A/N: Sorry this is a day late, I got confused and thought I had to wait for
Eihwaz to send me a B/N but apparently not. Just a note before the thank
yous - has anyone seen Win a Date With Tad Hamilton? Because if you have...
how ADORABLE is Pete (Topher Grace)? anyway. yes. Thank you to
chocoliciouz (LOL), EgyptsStar (well. haha. um you may have to be patient
for ALL of that... but see what you make of this. And no, no guy would
really be like Robert. I would hate them anyway - too sickly sweet!), Red-
Emerald, Invisible Voice (hmm), KrisKG (yes it was shorter) and PriBAngel.
Eihwaz says she is sorry this chapter is shorter.
Chapter 29
I had come to a decision, at last. Clearly I had to accept that I no longer loathed Potter - might, in fact, have leanings towards liking him. But that did not mean that I could do anything about it. I had Robert, I had Juliet and Rebecca, I did not need Potter to come and wreck my life like he had done to so many others. So he would not know that I liked him, and nor would anybody else. There was no reason not to pretend that I still hated him, and in practice just ignore him. No reason whatsoever.
We did not have exams this year, sandwiched between OWL and NEWT. Typically, I was in such a confused state of mind that I would have welcomed an opportunity to work and memorise facts that didn't really affect me. It just gave me time to brood.
Juliet and Rebecca had also picked up that I was 'on the prowl' as they put it. "Look, Lils, it's obvious that you're wrapped up in someone, and I doubt it's Robert... so just tell us who."
I shook my head. "No. It's no-one."
"Well, let's see. We can eliminate Potter, Black and Pettigrew... could be Lupin..."
"How do you know it's not Potter?" I said before I could stop myself.
They laughed. "Lils, we're not idiots. Nor will we be distracted that easily."
If only they knew...
To no-one's surprise, Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup again. Every year, one other house would claim to have a team stronger than Potter's, and every year he proved them wrong. I felt a strange sense of proudness as I watched him do his customary swoop round the pitch after his speech, and then I shook myself. Forget him, ignore him, I told myself. Thank heavens it was nearly summer. Then I could truly forget him.
The end of year feast was as good as ever. I piled food onto my plate and chatted to my friends - I could hardly believe I was going home later. Rest from Potter, it might be, but it was also incarceration with Petunia. Oh well. I'd survived it many times before. And it was the last summer holidays I'd ever have. Next summer I'd be getting a job, maybe even moving out of our house... and maybe Petunia would move out too. Sooner. She was planning to get married in the autumn, purely to spite me, I imagined, so that I'd have to live with her for one more summer. Juliet laughed, but she didn't seem to disagree. My sister should have been a witch - she would have fitted the muggle idea far better than me.
Between main course and dessert, Professor Dumbledore stood up. The hall fell silent.
"Just a quick word before you all tuck into the last course," he said, "which I know is more interesting than me... but anyway. Congratulations to all those who have just sat their OWLs and NEWTs, as well as the dreaded end of years lower down the school." We all laughed. "I've already said thank you to the staff, so I won't bother you with that, except to say we shall of course miss Professor Bulb, our much loved Herbology teacher - she will be replaced by a Professor Sprout in September." We all applauded dutifully. "And now, as is customary, I will announce next year's head boy and girl. Fourth years, you will hear about prefects in the post. Now, this year's pair may or may not come as a surprise. Actually, I predict that one will not surprise you at all. One may quite astound you, but as I say every year, I have to choose out of all of you and it is difficult. I have my reasons."
Head girl and boy... I had forgotten about that. I wondered who it would be as he did his traditional dramatic pause.
"Next year's head girl will be... Lily Evans! Please stand up, Lily, just in case a few people don't know who you are!"
I was stunned, but stumbled to my feet with a shy smile amidst thunderous applause and cheering. I began to understand how people felt when they won sporting events. So who would be head boy? My eyes swivelled round the hall. A Slytherin? Hopefully not. Could be a Hufflepuff...
"Clearly, Lily is the unsurprising one," Dumbledore continued, chuckling. "My choice for head boy is perhaps more unusual." As he held us in suspense again, I focused on the Ravenclaw table. It could be Robert. After all, it would be surprising, as he never stood out very much, but... "I have every confidence that Quidditch will not suffer due to this move, despite Professor McGonagall's most heartfelt concerns - James Potter, could you also stand up?"
I was horrified. Later, I was convinced that I must have fainted, but Juliet assured me that I did not. All that happened was my eyes glazed over and my grin became more fixed. My mind went into overdrive, but of course, nobody else could see that.
This was terrible. How did Potter get to be Head Boy? I vaguely heard Sirius Black shouting the same question. He was clever, of course, and good at Quidditch... popular too... but he was a bully, a prankster and entirely irresponsible! All right, I no longer loathed him, but that didn't mean he was suitable Head Boy material... or was I just biased? Dumbledore said he had good reason, so I would have to trust that.
That didn't help me, much, though! My plan for getting over Potter had been entirely based on ignoring him and forgetting him. If I had to spend hours a week working with him, how was I supposed to do that? Worse, how was I supposed to conceal it from him? It would be no more helpful if I actutally hated him, I supposed, but... Oh, God. Holy crap, as Robert would say.
Gradually, I refocused on the Great Hall. Juliet and Rebecca were making comments about 'Poor Lily, head girl with him!' but they didn't know the half of it. Potter himself was bright scarlet, and it wasn't hard to see that Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were ribbing him. My rigid smile relaxed a bit in amusement. Served him right for making such a bad boy image. But really... how was I supposed to get through the next year?
'Worry about it next year,' said a voice in my head.
'Good idea' said another voice.
'But how?' screamed a third.
It looked like there was not a lot I could do now, anyway. I decided to try and listen to the first two.
"Evans! Hey, Evans!" I heard Potter calling after me as we all boarded the Hogwarts Express the next day, and hid hurriedly.
"Poor, poor you," said Juliet in a heartfelt way.
"Yeah..." Rebecca joined in. "Potter, head boy? Dumbledore's off his rocker."
"I'll cope," I said bleakly.
"Course you will, you're Lily, you always do... but still."
I stretched out in my seat and stared into space. Head girl... my parents would be thrilled. So would I be, if only... well, all right, I was thrilled. I just wished it wasn't so darned complicated.
But they were right. I had coped with worse. I could do this. I lifted my head and grinned. "But still what? It'll be fine; trust me."
Eihwaz says she is sorry this chapter is shorter.
Chapter 29
I had come to a decision, at last. Clearly I had to accept that I no longer loathed Potter - might, in fact, have leanings towards liking him. But that did not mean that I could do anything about it. I had Robert, I had Juliet and Rebecca, I did not need Potter to come and wreck my life like he had done to so many others. So he would not know that I liked him, and nor would anybody else. There was no reason not to pretend that I still hated him, and in practice just ignore him. No reason whatsoever.
We did not have exams this year, sandwiched between OWL and NEWT. Typically, I was in such a confused state of mind that I would have welcomed an opportunity to work and memorise facts that didn't really affect me. It just gave me time to brood.
Juliet and Rebecca had also picked up that I was 'on the prowl' as they put it. "Look, Lils, it's obvious that you're wrapped up in someone, and I doubt it's Robert... so just tell us who."
I shook my head. "No. It's no-one."
"Well, let's see. We can eliminate Potter, Black and Pettigrew... could be Lupin..."
"How do you know it's not Potter?" I said before I could stop myself.
They laughed. "Lils, we're not idiots. Nor will we be distracted that easily."
If only they knew...
To no-one's surprise, Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup again. Every year, one other house would claim to have a team stronger than Potter's, and every year he proved them wrong. I felt a strange sense of proudness as I watched him do his customary swoop round the pitch after his speech, and then I shook myself. Forget him, ignore him, I told myself. Thank heavens it was nearly summer. Then I could truly forget him.
The end of year feast was as good as ever. I piled food onto my plate and chatted to my friends - I could hardly believe I was going home later. Rest from Potter, it might be, but it was also incarceration with Petunia. Oh well. I'd survived it many times before. And it was the last summer holidays I'd ever have. Next summer I'd be getting a job, maybe even moving out of our house... and maybe Petunia would move out too. Sooner. She was planning to get married in the autumn, purely to spite me, I imagined, so that I'd have to live with her for one more summer. Juliet laughed, but she didn't seem to disagree. My sister should have been a witch - she would have fitted the muggle idea far better than me.
Between main course and dessert, Professor Dumbledore stood up. The hall fell silent.
"Just a quick word before you all tuck into the last course," he said, "which I know is more interesting than me... but anyway. Congratulations to all those who have just sat their OWLs and NEWTs, as well as the dreaded end of years lower down the school." We all laughed. "I've already said thank you to the staff, so I won't bother you with that, except to say we shall of course miss Professor Bulb, our much loved Herbology teacher - she will be replaced by a Professor Sprout in September." We all applauded dutifully. "And now, as is customary, I will announce next year's head boy and girl. Fourth years, you will hear about prefects in the post. Now, this year's pair may or may not come as a surprise. Actually, I predict that one will not surprise you at all. One may quite astound you, but as I say every year, I have to choose out of all of you and it is difficult. I have my reasons."
Head girl and boy... I had forgotten about that. I wondered who it would be as he did his traditional dramatic pause.
"Next year's head girl will be... Lily Evans! Please stand up, Lily, just in case a few people don't know who you are!"
I was stunned, but stumbled to my feet with a shy smile amidst thunderous applause and cheering. I began to understand how people felt when they won sporting events. So who would be head boy? My eyes swivelled round the hall. A Slytherin? Hopefully not. Could be a Hufflepuff...
"Clearly, Lily is the unsurprising one," Dumbledore continued, chuckling. "My choice for head boy is perhaps more unusual." As he held us in suspense again, I focused on the Ravenclaw table. It could be Robert. After all, it would be surprising, as he never stood out very much, but... "I have every confidence that Quidditch will not suffer due to this move, despite Professor McGonagall's most heartfelt concerns - James Potter, could you also stand up?"
I was horrified. Later, I was convinced that I must have fainted, but Juliet assured me that I did not. All that happened was my eyes glazed over and my grin became more fixed. My mind went into overdrive, but of course, nobody else could see that.
This was terrible. How did Potter get to be Head Boy? I vaguely heard Sirius Black shouting the same question. He was clever, of course, and good at Quidditch... popular too... but he was a bully, a prankster and entirely irresponsible! All right, I no longer loathed him, but that didn't mean he was suitable Head Boy material... or was I just biased? Dumbledore said he had good reason, so I would have to trust that.
That didn't help me, much, though! My plan for getting over Potter had been entirely based on ignoring him and forgetting him. If I had to spend hours a week working with him, how was I supposed to do that? Worse, how was I supposed to conceal it from him? It would be no more helpful if I actutally hated him, I supposed, but... Oh, God. Holy crap, as Robert would say.
Gradually, I refocused on the Great Hall. Juliet and Rebecca were making comments about 'Poor Lily, head girl with him!' but they didn't know the half of it. Potter himself was bright scarlet, and it wasn't hard to see that Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were ribbing him. My rigid smile relaxed a bit in amusement. Served him right for making such a bad boy image. But really... how was I supposed to get through the next year?
'Worry about it next year,' said a voice in my head.
'Good idea' said another voice.
'But how?' screamed a third.
It looked like there was not a lot I could do now, anyway. I decided to try and listen to the first two.
"Evans! Hey, Evans!" I heard Potter calling after me as we all boarded the Hogwarts Express the next day, and hid hurriedly.
"Poor, poor you," said Juliet in a heartfelt way.
"Yeah..." Rebecca joined in. "Potter, head boy? Dumbledore's off his rocker."
"I'll cope," I said bleakly.
"Course you will, you're Lily, you always do... but still."
I stretched out in my seat and stared into space. Head girl... my parents would be thrilled. So would I be, if only... well, all right, I was thrilled. I just wished it wasn't so darned complicated.
But they were right. I had coped with worse. I could do this. I lifted my head and grinned. "But still what? It'll be fine; trust me."