now where exactly was he? And what exactly was she wanting to talk about?
"Yes Miss Evans? Are you not having a good time?"
"Er...yes sir, I mean no, I mean...uh, would you spare a moment please, I need to talk to you about something."
"Never too busy for a student, Lily, now what did you want to talk about?" He led her to a room behind the Great Hall, fashioned in the style of an office. The nametag indicated that it was indeed, Professor Flitwick's office. Lily racked her brains, trying to remember what she wanted to talk about.
"Is your job at the Three Broomsticks doing well, Miss Evans?" Dumbledore to the rescue once more. She wondered if he was a divinator and already knew what she was going to say.
"Yea, yes, that's what I want to talk about!" Dumbledore's lips curled slightly. "Sir, I was wondering if, when school starts, you know, if I could continue my position. The bar really depends on me, you and-"
"Lily, I'm not sure you comprehend the expectations that the school has of you. You are Head Girl, and the position is well-deserved, I understand, and to be Head Girl is a very big responsibility. Have you thought this out?"
"Well, yes sir-I think I will be able to do my homework in the free period, as I really don't have any extra-curricular activities, you know, and I will work the nightshift and still be able to get my four hours of sleep and come to classes at eight as usual." Dumbledore still looked hesitant. "You have to understand what this means to me, Professor, yesterday, I had an owl from Gringotts that my vault has been emptied to pay my father's medical bills. We are going through a tough time, my father and I, and I have to support my sister, Petunia because she doesn't know how to do so herself!" she trailed off. Dumbledore's white eyebrows narrowed in thought.
"Miss Evans, I do believe your sister Petunia is older than you? Is she not able to take care of herself?"
"Well, sir, she has this wonderful wedding planned, when she turns twenty-one next year, and it means so much to her! My father has just been diagnosed with cancer, which was the cause of his heart-failure, the doctors have just informed me, and if I am to sustain him somehow we need a source of money! Galleons have more value than pounds and I get two and a half galleons at the Three Broomsticks.." Lily had a pleading look in her eyes. Dumbledore looked as if he made up his mind.
"If you promise to keep your marks in the top five in class, in all classes as you are doing now," She nodded vigorously, "then you may work in the night." He stood up and walked around to her chair, gazing sternly. "Miss McGonagall will see to it that you keep your grades up and that you get your rest in the nights, is that clear?"
"Yes sir." Lily stood up from her chair and gave Dumbledore a small hug, unable to restrain herself. She could feel the tears tugging at the back of her eyes, a knot in her throat.
She ran back to her room in a flurry, with the intention to ask her mirror to help with her schedule. As soon as she entered her room, although, her eyes fell on her bed, someone had trashed it. On her pillow letters were running around, arranging and rearranging themselves, 'LILY EVANS BEST WENCH IN HOGSMEADE' they read.
For the first time in her life, she cried of hurt feelings. Maybe it was the stress that she had been going through lately, be it that she hadn't enough sleep, but her eyes and her head throbbed as the day that she threw a week-long tantrum to get a bigger bathtub than Petunia when she was five. She tried, but now that she had started, memories started coming back to her: Her mother, dying, her sister beating her, her father sick in some bed, the men that tried to rape her, she realized what a terrible life she led. She vowed to change it. It all happened, she told herself, because she depended on other people. Her mother and sister for company and her father for money, and her perverted dates...she definitely brought that upon herself. She told herself that she would change. She would be happy and optimistic, she would not date and she would not make friends. Her only goal in life was to give her father and sister the life that they deserved. Still as many promises and lies she made to herself, the tears poured relentlessly, mixing with the colorful dies of the spray paint.
*
"I'm sorry for pulling that prank that day of the ball, I hope you accept my gift. Be mine, Lils." Lily read out loud from the small note attached to her only genuine christmas present. There were, though, a large, tall pile of formal christmas cards from what seemed to be the entire student body. Some even had candy and trinklets attached to them. She was still popular, after all. No, that was wrong, an old grey owl came in, carrying a large bundle, looking awfully tired. She decided to open that first.
Fiona sent her a magical record player with a record that played 'Twelfth Night' the Musical. She smiled a little, but stowed it away, half-opened, under her bed. She saw that James gave her a ring, in a velvet box, with a sapphire in the middle. It was valuable, she could see, but she was disgusted anyway. It was so typical of him to send her something so expensive, as if to say 'I'm rich and you're not!' With a decisive 'hmmph' she ripped the note off of James's present and wrote one of her own.
-LILLIAN EVANS
She carefully re-charmed the wrap back on the box and hooked it to one of the old owl's talon. She put a cheering charm on it and it flew off with an energized hoot through the ajar door and into the common room where Fiona was sleeping. It was barely five o' clock when Lily stepped into the shower. Work started early that day, which meant she could go home early. She put a cheery look on her face, encouraged at the thought of some extra time to organize the detentions that she had given out while patrolling the halls during the ball. Predictably, there were quite a few, including Head Boy.