Disclaimer: Property of J.K
Chapter 11:
Lily was just leaving the hospital wing when she bumped into Rachael and Beth, both looking very worried.
"What happened Lily, Potter said you were in the hospital wing. What are you wearing?" Rachael said when she saw Lily.
"Oh, em, I was out for a walk last night and I felt a bit tired and I sort of fell asleep and Potter found me this morning and brought me up here." Lily said quickly, then tugged at the baggy, flowery dress she was wearing, "this thing belongs to the matron, I had a choice between wearing this or nothing, so the dress won."
"It's, well ... floral." Beth said with a smile, "But are you alright?"
"Yeah, course I'm all right, why wouldn't I be?"
"Em.. Because you were out all night in the rain. Are you sure you're ok?" Rachael said, still looking concerned.
"Yep, I said I was didn't I, but the matron says I can't go to Hogsmead."
"That's not really surprising," Beth said, "we'll stay here with you."
"No you can't." Lily said suddenly.
"Why not exactly?" Rachael asked, confused.
"Because I have those dress robes on order from 'Witch's wardrobe' the owner said if I don't pick them up today then she'll give them to someone else." Lily said, "I completely forgot about them, can one of you get them for me?" she asked hopefully.
"I'll get them Lily," Beth said and Rachael can stay with you. "They won't let her back in there anyway, not after last time."
Lily giggled. "I had no idea that the juice was going to burn holes in the robes," Rachael said defiantly.
Lily looked at her suspiciously, "It was called 'Fire Hot Pumpkin Juice' if I remember correctly, and we were going to put it in Potter's Pumpkin juice, but then you spilled it all over those robes and got yourself banned from going there again."
Rachael grinned. "Ok, I'm sorry Miss bossy-boots, but Beth isn't banned so she can get them."
The three girls reached the portrait hole, said the password and went into the common room.
"I think you should go with Beth." Lily said to Rachael, "I'll be fine, honest."
"Hmm, we'll see," Rachael said, still unsure whether or not to go to Hogsmead.
Beth turned to Lily, "There's James, maybe you should thank him."
"I already did." Lily said blushing slightly.
"You did?" Rachael asked, " someone's changed their tune, she mimicked Lily "'If I remember correctly' not long ago he was a big-headed prat."
"Yeah well, maybe he's grown up a bit, he was acting ok earlier." Lily said.
"Good God," Beth pretended to faint, falling backwards into an armchair, "What is this world coming to?"
At that moment Sirius came up behind Rachael snaking his arms around her waist, "Are you ready to go to Hogsmead?" He asked her.
"Sirius, I'm really sorry, I can't Lily's ill, I'm staying here with her." Rachael said, turning to face Sirius.
"No I'm not ill!" Lily said, "Rachael please go to Hogsmead."
"I don't know, what if you fall ill while I'm there?"
"James isn't going, the poor poppet has a cold, and Lauren is banned form this trip." Sirius said, "You promised!"
"You did promise." Said Lily
"Fine! I'll go," said Rachael, but don't do anything stupid like going for another nap in the rain." She said warningly to Lily.
"I won't, I promise." Lily said, smiling. "Ok, well we better go now then," Rachael said. "We'll see you this evening." And she took Sirius's hand and left the common room.
Fifteen minutes later Beth left leaving Lily with Lauren, James and a bunch of first and second years.
James went upstairs to get his broomstick and his polish, the handle was getting a bit dull and this would be a good time to polish it. When he came back down Lily wasn't there.
"D'ya know where Lily is?" He asked Lauren, trying to sound casual, but she wasn't fooled.
"God, you're so obvious," she said with a grin.
"Do you know where she is Lauren?" He asked her again.
"Hmm, let me think," She said, pretending to be thinking hard.
"Lauren!"
"Ok, ok, keep your hair on, she went upstairs to get changed. She'll probably be back down soon."
James said thanks and went to sit on the sofa beside the fire. About ten minutes later Lily came down the stairs from the girls' dormitories dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and carrying a book. She sat on the other side of the sofa from James and held her hands over the fire.
"Why is it always so cold in here?" she asked.
Lauren smiled, "I don't know, I asked Professor McGonagal once but she just told me to stop asking stupid questions when I was supposed to be doing a test."
Lily smiled back and said, "Well, they obviously just don't want us to know."
"Yeah," Lauren replied fingering a ring in her lip.
"Did it hurt?" Lily asked her.
"Did what hurt?"
"The lip ring."
"Yeah, like hell, but I can be a bit of a weakling." Lauren said with a grin, "my brother Alex did it for me before he moved away."
Lily was surprised, she hadn't known Lauren had any brothers or sisters, she realised that she didn't really know anything about her at all, despite being in all her classes for seven years.
"Do you have any other brothers or sisters?" Lily asked her.
Lauren grimaced, "Yeah a sister, she's two years older than me. A muggle like the rest of my family, they all think I'm a bit of a weirdo, except from Alex. He's 22, but he doesn't get on with my family so he moved down south this summer." She sighed, "I can't wait until I'm old enough to move away."
Lily smiled sympathetically, "I have an older sister called Petunia." She pulled a face, "We don't get on. She thinks I'm a freak, because of Hogwarts. But my parents don't, they're proud."
"God I wish mine were proud," Lauren said, "Last summer they asked if it was possible for me to stay a Hogwarts during the summer holidays. What kind of parents do that?"
Lily was shocked, "That's horrible, are they like that to your sister."
"God no. Jennifer is perfection in their eyes. When I'm at home, it always, 'why can't you be more like Jennifer,' or 'Jennifer would never do something as stupid as that.' They even used to compare Alex to Jennifer." Lauren said bitterly, "And they have no idea what a bitch Jennifer is when they're not around."
"That's really awful," Lily said, feeling really sorry for Lauren.
"It's ok though, I go and stay with my Gran in the summer holidays sometimes, she understands."
"Well at least you have her." Lily said.
"Yeah, thank the lord for that, now Alex has moved away I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my Gran."
"Yeah," Lily said thoughtfully.
+*+*+*+*+*+*+
James looked at the book Lily was reading, it was 'Quidditch through the Ages'. "Hey," he said to her, "I didn't know you liked Quidditch."
Lily raised her eyebrows, "There's a lot of things you don't know about me Potter."
"Do you play?" He asked her.
She sighed, "Not very well, my hand eye co-ordination is non-existent."
James grabbed his chance, "I could teach you, I mean if you want sometime."
Lily looked at him to see if he was being serious, but there was no sign that he was joking, so she smiled and said, "Yeah that'd be good." And went back to reading her book.
For the second time that day James punched the hair and said, "Yes!" but this time he did it in his head.
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Hope you enjoyed. Review! Thanks xxx
Chapter 11:
Lily was just leaving the hospital wing when she bumped into Rachael and Beth, both looking very worried.
"What happened Lily, Potter said you were in the hospital wing. What are you wearing?" Rachael said when she saw Lily.
"Oh, em, I was out for a walk last night and I felt a bit tired and I sort of fell asleep and Potter found me this morning and brought me up here." Lily said quickly, then tugged at the baggy, flowery dress she was wearing, "this thing belongs to the matron, I had a choice between wearing this or nothing, so the dress won."
"It's, well ... floral." Beth said with a smile, "But are you alright?"
"Yeah, course I'm all right, why wouldn't I be?"
"Em.. Because you were out all night in the rain. Are you sure you're ok?" Rachael said, still looking concerned.
"Yep, I said I was didn't I, but the matron says I can't go to Hogsmead."
"That's not really surprising," Beth said, "we'll stay here with you."
"No you can't." Lily said suddenly.
"Why not exactly?" Rachael asked, confused.
"Because I have those dress robes on order from 'Witch's wardrobe' the owner said if I don't pick them up today then she'll give them to someone else." Lily said, "I completely forgot about them, can one of you get them for me?" she asked hopefully.
"I'll get them Lily," Beth said and Rachael can stay with you. "They won't let her back in there anyway, not after last time."
Lily giggled. "I had no idea that the juice was going to burn holes in the robes," Rachael said defiantly.
Lily looked at her suspiciously, "It was called 'Fire Hot Pumpkin Juice' if I remember correctly, and we were going to put it in Potter's Pumpkin juice, but then you spilled it all over those robes and got yourself banned from going there again."
Rachael grinned. "Ok, I'm sorry Miss bossy-boots, but Beth isn't banned so she can get them."
The three girls reached the portrait hole, said the password and went into the common room.
"I think you should go with Beth." Lily said to Rachael, "I'll be fine, honest."
"Hmm, we'll see," Rachael said, still unsure whether or not to go to Hogsmead.
Beth turned to Lily, "There's James, maybe you should thank him."
"I already did." Lily said blushing slightly.
"You did?" Rachael asked, " someone's changed their tune, she mimicked Lily "'If I remember correctly' not long ago he was a big-headed prat."
"Yeah well, maybe he's grown up a bit, he was acting ok earlier." Lily said.
"Good God," Beth pretended to faint, falling backwards into an armchair, "What is this world coming to?"
At that moment Sirius came up behind Rachael snaking his arms around her waist, "Are you ready to go to Hogsmead?" He asked her.
"Sirius, I'm really sorry, I can't Lily's ill, I'm staying here with her." Rachael said, turning to face Sirius.
"No I'm not ill!" Lily said, "Rachael please go to Hogsmead."
"I don't know, what if you fall ill while I'm there?"
"James isn't going, the poor poppet has a cold, and Lauren is banned form this trip." Sirius said, "You promised!"
"You did promise." Said Lily
"Fine! I'll go," said Rachael, but don't do anything stupid like going for another nap in the rain." She said warningly to Lily.
"I won't, I promise." Lily said, smiling. "Ok, well we better go now then," Rachael said. "We'll see you this evening." And she took Sirius's hand and left the common room.
Fifteen minutes later Beth left leaving Lily with Lauren, James and a bunch of first and second years.
James went upstairs to get his broomstick and his polish, the handle was getting a bit dull and this would be a good time to polish it. When he came back down Lily wasn't there.
"D'ya know where Lily is?" He asked Lauren, trying to sound casual, but she wasn't fooled.
"God, you're so obvious," she said with a grin.
"Do you know where she is Lauren?" He asked her again.
"Hmm, let me think," She said, pretending to be thinking hard.
"Lauren!"
"Ok, ok, keep your hair on, she went upstairs to get changed. She'll probably be back down soon."
James said thanks and went to sit on the sofa beside the fire. About ten minutes later Lily came down the stairs from the girls' dormitories dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and carrying a book. She sat on the other side of the sofa from James and held her hands over the fire.
"Why is it always so cold in here?" she asked.
Lauren smiled, "I don't know, I asked Professor McGonagal once but she just told me to stop asking stupid questions when I was supposed to be doing a test."
Lily smiled back and said, "Well, they obviously just don't want us to know."
"Yeah," Lauren replied fingering a ring in her lip.
"Did it hurt?" Lily asked her.
"Did what hurt?"
"The lip ring."
"Yeah, like hell, but I can be a bit of a weakling." Lauren said with a grin, "my brother Alex did it for me before he moved away."
Lily was surprised, she hadn't known Lauren had any brothers or sisters, she realised that she didn't really know anything about her at all, despite being in all her classes for seven years.
"Do you have any other brothers or sisters?" Lily asked her.
Lauren grimaced, "Yeah a sister, she's two years older than me. A muggle like the rest of my family, they all think I'm a bit of a weirdo, except from Alex. He's 22, but he doesn't get on with my family so he moved down south this summer." She sighed, "I can't wait until I'm old enough to move away."
Lily smiled sympathetically, "I have an older sister called Petunia." She pulled a face, "We don't get on. She thinks I'm a freak, because of Hogwarts. But my parents don't, they're proud."
"God I wish mine were proud," Lauren said, "Last summer they asked if it was possible for me to stay a Hogwarts during the summer holidays. What kind of parents do that?"
Lily was shocked, "That's horrible, are they like that to your sister."
"God no. Jennifer is perfection in their eyes. When I'm at home, it always, 'why can't you be more like Jennifer,' or 'Jennifer would never do something as stupid as that.' They even used to compare Alex to Jennifer." Lauren said bitterly, "And they have no idea what a bitch Jennifer is when they're not around."
"That's really awful," Lily said, feeling really sorry for Lauren.
"It's ok though, I go and stay with my Gran in the summer holidays sometimes, she understands."
"Well at least you have her." Lily said.
"Yeah, thank the lord for that, now Alex has moved away I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my Gran."
"Yeah," Lily said thoughtfully.
+*+*+*+*+*+*+
James looked at the book Lily was reading, it was 'Quidditch through the Ages'. "Hey," he said to her, "I didn't know you liked Quidditch."
Lily raised her eyebrows, "There's a lot of things you don't know about me Potter."
"Do you play?" He asked her.
She sighed, "Not very well, my hand eye co-ordination is non-existent."
James grabbed his chance, "I could teach you, I mean if you want sometime."
Lily looked at him to see if he was being serious, but there was no sign that he was joking, so she smiled and said, "Yeah that'd be good." And went back to reading her book.
For the second time that day James punched the hair and said, "Yes!" but this time he did it in his head.
***************************
Hope you enjoyed. Review! Thanks xxx