Chapter 42

Same place, same time.

I was waiting, yet again, for the Hogwarts express. Early, as usual. But I had no doubt Lily wouldn't come early—she was really quite punctual, if you thought about it.

Then, I heard that sweet, clear voice I'd been so accustomed to hearing. I hadn't realized how much I'd—well—missed it. I'd only been away from her for a little over a week—but I couldn't help missing her. The chill of the Manor and my family was so different from the warmth of the Evan's hovel—home, I mean.

"Lucius!" I stood there, not knowing what to say.

It was strange to see her again—despite the nights I'd spent thinking and waiting impatiently for this day to come—I felt a change between us.

I'd changed. I was always the one changing. And I would change even more---

I raised the corners of my lips ever so slightly and she ran toward me, enveloping me in a hug. I hugged her back rather awkwardly.

What was wrong with me? I wanted with everything inside me to hold her and kiss her and tell her I loved her---

But I couldn't.

I wasn't used to her any more. Could she tell? Could she feel the rift growing between us? To me, it was getting wider and wider. 

We stood there in silence. For once, I couldn't think up anything to say. I felt like a stranger to myself.

"Are you okay? You seem—subdued." She looked worriedly into my eyes.

I forced a smile.

"It's nothing. Recovering from the shock of seeing you again," I lied. Another lie.

"Do I really look that terrible?" She joked, and, for the first time, I noticed she'd cut her hair.

"You cut your hair." I couldn't say anything else. There wasn't anything else to say, was there?

"Mum was bugging me again about it—she said I looked like a sheepdog. I said I wanted to get one in Diagon Alley, or maybe Hogsmeade, you know, but she insisted. And as a result, I now look--"

"Beautiful. And never think otherwise." Thankfully I was beginning to sound normal again. I even felt a bit normal. A bit.

"But it's so. . . short," she said, fingering her now shoulder length locks.

"You'll get used to it. I already have." But, before I could grab her and snog her senseless, the sound of trolleys ringing over the brick floor shook us out of our haze.

It was a first year, chatting animatedly with her friends.

How lovely. Now Lily and I would have to 'hate' each other again.

"Evans." I said coldly.

"Malfoy." She said, just as coolly.

We were great dramatists, no?

She sat on her trunk and flipped open a book.

I sat on mine and flipped through my mental arsenal of curses.

Ah, silence.

Wonderful, beautiful silence---

"OI, PRONGS, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?" A voice bellowed. A familiar voice.

Black.

Damn this all to Hell and back. So much for silence.

"MUM JUST GAVE ME SOME CHRISTMAS MONEY, WHERE'S MOONY?"

Did these hopeless dunderheads know how to regulate their voices? Or had they been hexed with a permanent Sonorous Charm?

"HE COULDN'T GO HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, BAD—er—WEATHER."

Idiot-Prat-Tosser Number One (Black) and Idiot-Prat-Tosser Number Two (Potter) laughed simultaneously.

"GOOD ONE, PADFOOT--"

As a prefect, I was going to have to tell them to—

"POTTER, BLACK, WILL YOU JUST SHUT IT ?"

That wasn't me. And that voice was—I turned around—Lily? I snickered. They were being told to shut up by a girl. I snickered again. I couldn't help it—it just seemed so funny, to watch Lily lose her temper at those Idiot-Prat-Tossers.

Evidently, their enmity had gone so far, that they'd actually stopped saying each other's first names.

Strange, Lily hadn't told me this. But then, I'd never wanted to hear any news about Potter.

"Aww, Evans, don't be such a--"

"Jame—Potter, just--"An extremely red-faced Lily took a deep breath—"just be quiet. Some people are trying to enjoy the silence."

'Some People' consisted of the three frightened first years, Lily, and, of course, myself.

"Lils," Potter seemed to notice Lily's almost having called his first name, and he took advantage of that, using the smooth voice one used on rabid dogs, "Come on. Sirius and I," he gestured to Black, who had materialized behind him, "we were just talking. No need to have a nervous breakdown over it--"

An auburn eyebrow arched, and green eyes glared.

"A breakdown? Really now. Talking? Shouting, was more like it. You know all rules of Hogwarts apply to the station, and we are definitely not allowed to shout in the halls." She raised the book she'd been reading: A Prefect's Guide to Good Conduct (was she really that bored?), "and the eighteenth article of the seventh chapter states that--"

"Ah, come off it, Evans. You wouldn't take points off your own House, would you? Besides--"

"Excuse me," I interrupted smoothly, "But I think I shall have that honor. Twenty points from Gryffindor, Potter, for being annoying and loud. And that goes for Black, too."

I sneered and turned away from them, my robes billowing behind me. Ha. Take that, brat.

Lily glared at me, but the look in her eyes told me she didn't mean it. She was trying not to laugh, probably.

Potter never noticed. 

He didn't notice a lot of things.

All the better for me, if you think about it.

"Sirius, James, what are you—Oh." It was—what was his name again? L. . . lu. . . lupy. . .Lupin. . . ? The mild one. Who cared about his name. All I knew was that he was a prefect.

"I suggest you tell both of your little friends to leave, before I get more points off them, Lupin," I said his last name quickly and obscurely, taking a chance. No reaction. Good, I'd been right.

"I'll get you for this, Malfoy--" I raised my eyebrow.

"Threatening prefects, now, are we? Shame on you, Potter. Five points from Gryffindor. Another word, and it'll be ten." Potter's eyes flashed in anger, but I just smirked and walked away.

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A/N:

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

My Christmas and New Year's gift thing to all of you:D I was supposed to give it earlier before I left for Taiwan, but I forgot, in the flurry of packing :D Hope you all like this chapter :D

I don't have any review-replies for this chappie, so I'll just thank you all to reviewing!

Btw, Nikki—I named the last chapter forty-one since I felt like it, I guess :D I was going to name it 'Thoughts: Through the eyes of a Malfoy', but, I don't know, Forty-One just came out when I typed :D

Lucius was feeling weird around Lily because he just was—you know that feeling you have when you meet a friend you haven't seen in years, and there's a bit of awkwardness? Yes, that's what it was like, except it was even worse, since you know, Lucius is feeling a bit guilty about everything he's going to do.

And Kingsdork—no, you're not stupid :D I guess that was a pretty confusing chappie, but basically he just wanted Sevvy to take polyjuice to have an alibi for himself, so Lily can't accuse him, if she ever finds out, of killing whoever, since he was, supposedly, with her. That was a confusing sentence, but I'm thinking fast, since my mom's calling me for lunch and I have to go!!! :D

REMEMBER TO REVIEW!!!