LILY POTTER AND THE CHANGE OF TIME
Warning – This is the sequel to Harry Potter, Time Traveler. If you have not read, Harry Potter, Time Traveler, I would highly recommend it as this story will get very confusing. You may not recognize many of the characters and may have no idea what is going on if you do not read it.
Summary – Harry Potter is supposed to be dead. But thanks to the Book of Time and a little time traveling back in his fifth year, he is now alive. Now Lily must overcome the obstacles of being a typical teenage witch and finding out where time got changed because you never want to mess with fate. Sometimes it does not always come out for the best…but yet…sometimes it does.
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter, the characters, or the Harry Potter world. They all belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. However, while I do not own their names, the characters and the personality traits of Lily Potter, Eddie Weasley, Daris Malfoy, Christof Nott, as well as Asher Lazard and Robyn Andrews all belong to me.
Chapter 9 – A Change in Eddie:
"Oh, c'mon Lily!" said Eddie in an impatient tone, clutching on to Lily's upper arm. "Your dad is a good guy; you need to stop acting like this!"
"I know he's a good guy, Ed!" hissed Lily, pulling away from Eddie's grasp and clutching her books to her hip with a stubborn look on her face. "That doesn't mean I'm going to enjoy spending time with him. It makes me uncomfortable to even look at him."
"Is there something wrong with you? How can it hurt to look at him? Lily, he's your father!" said Eddie, almost angrily. "There are no excuses for your behavior, Flower." Eddie commented as he grabbed Lily's arm again and pulled her into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Once again, he did not succeed in keeping his hold on her because she snatched her arm away and glared at her best friend, scowling. Eddie rolled his eyes and gave Lily stern look. "This is ridiculous and you're being completely unreasonable. You're not skipping class just so you can avoid your father. If you do that, I won't have any choice but to report you to my mum."
"I hate you, you bloody weasel," Lily muttered under breath, but loud enough so Eddie could hear. Eddie gave her that famous Weasley lop-sided grin as she stormed into the classroom without looking at him. Eddie followed her with a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Don't worry, I love you too Petals!" said Eddie teasingly. Lily stopped in the doorway and rounded on him.
"Don't call me Petals!"
"Oh, I forgot you hate that nickname. I'm sorry Petals," said Eddie grinning ear to ear. Lily let out a frustrated groan and stomped her foot on the ground.
"You're infuriating, Eddie Weasley! Do you know that?" she shouted, storming into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Eddie stood in the doorway, grinning at her back. Asher, who had witnessed the entire display, just stared at Eddie wide-eyed.
"What was that?" asked Asher, sounding amused. "You're flirting with her, eh?"
"I wouldn't say it was flirting," said Eddie amusedly.
"What would you say it was?"
"Well, I got her to go into the classroom didn't I?" asked Eddie chuckling. Asher shook his head and chuckled along with him as the two of them followed the furious and stomping Lily into the classroom. After all, it was common knowledge that she despised being called the nickname 'Petals.'
Lily blew her way through the classroom and walked straight over to talk to Jem and started whispering to her harshly about something or other. Asher and Eddie took their seats beside each other, waiting for Lily and Robyn to join them, as they always did. It was not long before Robyn walked into the classroom with Britta chatting by her side. The two girls smiled at Eddie and Asher and walked over to the pair of them. Robyn took her usual seat beside Asher and Britta smiled at Eddie, standing next to him.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Britta asked quietly, blushing. She was gesturing towards the seat right beside Eddie.
"Oh…erm…yeah, I suppose so," said Eddie awkwardly. The question made him feel extremely uncomfortable because that was Lily's seat. It was common knowledge that she always sat next to Eddie and to be quite honest, Eddie liked having her by his side all the time. But Britta was a pretty, sweet, quiet girl; and she was new, she did not know anyone. It would be nice to get to know her and for Eddie to offer his friendship. She beamed and took the seat next to Eddie, dropping her bag of books on the desk.
Harry Potter entered the classroom and that signaled that the class had begun and that everyone should take their seats and take out their wands and textbooks. Lily noticed him enter, finished up her conversation with Jem before dashing over to her seat. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Britta sitting in her seat and her eyes flashed briefly with her jaw set and she was clutching her books painfully to her hip.
"Erm, Britta," started Lily, almost warningly, and forced a smile on her face. "I'm sorry but that hat would be my seat."
"Oh, I thought we didn't have assigned seats…?" questioned Britta, looking genuinely confused and uncertain.
"Well, yeah, there's not," admitted Lily, feeling annoyed. "But, I've always sat there and-"
"Miss Potter?" Harry called out. Lily quickly turned around and saw Harry standing at his desk, looking at her intently. "Miss Potter, is there a problem?"
"No, Professor," said Lily swiftly, turning around to look back at Britta and her emerald green eyes were narrowed. She spoke in a monotone voice and it was stiff and emotionaless. "There's no problem. I'm sorry, Britta." Lily grumpily moved over to sit on the other side of Robyn and slammed her books on the desk angrily, before putting her head in her hands and leaning against her elbow, a disgruntled look on her face. She looked even more annoyed when she saw who was sitting in front of her.
"Ohhh…looks like someone is a little jealous," whispered Raven maliciously into Malfoy's ear, but loud enough so that Lily was able to hear her. Malfoy and Nott began sniggering. Lily did not have the energy to comment or retort so she just dangerously narrowed her eyes and leaned her head against her elbow again.
"Alright now we begin," said Harry as he clapped his hands together to gain the class' attention. Being the famous Harry Potter, everyone immediately gave him their undivided attention, with the exception of Lily. Harry noticed this and could not help but smile amusedly over Lily's behavior. "As you all very well know, I am Professor Potter and this year, we'll be doing things a little differently. You will be learning about spells, creatures, hexes, and curses that you've never learned before. The defenses we will be going over will be highly advanced and will help you protect yourself against some of the darkest forms of magic. Many of you may be wondering why I insist on you learning these spells but I feel it is a necessity because of the rising threat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters."
There was a large gasp and even Mandy screamed as Jarius fell out of his seat. None of the professors ever spoke of the threat of the Dark Lord so openly before. Harry stared at the class seriously for a moment.
"Voldemort has been known to use Dementors during attacks," Harry continued to explain darkly. "So, today, we will be learning how to perform a Patronus Charm. Who can tell me what a Patronus Charm is?"
No one's hand went up at first when Mandy, slowly and timidly, lifted it into the air, as though afraid to give the answer. Lily was not sure if it was because Mandy was so shy or if it was because she was genuinely disgusted with the answer she was about to give.
"Yes, Miss Micrelle?" Harry called out, noticing her hand.
"It's a charm used to protect a wizard or witch against Dementors and the effect that they have on us," whispered Mandy. Harry beamed down at her.
"Excellent! I couldn't have said it better myself. Five points to Gryffindor," said Harry, still beaming proudly. "Now, who can tell me how a Patronus is performed? Mr. Weasley?" Eddie, who had not been paying attention because he was too busy, turning his gaze back from Lily to Britta, jumped at the sound of his name.
"Um, I'm not really sure, Professor," said Eddie, uncertainly. Harry stared at him intently. "I think that you have to think of a happy memory and say the incantation. The spell should take on some kind of shape and ward off the Dementors."
"For someone who was not sure, you are correct, Mr. Weasley," said Harry, smiling. "Take another five points to Gryffindor." He paused for a moment. "As Miss Micrelle and Mr. Weasley have so kindly explained to us; a Patronus Charm is used to ward off Dementors. In order to do this, you have to think of happy memory; that happiest you can come up with. While concentrating hard on this memory, the incantation of, 'Expecto Patronum,' must be said. The Patronus should come out as some kind of shape and each shape is different to the wizard who conjures it."
Harry came out from behind his desk and walked in front of it while he took out his wand out of the pocket of his blue robes. He raised it and closed his eyes for a second.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted. Many of the students gasped. Out of his wand came a silver jet of light and a large, silver stag galloped out of his wand and strutted around the room for a moment or so. Harry grinned, flicked his wand and the stag disappeared.
"I know it looks easy, but with Dementors advancing on you, making you relive your worst memories, it is extremely difficult. Today, I will be asking you to try and make a corporal Patronus without the presence of a Dementor. Next week I'll be performing Legilmency on all of you as you try to perform a Patronus. It's the closest thing that I can get to the feelings of a Dementor without bringing one in. Now, who would like to go first? Miss Andrews?"
After five or six times, with Harry's encouragement, instruction, and support, Robyn was able to manage to produce a corporal Patronus that took the form of a dolphin, which Lily thought suited her perfectly. Once, the class saw Robyn manage one, everyone wanted to try. A few of the students went up, though not many of them mastered it; some did not get any results at all. Finally, Harry looked at Lily and smiled slightly.
"Miss Potter? Would you like to try?"
Lily sighed and reluctantly got out of her seat with her wand in her hand and walked towards Harry. She did not know what in the world she supposed to think about without betraying any of her feelings regarding Harry, or even Eddie.
"Think of a happy memory," instructed Harry slowly. Lily nodded in understanding before she closed her eyes and thought long and hard. Finally, when it came to her, she opened her eyes, smiling slightly and nodded to show she was ready.
"Are you ready?" asked Harry, backing away slowly and encouragingly nodded towards his daughter. Lily nodded and raised her wand.
"Expecto Patronum!" shouted Lily. Nothing happened.
"Try again," demanded Harry.
Lily nodded and repeated the incantation, still thinking about the memory that had popped into her head. Something shot out of her wand and it was blinding silver. It felt like it backfired, causing Lily to stumble backwards. Lily kept her eyes clenched tightly shut for a moment before sneaking a peek. Trotting around the room was a small, elegant fox, looking up at the rest of the students curiously. Lily smiled down at it as it turned to walk towards her and sat in front of her, as though protecting her. She had a sudden urge to reach out and stroke its soft looking fur but Harry clearing his throat interrupted her thoughts and the fox disappeared in a smoky mist.
"Well, Miss Potter," said Harry, beaming down at his daughter; his eyes ablaze with pride and happiness. "You did excellent; absolutely brilliant! Alright, Mr. Weasley, would you like to give it a shot?"
Lily could not help but laugh hysterically when Eddie's Patronus (which took Eddie several times to create), turned out to be a monkey.
When Harry dismissed the class, Lily scrambled for her books and quickly ran out of the classroom, not wanting to face, especially Harry. She knew that he would comment on her ability to make a Patronus. Quickly, Lily dashed down the corridors and off to their famous room; the room that contained the prophecy that would soon come to dictate her life. It was the same room that she and Eddie had discovered in their second year. Lily stopped in front of a portrait of a beautiful waterfall and gave it the password. She entered and lied down on the small sofa in the room in front of a crackling fire.
Lily always came here when she was feeling stressed or overwhelmed with what was going on in her life. And right now, she was completely confused over what it was beginning to feel like having Harry permanently in her life. Her thoughts then traveled to the change of time that he created and how it would affect what was going on with Voldemort. Lily hated when the dark wizard would burst into Lily's thoughts.
Lily sighed and rubbed her temples, thinking about how Voldemort was most likely coming up with some dangerous and crazy plot to kill her and Harry. For some reason Lily shivered at the thought of Harry dying again and she could feel a huge headache coming on. That's when it hit Lily.
Gasping and her stomach crawling with snakes at the very though, Lily jumped to her feet and ran across the tiny room to look at the plaque that hung on the wall above the fireplace. It was a cherry red outlined in cold with golden lettering and a black background. Lily pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and read the old fable that she always read;
Nothing is heard as silence roams the land.
Until one day, a black crow appears and its singing voice makes appalling music in the air, destroying the peace of the world. The lifeless music of the crow is so strong, that nothing is able to stop it, including the music of the other birds. It was as if peace was gone forever.
A young mockingbird will appear. The mockingbird will have a powerful and peaceful singing voice that overcomes the crow's music. The crow fled and was not heard from for many years. The mockingbird's voice brought back peace and joy.
But, peace will not last long, as the black crow will appear with an even stronger and more awful voice. The crow will corrupt the mockingbird, making its voice weak and powerless. Defenseless against the black crow, the peace is once again ruined.
When all hope seems lost, a new, young mockingbird will come to the land with a much stronger, much more beautiful voice; even more magical than the first mockingbird. The black crow will be no match for the second mockingbird's voice. Out of anger, the crow will try and kill the second mockingbird. But the voice of the mockingbird is so strong, so beautiful that the crow could not compare. With its magnificent voice and divine music, the second mockingbird overcomes the black crow, who disappears from the lands forever.
The second mockingbird lived on to make beautiful music throughout the land.
Lily sighed and looked down at the ground after reading the plaque.
For three years, Lily read this plaque constantly and she had always thought that it was just some fable with some kind of moral meaning behind it. It had never occurred to her that this story; this plaque was a prophecy. And it was not just any prophecy; it was a prophecy that concerned her, Harry, and Voldemort. The previous year, when Voldemort had kidnapped her and the fifteen year old Harry, Lily had learned that Voldemort represented the crow, Harry was the first mockingbird, and Lily represented the second mockingbird.
The thing that concerned Lily, the reason why she was so distracted over the change in time that Harry had created was what it would do to the prophecy; that it would change it. The fact that it had not changed was what scared Lily the most. She could not figure out why it had not changed. After all, Harry changed time, so would it not make sense that the prophecy should have changed as well? Lily shook her head, trying to shake out the thoughts floating in her head. The more she thought about the whole ordeal, the more confused she became. In short, this was part of the reason why she wanted things the way they used to be.
Suddenly, Lily felt a hand on her shoulder, making her jump and pull her wand out of her pocket, pointing it at the person who snuck up behind her.
"Whoa, Lily, it's just me!"
"Eddie!" Lily gasped in relief, pocketing her wand, trying to catch her breath. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You scared the bloody creepers out of me! You know that I almost cursed you?"
"I'm sorry Lils," he said grinning and speaking in a soft, comforting tone. "When you didn't show up for lunch in the Great Hall, I got worried and I thought you might be here. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"You just know me so well," said Lily a little sarcastically. Eddie chuckled and gave her a weak punch on the shoulder. "But, yeah, I'm fine."
"You look like you have something on your mind," Eddie observed.
"Yeah, but there's not much I can do about it," said Lily with a shrug. Eddie nodded, knowing she was once again referring to Harry and the change of time. He knew that the first Defense Against Dark Arts class was going to be extremely difficult for her and he decided on to push her. Lily would be more open about it when she was ready.
"C'mon, let's go get some lunch," said Lily, breaking the sudden silence that had overwhelmed them. "I'm starving." Lily was speaking in an unusually high voice, but Eddie decided to ignore it, to her relief. She grabbed Eddie's arm and dragged him out of the room and towards the Great Hall for lunch.
During lunch that afternoon, Danny Micrelle and Asher got into a small, petty fight about Quidditch teams and it ended up with the two of them having a food fight and both of them getting detentions that same evening with Professor Snape. Their detentions, along with Robyn's prefect duties, resulted in Eddie and Lily spending some study time in the Great Hall alone. Like many of the students at Hogwarts, Lily and Eddie sometimes preferred to do their homework in the Great Hall rather than the library or their Common Rooms. At one point, Harry had come up to them and asked for a private word with Lily. Eddie found himself rather alone at the Gryffindor table.
"Ed?" a quiet voice called from across the table. Eddie looked to his left and saw Britta smiling timidly at him.
"Oh, hey Britta," he said smiling, gesturing for her to join him at the table. Britta did so with a bright smile on her face. "What's up?"
"I was just wondering if you could maybe help me with the Divination homework?" asked Britta softly, opening her books and taking out some parchment. "I just can't seem to grasp it and that Trelawney woman is not much of a help."
"She'll only get worse," said Eddie with a chuckle. "Soon, she'll start plotting your death. But, yeah, sure," said Eddie brightly, moving his chair so that he was closer to her. "I'll be happy to help, though I won't pretend that I'm a Seer myself or an O student in the class…"
"That's alright," said Britta said smiling. "Any help would do at this point." Eddie could not help but notice how sweet her smile was. He grinned affectionately at her and as Britta was about to take his hand in her own, Eddie heard a loud bang beside him, causing him to break eye contact with Britta and jump a foot in the air. He looked up to see Lily and Raven standing close to the Gryffindor table.
"Go the hell away Dawsetta," Lily's voice snarled dangerously as she stomped towards the table. Raven followed her, almost as though she was trying to provoke Lily and Lily banged her fist on the table when she reached it before turning to face Raven again. She had also reached the Gryffindor table and was looking at Eddie with seductive eyes, then she turned to glare at Lily, still clearly trying to provoke her.
"You may be the daughter of the famous Harry Potter, but you don't own the school. I can go anywhere I please, Potter!" snapped Raven. Lily opened her mouth furiously to retort but Eddie interrupted her by getting to his feet, leaning forward against the table, and staring at Raven through narrowed eyes.
"What do you want Raven?" Eddie asked; his voice low and angry.
"I would like to talk to you Eds," she said quietly, as she also leaned against the table, standing across from him. Raven reached out and began rubbing her hand up and down his freckled arm. Eddie looked down at her arm with a raised an eyebrow. Lily's fists immediately clenched and she was shaking with the utmost fury. "Would you meet me in the Astronomy Tower tonight at midnight?" At these words, Lily looked like she was about to explode.
Eddie snatched his arm away roughly and narrowed his eyes. However, his actions did not sway Raven as she simply giggled and walked around the table and stood extremely close to him. Lily and Britta caught each other's eye and both shared a look of disgust.
"Raven, we've had this discussion," sneered Eddie impatiently, taking a step away from Raven. "I thought I explained to you that I didn't fancy you like that, Raven."
"Well, I thought you might be able to…persuade you," she said, advancing on him and blowing in his ear. Eddie took another step back.
"You didn't and you can't, so go away!"
"But Eds-" Raven was advancing on Eddie again and at this point, Lily had had enough. She stormed forward and stood between Eddie and Raven, giving the girl before him a death glare that would scare away a Dementor.
"He said go away," snarled Lily in a deathly whisper. "Did you not hear him, or maybe you're too daft to figure out what that means?"
"You watch your back, Potter!" snapped Raven. "I haven't known you for two months and you're already a thorn in my side. But, one thing you should know about me is that I always get what I want and I'll get Edward Weasley."
"Oh yeah?" Britta piped up before standing to her feet and dumping her goblet of pumpkin juice over Raven's head. Lily and Eddie's eyes all widened with shock and everyone watching the sign busted out into fits of hysterical laughter at the sight of Raven Dawsetta dripping wet; covered in sticky pumpkin juice. Raven squealed in horror and ran of the Great Hall, mortified.
"Great job Britta!" Lily said through her laughs, clutching on to her sides for support. "I honestly didn't know that you had it in you! Is it wrong for me to say that I'm proud of you?" Britta smiled sheepishly and shook her head. There was a smile on her face that clearly stated that she was proud of herself.
"You are officially our new best friend!" gasped Eddie, wiping away the tears of laughter that had formed in his eyes. When he eventually calmed, Eddie smiled at Britta and took her hand in his. "Thanks. I appreciate you sticking up for me like that." Britta went scarlet red and looked down at her feet, clearly embarrassed.
"It was nothing," she said in a sheepish whisper. "I'd do it again." Britta looked up at Eddie and saw that he was smiling down at her.
"Now, what do you say we head to the library and start working on that Divination homework?" asked Eddie, still grinning. Britta nodded and the two walked out of the Great Hall, hand-in-hand. Lily stopped laughing when she saw that Eddie and Britta had completely forgotten about her, leaving her in the Great Hall alone to study. She turned her head away and put on a false smile before returning to her Charms essay.
The false smile that she wore quickly turned into a jealous frown.
Eddie and Britta were studying in the library pleasantly. Despite the dirty looks they were receiving from the librarian, they made jokes, playfully flirted, and just talked about every topic that they could think of in general. Eddie could not believe he could be attracted to another girl and get along with her the same way he could with Lily. But, Britta was different than Lily at the same time; she was so sweet and pretty, and just fun to be with. As the two chatted, they failed to notice Raven enter the library, caught sight of the two of them, and smiled slightly to herself.
"Can I say something?" asked Britta quietly, color rising to her cheeks.
"Of course! You don't need to ask Britta, you know that."
"It's just…when I first saw you, I thought you were so adorable and I think you're a brilliant guy. I really like you, Ed." Britta said all this extremely fast. Eddie was surprised that he was able to understand any of it. But regardless, he beamed down at the girl sitting beside him.
"Well, I like you too, Britta," he said smiling. "I think you're swell."
"No, I mean, I fancy you, Eddie," said Britta, blushing so red Eddie could have sworn that she was going to explode. "I…I want you to be my boyfriend…" Eddie was startled by her forwardness, but he appreciated it nonetheless. Smiling softly, he leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"You know, I think I could handle someone as sweet and pretty as you being my girlfriend," he whispered flirtatiously. Britta, surprisingly, giggled sweetly. She sounded like a little girl getting candy.
"Really?
"Absolutely!"
Eddie and Britta smiled softly at one another as they both leaned in slowly. Eddie grinned as he gently brushed his lips against her's. When he felt Britta respond, he fully pressed their lips together in a soft, tender kiss. The librarian caught sight of them and coughed loudly to get their attention. Sensing this, Eddie and Britta broke apart and chuckled softly to one another.
"This probably isn't the most appropriate place to be doing this," Britta whispered with a smile. Eddie laughed.
"You're right," he said, nodding in agreement. "Shall we continue you this in the Common Room?" Eddie immediately began to gather his books, anxious to continue snogging Britta in Gryffindor Tower. However, she placed a firm hand on his forearm.
"Wait, I want you to give you something first," said Britta as she rummaged through her bag. Eddie watched her she pulled out a small silver ring and raised a curious eyebrow. "My father gave this to me right before he died. He told me to give it to the first boy that I ever saw myself truly being with. And…and…I want you to have it." Britta gently took Eddie's hand in her own, rubbing his knuckles with her thumb before slipping the ring on to Eddie's index finger. Eddie was stunned at how perfectly the ring fit on him. He was even more stunned that Britta would give him such a treasured possession.
"Britta," he gasped. "I'm truly honored…but…I don't know if I can accept this…" Britta smiled at him.
"You're the first boy that I've ever met that I could see myself being with. You're everything I want in a man and I want you to have it," she said quietly. "Please take it?"
"Oh get over yourself, Dirdel," a voice snapped from behind making Eddie and Britta both jump nearly out of their skins. Raven stepped out of the shelves with narrowed eyes, looking malicious. "Everyone knows that Weasley only has eyes for Potter."
"That's not true!" snapped Eddie defensively, jumping to his feet. "I fancy Britta a lot! I've just made her my girlfriend. I've never made Lily my girlfriend, have I? No! That's because Lily is my friend and nothing more." Britta looked up at Eddie with joyous tears in her eyes while the smug look on Raven's face looked as though it smacked off of her face. She looked simply horrified.
"You're ridiculous, Weasley," shrieked Raven, her face going red with anger. "First you dump me for Potter and now you're rejecting Potter for that little twit? Who do you bloody think you are?" Eddie looked furious. But, before he could say anything to defend his girlfriend and best friend, Raven had taken out her wand and pointed it straight at Eddie.
"MORBUSLIA!" she shouted. A blue light shot out of her wand and the spell hit Eddie directly in the chest, making him fall to the ground in a pile of tangled limbs. Britta nearly screamed and immediately ran to Eddie's side. Raven looked at Eddie for a moment before running out of the library with her wand in hand.
Madame Pince, the librarian walked over to the pair and gave them a disapproving look, claiming that they were causing too much of a ruckus and needed to leave the library immediately. It was evident that she had not heard Raven curse Eddie; but only the shouting that had gone along with it. When she returned to her desk in the front of the library, Britta immediately turned her attention back to Eddie as he sat up, clutching his chest and grumbling under his breath.
"Eddie?" asked Britta worriedly, helping him sit up. "Are you okay? Should we get you to the hospital wing?"
"No, no, I think I'm okay," muttered Eddie hastily. "You wouldn't happen to know the spell that she hit me with, would you?"
"I have no idea," said Britta, looking concerned as she stroked his bushy red hair tenderly. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"
"If I feel anything strange, I'll just go to Madame Parks," said Eddie as he slowly got to his feet. "C'mon, let's go to the Common Room. I think we've had enough excitement for one night." Britta nodded in agreement and Eddie wrapped his arm around her waist before leaving the library as she cuddled against his side.
Lily groaned in a tired voice as she followed Robyn down the stairs from their dormitories and into the Gryffindor Common Room. There she saw Eddie, Asher, and Britta sitting on the couch playing waiting for them. Eddie looked simply exhausted. Lily knew that he had gotten little to no sleep last night due to the excitement of dating Britta and eating a hearty dinner. This combination caused him to get sick all over the Common Room all night long. Britta looked equally as tired as Eddie; Lily figured that she must have taken care of him last night and it made her stomach bubble; as though it were filled with acid. Asher, on the other hand, looked jovial; especially so early in the morning. When he looked up at the pair of them, he smiled.
"Good morning ladies!" he called out cheerfully, playfully bowing to them, causing Robyn to giggle and Lily to roll her eyes. "We were waiting for you; most impatiently, may I add. C'mon, breakfast started ten minutes ago."
"Alright Asher, keep your shirt on," said Lily grumbled, clearly cranky over her early rising. Asher stuck out his tongue and jumped out of his seat and dashed out of the Common Room and through the Portrait Hole. At his antics, Lily could not help but chuckle and shake her head in amusement. Robyn followed and Lily turned to Eddie and Britta. She was about to call out to them until she saw the state that they were in.
Despite being up so laugh and looking so tired, Eddie and Britta were cuddling on the couch in front of the fireplace and seemed to be in deep, pleasant conversation. They were playing with each other's hand and twining their fingers together. Lily felt a wave of jealousy flutter through her body, but she decided overlook it. Not wanting to see anymore between the two, and not knowing or understanding why, Lily cleared her throat loudly. Both Eddie and Britta looked up. For some reason, Eddie looked extremely annoyed at Lily for interrupting his time with Britta and he openly glared at her. Lily chose to ignore it and blamed the glare on his teenage hormones.
"Are you two coming to breakfast?" asked Lily, smiling falsely. Britta grinned and nodded, taking Eddie's hand and walking out of the Common Room. As Eddie passed Lily, he gave a small, but rough push against her shoulder and continued walking.
Lily stumbled a little and looked at her best friend both angrily and astonished. However, Eddie did not look back at her, so Lily knew it was not his usual playful shove; to be quite honest, it rather hurt her shoulder. Lily shook head for a second, than slapped her forehead to make sure she was not dreaming.
'What was that all about? What's got his wand in a knot?' Lily asked herself before shrugging and following after Eddie and Britta to breakfast.
Throughout the whole walk to breakfast, Eddie and Britta were holding hands and enjoying a comfortable silence, ignoring Lily. Lily felt like a complete third wheel and just quietly followed the couple, not saying a word as she contemplated how Eddie had gotten openly hostile with her. Sure, they had yelled and fought with each other in the past, but they had never resorted to being physical or even using their wands.
Before Lily could think about Eddie and his actions towards her any longer, she noticed that they had reached the Great Hall. Thankfully, Asher and Robyn were already there and were loading their plates with food. Lily felt better knowing that she would at least have those two to talk to, even though deep down it was Eddie she wanted to spend time with. Lily sighed as she sat down on the bench, realizing that Eddie had a girlfriend now and his time with her, his best friend would become increasingly limited. The thought sent a painful chill down her spine and she had to close her eyes to keep the room from spinning.
"Hey," said Lily as she took a seat next to Asher. Eddie and Britta took the seats across from them and were, to Lily's utmost fury and frustration, still holding hands and talking to one another; completely oblivious to everyone else.
"Hey Lily Billy," said Asher, spraying Lily with eggs. Lily groaned and loaded her own plate with food, all the while, not taking her flaming emerald eyes off of the new happy couple. She shivered with disgust when Britta leaned over and kissed Eddie on the cheek.
"Lily?" Asher asked, suddenly serious, breaking her thoughts. Lily turned to look at him. "Have you noticed anything…different about Eddie?"
"I'm not sure," said Lily slowly. "He did shove me back in the Common Room, but I don't know…" Her voice trailed off and she shrugged again. It seemed that it was the only thing she could do given the circumstances. Asher suddenly looked irate.
"He shoved you?"
"I suppose he was annoyed when I interrupted his conversation and cuddle time with Britta," Lily suggested casually. Asher's brow furrowed and he stared down at his plate thoughtfully, as though he were thinking about something. Lily knew that he was trying to carefully choose his words.
"He was pretty cranky before you and Robby came down," he said slowly. "He was also no ray of sunshine back in the dormitory either. I accidently used all of the hot water when taking a shower and he just blew up at me. Honestly, I've never seen Edie like that before; he looked about ready to hex me."
"Really?" asked Lily curiously, glancing at Eddie at the corner of her eye.
"Yeah, and then I used his comb to fix my hair," started Asher, "like I always do. He never had a problem with it before. When he saw me using it, he pulled out his wand and actually sent a Stinging Jinx at me. I managed to dodge it though…"
"What?" Lily hissed, astonished. "He tried to hit you with a Stinging Jinx just because you used his comb without permission? Are you being serious, Asher?"
"Dead serious," said Asher, nodding grimly. "And then he shoves you for interrupting a conversation? I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like the Eddie Weasley that we know."
"No, it doesn't," whispered Lily, looking thoughtful. "I reckon that maybe he's just having a bad day. He didn't get a lot of sleep last night…"
"It's unfortunate that the day hasn't even started yet," said Asher dryly. Lily glared at him for a moment before looking at Eddie again. He was smiling and talking pleasantly to his new girlfriend, Britta. He seemed alright now; maybe his grumpiness was due to a lack of sleep. Lily shrugged it off and continued eating her breakfast. At that moment, Robyn came skipping into the Great Hall, grinning like an idiot. Lily and Asher chuckled at her behavior and smiled in amusement.
"So, who's the lucky contestant today?" asked Lily jokingly. Robyn giggled and stuck her tongue at out Lily before taking her seat at the Gryffindor table. Lily made a face back at her friend and laughed.
While they continued to eat their breakfast in comfortable silence, they heard a giggle from across the table and the three looked over to Eddie kissing Britta passionately, a little too passionately. Lily was surprised that she managed to somehow control her temper and even more surprised when she did not throw her plate at the two. Asher pretended to vomit into his plate and Robyn made a face of disgust.
"Guys, I'm all for snogging but that's a little inappropriate for the Great Hall," said Robyn, frowning. "Couldn't you two do that in private?" Eddie pulled away from Britta to look up and glare at Robyn.
"Shove off Robyn!" he snarled before going back to kissing Britta. Somehow, Eddie managed to make the kiss even more inappropriate for the Great Hall. Other students from other House were beginning to stare and frown disapprovingly. Lily resorted to looking at her plate; but avoiding looking at the snogging couple did not wipe away the look of pure fury that was etched all over her features. Robyn blinked repeatedly and was startled by Eddie's attitude, but she refused to back down. She got to her feet and turned to the couple with her hands on her hips and with a glare on her face.
"That's it!" said Robyn, looking firm. "That is inappropriate behavior and I won't have you ignoring me like that. As Gryffindor prefect, I'm taking ten points from Gryffindor!" Eddie must have heard her words because he immediately stopped kissing Britta and shot Robyn a death glare.
"Why don't you learn to mind your own business, you dirty Mudblood!" snarled Eddie, looking directly at Robyn.
It seemed as though time stopped and there was a silence that filled the surrounding air. Britta gasped and frowned at Eddie as she backed away from him. Lily's mouth dropped and eyes widened dangerously and Asher began choking on his orange juice. Robyn was clearly startled at first, and she just stared at Eddie, her eyes blinking repeatedly as she tried to soak up the hurtful words that Eddie had said to her. When he did not apologize or even look remorseful for his actions, Robyn's big brown eyes started brimming with tears. She let out a choked sob and dashed out of the Great Hall with her hands buried in her face
Asher's fists were clenched and his jaw was set; teeth grinding; Lily had to hold the back of his robes to prevent him from leaping at Eddie. Lily, however, preferred to use her words at the current moment rather than her fists.
"What the bloody hell was that about?" shrieked Lily, rising to her feet, as though threatening Eddie with her stance.
"The Slytherins are right about her; she's a good-for-nothing whoring Mudblood!" Eddie nearly shouted, pounding his fist on the table. Asher looked ready to kill.
"You watch your mouth Weasley," he snarled.
Lily started shouted incredulously: "She's one of your best friends you bloody git! How could you say that about her?"
"Eddie!" Britta cried out sternly, trying to get his attention. It worked because Eddie immediately turned to look at her. "Lily is right. Robyn is your friend. What are you, a Slytherin now? Not even someone like a Malfoy or Dawsetta would sink so low to call their own friend such a name! You must apologize to Robyn."
Eddie stared at everyone for a minute before rising out of his seat and storming out of the Great Hall with his fists clenched and his face red with anger. Lily, Asher, and Britta just all stared wide-eyed at him as he walked, though Asher's face was also contorted with anger and the utmost fury as well.
"Now do you see what I'm talking about?" Asher asked Lily, nearly shouting at her. Lily was still staring at the oak doors that Eddie just walked through.
"Yes, I'm beginning to…" she whispered. "What's wrong with him?" Lily asked this question with more urgency in her voice.
"I'll go talk to him," said Britta as she got up from her seat. Lily was just so shocked over the whole ordeal that she just nodded, not knowing what else to do; even though deep down she wanted to be the one to go after Eddie and find out what was wrong with him. Britta quickly scurried out of the Great Hall after her boyfriend. Asher was still shouting at Lily.
"I'm telling you, there's something not right about him!" Asher's voice was shouting with the same kind of urgency that Lily had heard in her own voice.
"Yes," said Lily quietly. "Yes, there's definitely something wrong with him. We need to find out what the bloody hell happened."
Asher nodded in agreement but did not say anything. He did not have any more ideas than Lily did concerning Eddie's change in behavior. Instead, the two of them just looked towards the big oak doors in which Eddie had stormed through just a few moments ago.
Yes, Lily could not deny it, no matter how much she wanted to. There definitely was a change in Eddie's behavior and it was not for the better.
A note from the Jitterbelle. So, I wonder what's going on with Eddie? We shall see…sooner or later…only time will tell!
Thanks to all the reviewers and I hope you enjoy the story! Please don't forget to continue reviewing.
Coming in Chapter 10 - Lily gets fed up with Eddie's attitude and confronts him about it…
