Chapter Six: Of Innuendo and Feasts
"Can you guys not do that!" Lily demanded. She then proceeded to describe exactly how stupid they were, sounding remarkably Snape-ish. Harry just glared at Draco from midair, hung mid-leap by Lily after he had tried to assault the blonde. Ron was similarly positioned, with his arms outstretched, ready to wring his enemy's neck. Draco had the 'hey-I-got-whapped' expression for another amusing moment; Lily supposed it was due to her sudden ability to do magic. Ginny, meanwhile, was snickering madly, and Hermione was hiding a smile. Draco saw the two female Gryffindors' expressions, and grinned wickedly at the youngest Weasley to regain his somewhat dubious composure. Lily continued with her verbal abuse of Ron and Harry and occasionally Draco, noting the exchange in her peripheral vision. "Must you physically hurt somebody? He was joking, for Pete's sake!" she concluded. The redhead glared at them and gently released them from her magic. "Do it again, and I'll do something really evil to you."
Harry looked at her searchingly for a moment, before breaking into a surprising grin. "Well, I suppose it was rather funny," he said dryly. Ron looked at his friend like he had lost his marbles, and then shook his head. He knew when he was outnumbered.
"Yes, well," Lily said. She smiled at him reassuringly. She got an answering smile, and looked Draco up and down quickly. "Yup, I was right. You would make a good American, you know."
"I'm fine being British. American girls go wild over the accent, after all," he replied, casually sprawling out on the seat next to Ginny and slinging an arm around her shoulders. "So who must one murder to give a muggle magic?" he asked. "And what's with the... somewhat less than stellar company?
"What's with the new clothes? Oh, and how's your father's stay in Azkaban so far?" retorted Harry. Draco raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you trying to pump me for information, or are you simply rude, Potter?" the blonde wizard asked. Harry stared back at him impassively.
"What else would he want to pump you for, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, a naughty little smirk on her face. Ron spluttered. Draco just laughed, a deep, genuine sound Lily loved hearing, especially because she heard it so rarely. Hermione laughed as well, and Lily almost fell out of her seat giggling at Harry's version of the 'I-got-whapped' look. The rest of the trip was spent with Lily filling Draco in on her newfound magical prowess, and Draco and Ginny's double-entendres.
The platform in Hogsmeade was chaotic, as per usual. Somehow Draco, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Lily managed to stay together despite the tumultuous crowd. The five Hogwarts students crammed themselves into the four-person carriage together (Ginny sitting on Draco's lap with a teasing smile, to Ron's undying horror), and Lily stepped up on the edge of the doorway to lean in.
"I'll see you guys at the feast!" Lily said cheerily. She hopped down, shut the door, and poofed away in a shower of golden sparkles.
'Who would've thought there were so many kids here?' Lily thought to herself, watching slightly nervously as more and more black-robed students poured into the Great Hall. Many could be seen pointing at her and whispering to each other. Her uncle sat next to her, watching her as she became more and more nervous as the tables filled.
"Most of them don't bite, you realize?" he said dryly. Lily giggled sheepishly, and sat back in her enormously comfortable chair. He smirked at her in wry amusement.
"I know. I just don't like being whispered about. What if they think I'm just some 'bloody American chit'?" she asked, mimicking a British accent. He smiled slightly at her, patting her hand reassuringly. Lily laughed at the surprised (and in some cases, frightened) looks this relatively friendly manner garnered from the students. The deluge of teenagers eventually stopped, and everyone was seated.
"Welcome, students, to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore announced. The students quieted immediately, their faces turning up toward the head table. "A few announcements before the feast: first years, please note that the Forbidden Forest is, quite obviously, forbidden. Also, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor William Maclay, and our new Assistant Professor, Ms. Lilith Anderson." There was a spattering of applause after the announcement, and some rather loud cheers from Draco when Lily's name was announced. Lily leaned forward to peer down the table at Professor Maclay.
Maclay seemed to be in his thirties, maybe 32 or 34. He was rather handsome, with chiseled features and hair the color of mahogany. It was rather longer than Lily was used to, reaching down to his shoulder blades in its neat ponytail. He had a daydreamer's blue eyes beneath long black lashes, and strong hands with calloused fingers. For all of his good qualities, Lily sensed something slightly off about him... something about the way he held himself, she thought. It hit her as he began serving himself from the platters in front of him: he moved like an animal. He possessed that odd androgynousgrace that was epitomized in felines. He moved like a panther... like a predator.
Lily resolved to keep a close eye on the new professor, and went back to dinner. She tried her best to ignore the wicked amusement in Snape's black eyes at her long study of the handsome man.
A/N: Revised June 22, 2005.
