Ch. 18 "Stupid Slytherins"
"Hey!" Lily said as she opened an abandoned broom closet and two students fell out, each with matching scarlet faces. "You know you're not allowed to do this sort of stuff after hours! Now get back to your common rooms."
"Yeah!" Sara called after the two students as they scurried away. "Do you know who that was? Walter Tresowski and Olivia Braun, can you believe that? He still hasn't broken up with her. You know who she reminds me of? Eva Braun, that chick who was married to Hitler. Poor Walt, she is evil. Olivia, I mean, not Eva. Although Eva might have been evil, too, since she actually married someone as crazy and ugly as Hitler."
Lily snorted. "Well, he's not your concern anymore. Walter, I mean, not Hitler."
"Yeah, and good riddance."
"Honestly, Sara, I still don't know why you insisted on patrolling with me. I am perfectly capable of handling it on my own."
"Every Batman needs a Robin," Sara pointed out. "Let's go check the Astronomy Tower."
"Don't you have homework to do?"
"Yes."
Lily chuckled. "It's a wonder how you made it past the first year."
"What can I say, the teachers love me."
"Professor Burns doesn't."
"Slimy, disgusting, dirty, smelly, gross, ugly, mean, really dirty bastards don't exactly count as professors, now do they?"
"In a sense," Lily agreed. "Can we please change the subject?"
"Sure, we'll talk about me and my blooming relationship with Theodore."
Lily grinned. "He is a great guy. And I never knew Teddy liked you. It was a huge shock that you two are going out. Still is, actually."
"He is so cute!" Sara squealed. The two girls reached the Astronomy Tower and checked it for any students out for a late-night snog. "Guess what he got me?"
"A wedding ring?" Lily guessed absently as she rummaged through any dark corners and crevices that she could find. "No one's here and our time is almost up; we have to go and meet James now."
"He got me flowers!"
"What a surprise," Lily mumbled. "He always was the original one."
"I'm not done yet, Miss I-Think-I-Know-Everything-When-I-Really-Don't. They were yellow roses that spelled out Sara and it smelled like his cologne! Now who's the creative one, huh?"
"I have to admit, it is different," Lily said. "Would doing rounds really be as fun without you here?"
"Of course not. If I weren't here, you'd be stuck with James Potter from nine to eleven-thirty every evening. Do you really think I'd put you through that kind of misery?"
"He's actually not that bad," Lily admitted. "He's not here, we have to wait for him," she said, gesturing to the James-less corridor where they had planned on meeting, She leaned against the wall of the corridor and looked at Sara. It was Lily and James's job to patrol the school each night – along with help from the prefects – and make sure no one was out after hours. But, since Sara is Sara, she insisted on joining Lily on her nightly walks through the deserted school. It was her idea of fun.
"James Potter, not that bad?" Sara asked in amazement. "When was the last time I heard you say that? Does never ring a bell?"
"Just because I never said it doesn't mean that it's not true," Lily argued. "It means that I just found that out. We actually have a lot in common, if you can believe that."
"More in common then you have with me?" Sara asked as she stood next to Lily against the wall.
Lily shoved her hands in her robe pockets and held her wand. "No. It's more like . . . the way we both think is very similar, that's all. If he likes something I don't like, he can describe it in a way that makes it sound appealing to me. Russell Terriers, for example."
"You never liked Russell Terriers?"
"I was more of a Border collie person."
"Oh," Sara said. "I never knew that."
"It didn't seem that important," Lily told her.
"What didn't seem that important?" James asked. He had just come down the corridor and was looking at Lily confusedly.
"Well, if it wasn't that important, I don't see the need to repeat it," Lily teased.
"But, if it was so unimportant that it actually was important, then it should be said because of it's importance," James joked back.
"God, you two are alike," Sara muttered. "And I can barely handle one Lily."
Lily pushed her playfully. "Come on, we have to go."
"Yes," a voice sneered from behind James. The three turned around and looked at the voice's owner. It was, much to their displeasure, Malfoy. And Malfoy wouldn't be Malfoy unless he was closely followed by Bellatrix Black, Crabbe, Goyle, and Sirius's little brother, Regulus Black. Bellatrix's boyfriend, Lestrange (A/N: Sorry, I don't know how to spell his first name!) was not there, as he had graduated the year before. It was rumored that they were getting married, and it was also rumored that Lestrange was now a Death Eater. It sickened Lily to believe both.
James pulled out wand in a flash. "You know you're not suppose to be out here," he sneered coldly. "Get lost."
"Oh, I'm shivering," Malfoy retorted in a voice so cold Lily actually shivered. "Look at me, I'm Pothead Potter; I'm teacher's pet and I actually mingle with Mudbloods, even though I'm from a respected pure-blood family. Look at how low I've sunk." His group laughed heartily. Bellatrix twirled a strand of her jet-black hair and looked fixedly at James.
James's grip tightened on his wand. "So sorry, Malfoy, I didn't realize we were still in out first year. For all our sakes, please update your remarks."
"You think you're so special," Malfoy hissed. "Just because you wear a shiny piece of silver on your chest you think you're better than me. Well here's a shocking piece of information: you're not. What Dumbledore thinks doesn't matter; he's just an old, crackpot professor who's likely to die any minute now. You think you're so safe around him, because he's so powerful," he spat. Lily eyed him cautiously and she, too, held her wand even more securely.
Malfoy moved a piece of his pale blonde hair out of his pitiless, cold gray eyes. "And look at that," he motioned in Lily's direction. "What the hell are you thinking? Talk about an ugly, ugly duckling turned into a swan. You think that just because she looks like that, you deserve her? I could have her any time I wanted her. That is, if I wanted her." He looked Lily up and down and smirked; his upper lip curled up and he looked so dangerous Lily couldn't believe it.
"What the hell was that? You give her a compliment and insult her in the same sentence?" Sara asked harshly.
"No one asked you," Bellatrix snapped.
"Well if the did I thank God it wasn't you," Sara spat back at her.
"You're lucky you're even within thirty feet from me, you Mudblood-loving, ugly, undesirable, filthy little whore!"
SMACK.
The sound echoed loudly through the deserted corridor. Sara's arms were locked to her sides and her knuckles were turning white. Bellatrix had staggered back, her hand clutching the spot on her face where Sara had struck her.
"Don't you ever!" Sara screeched. "Ever!"
"Sara," Lily grunted as she attempted to pull Sara down the corridor, away from the huddle of Slytherins. "Come on, Sara, just ignore them."
"EVER!"
"Go on, Sara, I'll handle them," James whispered to her, and Sara allowed Lily to drag her away. They hurried as quickly as they could to the common room and Lily finally let Sara loose. She stomped around, knocked over chairs and threw pillows.
"HOW COULD SHE?" she screamed, causing anyone still in the room to retreat hastily to their dormitories. "HOW COULD SHE SAY THAT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE SAID?"
"Yes," Lily answered as calmly as she could. "It's okay, Sara, James is handling them."
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE CALLED YOU?"
"Yes, a Mudblood."
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A MUDBLOOD IS?"
Sirius came down the boys' dormitory stairs and looked sharply at Sara. "Girl, you really need to keep it down," he told her.
Sara stomped up to him. "Do you know what your cousin did?!"
The color drained from Sirius's face and he gulped loudly. "Who?" he asked dryly.
Before Sara could answer, James barged through the portrait hole and ran up to the three students. "Bellatrix," he answered for Sara. "She called Lily a you-know-what."
The blood returned to Sirius face and he slammed himself into the nearest chair. "I hate them all," he muttered fiercely.
"Why?" Sara asked and sat down next to him.
"Are you so dense that you really have to ask?" he answered harshly.
"Oh, it has to be much deeper than this," Sara said in a much calmer voice then she had a few seconds ago. "But then again, I don't blame you. Bellatrix is a bitch."
"What happened to them?" Lily suddenly asked James.
He was startled that the group's attention was now shifted to him. "McGonagall came and gave them all detentions," he explained. "And there really wasn't anything else I could do since she was there. I honestly was about to duel Malfoy. He shouldn't have called you that."
Lily shrugged. "It's fine, really. I've gotten used to it."
"That doesn't mean it's right," James gently argued.
Lily merely shrugged again.
"Anyway," Sirius interrupted loudly. "You know what we have to do," he said to James.
"And what is that, Padfoot?" Jams asked curiously.
"What does Padfoot mean, anyway?" Sara asked.
"We have to give Malfoy the biggest prank in the world," Sirius continued, completely ignoring Sara. "And I want this one to include a massive beating by his stuffed bear. I know he has one, I've seen it."
"What about Bellatrix?" Sara said stubbornly.
"We'll think of something," Sirius reassured her.
Sara leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I hate them all," she said. "Without them, life would be fine. Voldemort, too."
Nobody shuddered.
A nervous cough tore the group away from their discussion. The group all turned their heads to the dormitory stairs, where Simon Good, a fellow seventh year Gryffindor. He was leaning uncertainly against the railing and looked as if he didn't know where he was.
"Can I help you?" Sara and Sirius asked loudly at the same time.
Simon jumped, apparently startled by their harsh tones. "Lily," he said hastily. "I would like to have a word with you."
Lily began to walk towards him, until James said stubbornly, "Whatever you can say to Lily you can say to all of us."
Lily looked at James, then back at Simon. The boy cleared his throat again before saying, "Lily, you have blossomed into a beautiful young woman, and I would be honored if you would consider going on a date with me."
Lily was shocked. "I – I really don't know," she confessed. "Um, could I have a minute? To – to think about it?"
"Of course," he answered. "I'll be in my room. Would you mind coming up to tell me your decision?"
"Sure, sure," Lily told him quickly. Simon beamed and went upstairs.
She turned around and faced a huddle of confused and shocked faces gaping back at her. After a moment of silence, Sirius said, "Wow, Lily, what are you going to do?"
Okay, this chapter is cut in half, so for those of you who are like, "Whoa, randomness," I don't blame you. The character's reactions will come later. As for the whole Hitler thing - don't ask.
As for Lily's middle name - it IS Elizabeth, I just got confused. That's what I get for writing three stories at once. Sorry.
I don't really have any responses for anyone, just for Lady Ly. So, Lady Ly: I am dead jealous of you. You live in Australia. You stink.
Oh yeah, also Mischif-Managed: So sorry about the mix up! Now I forget who did mention it.
Much, much, much love to all my faithful reviewers, except InLuvWitRupert, who hasn't reviewed my last chapter yet!! WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!