Hey! I'm so bad-- I posted three chapters today! LOL! They were short, so don't give me any guff. And if you can't wait for my next posting READ KY's STORY! It's great! No joke!

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Chapter 7

Itching For Love

Thursday after lunch was Potions class. Unfortunately, Lily, Madison, and Belle were running very late. They flew down the corridors, leaping down flights of steps and skidding around corners.

They dashed down the marble stairs in the Grand Hall, and then turned a sharp right. Then, it was down a sloping corridor, around a corner, around one more corridor. Lily flung open the door just as the late bell sounded.

"Whew! We made it!" Belle panted, rushing to the back of the class and dumping her things on the worktable. Lily followed suit.

No less than two seconds later, Professor Walter- the Potions master, and Head of Slytherin- entered the room. His long, olive robes billowed out behind him, as he strode into the room. He walked up to his desk at the head of the room, and looked out at his class with distaste.

"Good afternoon." He replied. He shoved his black hair behind his ears, and leaned against his desk, pulling out the class roster. "Slytherin and Gryffindor, eh?" He glanced over the page, and took roll mentally. "Now then! Pray tell us, Mr. Black: What is an Itching Potion?"

"A potion that makes you itchy." Sirius declared proudly.

"Obviously, Mr. Black! A little more than that!" Walter scolded. "If you had read this week's assignment, it would have told you. 5 points from Gryffindor, for your cheek. Mr. Snape, you try."

"A potion that causes a prickle or irritation that makes you feel the need to scratch yourself." Siverus said, as Sirius mimicked him behind his back.

"Exactly! 5 points to Slytherin- for a job well done." Walter said. "Now, open your books to page 42, and get out the ingredients listed."

With a shuffle of papers, and a clinking of bottles, the class did as they were told. Lily pulled out her cauldron, and struggled to set it between Belle and herself.

"You may begin to brew your itching potion. When you're finished, bring it up here, and I will test it. DO NOT test it on each other, or you'll be facing a hefty detention, Black and Potter." Walter said, eyeing Sirius and James, who were chuckling in whispers.

"What?" Sirius asked innocently. "We weren't plotting anything!"

"Sure he wasn't…" Belle chuckled. "Anyway, first ingredient?"

"Powdered root of Asphodel." Lily replied, smashing the root until it was as smooth and as soft as sand. Then she tipped it in the pot as Belle added the 5 beetle eyes.

"Er, do you want to chop up the frog intestines?" Belle asked, nauseously.

"Do I have to?" Lily moaned, picking up the knife, and plopping a pile of the slippery, pink insides on the table.

"Urgh! It moved!" Belle said, laughing.

"No it didn't…"

"Yes! Yes it did!" Belle chuckled. "Gross."

"Just put it in." Lily sighed. Belle scooped it off the table and tossed it with a squelsh into their mixture. Lily gently poured in some water that quickly turned red.

"Is it supposed to be that color?" Belle asked, leaning over their cauldron inquisitively.

"Why shouldn't it?" Lily replied worriedly, leaning over the pot as well. They both scrutinized their potion as James called out to the professor.

"Professor Walter…" James said. "Sirius and I are done with our potion."

"Very well." Walter said from his desk. "Bring it here-- carefully."

Walter didn't look up from the papers he was correcting, or he would have seen the eager and pleased looks on James and Sirius's faces. They glanced at Lucius and Siverus, and grinned as though Christmas had come early. James picked up their cauldron and started down the aisle to Walter.

However, he "accidentally" tripped when he was less than two feet from Lucius. The bubbling orange liquid spilled all over the two Slytherin boys.

"Oh God! You klutz!" Lucius shouted and James who was laughing hysterically. "Jesus!" Lucius moaned, as he started to scratch his arms.

"Professor!" Snape yelled, trying to scratch his back and neck. The Gryffindors broke out into a chorus of laughter and applause.

"Mr. Potter!" Walter shouted angrily. "I specifically told you lot to be careful! And look at what you've done!"

"I'm so sorry, Professor, sir." James said, through tears of laughter. "I-- tripped."

"No you did not!" Lucius hollered, scratching his knees violently. Lily almost thought he would rip his kneecaps apart.

"Detentions for the both of you! I am without a doubt that you did that on purpose!" Walter shouted.

"Dude! How cool!" Sirius cheered, leaping up and down. "We actually do our potion right, and we get a detention! This is the best day ever!"

"Totally!" James said, giving Sirius a cheesy high five.

Later that evening, when Lily was busy doing her homework, there was a loud tap on the window next to Lily. She turned, and saw a huge barn owl, clacking its beak impatiently on the glass.

Lily opened it hurriedly. The owl flopped a letter in her lap, and sat on her knee with a content gleam in its eye.

She unfolded the note, and recognized the handwriting to be Amos Diggory's.

My Dear Lily,

How are you? How is Hogwarts? It must be so strange without me there. Ha ha! But, guess what happened to me? Well, you never will, so I'll tell you:

I've been accepted into the Ministry of Magic! Can you believe it? In the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures! It's fantastic!

I'm moving to London next week, as well. Not sure for how long, but I'm sure it will be worth it to live in the city for a while. I'm so excited to leave my parents house and get a place of my own. I think that it will be very rewarding.

And Lily, as soon as you graduate, we're off to travel the world… just like you've always wanted. I can promise you that. It'll be a bit of a business outing, though- I'm sure you won't mind sharing a car with some of my fellow workers at the Ministry; you're such a good sport.

It will be perfect. And I won't pretend anymore. I honestly adore you Lily. I find you very endearing and with this new job, I can really give you the ideal life that you deserve. I'll do anything for you, Lily Evans.

I pray to hear from you soon, and I love you very much,

Yours alone,

Amos Diggory

When Lily finished reading the letter, she could scarcely breath. Amos found Lily endearing? He loved her? Was that what he said? Lily quickly read the letter again.

He wanted to give her a perfect life… he wanted to fulfill her dream of traveling… he would do anything for her?

"What's that?" Someone asked, making Lily jump in surprise.

"Oh, James. It's just you." Lily sighed. "A letter from Amos."

"Amos Diggory? The Hufflepuff pretty boy? No way! He graduated last year, right? And he wrote to you?" James laughed in surprise. "Let me see it."

"No!" Lily said, pulling the letter out of his reach.

"Oh come on, Lily. Lemme see it." James pressed. "What's the worst it could say? 'I'll love you til the day I die?!' Come on!"

"No, James! It's private!" Lily exclaimed. Lily held the letter high away from James' reach, but he tried to stretch over her and get to it until he almost knocked Lily off her chair.

"Back off!" Lily laughed. "I'm not going to let you see it!"

"Ow! James!" Sirius catcalled. "Take it down a notch." He said in a voice close to Dr. Evil's, and hurrying over to join them. "What are we trying to get Jamie?"

"That letter-- and don't call me Jamie." James replied.

"Ah ha! No problem-o, Jame-o!" Sirius said, gracefully shoving Lily off her chair.

"Okay! That's enough!" Lily laughed, as James pinned her to the floor.

"Give us the letter, or we'll… uh…"

"Take your life!" Sirius chimed in, crouching down on the floor with his wand held playfully at her throat. Lily crumpled up the letter and quickly jammed it into her mouth.

"So there!" She tried to say.

"Ew… gross. The ink turned your tongue black… That is so disgusting!" James laughed, clutching his stomach.

"It did!? Ew!" Lily said, pulling the paper out of her mouth, shoving James off of her, and sticking her tongue out trying to see if it truly was black. Lily and James broke down into hysterical laughter.

When Lily had finished wiping tears out of her eyes, she was leaning against James gasping for air, and Sirius was watching them strangely.

"You know what's funny?" He asked. "Watching two idiots crack up for no reason whatsoever. Whew! Talk about a slap on the knee!" He said, doing just that.

"Stuff it, Si!" Lily and James shouted at the same time. They both grabbed his ankles, and pulled him onto the floor next to them.