Chapter Three- The First Daybr br
"SHE DID WHAT??!!" Ron exclaimed when Harry told him the next day. It was surprisingly early, but there was someone up and already bumping around the common room. br
"Yeah," Harry said distractedly. He still couldn't figure out how in the world he'd had the good fortune of waking up that late at night. Was that all it was? Luck? Would the same thing have happened if Ron had woken up and gone out to see her? "It kind of came as a surprise, I mean, I've helped out Hermione before and the most I've gotten off her is a little peck on the cheek, not that I want more, mind you," he added, seeing the look on Ron's face. Ron apparently was struggling between his liking for Hermione and the sudden attraction to Lily. br
"Do you have any idea how lucky you are? You just met the girl! She hadn't even been at school five hours and already she had all the guys in the palm of her hand, although she doesn't seem to know it…" Ron said, his face still contorting with a cross between jealousy and awe. br
"Who's in the common room? Do you hear that?" Harry said, changing the subject. It sounded like someone was throwing things around the room. br
"I don't know, probably Peeves, let's go see." br
Ron and Harry hurried out to the common room still in their pajamas. They had both put on slippers, Ron's pajamas hanging a good two inches above them, but they made enough racket coming down to scare anyone away that wasn't supposed to be there. As they walked in the archway into the common room they saw Lily, sitting down in front of the far, attracting a large dictionary to her and putting it back absentmindedly, barely moving her mouth when she said the charms. She looked up while the dictionary was mid-air and it dropped with a plop on the floor. br
"Oh, hi. I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" she said, raising her wand once again and banishing the dictionary back to its proper place and then putting her wand away in a pocket of her robe. br
"N-No, we were already up," Ron lied. br
"Oh, good. I didn't realize I was making so much noise, or really that I was doing that at all," she gave an embarrassed sort of grin, "I was just thinking while waiting for this mop to dry." She shook her hair back, splattering water everywhere. br
She didn't seem to remember the night before, or maybe she was just choosing to ignore it. Either way she was acting perfectly normal again. Once Harry and Ron had gotten over their surprise at seeing someone in the common room at six A.M. practicing the summoning and banishing charms, they pulled themselves together enough to notice what she was wearing. She was sitting there in the middle of the common room wearing a fuzzy pink bathrobe just like the one that Hermione had, her hair damp and just beginning to form curls. If anything she looked more stunning without make-up. She was very naturally beautiful, although it wasn't as shocking now. br
"Well since we're all up, do you guys want to go get dressed and we can go down to breakfast together?" she said, looking as if she couldn't care less that her hair was still wet and she didn't have any make-up on. Hermione had never worn make-up except for the Yule Ball, but even she wouldn't go down to the banquet hall without looking perfectly normal. Ron and Harry marveled at this on their way back to the dorms, then changed quickly and headed back down to find Lily in the exact same spot except looking exactly as she had the day before. Somehow in 15 minutes her hair had completely dried and her make-up had been applied perfectly. br
She smiled and they walked down to the hall together, but at the entrance Lily paused and said, looking at Ron, "Would you mind giving Harry and me a moment? We'll be in in a second." Ron didn't look too happy about this but sighed and walked into the hall and sat at the currently empty Griffindor table. There were only a few people up and in the Great Hall but the food was already on the tables, it must have been magically kept hot. Lily put her hand uncertainly on Harry's arm and led him a little bit away from the hall and into an empty corridor. br
"Li-Listen Harry, about last night…" she began, looking nervous again. br
"It's okay, I understand, it didn't mean anything," Harry said, feeling as if his heart was being weighed down by a large brick, "you were just, I dunno, vulnerable or something." br
"No!" she said, looking surprised, then her eyebrows furrowed with concern, "Harry I really like you, I mean, I know I've only known you for a little bit, but I feel like I could tell you anything, but I just, I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you, it was inappropriate, especially when I'd only know you for, like, ten hours or something." br
"That's it?" Harry said, a huge feeling of relief spreading throughout his body, feeling like he could float a few inches off the ground like when he ate a levitating sherbet ball, "well don't worry about it, I wasn't exactly about to complain." br
She smiled sweetly and said, "Well don't expect another one too soon. Now let's go back to breakfast, I'm starving." br
They headed back, Harry a little confused but mostly happy. A sense of utter contentment had invaded his body and it was rivaled only by the feeling he had gotten when he had first been put under the Imperious Curse for the first time. Right before they reached the corner, Lily waited a little for him, because Harry was lagging slightly behind, lost in his thoughts, and then she put her arm in his in a friendly sort of way, giggling and smiling into his face. br
He'd never noticed before but Lily was only about half an inch shorter than himself. His head swam; the effect of her cool, smooth skin on his was enough to boggle anyone's mind. What was happening to him? How could one girl's touch have such an odd effect of him? His heart was racing and he didn't know what to do, he just sat there, smiling dumbly. Before they reached the entrance she slid her arm out of his with another little smile and led the way in. br
The hall was fairly full now and Seamus cat called them as they walked in together. Harry felt the heat flood to his face but Lily smiled calmly at Seamus and said, "Good morning." Hermione glared slightly at Lily but when she turned and grinned at her, her eyes widened and her lips twisted into a very forced smile. Ron shot Harry a confused look and Harry leaned forward, whispering so low that only Ron could hear him, "I'll tell you later." br
Lily was surveying the food with a queasy look on her face. She seemed reluctant to complain, but finally mustered up the courage to say, "Don't, well, don't they have any, lighter food? Like, cereal or something?" br
"What?" said Hermione, a forkful of eggs halfway to her mouth. br
"Well, this food's awful rich for breakfast every day isn't? I mean, it's fine on special occasions but isn't there any fruit or anything or maybe just a bowl of cheerios?"
"Cheerios?" said Ron, shooting her a confused look. br
"They're little O's that are made of, I dunno, like, wheat or something. That's what I normally eat for breakfast." br
"I don't see anything like that," said Harry, looking up and down the table, "sorry, maybe you could talk to the house elves?" br
"Oh okay," she said, pouring herself a glass of orange juice but not touching anything else. br
"You know you could eat something. It's just for one day," said Hermione defensively, like just because she didn't like the food, she was insulting the school. br
"No, I'll be fine. Anyways, most of the stuff is eggs and meat and stuff like that. You know I don't eat anything like that." At that moment there was a rustling of wings and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the tables looking for the recipients of their notes or packages. Harry noticed that Neville, for once, didn't have a large package dropped into his lap by an owl. Lily however had her owl land gracefully, grabbing onto the edge of the table with dangerous looking claws. It dropped a small package with a note attached in her lap and she ripped it open, revealing an ornate bottle of something that looked like light pink colored water. On the front, scrawled in gold letters was written: br b
Mme.Adorer's 168 heure eu de cologne
Coup de Foundre br
"What does that say?" Hermione asked interestedly. br
"Madame Adorer's 168 hour perfume, love at first sight. It's my very favorite perfume, but my bottle was smashed on the ride here; we had to travel by floo powder and my purse smacked against the chimney on the way down. I was so upset, I guess Dad must've gotten me some more, that's so sweet of him." She explained, smiling wider than ever. Her eyes were lit up as well as her face with an expression of pure delight, "this bottle will last me three years, a drop of this lasts a week! It's made with a special long-lasting charm and won't lose potency at all. When it smashed the smell was so strong that I had to put my purse outside all week, just to keep everyone from getting dizzy." Everyone who was listening laughed and she unscrewed the small gold top. She took her wand out and muttered "odorious," tapping it lightly on the top. A small bead of the pink water came out and attached itself to the tip of her wand. She tapped it lightly on her wrists, and then wiped the rest on her finger, placing them behind her ears and spreading the remainder on her neck. br
A light, airy, flowery scent met Harry's nose. It made him slightly dizzy but was very pleasant. He felt like he could smell that every day and night for a year and not get sick of it. He looked back at Lily and she was carefully wiping the end of her wand on her robes and screwing the cap back on. br
"Mmm, that smells good," said Lavender, "do you mind if I use some?" br
"Sure, but be really careful, all you have to do is tap your wand on the top and say 'odorious' and then tap your wand wherever you want the perfume to go, but be careful to clean it of the tip of your wand or it won't work right." She handed the bottle carefully to Lavender, who acted as if it might shatter in her hands. She turned it over, admiring it, and attempting to read the instructions on the back of the bottle, also in gold ink, and in French. After she'd gone through the motions, her scent mingled with Lily's. It was weird, completely different but somehow they meshed. br
"Hey!" said Lavender, "How come it doesn't smell the same as yours?" Of course, she wasn't complaining, because the perfume smelled great on her too, although Harry didn't like it quite as much. It was still light and flowery, but seemed to be the scent from a completely different flower. br
"Well, it's a different scent for everyone. See, mine is a lily of the valley, not only because it's my name but because it's my favorite flower. It takes your favorite flower and mixes it with your most natural smell. That's part of the reason I love it so much, I'll never smell mundane, like everyone else. Yours smells like," she paused, tilting her head back and sniffing lightly, "a combination of rose and lavender, your favorite flower and name. Of course it doesn't work like that for everyone because not everyone has a flower name." br
Lavender looked like she couldn't be more delighted and all the girls were soon talking, passing the bottle up and down the table until Harry was quite sure that their table could be smelled all around the school. Even though each girl was now wearing a different scent, they mingled pleasantly, to give an impression of standing in the middle of a wildflower meadow. Harry was feeling slightly dizzy, but his senses sharpened after he'd gotten used to the sudden flood of odors. Professor McGonagall walked by, wrinkling her nose at the smell but continuing to pass out course schedules. br
Ron examined his and said, "Well, same as last year, outside all morning Mondays. Not bad at all, but then we've got double divination in the afternoon. Great, we don't even have Defense Against the Dark Arts until Thursday. Well maybe you could corner Lupin some free period." Lily was reading the letter from her father, smiling from time to time, then she folded it up and tucked it in a pocket of her robes. Harry was more interested in watching her than worrying about Lupin at the moment. br
"Oh!" she said delightedly, "so we've got all our classes together today. Great!" br
"Not with all of us," said Hermione, looking down at her schedule, "I don't have divination after lunch, I don't take that class; it's impractical." br
"Well what do you take instead?" Lily said in a challenging tone, obviously still prepared to defend divination. Harry wondered how long that would last after she met Professor Trelawney. br
"Arithmacy," Hermione replied curtly. br
"Wait, that can't be right, isn't there only one 3rd year Arithmacy class?" She studied her schedule carefully, then with a little exclamation said, "I don't even have Arithmacy on here! That can't be right, it's very important that I take it." br
Without wasting a second she stood up and hurried up to the staff table, something that Harry had never seen anyone do before in the middle of a meal. Professor McGonagall apparently hadn't either as she gave Lily a very surprised but slightly amused look. Lily leaned in, pointing to her schedule with a very concerned look on her face. Professor McGonagall said something and Lily obviously didn't like the answer because she started talking very fast, but Professor McGonagall held up a hand to silence her. Lily quieted automatically, but looked like she'd never been told to be quiet before. Hermione sniggered into her eggs. However she nodded, apparently giving up, then she shook her head and headed back, the whole hall watching her, but not noticing. She plopped down in her seat again and heaved a huge sigh, staring at her schedule. br
"Since Arithmacy and Divination are both choices here, they are scheduled for the same time, there's just no way to get around it. McGonagall said I could go to half of each, but I couldn't do that, I'd miss important lessons," she explained, half to herself, sounding a lot like Hermione, "or maybe she could find a way that I could do both, but I want some free time, and that would be too much homework. No, there's now way around it, I have to choose one and since I'm signed up for divination…" she concluded. She set down her schedule and sighed again, the looked up like she was just realizing they were there, smiled and said, "Lead the way to the greenhouse." br
Professor Sprout was waiting for them all outside greenhouse two. She was rubbing her hands together delightedly, meaning that they were probably going to be doing something very dirty or slightly dangerous. She led them into the greenhouse and showed them plants that were, like usual, odd looking, although not as ugly as normal. br
They were what looked like miniature straight bonzi trees. Except that they had only two branches that ended in five elongated twigs with sharp looking buds. A round growth appeared to be growing out of the space between the branches with long sinewy startling white hairs that fell down four or five inches on the short trunk and were sprinkled with different colored flowers. The trunk itself curved in and out in a similar fashion as a woman's body with two large tufts of stingy moss that looked like wings. br
"These are dietiem trees. We are going to collect the tears in these vials." She held up small, clear, glass bottles with white corks. Harry wondered where they were going to get tears from, seeing as the trees didn't appear to have eyes, "Now be careful, they can be vicious, deitiem trees." br
She pulled on a pair of gloves and a set of earplugs and then picked up a short, miniature cane. She gave the tree one good hard whack with it, making it look perfectly normal to be caning a tree, and it responded by scraping its sharp buds along Professor Sprout's glove quickly and repeatedly. A pair of radioactive yellow eyes appeared on the round growth and the wood pushed out and moved in, forming a relief pattern of a nose and mouth. The mouth was twisted with rage and the eyes narrowed as Professor Sprout stepped away and the long fingers clawed at her. She stepped forward again and gave the trunk another sharp whack. The tree instantly stopped clawing and closed its eyes, screwing up its mouth. It opened it and let out a long screeching cry that could break your heart. Everyone covered their ears as Professor Sprout held the vial under its right eye, where a solution was dripping that was the same radioactive color as the eyes. Once the vial was about half full, the dietiem tree stopped crying and opened its eyes again, which were turquoise now. It smiled up at Sprout before its face disappeared back into the wood. br
"Normally dietiem trees are very gentle, but once every three months, the toxins in their bark collect and they get very grumpy. The only way to purify them is to make them cry, otherwise they would die," she was explaining all this while going through the above motions, "Fortunately for us the tears have healing powers and can save most people from mortal wounds. Also they are used in many spa treatments to purify human skin. Now, each of you take a set of earplugs and put on your dragon hide gloves. I expect you all to have at least a vial-full by then end of class." br
Lily, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ernie McMillian, a very two-faced Hufflepuff boy, and Justin Finch-Fletchy, a Hufflepuff who Harry had once saved from a snake, all went to the same table. Professor Sprout had been right about these things being vicious, Harry thought as his tree managed to get under his glove and gave him a long scratch on the hand. It stung but didn't appear to be very serious, so he continued. After his plant had returned to its peaceful state, Harry took the time to see how the others were doing. The dietem trees appeared to have a preference for girls. While Hermione's and Lily's barely fought after the first hit, Ernie's was attempting to dig its buds through his gloves, Justin's was bearing it's teeth menacingly and attempting to bite as well as scratch, and Ron's was beating its wings up against his face. Eventually, though, everyone managed to get a vial-full. Neville, in fact, got two, earning Griffindor 15 extra points in the inter-house championship. Neville had probably gotten 15 points total all five previous years, including the ten he'd received his first year. Professor Sprout treated the many minor wounds quickly with a drop of the tears, then excused them for the next class as the bell rang. br
"Well that was fun," said Lily, who had escaped from class scratchless. br
"WHAT?!" shouted Ron, who had forgotten to take his earplugs out and had little pieces of feathery moss in his hair. His ears turned pink as he jerked the earplugs out of place, Lily's laugh ringing around the grounds like a little silver bell. They headed down the sloping lawns, slowly, wondering what sort of creature Hagrid would have gotten them to study that day. br
Hagrid was standing outside of his hut, Fang's booming barks muffled from inside. Most of the rest of the class had arrived. The Slytherins arrived last, Malfoy, flanked as always, by his thuggish friends Crabbe and Goyle, snuck up behind the four of them. Malfoy tapped Lily lightly on the shoulder and she jumped slightly, then turned to see what was up. She smiled, but faltered as she remembered the train ride. Malfoy seemed to have realized what she was upset with him about and leaned forward, whispering in his silky manner in her ear, "Sorry about the train ride. I just lost my temper after Potter here nearly broke my foot." Lily cast a disapproving look at Harry who felt wrath flash through his body. br
"Only because you tried to trip me!" he said, eyes narrowing. Sparks flew between them for a moment, both having hands held above their pockets, prepared to draw wands if they dared in front of Lily again. Luckily, Hagrid called them around to the back side of his house. br
There was a make-shift paddock in which was a creature Harry and seen once before. It was blocking his path in the third task maze of the Triwizard tournament. It had the body of a huge lion, golden and shining, but the head of an Asian looking woman… a sphinx. br
Malfoy scoffed and whispered to Lily, "Can you believe this? He never gives us a proper lesson." br
"I think Hagrid is very nice and she's beautiful," Lily said, jerking her head towards the sphinx in an annoyed fashion, then turning, swinging her curls in Malfoy's face. Harry stifled a snigger. br
"This is a sphinx," Hagrid said in a loud clear voice, "she is known as a beast on'y because she on'y talks in riddles and rhymes. Also, sphinx have bin known ter attack people who answer their riddles wrong." With this, Lavender shifted uncomfortably and stepped backwards, one of the ornamental chopsticks that were stuck through her bun falling. As she bent to pick it up the sphinx began to pace, turning her sharp almond shaped eyes at each student in turn. A small smile flickered across her face as she saw Harry and he wondered if this was the same sphinx he had met in the maze. "Thought we'd have a little competition today. Firs' person ter solve the sphinx's riddle wins their house 25 points and a prize." With this everyone's ears pricked up and all eyes turned to the sphinx, who sat down calmly, blinked and recited: br
"Now listen to my words br
and to them do tend,br
it's not in the beginning br
but it's the end of all ends. br br
Next take a selfish boy br
And from him you will learn br
That the words this or that is br
Are often followed with this term br br
Now think of a sound br
Used in surprised pain br
Add the opposite of last in last br
Good cause to work your brain. br br
Last put them together, br
To form one great sting br
And you'll find an expression br
That most find charming." br br
Harry racked his brain. He realized that last time he'd had a riddle and it'd mentioned all the stuff about ends it had been "now tell me which is the first to mend, the middle of the middle or the end of the end." The letter had wound up being the d from the word 'spider'. Then it clicked. D was in the middle of the word 'middle' and the last letter in the word 'end,' so the end of all ends would be S, a letter that wasn't in the word 'beginning.' br
"Could you repeat the second part?" Harry asked over the sound of people mumbling to themselves. The sphinx blinked and repeated herself. Well, selfish kids often say things are theirs, Harry thought. He'd had much experience in this because his cousin, Dudley, was a very selfish kid. It had to be something like mine, but 's-mine'? No, it had to be something close, like my. Now a sound someone would use when they were suddenly in pain. The sphinx yawned and stretched, showing off its immense teeth and claws and Lavender stepped back again, this time accidentally hitting Harry in the stomach. "Uh," he said, as her sharp skinny elbow came in contact with his diaphragm. He almost thanked Lavender as he realized that was the word. The opposite of last would be first and the first letter in last was an L. br
"S-my-uh-l," he muttered so low no one could hear, to himself. br
Suddenly Lily's hand shot into the air, seconds before Hermione's. Hagrid called on Lily and she said in a sure tone, "smile," then looked to the sphinx, who smiled broadly and nodded. br
"Good job," said Hagrid, his beetle like eyes sparkling. He had taken an obvious liking to Lily, almost as strong as he had for Hermione, since meeting her after the train ride, "Yer a smar' girl." Lily tried to not look too pleased with his words, but she had taken a liking to Hagrid too and burst into a smile, looking up at him. br
Hagrid led the class around to the front of his hut, and entered it quickly, returning with a miniature, moving model of a unicorn foal. He handed it gently to Lily and it pranced around in Lily's hand, tossing its golden mane and making a high pitched neighing noise. Hagrid had just finished telling Lily that the model would grow and change just as a unicorn would, turning first silver, then growing its horn, then turning such a blinding white that any other white next to it looked dim and dirty, when a booming bell rang over the grounds, signaling the end of lessons. br
"That was brilliant, Lily," Ron gushed, looking at her with the deepest admiration. br
"It really was nothing," she said, watching the unicorn as she carefully held her palm steady, "Harry gave me a lot of help when Lavender elbowed him." She smiled at Harry, making him feel slightly dizzy, him stomach jerking uncomfortably. "Do you want to see it?" she asked, tipping the unicorn into his hands, where it pawed and reared. She cupped her hand over his hand just for an instant, but it was enough to cause his stomach to jerk so violently that he thought he might be sick. He covered this by looking at the model with feigned interest. He had a similar model up in his dorm, but his was of the dragon he had tackled on his broomstick on the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. br
After lunch, Lily ran to the dorm quickly to put away the model and then she, Harry and Ron headed toward the North tower for divination. They walked up the tightly spiraling staircase, talking mostly of quiddich, Lily seeming to know quite a lot more than any other girl Harry had ever met, until they finally reached a circular trap door with a silver ladder going up to it. Lily climbed up first, Harry following. She was climbing slowly, carefully and Harry looked up to make sure he wouldn't run into her, but quickly looked away, his heart in his throat. He had seen several more inches of leg than normal, ending in the edge of lacy, silk, midnight blue drawers. Ron gave Harry a look halfway between disapproval and amusement, and Harry felt like such a prig. Luckily Lily hadn't seen. br
Once they were back on solid, even ground, Harry didn't feel much better. They were in a small circular room, stuffed with various chairs crowded around round tables and scarf covered lamps, a claustrophobic's nightmare. As ever, a blazing fire was making the room stiflingly hot and emitting a perfume that was sickly sweet and heavy. They took a seat in a cluster of chintz chair near the front but off to one side, having been led there by Lily. br
"This is an awful lot of bells and whistles, it's very fakey, like she's trying to prove something. At Grimoire, our divination room was well lit and pleasantly crisp," Lily said, swaying slightly as if about to pass out. br
"Ah, but this
is quite different from Grimoire," said an airy voice
right behind them all. They all turned to stare at the thin face so
bespectacled that her eyes looked over large. Professor Trelawney was dressed
in ornate robes tied with what looked like a golden rope and wearing entirely
too much jewelry. "I sensed you were coming, dear, and you have a great
clairvoyant energy about you. My inner eye tells me that you will be with us
for a while." br
Lily smiled up at her and said, "I
certainly hope so." br
Then she turned to Harry and said mournfully, "Oh Harry, I fear that you won't be with us much longer though." She choked up very dramatically and swept to the front of the room, sitting in a large, winged chair. br
"Odd woman," muttered Lily. br
"The oddest," Ron agreed. br
"My most treasured, it is time for us to learn the fine art of tarot. What may seem like just a deck of cards, can unlock gates of the unknown that humans have been trapped behind. Of course, like all divination, it takes a true seer to properly hold the key…" Harry's mind wandered into a dull stupor. The fumes were clouding his mind and he felt like he couldn't have formed a complete thought if he tried. What seemed like seconds later, Lily tapped him lightly on the shoulder. br
"W-what?" Harry said, coming to. br
"We've been asked to come to the front of the class," Lily whispered, standing and straightening her skirt. They wove their way through the poufs as Lavender and Paravati shot Lily envious looks; they both greatly admired Professor Trelawney and swallowed all her bull. Eventually they came to a stop by Professor Trelawney's winged chair, where she conjured a table, two chairs and a stack of what looked like overly large cards. As she directed them, Lily and Harry sat facing each other, Harry's back to the class. br
"Now, if you would, link hands, there you go, so Lily can get a proper sense of your aura, Harry…" Lily gave his hand a little squeeze and rolled her eyes at whatever Trelawney was saying. Harry had blocked her out. There was only him and Lily. He rubbed his thumb up and down her hand, feeling her soft skin, but before he wanted it to end, she had taken her hands out of his and begun cutting the deck. She flipped some cards over in two rows and Professor Trelawney started talking again. br
"AHH the seven swords, ooh the king card." She exclaimed sadly after every card was flipped. Lily was looking at Harry at all anymore, She was staring at the cards, in a trancelike state. br
"It's clear what this leads up to…. DEATH." Lavender and Paravati took their breath in sharply, making a short hissing noise of shock, but Harry would've been more worried if she hadn't made the exact same prediction a hundred times before. He was about to tell her this, but he was distracted when Lily's eye lids fell slowly and she spoke in an oddly far off tone. br
"That's not what I see. I see a love entering his life, causing him great pain, hidden feelings, desire." Her tone changed and eye brows furrowed, "I see violence, and enemy, but a happy resolution…" her big blue eyes opened, but they had an unfocused, dreamy quality about them. Suddenly they snapped back into focus and she shook her head, blinking several times in rapid succession. br
"Oh but you didn't see what comes after that resolution? Just as Harry is at his highest moment, life will be wiped from his body," Professor Trelawney said, sounding very upset at Lily. br
"No I didn't," Lily said coldly, almost defiantly. br
"Well," Trelawney said, her tone changing as she lost her misty ways, "I guess you just don't have the gift of being a true seer." Lily had clearly gone into a true trance and hadn't agreed with Professor Trelawney, and she always got rather sharp after being proven wrong. Apparently, though, by the way Lily's eyes flashed dangerously, she had said the wrong thing. br
"Well, it's quite clear that you can't spot a seer, even if she goes into a trance right in front of you. I bet you've never made a true prediction in your entire life! I'm sorry Professor, but this class is a huge waste of my time. What's the point in staying in a place where the teacher is so messed up that she passes screeching death and a lot of bangles off as being a seer?!" br
How Lily managed to stop there, Harry would never know. Lily looked like she could rant on all afternoon, but perhaps it was the fact that Lily's infrequent rages were short lived or maybe the look of total outrage that Lavender and Paravati were giving her, or maybe a mixture of both, but at any rate, she silenced her self. Professor Trelawney didn't seem to be able to find anything to say back, and they stood, staring at each other, the room perfectly silent for a minute before the bell rang. Everyone got up, reluctant to leave in case Lily started in again. As Lily turned to leave, Professor Trelawney reached out her hand with long claw-like nails and latched on to Lily's arm, hissing, "I will be seeing McGonagall about you." br
"and I," Lily said, retching her arm free and spinning to face her, "won't be setting foot back in this cluttered room again, whether you tell Professor McGonagall or not." She turned and stalked from the room. Harry nervously stood up, chair squeaking and Trelawney turning to glare at him, as if looking for a scapegoat to unload all her anger on. Harry bolted from the room, and caught up to Lily, clutching his side he was laughing so hard. br
At dinner that's all the four of them and their close neighbors talked about, though Lily seemed embarrassed at her outburst. Hermione didn't seem too happy that Lily was, once again, the center of attention, or that she would be joining her in Arithmacy, but laughed just as hard as any of them at Harry's rendition of the fight. Hermione, too, had walked out on Professor Trelawney, in their third year, and it was nice to think that Hermione and Lily had enough in common that perhaps they might be friends. br
After dinner, Harry, Ron and Hermione took Lily on a tour of the grounds. She seemed particularly interested in the quidditch field. She explained later in the common room that she had played chaser at her old school since her 2nd year. Harry was delighted because that meant that she would take Angelina Johnson's place on the team. They talked well into the night but headed off to bed around eleven, where Harry lay awake, thinking about Lily and unable to lose the smell of her perfume. br