"Well, do you want to go into Flourish and Blott's or not? We do need to
get our school books!" Lily grabbed Rhia's hand and dragged both girls into
the store. They browsed the shelves for a while until a cold voice sneered
from the other side of the shelf.
"Why, what luck we have today! Three pretty little things just happen to stray across our path, and what shall we do with them?" Rhia snorted in disgust as Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Augustus Crabbe emerged and stood in their path to the counter.
"Get out of the way!" Annie shot, but backed off when Crabbe sneered at her. Lily stepped forward, smiling a bit.
"Severus, Lucius, Augustus...please. We're not trying to get into anything, we just want to be on our way." Lily looked into Severus' eyes. "Please?"
Rhia choked back a giggle as Snape grabbed the backs of his friends' robes and pulled them out of the store. "You know Lil, it's not very diplomatic to use the fact that Severus Snape is head over heels for you to your advantage." Lily blushed.
"Ick, Severus Snape." Annie grimaced, running her fingers over a line of Beauty Potion books. "I heard his own father can't even stand the sight of him."
"He can't." Rhia replied as she pulled out two copies of Advanced Charms: Grade Five, giving a copy to Lily.
"What do you mean?" asked Lily.
"Mrs. Snape died when Severus was very young." She explained. "He reminds his father of her, so he can't stand to see him."
"Makes you almost feel sorry for the great ugly brute." Annie gasped.
"It's like The Secret Garden." Lily mused.
"What's a secret garden?" Annie asked, wrinkling her freckled nose.
"Not a secret garden, The Secret Garden." Lily explained. "It's a book, a muggle book. A young boy's mother dies in a garden so his father shuts him away and never comes to see him."
"Oh." Annie nodded.
"Are all the muggle stories you read sad, Lily?" asked Rhia.
"No, just most of them." Lily replied with a smile. "Besides, you and your own enchanted novels." Rhia's cheeks tinged with pink.
"Mother thinks they're just melancholy nonsense." Rhia sighed. "She says I'm not allowed to read them anymore."
"How do you two stay so nice-looking?" Annie called from where she sat, thumbing through a copy of How to Make Yourself Look Like A Thousand Galleons in Thirty Minutes or Less!
"What do you mean?" Lily furrowed her brow.
"You're both so pretty." Annie sighed, putting her chin in her hands. "James likes Lily and Remus-"
Annie stopped as if she had stumbled in on a romantic tryst.
"What about Remus?" Rhia looked over from her pile of books.
"N-nothing." Annie shook her head. "I was just.I was going to say that you liked him...that he at least acknowledges you."
"Oh." Rhia looked back to her pile.
"Are you thinking you're ugly, Annie?" Lily asked, putting her arm around the girl's shoulder.
"Not ugly, I just...I could never make Sirius look at me like he looks at those other girls." She sounded very close to tears as she leaned on Lily.
"Oh, sweetie." Rhia sat on the other side of her. "You'll come into your own soon."
"But I don't want it to be soon, I want it to be now!" Annie cried.
"What are you three fussing about?" James asked, walking into the bookstore with Sirius and Remus in tow.
"Nothing you need to worry about." Lily admonished, standing up and draping an arm about his waist.
"Well, in that case, we better get going Annie, Mom and Dad are waiting." Remus took his little sister's hand, which she quickly pulled away and blushed in Sirius' general direction. Rhiannon smiled.
"Yeah, Sirius and I better get going soon. My mom's bringing us home." Rhiannon and Sirius grew up in the same village, a few houses apart, which added to the bond they seemed to share.
"James, why don't you walk me to the Leaky Cauldron?" Lily asked, her eyes sparkling. James grinned.
"See you guys tomorrow!" he squeaked, following her down the street.
"Why, what luck we have today! Three pretty little things just happen to stray across our path, and what shall we do with them?" Rhia snorted in disgust as Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Augustus Crabbe emerged and stood in their path to the counter.
"Get out of the way!" Annie shot, but backed off when Crabbe sneered at her. Lily stepped forward, smiling a bit.
"Severus, Lucius, Augustus...please. We're not trying to get into anything, we just want to be on our way." Lily looked into Severus' eyes. "Please?"
Rhia choked back a giggle as Snape grabbed the backs of his friends' robes and pulled them out of the store. "You know Lil, it's not very diplomatic to use the fact that Severus Snape is head over heels for you to your advantage." Lily blushed.
"Ick, Severus Snape." Annie grimaced, running her fingers over a line of Beauty Potion books. "I heard his own father can't even stand the sight of him."
"He can't." Rhia replied as she pulled out two copies of Advanced Charms: Grade Five, giving a copy to Lily.
"What do you mean?" asked Lily.
"Mrs. Snape died when Severus was very young." She explained. "He reminds his father of her, so he can't stand to see him."
"Makes you almost feel sorry for the great ugly brute." Annie gasped.
"It's like The Secret Garden." Lily mused.
"What's a secret garden?" Annie asked, wrinkling her freckled nose.
"Not a secret garden, The Secret Garden." Lily explained. "It's a book, a muggle book. A young boy's mother dies in a garden so his father shuts him away and never comes to see him."
"Oh." Annie nodded.
"Are all the muggle stories you read sad, Lily?" asked Rhia.
"No, just most of them." Lily replied with a smile. "Besides, you and your own enchanted novels." Rhia's cheeks tinged with pink.
"Mother thinks they're just melancholy nonsense." Rhia sighed. "She says I'm not allowed to read them anymore."
"How do you two stay so nice-looking?" Annie called from where she sat, thumbing through a copy of How to Make Yourself Look Like A Thousand Galleons in Thirty Minutes or Less!
"What do you mean?" Lily furrowed her brow.
"You're both so pretty." Annie sighed, putting her chin in her hands. "James likes Lily and Remus-"
Annie stopped as if she had stumbled in on a romantic tryst.
"What about Remus?" Rhia looked over from her pile of books.
"N-nothing." Annie shook her head. "I was just.I was going to say that you liked him...that he at least acknowledges you."
"Oh." Rhia looked back to her pile.
"Are you thinking you're ugly, Annie?" Lily asked, putting her arm around the girl's shoulder.
"Not ugly, I just...I could never make Sirius look at me like he looks at those other girls." She sounded very close to tears as she leaned on Lily.
"Oh, sweetie." Rhia sat on the other side of her. "You'll come into your own soon."
"But I don't want it to be soon, I want it to be now!" Annie cried.
"What are you three fussing about?" James asked, walking into the bookstore with Sirius and Remus in tow.
"Nothing you need to worry about." Lily admonished, standing up and draping an arm about his waist.
"Well, in that case, we better get going Annie, Mom and Dad are waiting." Remus took his little sister's hand, which she quickly pulled away and blushed in Sirius' general direction. Rhiannon smiled.
"Yeah, Sirius and I better get going soon. My mom's bringing us home." Rhiannon and Sirius grew up in the same village, a few houses apart, which added to the bond they seemed to share.
"James, why don't you walk me to the Leaky Cauldron?" Lily asked, her eyes sparkling. James grinned.
"See you guys tomorrow!" he squeaked, following her down the street.