Chapter 15: Potion Woes
"I BLOODY HATE POTIONS!"
Lily Evans slammed her head down onto the table in front of her and buried her face into a pile of papers and open books. She moaned and then lifted up her head to rub her nose. Pushing away her wild, stray locks from in front of her face, she looked up and saw several students staring at her with knowing looks on their faces. Next to her, a red-cheeked Wilona had put her hand on her chin and was staring intently at a speck on the wall, pretending she didn't know Lily.
In a couple seconds, the librarian came bustling around a bookshelf looking outraged, seeking out who had disrupted the silence. She became bug-eyed when she saw that it was none other than the studious and quiet Lily Evans.
"Miss Evans! I'm shocked! What was the cause of this scandalous outburst?" she demanded, frowning and stressing the word scandalous dramatically.
"Potions," Lily muttered. She began to gather up her stuff, knowing that Madam Pince would make her leave.
"I'm terribly sorry, Madam. I was a little overwhelmed for a second. Five advanced classes....I'm leaving now," she said, trying hard to look helpless and forlorn. She mentally clapped herself on the back when she felt tears form in her eyes and saw Madam Pince give her a sympathetic look. She slowly got up and trudged out of the library. Over the years, she had gotten to be quite the actor. Not that she conned her way into good grades or anything, as she was a very apt and studious pupil, but here and there a little sympathy went a long way.
She hurried down the hallway towards the Gryffindor Tower, thinking about how it was a horrible idea to sign up for the Advanced Potions class. It was turning out to be a lot harder than she'd expected. Potions was probably her weakest subject; the mixing of ingredients at precise times required incredible patience and was too concrete for her liking. Charms class was her strength- the flicking and swishing all came very naturally to her and she enjoyed doing it. She was good at Defense against the Dark Arts mostly because she had a burning desire to become an Auror and kick Death Eater ass, and partially because it fascinated her. She wasn't sure why she wanted to be an Auror so badly; perhaps it was because she wanted to prove to all the Purebloods that had ever taunted her that a Muggle-born like her was capable of competent magic.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Unless I fail Potions, she thought angrily. The essays were easy enough because researching and writing was no challenge- she could thank her old Muggle school for that. It was the actual potion making that got her. She'd have to manage somehow.
"Hyppogriff," she said to the Fat Lady and stepped inside the Gryffindor common room as the portrait swung open. Her thoughts about the woes of Potions ended and all she wanted to do right now was take a nap before supper. She was exhausted, having been unable to sleep last night because of some stupid, wild party in the common room which James Potter or Sirius Black had certainly started. She glanced around the common room in search of Alice so she could tell her to wake her up before supper, but couldn't see her anywhere. She scanned her eyes over the room again, trying very hard not to look over at the Marauders by the fire, and then spotted her in the corner of the room curled up in an arm chair with...Frank Longbottom? Anger burst forth inside her as she narrowed her eyes in surprise at them. She then watched as Frank smiled and kissed Alice on the cheek, who blushed and smiled shyly, looking very happy at the same time. Their hands were touching eachothers and they were talking; ocassionally Alice would let out a soft laugh.
Lily began to tremble unnoticebly and was struck with emotion as she watched this interaction from across the room. She wasn't sure what it was but she felt like she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but all that managed to come out was a disappointing choke. She wasn't mad at Alice, only at first. She was sort of happy for her, but sad as well. "Sad for yourself, Lily?" an inner voice asked her tantalizingly. "Sad that you can't be that happy?..."
Suddenly, Alice looked up, meeting eyes with Lily, and her smile disappeared instantly. Lily could see the pleading look that began to form on her friend's face, as if she was begging forgiveness. Lily took a deep breath and forced a tiny smile onto her face. Blinking rapidly to force the tears back, she turned and headed towards her dormitory.
When she got upstairs she collapsed onto her bed and sighed. She didn't quite feel like crying anymore. It seemed that she was doing much too much crying lately. All she wanted to do now was sleep. She pushed Alice out of her mind and was drifting away from the world blissfully when the door cracked open and light streamed into the dark room.
"Lily, I know you're not sleeping. I'm sorry... I was going to tell you. I really was. I-" began Alice softly when she had reached Lily's bed.
"It's okay, Alice." Lily pushed herself up onto her elbow and looked at her friend. "You know, it's actually alright."
Alice looked up at her incredulously, her small mouth slightly open.
"Oh- Oh, Lily. Really?" she stammered.
"Yeah, really." Lily smiled at her encouragingly. "But... When did this..." she trailed off, looking at Alice inquiringly.
Alice blushed profusively. "Uh, don't get mad okay... We wrote eachother over the summer a bit. And I think I started to like him a lot more when I got back to school this year and saw him..." she said uneasily.
"Over the summer?!" Lily cried, making Alice's face lighten many shades. "Oh," Lily said a second later. "Well. Wonderful then... I'm glad it's not one of the Marauders." She paused. "Although, if it were Remus, it would probably be okay," she said thoughfully.
Alice looked at her awkwardly.
"Oh, you go back down there and snog the friend-stealer, already!" she said suddenly, giggling. Alice giggled back and gave Lily a big hug, whispering thanks in her ear. As she got up to leave, Lily called out to wake her up before supper. Alice nodded and shut the door, leaving Lily alone in the dark room again. She sighed and laid her head down, picking up where she left off from before.
"I BLOODY HATE POTIONS!"
Lily Evans slammed her head down onto the table in front of her and buried her face into a pile of papers and open books. She moaned and then lifted up her head to rub her nose. Pushing away her wild, stray locks from in front of her face, she looked up and saw several students staring at her with knowing looks on their faces. Next to her, a red-cheeked Wilona had put her hand on her chin and was staring intently at a speck on the wall, pretending she didn't know Lily.
In a couple seconds, the librarian came bustling around a bookshelf looking outraged, seeking out who had disrupted the silence. She became bug-eyed when she saw that it was none other than the studious and quiet Lily Evans.
"Miss Evans! I'm shocked! What was the cause of this scandalous outburst?" she demanded, frowning and stressing the word scandalous dramatically.
"Potions," Lily muttered. She began to gather up her stuff, knowing that Madam Pince would make her leave.
"I'm terribly sorry, Madam. I was a little overwhelmed for a second. Five advanced classes....I'm leaving now," she said, trying hard to look helpless and forlorn. She mentally clapped herself on the back when she felt tears form in her eyes and saw Madam Pince give her a sympathetic look. She slowly got up and trudged out of the library. Over the years, she had gotten to be quite the actor. Not that she conned her way into good grades or anything, as she was a very apt and studious pupil, but here and there a little sympathy went a long way.
She hurried down the hallway towards the Gryffindor Tower, thinking about how it was a horrible idea to sign up for the Advanced Potions class. It was turning out to be a lot harder than she'd expected. Potions was probably her weakest subject; the mixing of ingredients at precise times required incredible patience and was too concrete for her liking. Charms class was her strength- the flicking and swishing all came very naturally to her and she enjoyed doing it. She was good at Defense against the Dark Arts mostly because she had a burning desire to become an Auror and kick Death Eater ass, and partially because it fascinated her. She wasn't sure why she wanted to be an Auror so badly; perhaps it was because she wanted to prove to all the Purebloods that had ever taunted her that a Muggle-born like her was capable of competent magic.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Unless I fail Potions, she thought angrily. The essays were easy enough because researching and writing was no challenge- she could thank her old Muggle school for that. It was the actual potion making that got her. She'd have to manage somehow.
"Hyppogriff," she said to the Fat Lady and stepped inside the Gryffindor common room as the portrait swung open. Her thoughts about the woes of Potions ended and all she wanted to do right now was take a nap before supper. She was exhausted, having been unable to sleep last night because of some stupid, wild party in the common room which James Potter or Sirius Black had certainly started. She glanced around the common room in search of Alice so she could tell her to wake her up before supper, but couldn't see her anywhere. She scanned her eyes over the room again, trying very hard not to look over at the Marauders by the fire, and then spotted her in the corner of the room curled up in an arm chair with...Frank Longbottom? Anger burst forth inside her as she narrowed her eyes in surprise at them. She then watched as Frank smiled and kissed Alice on the cheek, who blushed and smiled shyly, looking very happy at the same time. Their hands were touching eachothers and they were talking; ocassionally Alice would let out a soft laugh.
Lily began to tremble unnoticebly and was struck with emotion as she watched this interaction from across the room. She wasn't sure what it was but she felt like she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but all that managed to come out was a disappointing choke. She wasn't mad at Alice, only at first. She was sort of happy for her, but sad as well. "Sad for yourself, Lily?" an inner voice asked her tantalizingly. "Sad that you can't be that happy?..."
Suddenly, Alice looked up, meeting eyes with Lily, and her smile disappeared instantly. Lily could see the pleading look that began to form on her friend's face, as if she was begging forgiveness. Lily took a deep breath and forced a tiny smile onto her face. Blinking rapidly to force the tears back, she turned and headed towards her dormitory.
When she got upstairs she collapsed onto her bed and sighed. She didn't quite feel like crying anymore. It seemed that she was doing much too much crying lately. All she wanted to do now was sleep. She pushed Alice out of her mind and was drifting away from the world blissfully when the door cracked open and light streamed into the dark room.
"Lily, I know you're not sleeping. I'm sorry... I was going to tell you. I really was. I-" began Alice softly when she had reached Lily's bed.
"It's okay, Alice." Lily pushed herself up onto her elbow and looked at her friend. "You know, it's actually alright."
Alice looked up at her incredulously, her small mouth slightly open.
"Oh- Oh, Lily. Really?" she stammered.
"Yeah, really." Lily smiled at her encouragingly. "But... When did this..." she trailed off, looking at Alice inquiringly.
Alice blushed profusively. "Uh, don't get mad okay... We wrote eachother over the summer a bit. And I think I started to like him a lot more when I got back to school this year and saw him..." she said uneasily.
"Over the summer?!" Lily cried, making Alice's face lighten many shades. "Oh," Lily said a second later. "Well. Wonderful then... I'm glad it's not one of the Marauders." She paused. "Although, if it were Remus, it would probably be okay," she said thoughfully.
Alice looked at her awkwardly.
"Oh, you go back down there and snog the friend-stealer, already!" she said suddenly, giggling. Alice giggled back and gave Lily a big hug, whispering thanks in her ear. As she got up to leave, Lily called out to wake her up before supper. Alice nodded and shut the door, leaving Lily alone in the dark room again. She sighed and laid her head down, picking up where she left off from before.