Chapter Seven:
Monghouls and duels
It was a month after school began, Lily was delighted to be at Hogwarts. She had made many friends there who never bothered over her heritage. In Gryffindor people could care less whether or not your parents were muggles. James was also very kind to Lily, and she took a liking to his other friends Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and a small nerdy boy named Peter Pettigrew. Peter was very kind but not nearly as brave as his friends.
Lily and James were walking together to Defense against the Dark Arts class one blustery morning. Lily, being chilled, was dressed in her favorite sweater. James was babbling about Quidditch, and how he desperately wanted to be the seeker for Gryffindor. Lily knowing nothing about that sport whatsoever, had nothing to contribute to the conversation, so she merely listened.
"I wish first years could try out for the team, but the teachers think we are too young to be talented at Quidditch. Personally I bet I would be a better seeker than Charlie Weasley is." James announced pompously.
Lily who never allowed him to brag in front of her said. "I highly doubt that. Charlie is a seventh year and everyone says that he wins the Quidditch cup for Gryffindor every year."
James sighed. "Well I still think I would make a splendid addition to the team."
"Oh would you really?" came a snotty voice from behind them. James turned to face a scrawny boy with oily black hair who he vaguely remembered being placed in Slytherin.
"Oh. Was I talking to you?" James asked snottily, and turned away. Taking Lily's hand he said. "Come Lily, Gryffindors are far too sophisticated to associate with immature Slytherins."
Lily followed James into the classroom while desperately trying to prevent herself from bursting out in laughter.
Soon after everyone was seated, the short woman from the sorting ceremony, Madame Piqua entered the classroom. She smiled at all of the students, and the Gryffindors smiled back, the Slytherins however, looked bored.
"Well good morning everyone," Madame Piqua yawned and then continued. "Today we are going to begin our study of monghouls and ghouls. Does anyone know what monghouls are?"
The scrawny boy who had been dismissed by James in the hall shot his hand up into the air.
"Yes Mr. Snape," said the teacher in acknowledgment of the boy.
"Monghouls are ghouls that eat people," he told her smugly.
"Yes that is correct," Madame Piqua replied. "Now does anybody else know what happens to those who are devoured by monghouls?" She pointed at Lily who was fiddling with her pencil, appearing not to be paying any attention. "Miss Evans."
"Umm, I don't really know, but my best guess is that they become monghouls themselves," Lily replied honestly.
"A very good guess, my dear. You are correct," beamed Madame Piqua. She was the head of Gryffindor house and was consequently very proud when one of her students from that house answered a question correctly, or otherwise excelled in her class.
"Now I would like to discuss the difference between ghouls and monghouls so that you can distinguish which is which. Ghouls are pearly white, and shimmery in appearance. Monghouls however are more gruesome looking and tend to be transparent, like glass." She explained.
The young boy Severus Snape arose from his desk and pointed at Lily. "Most monghouls only eat mudbloods, like you Evans!"
Lily blushed and then hung her head in embarrassment. James stood up enraged and shouted at Snape. "You evil boy! How dare you insult my friend," taking his wand out of his pocket James prepared to curse Snape, but Madame Piqua stepped in to keep things from getting out of hand. Meanwhile Lily was sobbing.
"Stop now, both of you!" she turned to Snape and grasped his shoulder to shake him. "I demand that you apologize to Miss Evans immediately, and now you have a detention which shall be arranged after class!" she snapped.
James stepped away and put his wand in his pocket.
Snape turned to Lily and muttered, "Sorry Evans."
James was about to force him to apologize again, but sincerely when Madame Piqua told him to drop it. Still in a fury James sat down beside Lily and squeezed her shoulder.
"Thanks James," Lily murmured through her tears.
"Madame Piqua?" Lily mumbled.
"Yes Lily dear," the teacher replied.
"May I be dismissed?"
"Yes dear, but only this once," Madame Piqua decided. Lily arose, and taking her bag, left the room.
James longed to go after her, but Madame Piqua told him that she would be better off alone for awhile, plus he needed to attend to his studies.
*
An hour later the bell rang and James shoved his book back into his bag. Then he raced out of the room eager to find Lily. He hurried to the Gryffindor common room, and sighed in disappointment when she wasn't there. Suddenly he saw her friend Remus' twin sister Anise and he hurried up to her.
"Anise! Anise! Do you know where Lily is?" James asked breathless.
"She's in the girls dormitory, but she wants to be alone."
James thanked her and went discreetly up the stairs to Lily. Boys were not allowed to go into girls dormitories, but this was a necessary time to break a rule.
"Lily!" James spoke softly as he entered the room. The girl was sitting all slouched over on a baby pink bed with the curtains half drawn around her.
"Lily." James spoke again, slightly louder this time.
Lily turned slowly and then gasped when she saw James. "What are you doing up here?"
James sat down beside her. "What do you think I'm doing up here?"
"James, please. I'd like to be alone."
The boy was determined to make her stop crying, and he gently turned her face to his. "Stop it Lil. Don't cry over what that stupid boy said. No one else cares if you have muggle parents." He hugged her. Lily sighed.
"But I hate it when people make fun of me and my parents. It's not their fault that they aren't wizards." she hiccuped.
"I know Lil," James said and held her close. "You just cry until it doesn't hurt anymore."
Suddenly Anise walked into the room.
"James, Lily!" she cried out in shock. "Lily stop crying. You'll get your revenge on Snape somehow. When I told Remus what happened I could barely restrain him from going over to the Slytherin common room and punching the boy in the nose."
James looked at Anise. "Grand idea. I have a wonderful way to make that ugly old git pay for what he said to Lil. I can duel him."
"No!!!" Lily exclaimed clutching James' arm. "No, no violence!"
"How else am I going to teach him not to upset you anymore?" demanded James.
"Anise do you know any good curses I could use?" he asked.
Anise shook her head. But while twirling her fingers through her curly brown hair she thought aloud. "Maybe you could disarm Snape, and then attack him."
"Yeah, that's perfect. Thanks Anise." James said. "I'd better go practice with Remus. I'll be back later," he told Lily.
Once he was gone Anise sat on Lily's bed beside her. "Boy Lil, that guy's got it for you bad."
Laughing through her tears Lily said. "No way, we're just best friends."
Anise didn't push it any further, but she obviously wasn't convinced.
That night, after lights out, James snuck out of the common room and went to the great hall. He met Snape there, and they shook hands then Snape shouted "Avada Kedavra" hopelessly, attempting to kill James. James was quicker and disarmed him. Then he planned to perform the body bind on him, but Snape, terrified, grabbed his wand and fled.
"That was easy," James thought, as he returned to his dormitory. "Now Snape won't dare call Lily a mudblood again." Then he smiled about his victory.
.
.
It was a month after school began, Lily was delighted to be at Hogwarts. She had made many friends there who never bothered over her heritage. In Gryffindor people could care less whether or not your parents were muggles. James was also very kind to Lily, and she took a liking to his other friends Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and a small nerdy boy named Peter Pettigrew. Peter was very kind but not nearly as brave as his friends.
Lily and James were walking together to Defense against the Dark Arts class one blustery morning. Lily, being chilled, was dressed in her favorite sweater. James was babbling about Quidditch, and how he desperately wanted to be the seeker for Gryffindor. Lily knowing nothing about that sport whatsoever, had nothing to contribute to the conversation, so she merely listened.
"I wish first years could try out for the team, but the teachers think we are too young to be talented at Quidditch. Personally I bet I would be a better seeker than Charlie Weasley is." James announced pompously.
Lily who never allowed him to brag in front of her said. "I highly doubt that. Charlie is a seventh year and everyone says that he wins the Quidditch cup for Gryffindor every year."
James sighed. "Well I still think I would make a splendid addition to the team."
"Oh would you really?" came a snotty voice from behind them. James turned to face a scrawny boy with oily black hair who he vaguely remembered being placed in Slytherin.
"Oh. Was I talking to you?" James asked snottily, and turned away. Taking Lily's hand he said. "Come Lily, Gryffindors are far too sophisticated to associate with immature Slytherins."
Lily followed James into the classroom while desperately trying to prevent herself from bursting out in laughter.
Soon after everyone was seated, the short woman from the sorting ceremony, Madame Piqua entered the classroom. She smiled at all of the students, and the Gryffindors smiled back, the Slytherins however, looked bored.
"Well good morning everyone," Madame Piqua yawned and then continued. "Today we are going to begin our study of monghouls and ghouls. Does anyone know what monghouls are?"
The scrawny boy who had been dismissed by James in the hall shot his hand up into the air.
"Yes Mr. Snape," said the teacher in acknowledgment of the boy.
"Monghouls are ghouls that eat people," he told her smugly.
"Yes that is correct," Madame Piqua replied. "Now does anybody else know what happens to those who are devoured by monghouls?" She pointed at Lily who was fiddling with her pencil, appearing not to be paying any attention. "Miss Evans."
"Umm, I don't really know, but my best guess is that they become monghouls themselves," Lily replied honestly.
"A very good guess, my dear. You are correct," beamed Madame Piqua. She was the head of Gryffindor house and was consequently very proud when one of her students from that house answered a question correctly, or otherwise excelled in her class.
"Now I would like to discuss the difference between ghouls and monghouls so that you can distinguish which is which. Ghouls are pearly white, and shimmery in appearance. Monghouls however are more gruesome looking and tend to be transparent, like glass." She explained.
The young boy Severus Snape arose from his desk and pointed at Lily. "Most monghouls only eat mudbloods, like you Evans!"
Lily blushed and then hung her head in embarrassment. James stood up enraged and shouted at Snape. "You evil boy! How dare you insult my friend," taking his wand out of his pocket James prepared to curse Snape, but Madame Piqua stepped in to keep things from getting out of hand. Meanwhile Lily was sobbing.
"Stop now, both of you!" she turned to Snape and grasped his shoulder to shake him. "I demand that you apologize to Miss Evans immediately, and now you have a detention which shall be arranged after class!" she snapped.
James stepped away and put his wand in his pocket.
Snape turned to Lily and muttered, "Sorry Evans."
James was about to force him to apologize again, but sincerely when Madame Piqua told him to drop it. Still in a fury James sat down beside Lily and squeezed her shoulder.
"Thanks James," Lily murmured through her tears.
"Madame Piqua?" Lily mumbled.
"Yes Lily dear," the teacher replied.
"May I be dismissed?"
"Yes dear, but only this once," Madame Piqua decided. Lily arose, and taking her bag, left the room.
James longed to go after her, but Madame Piqua told him that she would be better off alone for awhile, plus he needed to attend to his studies.
*
An hour later the bell rang and James shoved his book back into his bag. Then he raced out of the room eager to find Lily. He hurried to the Gryffindor common room, and sighed in disappointment when she wasn't there. Suddenly he saw her friend Remus' twin sister Anise and he hurried up to her.
"Anise! Anise! Do you know where Lily is?" James asked breathless.
"She's in the girls dormitory, but she wants to be alone."
James thanked her and went discreetly up the stairs to Lily. Boys were not allowed to go into girls dormitories, but this was a necessary time to break a rule.
"Lily!" James spoke softly as he entered the room. The girl was sitting all slouched over on a baby pink bed with the curtains half drawn around her.
"Lily." James spoke again, slightly louder this time.
Lily turned slowly and then gasped when she saw James. "What are you doing up here?"
James sat down beside her. "What do you think I'm doing up here?"
"James, please. I'd like to be alone."
The boy was determined to make her stop crying, and he gently turned her face to his. "Stop it Lil. Don't cry over what that stupid boy said. No one else cares if you have muggle parents." He hugged her. Lily sighed.
"But I hate it when people make fun of me and my parents. It's not their fault that they aren't wizards." she hiccuped.
"I know Lil," James said and held her close. "You just cry until it doesn't hurt anymore."
Suddenly Anise walked into the room.
"James, Lily!" she cried out in shock. "Lily stop crying. You'll get your revenge on Snape somehow. When I told Remus what happened I could barely restrain him from going over to the Slytherin common room and punching the boy in the nose."
James looked at Anise. "Grand idea. I have a wonderful way to make that ugly old git pay for what he said to Lil. I can duel him."
"No!!!" Lily exclaimed clutching James' arm. "No, no violence!"
"How else am I going to teach him not to upset you anymore?" demanded James.
"Anise do you know any good curses I could use?" he asked.
Anise shook her head. But while twirling her fingers through her curly brown hair she thought aloud. "Maybe you could disarm Snape, and then attack him."
"Yeah, that's perfect. Thanks Anise." James said. "I'd better go practice with Remus. I'll be back later," he told Lily.
Once he was gone Anise sat on Lily's bed beside her. "Boy Lil, that guy's got it for you bad."
Laughing through her tears Lily said. "No way, we're just best friends."
Anise didn't push it any further, but she obviously wasn't convinced.
That night, after lights out, James snuck out of the common room and went to the great hall. He met Snape there, and they shook hands then Snape shouted "Avada Kedavra" hopelessly, attempting to kill James. James was quicker and disarmed him. Then he planned to perform the body bind on him, but Snape, terrified, grabbed his wand and fled.
"That was easy," James thought, as he returned to his dormitory. "Now Snape won't dare call Lily a mudblood again." Then he smiled about his victory.
.
.