The Pranking Wars
Author's Note: Hey everybody! This is new fic that I decided to start. I have so far not had much attention with Harry Potter and the Curse of the Gypsy, but this story can help explain some of the things in that story if you have read it. This is year one through their deaths for Lily and James. It has an interesting way of looking at Lily, and I hope you like it. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not nor have I ever owned Harry Potter or any character from these books. I own the plot of this story, and Cassy Reed. That is it. Okay, got that? Now you can't sue me.
Chapter Three
A rumble filled the Great Hall as people began to examine where the whereabouts of the headmaster might be. "Do you know anything about Dumbledore?" said Lily quietly to Remus. He shook his head.
"No. He was Transfiguration professor when my mum and dad went to school, and they told me he could be a little off sometimes. Maybe he's just...you know, down at Hogsmeade, or doing something in his office." He shrugged. "Don't think I'd be that surprised."
"Hmm..." Lily glanced once more up at the teacher's table. Dumbledore's large golden chair sat empty. McGonagoll was whispering in a hushed voice with the other teachers, her eyes shining with disapproval. Lily got the feeling that, odd as Dumbledore was, this was no silly occurrence. Something was wrong. Really wrong.
"I just have a feeling something bad has happened, Remus." She muttered. "I mean...do you think that, you know, somebody got hurt or something?"
"Can't say. But I agree...I don't think he would have missed the feast unless there was something important going on. We'll just have to, you know, wait and see." Lily frowned, glancing across the table at Sirius and James, who seemed to be coming up with wilder and wilder explanations for Dumbledore's sudden disappearance.
"I say he was eaten by a dragon." Whispered James excitedly. "A giant black one, with great horns..."
"Or maybe he was practicing a new spell and it backfired and turned him into...a pig!" Sirius said proudly, grinning.
"No...no, listen...he went to Diagon Alley on a date and...I dunno, he found out he was late, and tried to Apparate in, and splinched!" Sirius cringed.
"Oh, that would be awful...poor Dumbledore..."
Lily snorted and shook her head. James and Sirius turned to look at her, questioning. She glared at them. "You can't Apparate into or out of Hogwarts." She said firmly. When her statement met with blank stares, she rolled her eyes. "Didn't either of you read 'Hogwarts, A History'?"
Neither of them said anything. She shrugged an turned back to Remus. "Well, what do you think?" she said softly. "I mean...well, there's only..."
Suddenly, she stopped. Glancing towards the doors, she saw a tall man with long white hair and an equally long beard stride quickly into the room. McGonogall began to relax, but Lily saw that when the teacher saw the look of anger on his face, the tension began to work it's way through her face again.
Dumbledore reached the teacher's table. Everybody was talking loudly, watching Dumbledore with eager anticipation. He raised a hand to quiet them.
"Everybody." He said when silence had befallen the great hall. "There has been an attack of some sort in Hogsmeade. The Prefects and our new Head Boy and Girl will lead you straight to your dormitories. The feast will be sent to your rooms. Please act with great urgency."
Every began talking excitedly. Donovan stood up and coughed loudly. Every Gryffindor looked his way. "All right." He said for everybody to hear him. "First years, come right behind me. Everybody else, stay close behind." He led them from the hall. Lily watched the passing statues and tried to keep track of the various corridors as she passed, but the anxiety of the group began to work its way into her mind and she found herself unable to concentrate.
Finally, after what seemed like a long while, they reached a tower. A portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress hung on the wall. Lily, along with the other first years, looked at it in confusion. "Back so early?" she said to Donovan. "Doesn't the feast last longer?"
"There were some problems." He said quietly. "Dumbledore sent them all away from the hall." He turned to the students. "The new password is Expecto Patronum." As he said this, the Fat Lady nodded and swung open. A large hole was revealed, with a large step leading into the Gryffindor common room. Donovan jumped in, and the first years began clambering after. Lily blushed bright red when she was unable to make the ledge on her first try, and went redder when James reached down a hand to help her in. "Thanks..." she muttered.
"Okay. The food should be sent at any moment. Go ahead, and enjoy yourselves. I'm going back down to see what is going on." He left quietly. The moment he exited, the entire common room broke out into eager discussion.
"An attack?" said Remus with shock, slightly pale. "What kind? I mean, there haven't been dark wizards around in a long time. Not around here anyway. Do you reckon it might have been a vampire or something?"
A tall boy with bright red hair spoke quickly. "No, it was probably one of Hagrid's pets. Finally attacked somebody, it did!"
"Arthur!" The redheaded girl that had spoken to Cassy on the train stood and looked him in the eye. He blushed.
"Sorry, Molly..." Lily glanced around the room, a chill on her skin.
"Remus? Is...I mean, in this world...well, are things usually like this?"
"No." He shook his head to emphasize his point. "Like I said, there aren't any dark wizards around now. They were all killed a while ago. Dumbledore himself defeated Grindelwald, back about thirty years ago. He was the last."
"So you don't think it was a wizard? It was some sort of creature?"
"It had to be." Remus stated. "And if it was a wizard, mark my words...he'll be gone as soon as Dumbledore gets him."
Suddenly all the conversation in the room was halted. Plates of food and goblets appeared suddenly in the room, on all the tables. "Look," Lily whispered, pointing to a slip of paper near her food that had her name on it. She picked it up, cracking into a wide grin.
Lily,
One of the older girls in Ravenclaw showed me how to send this up with the dinner. Our house is located somewhere around the kitchens, but I can't say more. Anyway, I just wanted to say how sorry I am we aren't in the same house. I was really getting to like you! But we can still be friends, can't we? It isn't like one of us turned out to be a Slytherin. I am glad to be in Ravenclaw, but I don't think I am very wise, as my potions have always been so horrible. Meet me tomorrow after breakfast so we can chat! I hope you have a great year.
Cassy
P.S. Sorry you had to get stuck in the house with the Dork Twins.
P.P.S. Tell Remus I said hello.
Lily grinned and handed it to Remus, who smiled brightly. "I like that name for them." She stated. "Very appropriate."
"Yeah." He nodded as he began heaping piles of potatoes onto his plate. "Very appropriate."
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"Sirius, you're eating a little quickly." James warned. "Slow down."
Sirius talked loudly through a mouthful of kidney pie. "Wha'? I'm eatin' fi'." James grimaced as a large, unidentifiable vegetable flew from Sirius' mouth and onto the table.
"Ohhh..." a girl sitting nearby moaned. "Sick." Sirius looked at it and shrugged, stuffing another large bite into his mouth. James turned quickly when he heard the door creak. Donovan walked quietly in, his face slightly ashy. He strode over to Sirius and sat beside him.
"You okay, pup?" Sirius swallowed and nodded.
"Yep...just fine."
"Good. Because I need you to be careful." He glanced quickly around the room. "Very careful."
James frowned, feeling a prickle of fear down his spine. "What do you mean, Don?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well..." he glanced quickly around, to see that nobody was watching. He leaned forward. "Listen I wasn't supposed to tell you...not until the announcement, anyway. Like he said, there was an attack...somebody disappeared, just like that, and the other person with them was found dead."
Sirius' eyes opened wide in shock. "What? Do they...do they know who did it?"
Donovan shook his head. "No. That's the strange part. It was a wizard, but..." he rolled his shoulders, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Listen, they don't know much about whoever he is. He just showed up. Nobody knows who he is, or where he's from. The only thing he left behind..." he gulped, shaking his head.
"What?" said James eagerly.
"A mark. In the sky. A weird skull, with a snake coming out of it's mouth. And it was all emerald green." James and Sirius looked at each other, eyes wide open. "And...well, the thing is, this guy...whoever did it...he goes only by the name Voldemort."
"Voldemort?" Sirius snorted. "Sounds like some sort of a bad soup."
"Be serious, kid." Donovan said quickly, shaking his head. "This is no joking matter."
"But I am..."
"Hey." He said, poking Sirius in the chest. "Do NOT say what I know you were going to say. I've heard enough of that particular pun." Sirius scowled, taking a large bite of turkey.
James however, was mulling things over in his mind. Voldemort...? Where had he heard that name before? Hadn't his father mentioned it a few times over the past years? He remembered similar events---times when people had gone missing or turned up dead. Somehow, Voldemort had often been connected...
"So this Voldemort, they are sure he was behind it?"
Donovan snorted. "He certainly didn't make a secret of it. He stuck around until the first people from the ministry started to show up. He wanted to make sure that they knew he was around. Then he apparated, before they could do anything."
"How's you find all that out?" Sirius said suspiciously. "I mean, you're still a student, Head Boy or not."
Donovan shrugged. "I came when they were talking about it. Dumbledore didn't notice me until after they were finished talking about it. But he wanted me to keep it secret until he could make the announcement. So don't go telling everybody about this, okay?"
"Yeah. All right." Sirius shrugged. "I mean, it isn't like this is something big, right? Probably just some weird, disgruntled guy. Maybe they bet on Quidditch and this guy never got his money. Really, you don't think this is going to become an everyday occurrence or anything, do you?"
Donovan frowned. "I really don't know, pup. Just be careful, all right? You too, James...I need somebody normal around once in a while, and you are as close as it's going to get, what with the kid here."
He walked away to talk to some of his friends. The food had disappeared and Sirius was leaning back with a contented grin on his face. James was silent as he thought about the attack. Somehow he had a strange feeling that Voldemort was going to become a big threat. Bigger than he could ever imagine. He shot Lily and Remus a glance, a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach. Somehow he couldn't help but think they were all doomed.
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Lily woke up the next morning slowly, startled for a moment when she could not place where she was. And then she remembered. Hogwarts. The thought of it brought a smile to her face. She stretched as she got out of bed and dressed after taking a quick shower. She was pleasantly surprised to find that, besides water, heavy pink bubbles could also be turned on or off tap as one pleased. They smelled vaguely of bubblegum.
She met Remus in the common room. He looked a little more tired than he had the night before, and Lily lost no time in guessing why...The Dork Twins. No doubt they had done something to him. She didn't want to know.
After a few wrong turns, including one corridor that brought them face to face with an odd poltergeist that kept spitting wads of gum at them until they were well out of the hall and out of reach, they reached The Great Hall. Dumbledore was now sitting at the table, smiling merrily, though his eyes held a tired look. They exchanged a few words with Cassy before going to their seats.
"Hello, Loopy." Said James absently from across the table. "How is it going, Scarlet?"
"Leave us alone." Lily stated as she took a bite of her food. She chatted with Remus and the plump girl that Cassy was always talking to. It was Cassy's older sister, a seventh year named Molly. Her boyfriend, with equally red hair, sat beside her, cracking jokes with Douglas Jordan. His name was Arthur Weasley. He was the youngest of eight children, and the only boy.
"Oh, so you're friends with Cassandra?" she said pleasantly. "Well, I'm glad. Sometimes she has a hard time making friends. I am sorry she didn't get in Gryffindor, as the rest of the family has always been in this house, but she did get the next best thing, you know? And she is very smart."
"Uh-huh..." Lily nodded absently, dodging when Sirius sent a large piece of a kipper flying her way. She thoughtfully decided he hadn't done so on purpose. He just happened to be an enthusiastic eater.
A moment later, they all received their schedules. Lily sighed when she looked at hers. "We've got History of Magic with the Ravenclaws. I was hoping I'd get more time with Cassy. And...WHAT? We have to have potions with the Slytherins?"
Remus moaned. "I really was hoping I wouldn't have to get stuck with Sevvie for any classes. Especially considering that I am awful at potions, and he happens to be really good at them."
"That slimy git? Good at anything?" Lily and Remus looked across the table at him. He shrugged. "What? Well, all right, I won't interrupt your precious conversation. But I will say this...I'm not surprised that, if that kid is good at anything, it would be potions."
Lily shrugged. "Probably. I don't really know. I'm not good at muggle cooking. That probably means I'll really be bad at potions. Charms seems easy enough though."
Remus grinned. "I just can't wait till we get to DADA. I hear Professor Morton teaches you about identifying various dark creatures. Like vampires, and hags, and..."
"Werewolves?" Lily said absently. She didn't notice Remus sputter.
"Yeah...yeah, something like that. Listen, we'd better get going if we want to find the potions room. It's in a dungeon, and I definitely don't want to be late, seeing as Professor Sisal is the head of Slytherin. She seemed kind of scary when I saw her at the feast."
"Yeah. Wasn't she that gray-haired woman with yellowish eyes? I thought she looked a little like a cat." Remus shrugged.
They ignored James and Sirius, who for some odd reason followed them as they made their way to the room. They took a few turns that led them to halls that turned them back where they came from, and once emerged in a room filled, strangely enough, with gargoyles, though why they were inside Lily could not say.
"We're lost." She finally said when they came upon the statue of Ford the Frightening for the third time.
"Hmm..." Remus glanced around and suddenly saw the tall girl from the train walking quickly down the hall. "Isabelle! Hey, Isabelle, can you help us?" She turned, smiling when she saw Remus. She walked quickly towards them.
"Yes, Remus?" He showed her his schedule.
"Oh, Professor Sisal? She's right down the third corridor to your right...looks like it's only the second one, the second is really hidden under that painting of a large hippogriff. The one you're looking for is next to a suit of armor." She pointed down the hall. Lily nodded in appreciation.
"Thank you. My name is Lily Evans."
"Yes. My little brother is in your year...I saw you at the sorting."
"Little brother?"
"Yeah, Severus. He's a good boy, really. Don't let him get to you, okay? Now..." she glanced down at her watch and cried out in surprise. "Oh, dear! I only have five minutes to get to Divination! See you later." She walked off quickly.
Lily sighed. "All right. Let's go." They walked quietly down the corridor and to the room. When they got there, all of the Slytherins and a few Gryffindors were there. Lily sat down at an empty table with seats for two. James and Sirius sat at the table beside them. An empty chair sat at the far edge.
Presently, the teacher strode in. As Lily thought, she did look much like a cat with her amber eyes, though more of the street variety than a house pet. Lily was willing to bet she wasn't friendly.
"All right, then." She said. "I am here to teach you the refined art of potions. It is a difficult skill to master, and even when one has correctly learned a potion, you must refine the art so that the potion is made to top quality. I doubt many of you," she said pointedly, scowling at the Gryffindors, "will see just what an art potion making is."
She glared across the room. "Can somebody tell me..."
Suddenly, the door burst open. The short, fat boy from the boat stumbled in, his face bright red. "Sorry...professor...wrong...door...got...in...trouble...stuck...in...stair. .."
"Sit down." Sisal said angrily. He took the seat next to Sirius and James. "What is your name boy."
"Peter, miss. Peter Pettigrew."
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Whew! Another chapter. I hope whoever is reading this is liking it so far! Thanks go out to all of you fantastic kids who have reviewed me so far. I hope I get more readers soon. Thank you all for being wonderful. Luv ya lots!
PS---Please come and read one of my two other stories. One is a fifth year fic called Harry Potter and the Curse of the Gypsy, with a girl who has an attitude and isn't quite all that she seems. The other is a story on Fictionpress.net, and it is called Black Witch: Queen of Thieves. It is the story of The Realm, a woman branded with the Crest of Iron Thorns, and the man that might just change her plans for revenge. Sound good? You bet! Please come on over and give it a try!
THANKS TO JASMINE BLACK AS ALWAYS! YOU ARE FANTASTIC!
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, Or WHATEVER! EITHER CLICK ON THE BEAUTIFUL PURPLE BUTTON DOWN THERE, Or E-MAIL ME AT MEGX87@YAHOO.COM. I WILL LOVE YA FOREVER! OKAY? GOODY!
Author's Note: Hey everybody! This is new fic that I decided to start. I have so far not had much attention with Harry Potter and the Curse of the Gypsy, but this story can help explain some of the things in that story if you have read it. This is year one through their deaths for Lily and James. It has an interesting way of looking at Lily, and I hope you like it. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not nor have I ever owned Harry Potter or any character from these books. I own the plot of this story, and Cassy Reed. That is it. Okay, got that? Now you can't sue me.
Chapter Three
A rumble filled the Great Hall as people began to examine where the whereabouts of the headmaster might be. "Do you know anything about Dumbledore?" said Lily quietly to Remus. He shook his head.
"No. He was Transfiguration professor when my mum and dad went to school, and they told me he could be a little off sometimes. Maybe he's just...you know, down at Hogsmeade, or doing something in his office." He shrugged. "Don't think I'd be that surprised."
"Hmm..." Lily glanced once more up at the teacher's table. Dumbledore's large golden chair sat empty. McGonagoll was whispering in a hushed voice with the other teachers, her eyes shining with disapproval. Lily got the feeling that, odd as Dumbledore was, this was no silly occurrence. Something was wrong. Really wrong.
"I just have a feeling something bad has happened, Remus." She muttered. "I mean...do you think that, you know, somebody got hurt or something?"
"Can't say. But I agree...I don't think he would have missed the feast unless there was something important going on. We'll just have to, you know, wait and see." Lily frowned, glancing across the table at Sirius and James, who seemed to be coming up with wilder and wilder explanations for Dumbledore's sudden disappearance.
"I say he was eaten by a dragon." Whispered James excitedly. "A giant black one, with great horns..."
"Or maybe he was practicing a new spell and it backfired and turned him into...a pig!" Sirius said proudly, grinning.
"No...no, listen...he went to Diagon Alley on a date and...I dunno, he found out he was late, and tried to Apparate in, and splinched!" Sirius cringed.
"Oh, that would be awful...poor Dumbledore..."
Lily snorted and shook her head. James and Sirius turned to look at her, questioning. She glared at them. "You can't Apparate into or out of Hogwarts." She said firmly. When her statement met with blank stares, she rolled her eyes. "Didn't either of you read 'Hogwarts, A History'?"
Neither of them said anything. She shrugged an turned back to Remus. "Well, what do you think?" she said softly. "I mean...well, there's only..."
Suddenly, she stopped. Glancing towards the doors, she saw a tall man with long white hair and an equally long beard stride quickly into the room. McGonogall began to relax, but Lily saw that when the teacher saw the look of anger on his face, the tension began to work it's way through her face again.
Dumbledore reached the teacher's table. Everybody was talking loudly, watching Dumbledore with eager anticipation. He raised a hand to quiet them.
"Everybody." He said when silence had befallen the great hall. "There has been an attack of some sort in Hogsmeade. The Prefects and our new Head Boy and Girl will lead you straight to your dormitories. The feast will be sent to your rooms. Please act with great urgency."
Every began talking excitedly. Donovan stood up and coughed loudly. Every Gryffindor looked his way. "All right." He said for everybody to hear him. "First years, come right behind me. Everybody else, stay close behind." He led them from the hall. Lily watched the passing statues and tried to keep track of the various corridors as she passed, but the anxiety of the group began to work its way into her mind and she found herself unable to concentrate.
Finally, after what seemed like a long while, they reached a tower. A portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress hung on the wall. Lily, along with the other first years, looked at it in confusion. "Back so early?" she said to Donovan. "Doesn't the feast last longer?"
"There were some problems." He said quietly. "Dumbledore sent them all away from the hall." He turned to the students. "The new password is Expecto Patronum." As he said this, the Fat Lady nodded and swung open. A large hole was revealed, with a large step leading into the Gryffindor common room. Donovan jumped in, and the first years began clambering after. Lily blushed bright red when she was unable to make the ledge on her first try, and went redder when James reached down a hand to help her in. "Thanks..." she muttered.
"Okay. The food should be sent at any moment. Go ahead, and enjoy yourselves. I'm going back down to see what is going on." He left quietly. The moment he exited, the entire common room broke out into eager discussion.
"An attack?" said Remus with shock, slightly pale. "What kind? I mean, there haven't been dark wizards around in a long time. Not around here anyway. Do you reckon it might have been a vampire or something?"
A tall boy with bright red hair spoke quickly. "No, it was probably one of Hagrid's pets. Finally attacked somebody, it did!"
"Arthur!" The redheaded girl that had spoken to Cassy on the train stood and looked him in the eye. He blushed.
"Sorry, Molly..." Lily glanced around the room, a chill on her skin.
"Remus? Is...I mean, in this world...well, are things usually like this?"
"No." He shook his head to emphasize his point. "Like I said, there aren't any dark wizards around now. They were all killed a while ago. Dumbledore himself defeated Grindelwald, back about thirty years ago. He was the last."
"So you don't think it was a wizard? It was some sort of creature?"
"It had to be." Remus stated. "And if it was a wizard, mark my words...he'll be gone as soon as Dumbledore gets him."
Suddenly all the conversation in the room was halted. Plates of food and goblets appeared suddenly in the room, on all the tables. "Look," Lily whispered, pointing to a slip of paper near her food that had her name on it. She picked it up, cracking into a wide grin.
Lily,
One of the older girls in Ravenclaw showed me how to send this up with the dinner. Our house is located somewhere around the kitchens, but I can't say more. Anyway, I just wanted to say how sorry I am we aren't in the same house. I was really getting to like you! But we can still be friends, can't we? It isn't like one of us turned out to be a Slytherin. I am glad to be in Ravenclaw, but I don't think I am very wise, as my potions have always been so horrible. Meet me tomorrow after breakfast so we can chat! I hope you have a great year.
Cassy
P.S. Sorry you had to get stuck in the house with the Dork Twins.
P.P.S. Tell Remus I said hello.
Lily grinned and handed it to Remus, who smiled brightly. "I like that name for them." She stated. "Very appropriate."
"Yeah." He nodded as he began heaping piles of potatoes onto his plate. "Very appropriate."
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"Sirius, you're eating a little quickly." James warned. "Slow down."
Sirius talked loudly through a mouthful of kidney pie. "Wha'? I'm eatin' fi'." James grimaced as a large, unidentifiable vegetable flew from Sirius' mouth and onto the table.
"Ohhh..." a girl sitting nearby moaned. "Sick." Sirius looked at it and shrugged, stuffing another large bite into his mouth. James turned quickly when he heard the door creak. Donovan walked quietly in, his face slightly ashy. He strode over to Sirius and sat beside him.
"You okay, pup?" Sirius swallowed and nodded.
"Yep...just fine."
"Good. Because I need you to be careful." He glanced quickly around the room. "Very careful."
James frowned, feeling a prickle of fear down his spine. "What do you mean, Don?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well..." he glanced quickly around, to see that nobody was watching. He leaned forward. "Listen I wasn't supposed to tell you...not until the announcement, anyway. Like he said, there was an attack...somebody disappeared, just like that, and the other person with them was found dead."
Sirius' eyes opened wide in shock. "What? Do they...do they know who did it?"
Donovan shook his head. "No. That's the strange part. It was a wizard, but..." he rolled his shoulders, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Listen, they don't know much about whoever he is. He just showed up. Nobody knows who he is, or where he's from. The only thing he left behind..." he gulped, shaking his head.
"What?" said James eagerly.
"A mark. In the sky. A weird skull, with a snake coming out of it's mouth. And it was all emerald green." James and Sirius looked at each other, eyes wide open. "And...well, the thing is, this guy...whoever did it...he goes only by the name Voldemort."
"Voldemort?" Sirius snorted. "Sounds like some sort of a bad soup."
"Be serious, kid." Donovan said quickly, shaking his head. "This is no joking matter."
"But I am..."
"Hey." He said, poking Sirius in the chest. "Do NOT say what I know you were going to say. I've heard enough of that particular pun." Sirius scowled, taking a large bite of turkey.
James however, was mulling things over in his mind. Voldemort...? Where had he heard that name before? Hadn't his father mentioned it a few times over the past years? He remembered similar events---times when people had gone missing or turned up dead. Somehow, Voldemort had often been connected...
"So this Voldemort, they are sure he was behind it?"
Donovan snorted. "He certainly didn't make a secret of it. He stuck around until the first people from the ministry started to show up. He wanted to make sure that they knew he was around. Then he apparated, before they could do anything."
"How's you find all that out?" Sirius said suspiciously. "I mean, you're still a student, Head Boy or not."
Donovan shrugged. "I came when they were talking about it. Dumbledore didn't notice me until after they were finished talking about it. But he wanted me to keep it secret until he could make the announcement. So don't go telling everybody about this, okay?"
"Yeah. All right." Sirius shrugged. "I mean, it isn't like this is something big, right? Probably just some weird, disgruntled guy. Maybe they bet on Quidditch and this guy never got his money. Really, you don't think this is going to become an everyday occurrence or anything, do you?"
Donovan frowned. "I really don't know, pup. Just be careful, all right? You too, James...I need somebody normal around once in a while, and you are as close as it's going to get, what with the kid here."
He walked away to talk to some of his friends. The food had disappeared and Sirius was leaning back with a contented grin on his face. James was silent as he thought about the attack. Somehow he had a strange feeling that Voldemort was going to become a big threat. Bigger than he could ever imagine. He shot Lily and Remus a glance, a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach. Somehow he couldn't help but think they were all doomed.
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Lily woke up the next morning slowly, startled for a moment when she could not place where she was. And then she remembered. Hogwarts. The thought of it brought a smile to her face. She stretched as she got out of bed and dressed after taking a quick shower. She was pleasantly surprised to find that, besides water, heavy pink bubbles could also be turned on or off tap as one pleased. They smelled vaguely of bubblegum.
She met Remus in the common room. He looked a little more tired than he had the night before, and Lily lost no time in guessing why...The Dork Twins. No doubt they had done something to him. She didn't want to know.
After a few wrong turns, including one corridor that brought them face to face with an odd poltergeist that kept spitting wads of gum at them until they were well out of the hall and out of reach, they reached The Great Hall. Dumbledore was now sitting at the table, smiling merrily, though his eyes held a tired look. They exchanged a few words with Cassy before going to their seats.
"Hello, Loopy." Said James absently from across the table. "How is it going, Scarlet?"
"Leave us alone." Lily stated as she took a bite of her food. She chatted with Remus and the plump girl that Cassy was always talking to. It was Cassy's older sister, a seventh year named Molly. Her boyfriend, with equally red hair, sat beside her, cracking jokes with Douglas Jordan. His name was Arthur Weasley. He was the youngest of eight children, and the only boy.
"Oh, so you're friends with Cassandra?" she said pleasantly. "Well, I'm glad. Sometimes she has a hard time making friends. I am sorry she didn't get in Gryffindor, as the rest of the family has always been in this house, but she did get the next best thing, you know? And she is very smart."
"Uh-huh..." Lily nodded absently, dodging when Sirius sent a large piece of a kipper flying her way. She thoughtfully decided he hadn't done so on purpose. He just happened to be an enthusiastic eater.
A moment later, they all received their schedules. Lily sighed when she looked at hers. "We've got History of Magic with the Ravenclaws. I was hoping I'd get more time with Cassy. And...WHAT? We have to have potions with the Slytherins?"
Remus moaned. "I really was hoping I wouldn't have to get stuck with Sevvie for any classes. Especially considering that I am awful at potions, and he happens to be really good at them."
"That slimy git? Good at anything?" Lily and Remus looked across the table at him. He shrugged. "What? Well, all right, I won't interrupt your precious conversation. But I will say this...I'm not surprised that, if that kid is good at anything, it would be potions."
Lily shrugged. "Probably. I don't really know. I'm not good at muggle cooking. That probably means I'll really be bad at potions. Charms seems easy enough though."
Remus grinned. "I just can't wait till we get to DADA. I hear Professor Morton teaches you about identifying various dark creatures. Like vampires, and hags, and..."
"Werewolves?" Lily said absently. She didn't notice Remus sputter.
"Yeah...yeah, something like that. Listen, we'd better get going if we want to find the potions room. It's in a dungeon, and I definitely don't want to be late, seeing as Professor Sisal is the head of Slytherin. She seemed kind of scary when I saw her at the feast."
"Yeah. Wasn't she that gray-haired woman with yellowish eyes? I thought she looked a little like a cat." Remus shrugged.
They ignored James and Sirius, who for some odd reason followed them as they made their way to the room. They took a few turns that led them to halls that turned them back where they came from, and once emerged in a room filled, strangely enough, with gargoyles, though why they were inside Lily could not say.
"We're lost." She finally said when they came upon the statue of Ford the Frightening for the third time.
"Hmm..." Remus glanced around and suddenly saw the tall girl from the train walking quickly down the hall. "Isabelle! Hey, Isabelle, can you help us?" She turned, smiling when she saw Remus. She walked quickly towards them.
"Yes, Remus?" He showed her his schedule.
"Oh, Professor Sisal? She's right down the third corridor to your right...looks like it's only the second one, the second is really hidden under that painting of a large hippogriff. The one you're looking for is next to a suit of armor." She pointed down the hall. Lily nodded in appreciation.
"Thank you. My name is Lily Evans."
"Yes. My little brother is in your year...I saw you at the sorting."
"Little brother?"
"Yeah, Severus. He's a good boy, really. Don't let him get to you, okay? Now..." she glanced down at her watch and cried out in surprise. "Oh, dear! I only have five minutes to get to Divination! See you later." She walked off quickly.
Lily sighed. "All right. Let's go." They walked quietly down the corridor and to the room. When they got there, all of the Slytherins and a few Gryffindors were there. Lily sat down at an empty table with seats for two. James and Sirius sat at the table beside them. An empty chair sat at the far edge.
Presently, the teacher strode in. As Lily thought, she did look much like a cat with her amber eyes, though more of the street variety than a house pet. Lily was willing to bet she wasn't friendly.
"All right, then." She said. "I am here to teach you the refined art of potions. It is a difficult skill to master, and even when one has correctly learned a potion, you must refine the art so that the potion is made to top quality. I doubt many of you," she said pointedly, scowling at the Gryffindors, "will see just what an art potion making is."
She glared across the room. "Can somebody tell me..."
Suddenly, the door burst open. The short, fat boy from the boat stumbled in, his face bright red. "Sorry...professor...wrong...door...got...in...trouble...stuck...in...stair. .."
"Sit down." Sisal said angrily. He took the seat next to Sirius and James. "What is your name boy."
"Peter, miss. Peter Pettigrew."
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Whew! Another chapter. I hope whoever is reading this is liking it so far! Thanks go out to all of you fantastic kids who have reviewed me so far. I hope I get more readers soon. Thank you all for being wonderful. Luv ya lots!
PS---Please come and read one of my two other stories. One is a fifth year fic called Harry Potter and the Curse of the Gypsy, with a girl who has an attitude and isn't quite all that she seems. The other is a story on Fictionpress.net, and it is called Black Witch: Queen of Thieves. It is the story of The Realm, a woman branded with the Crest of Iron Thorns, and the man that might just change her plans for revenge. Sound good? You bet! Please come on over and give it a try!
THANKS TO JASMINE BLACK AS ALWAYS! YOU ARE FANTASTIC!
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, Or WHATEVER! EITHER CLICK ON THE BEAUTIFUL PURPLE BUTTON DOWN THERE, Or E-MAIL ME AT MEGX87@YAHOO.COM. I WILL LOVE YA FOREVER! OKAY? GOODY!