Catch Me If You Can
Chapter Twenty Four ll Raindrops And Snowflakes
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About ten minutes after James had left, Lily sat dolefully on her bed and began to cry. She didn't even know why. She just felt so miserable.
"Lily?"
It had been ages since the tears had fallen, and Lily peered through watery eyes to find Paige and Anna, standing side by side. Like usual. It was funny, almost, but Lily was in no laughing mood.
"I'm fine, I'm alright," she murmured before anyone said anything.
"You're a horrible liar," proclaimed Anna, walking forward and placing her hands on Lily's shoulder, "I'd hate for my hair to be covered in gum, too, you know."
"It's not just that... it's... well, we'll need to cut it out and..." Lily sniffed despairingly and wiped away a tear.
"It's all over your hair... you'd be snipping off almost everything," Paige whispered, looking mortified.
"I know!" the redhead mourned, burying her face in her hands.
"What about peanut butter?" Anna suggested softly.
"No! No, no, no! I remember when I was three, Petunia got gum in her hair and mum put peanut butter on it... It didn't work at all! It made her smell awful and they had to wash it all out in the end, then cut it off," Lily cried.
"Well, then, you definitely did something wrong there. Peanut butter is supposed to get it out."
"I don't care! I'm not a bloody sandwich!"
"Okay, okay. Is there some spell, maybe?" Paige tried.
"Shouldn't you know that?" Anna asked her, as Paige was a pure-blood witch. Paige shrugged.
"I've never heard of a spell that did such a thing as getting gum out of your hair."
Lily shook her head, "Forget it. Just cut... it. Just cut my hair. I don't care."
Anna bit her lip and glanced at Paige, who shrugged.
"Alright, Lily. We'll cut it."
---
About an hour later, Lily looked into the mirror. Her hair barely reached her chin, and her green eyes clouded over with tears.
"You did a gr--great job," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, "I j--just can't b--bear it--"
She broke down entirely and began to sob. She had been very fond of her long red hair.
Anna hugged her tightly.
Lily dreaded the next day. She entered the Great Hall for breakfast, after gaining a bit of confidence. James hung back a little; the two hadn't spoken since their last conversation.
"What's up, carrot head?" jeered a Slytherin. His remark was followed by loud guffaws from surrounding Slytherins.
Lily simply swept them a look of scorn then turned away quickly so they wouldn't see her tears.
For the entire day, people kept making fun of her haircut. A first-year Hufflepuff that had a crush on James didn't fail to inform Lily that her haircut made her look like a boy. She didn't stop sneering until Paige stepped out and threatened to turn her hair into snakes.
The teasing finally stopped when James took charge and threatened to hex the next person who made fun of Lily.
The very long day came to an end for the redhead. She escaped from all the horror and ran back into the castle from Herbology, without saying so much of a word to Paige and Anna. The worst thing was, though, that she'd have to go through the same thing the very next day. And the day after that. And it just kept going.
Sick of running, Lily collapsed onto the cold stone floor and began to cry. Luckily, the corridor was deserted so she was able to sob without anyone bothering her.
When her sobs did die down a little, a warm hand touched the back of her shoulder, "Lily?"
Lily looked up, and saw Madam Leyla. She then realised she was sitting right outside the Hospital Wing.
She managed a watery smile.
Madam Leyla bent down with a soft smile, "What's wrong, dear? Why did you cut your hair?"
Madam Leyla and Lily had a close relationship, since Lily had been to the Hospital Wing quite a few times.
The entire story poured out; how James had put gum in her hair, how it was basically impossible to get out, how Anna and Paige had to cut away almost all her hair, and how everyone teased her about the short, scampy haircut.
Madam Leyla was sympathetic and kind; she listened and stroked Lily's back comfortingly.
"I can't handle it anymore!" Lily finished up her story indignantly, her eyes blazing, "I just want my old hair back!"
"Why didn't you come to me?" Madam Leyla gently asked, straightening up.
Lily found hope in her words, "Could you have taken the gum out?" Madam Leyla bit her lip, "No, not quite, dear... But I do have a potion that will make your hair grow back to it's usual length, given that it hasn't been forty-eight hours since it was cut off."
"Really?" Lily squealed, looking as if she was born again.
Madam Leyla smiled and straightened up, "Yes. Come on up, now, and I'll get some ready for you now, if you want." "Oh, thank you!"
It was easier said than done. Madam Leyla had to measure the length of how long Lily's hair used to be, then added some contents in a cauldron. She let it bubble for a while, then she stirred it right four times, left two times, stopped stirring precisely for seven seconds, let it simmer for approximately six minutes, then instantly plucked up the lid and dropped precisely two teaspoons of some grey powder in. The elderly lady's face was covered in sweat as the potion let out a small explosion, and she breathed a sigh of relief while fetching the ladle.
Lily was sitting on a nearby hospital bed, flicking through some out-of-date "Teen Witches".
Madam Leyla, wiping the sweat from her brow, took a steaming glass of the potion to Lily.
"Here you go, dear," she said breathessly, "You must drink all of it."
"Thank you," Lily said with a sincere smile, taking the glass. Madam Leyla managed a quick, brief smile before bustling off to clean the cauldron.
Lily took a cautious sip and felt the back of her head tingle. Wondering if it was her imagination, she lifted her hand and brushed her red hair. Yes, it was definitely longer!
Excitedly, the redhead gulped down the rest. If the potion tasted awful, she didn't notice.
Thirty seconds later, Lily was admiring her beautiful red hair. She exclaimed over it and brushed it lovingly, while gazing at her reflection in the mirror Madam Leyla had conjured.
Before she left, Lily hugged the elderly lady tightly.
"Thank you so much," she whispered, washed over by the scent of vanilla.
Madam Leyla smiled, "Anytime, dear."
---
"Good EVENING everyone!" Lily yelled as she leapt into the common, dragging the word "evening" into about ten syllables, and hoping against hope that someone she at least knew was in the common-room.
Her wish was granted.
"Lily? Lily! Your hair!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes popping out. Paige peered from behind her and almost toppled off her armchair.
"What happened?" the two chorused.
Grinning, Lily explained the whole, big, fat story.
"Hey, that's brilliant!" Paige exclaimed at the end, "But I reckon you should -- you know --" meaningful glance at Anna, "--apologise to James. I think you almost broke his nose."
"And he hexed Martin Sanders and cursed Natalie Dickinson for you," Anna piped up, "You know -- that weird Slytherin and bratty first-year who gave you a hard time about your cropped hair."
Lily took a handful of her red curls and let them slip past her fingers, "Yeah... I know. I was just really angry at the prick for putting gum in my hair... But I didn't really want to break his nose--"
The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and the Marauders stepped in.
"Right on time," Paige murmured.
"Lily! What happened to -- your -- hair?" Sirius gasped, clutching at his chest.
"He's going to have a heart attack," Remus yelled with a grin, pushing his best back into the armchair beside Paige's.
After the laughing as subsided, Anna poked Lily and gave her a meaningful look.
Paige nodded at her, then stood up, "OUT OF THE WAY, EVERYONE. We need to leave them alone to -- to talk," she glanced at James and Lily.
"Ahhh, yes sirree," Sirius said with an acknowledging nod, "LET ME LEAD THE WAY. Hi-ho, hi-ho..."
They trooped to the other side of the common-room, and strained their ears to listen to the two.
James looked at Lily's hair, "So... how did you get it to grow back so quickly?" he asked awkwardly.
Lily inwardly sighed; talking to James was always weird and uncomfortable.
"Madam Leyla brewed up this potion -- and yeah."
"Ooooh."
Silence.
"Look, I'm sorry for throwing the clock at you," Lily said resignedly, "Really. I was just... really angry and upset at the same time. And I had ran out of books, too."
James simply nodded and gave one of his adorable half-smiles, "Well, I'm sorry for placing the gum in your hair. It just seemed funny at the time."
Lily also smiled, which surprised him, "Yeah, I understand..."
The two looked up and smiled shyly at each other.
---
"Raindrops keep falling on my head," Lily paused and clapped twice, "But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning RED, crying's not for me, 'cause--"
"I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'," Paige joined in, sitting on top of her trunk in hopes to shut it.
"Because I'm freeeeee, nothing's worrying meeee," the two crooned, while Anna giggled.
The girls were packing their trunks and suitcases for their Christmas break. The three of them were returning back to their homes for a good holiday.
"Stupid -- zip!" Lily cried, trying to zip her suitcase, which was hard as she had shoved three months' worth of clothes in it.
Paige giggled, "Let me help you!"
"Me too!" Anna exclaimed.
They all tried struggled with the zip, until it was zipped up enough to Lily's satisfaction.
Di came up a few moments later, and packed her clothes hastily. Finally, the four girls struggled down the stairs into the common-room, where most of the Gryffindors were waiting.
Sirius and Peter were the only ones staying at Hogwarts, and they sat dejectedly on the armchairs as the girls joined Remus and James. Lily scrambled onto her suitcase and sat there, waiting patiently.
They all chatted for a little while.
Ten minutes later, Professor McGonagall came up to the common-room. She looked flustered, and was holding a scroll of parchment. She had just finished taking the first years down.
"Second years!" she called, "Down to the Great Hall!"
After saying goodbye to Sirius and Peter, who had decided to stay in the warm castle, the other two Marauders and four girls dragged their belongings down with them. They climbed down stairs and went across the Entrance Hall. Finally, they were out in the chilly weather, shivering with the first years as their luggage got thrown aboard the Knight Bus. The bus at the moment looked like a skyscraper, as there was an additional seven levels on it that would allow the Hogwarts student on board.
Almost an hour later, all the students from first to seventh year were outside. The first years climbed on, which caused a lot of commotion. Professor McGonagall screamed at them and threatened a month's detention to the next person who pushed or shoved.
Finally, it was the second years' turn.
Managing to get on uneventfully, Lily ran to the corner and claimed a bed.
It took almost another hour for the entire school (well, all the students who were going home for Christmas and hadn't made plans to go by Floo Powder or Apparation [if you were an of-age wizard] ) to climb aboard.
With an almighty BANG!, the bus whooshed off. Lily and the others, who had been absorbed in a game of cards, all yelped and fell back onto the floor.
The night went on. The bus went on. It stopped very abruptly to let students off.
The group played card games, Exploding Snap, Gobstones and Truth or Dare. It was almost one-thirty in the morning when they finally nodded off to sleep. At four o'clock, the conductor yelled on an intercom, it seemed, "SLATE STREET CORNER MEETING WITH FORTIETH AVENUE! ANYONE FOR SLATE STREET CORNER MEETING WITH FORTIETH AVENUE?"
Remus snapped out of his sleep, grabbed the small microphone next to his bed and murmured, "I'm getting off here..."
"Bye, Remus," James mumbled, his eyes tightly shut.
"See ya," Remus said, his eyes half-closed. He waved to the sleeping girls and went downstairs.
Five minutes later, the bus started again. It started so suddenly the beds went haywire and slid across the room.
None of the tired students seemed to notice. Or care.
Next to get off was Anna, then Di, then Paige.
When it was six-thirty on the dot, Lily and James' stop came. They (very sleepily) dragged themselves off the almost-deserted bus and stood on the pavement, their belongings all sitting behind them.
"Let's just sleep here and wait for morning..." Lily mumbled, putting her head on her suitcase and making herself comfortable.
James yawned, "Noo..." he yawned again, "Come on... I see our houses up ahead..."
Very reluctantly, Lily straightened up and grabbed hold of her suitcase. They trudged up ahead through the cold, dark air.
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---->A/N: Abrupt ending, but oh well! --MSQ.