Promise to be bad
Chapter six
A/N: There's a few people who were wondering why Petunia was with Michael and not Vernon so I just wanted to reassure you. All in good time, people, all in good time. It'll all turn out like it has in the books.
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Dear Petunia,
I'm sorry I haven't written to you sooner. Everything has been so hectic around here lately. Last month, I received my first detention since my first year and was stuck cleaning the halls with my friend, James Potter.
And since then, as Head Girl, I've been helping plan a Halloween Ball. We haven't had one for a few years and the Headmaster wants it to be spectacular, like no other before it, so I'm up to my neck with preparations.
So how's the house searching coming along? Or have you not started? It doesn't matter that much, you have a lot of time until the wedding. How is Michael? Good I hope. Anyway, it's eleven o'clock and I really need some sleep, so I'll talk to you later. Write me.
Love always,
Lily
She folded the letter and attached it to Magnus' leg.
"Fly true, little friend." She whispered. Magnus nipped her finger with his beak affectionately and took wing.
Lily sighed and blew out the candle, closed her bed curtains around her and drifted off to sleep.
*******************
"You're such a freak, Conners."
Surprised, Lily looked up from her porridge. Nancy Gale, a popular sixth year Slytherin girl with blond ringlets and clear blue eyes, sneered at a girl sitting alone in her seat reading a book, trying to ignore her.
"It's no wonder your parents are dead. You're a disgrace to the word, 'witch'."
Nancy's friends giggled at the quiet girl's look of outrage, and Lily was surprised that she didn't do anything to lash back. Even as Head Girl, Lily was willing to turn a blind eye if she so chose to do so. She chose not to.
When Nancy turned away with a flick of her perfect little curls, the girl made a face and returned to her book. Seemingly, unbothered by the whole ordeal.
During most of the meal, Lily found her eyes returning to the girl at the end of the table. Occasionally, the girl would look up from her book and glance around just to see that as always, she was ignored and overlooked as something not worth looking at and best not thought about.
Lily wasn't surprised. This girl was not unlike Lily from two months ago, though in a much different way. Her thick, brown hair was pulled into a frizzy knot on the top of her head, not unusual for people accustomed to studying late at night, leaving absolutely no time for glancing in the mirror before her day.
Her face said differently. Pale green eyes were outlined with thick black liner that smeared in the corners and across her prominent cheekbones. And her mouth. Normally, her lips would be soft, full, and pink. They were painted rich purple. Adding to the fact that people, when they did notice her, often compared her to a vampire or a zombie.
"Hey, Lils'," Sirius said from across the table, interrupting her train of thought. "I was wondering what you thought of that paper we had to write last night about Grindewald's defeat by Dumbledore, for DADA."
Lily looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "This must be a first. Sirius Black actually taking school work seriously."
He grinned, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well you know, I have to live up to my name."
Remus rolled his eyes, "He just wants to know what you wrote so he can write his own paper before class starts." Not unbelievable.
"That's not fair, Moony! I did write my own paper, I just wanted to make sure I got all the answers right."
"Yeah, and my name is, Britannica. Why don't you ask James, he'd know more than I would seeing as he comes from a wizarding family."
"I would, but James was out late last night with a Ravenclaw girl and he's in the Library trying to finish all his homework even as we speak."
Lily opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted when she saw the Conners girl pointing her wand inconspicuously towards the Slytherin table where she saw Nancy Gale laughing with her friends. The next thing she knew, Nancy stood screaming as her Pumpkin juice was levitated over her head and poured onto her curls.
The Hall erupted in laughter as McGonnagle and Professor Lark tried to calm her down and find the person who did it.
Lily wasn't watching the Slytherin girl as everyone else was, instead she stared at the girl sitting at the end of the table who had gone back to reading her book and chewing on a piece of toast.
As if seeming to know that she was being watched, she looked Lily. Her eyes widened with uneasiness and dread that the Head Girl might actually call her out.
Lily smiled reassuringly at her and returned to her meal. She didn't miss the wary glances the girl kept throwing her way.
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Later that night after dinner, Lily made her way to the Library. With the help of the new librarian, Madam Pince, the Library was no longer a place for young couple to hide in the dark corners for a quick snog fest after a most long and tedious day. It was quiet. And a much more efficient place to study than the Gryffindor Common Room.
She sighed grateful for the silence, and settled down at one of the tables near the back. She had a lot of homework to do and she promised Sirius that she'd look into a new prank.
Reflecting on the events of the previous month, it was hard to believe that Lily and Sirius used to hate each other. It was amazing what changing your appearance and attitude could do for you. But not even for a second would Lily regret it. She'd had more fun in the past month than she'd had since Harry.
So engrossed in her essay for Potions was she, that at first she wasn't aware that someone was watching her. She looked up to find Elizabeth staring at her and wringing her hands apprehensively.
Lily raised an eyebrow, "What do you want, Elizabeth?" She never really had anything against the girl after the episode with James and the Ravenclaw boy in the hallway, but she was slightly exasperated with her because she so clearly still had feelings for James.
Elizabeth pulled out a chair and sat down, nibbling on a fingernail. She didn't say anything.
"Look, if you're not going to tell me what you want, then could you please leave so I can finish my essay?"
"I'm sorry." Elizabeth whispered.
"Excuse me?"
Elizabeth closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I said, I'm sorry. I truly didn't mean to hurt him."
James.
"Why did you?"
She shrugged. "I guess because we'd been having problems lately and he..."
She hung her head. "I thought he didn't want me anymore."
"So instead of asking him, you decided to hurt him in the worst way possible?" It just didn't make sense to her.
More tears rolled down her face. "I knew that if I asked him, it would be over. And I couldn't bare that."
"But now it is over. And instead of breaking up as friends, you've broken his heart and he can't even think about you without disgust." It was partially true. His heart wasn't really broken, but he was hurt.
Her sobs filled the room. Lily jumped in surprise at the outburst and glanced warily around. Madam Pince was sending them reproachful looks.
"Hey, hey." Lily tried to shush the girl. "It's all right. Stop crying. It's not a big deal. Afterall it's only, James."
She cried harder.
Thoughts raced through her mind, she didn't know what to do. Hug her? Call the nurse? Do something! And she did the only thing she could think of at the time.
She raised her hand and slapped Elizabeth Stewart across the face.
The sound of a hand on skin replaced the sobs. It worked.
Elizabeth's hand flew to her cheek where the unmistakable out line of a hand print decorated her otherwise pretty face. "You hit me!"
Lily own hand flew to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, it's just you wouldn't stop crying and Madam Pince was going to hit the roof, and ohmigod. I've seen people do that on T.V. but I didn't think I would ever have to do it! Are you okay?" She asked belatedly.
Elizabeth stared at her incredulously.
Lily smiled sheepishly, and mouthed, "I'm sorry." again.
And then unbelievably, Elizabeth smiled back. Lily exhaled, relieved, and smiled back.
"I guess I deserved that." Elizabeth said. And she laughed.
She laughed until tears came, this time from mirth. "You should have seen your face." And she collapsed in helpless giggles.
Lily not knowing whether to laugh or cry, stood up. She looked at the hysterical girl at her feet, and towards Madam Pince already pulling out her wand, and then she looked towards the door. She'd come in there for the silence, not to be hounded by crying and laughing girls with impossibly shrill voices.
Elizabeth didn't even notice when Lily wasn't there anymore, nor did she notice when she couldn't even hear her own voice. Courtesy of Madam Pince. She didn't even notice when somebody else took Lily's seat. Though she did get quite a shock when she realized who it was.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lily breathed happily when she reached the Gryffindor Common Room to be greeted with a somewhat of a silence. She didn't see the Marauders anywhere, but she did see someone else she wanted to talk to.
The girl from breakfast lounged in a chair far from the warmth of the fire with her legs thrown over one arm and her head resting comfortably on the other one. Her purple lipstick was gone, but her face was still smudged with the remains of her black liner.
Lily walked up to her and stood in front of the girl's chair.
"What are you reading?" She asked.
The girl jumped in surprise, she hadn't seen Lily coming her way. She closed her book and sat upright in the chair, crossing her legs and shrugged.
Unbothered by the girl's obvious wishes to be left alone, Lily summoned a chair and sat down. "My name's Lily Evans." She said and held out her hand.
"I know who you are." She said and ignored Lily's hand.
"So..." Lily started.
"What do you want?" She snapped. "Are you here to blackmail me? You going to turn me in to McGonnagle if I don't do what you say? Because I can't see any reason why you haven't turned me in already. It is your job, after all."
Confused, Lily said cautiously, "Okay, I don't know why you'd think I'd be blackmailing you, but I can assure you that isn't the reason I came over here."
The girl frowned, "Then why did you come over here?"
Lily looked around the common room, for all it's quietness; it was quite full and empty of her friends. "Because, I seem to have misplaced my friends. And I wanted to congratulate you on a prank well done." She grinned, inviting the girl to laugh with her.
To Lily's surprise, the girl smiled sweetly and said, "I'm Melanie Connors. Sixth year Gryffindor. Has none, and doesn't need any friends. Proud owner of a nasty temper and not afraid to use it. Would rather be left alone. Is very tired and not in the mood to talk." She paused to catch her breath, "Correction: Is not likely to ever be in the mood to talk. So if you'll excuse me, a warm bed awaits my tired soul."
She stood up, Lily watched, an amused expression playing across her face as Melanie walk away.
Two could play that game, she thought. And if I'm right in assuming Melanie's parents' death has made her an unfortunate, but quite new comer to the age old game of, I-Hate-Everyone-So-Stay-Away-From-Me, she was in for a surprise. For no one could beat the master of the misery game.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lily walked with the Marauders to breakfast the next morning, but she didn't sit with them. Instead, she dropped her things and sat in the chair across from Melanie and grinned.
"Hello." She drawled. "I'm Lily. Seventh year Gryffindor. Head Girl. Muggle born. Had none, and didn't need any friends until a month ago. Proud owner of the ability to make people feel like shit. Doesn't give a damn if you don't want to talk or if you want to be alone. No one has that luxury." Lily paused and looked pointedly at her friends goofing off down at the other end of the table. Melanie looked at the guys. "With friends like mine, it's not surprising."
Melanie smiled a bit.
Delighted, Lily went on, "So if you'll excuse me, a seat surrounded by a bunch of unruly blockheads awaits me." Lily stood up.
Melanie laughed. Lily looked at her, a grin playing across her lips, and sat back down.
"'Blockheads?'" She asked. "You would have to be the first girl that has ever referred to the famous, sexy and most popular group of untouchable guys as 'Blockheads.' Very nice and worthy of my attention."
Lily raised an eyebrow, "'Worthy?'"
Melanie grinned, "You don't think I'd talk to just about anyone, do you?"
Lily laughed. "I guess not, since you gave me shit for asking what you were reading."
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A/N: Sorry about the lack of chapters since...April, I think.
Hope you liked this chapter. It was fun.
Thanks to every one for all my reviews, they mean a lot.