Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own the concept of Harry Potter, of Muggles and Magicals, and all that great stuff. I'm fifteen and jobless, so if you file charges, my life will be ruined and I'll only know poverty for the rest of my existence. Have a heart.

*~*~*

Meeting The Dawn

*

Chapter Two-An Encounter

*

Lily walked cautiously into the library Monday night, after the first weekend back at Hogwarts, feeling rather absurd before checking in all directions like a scared rabbit. She was seconds away from retreating when she spotted him sitting behind a stack of yellowed 'Daily Prophet's as well as a smaller stack to the side of 'The Evening Prophet." Taking a deep breath for solace, she approached the table and sat across from him. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something." James answered, without looking up for a couple minutes. When he did, he drew up his typical guarded expression. "Can I help you with something?"

"No. I'm just…here."

"For what?"

Lily shrugged. "What are you looking for that requires the January 1958 editions of the Prophet?"

"Why are you asking questions?"

"I'm curious."

"There's your answer."

"It's a very poor one."

"It's all you are going to get." James turned back to the newspaper he was looking at, and ignored her.

"Why are you upset with me?"

"Because you're prying," he snatched the paper she had picked up from her grasp, "and I don't like it when strangers pry into my personal life."

"So this is personal? Not academic?" Lily asked, not in the least fazed, and picked up another paper. She flipped through it for a bit, pretending not to notice his glare, and then got up, starting toward the exit. "Have a nice evening, James." Lily turned back in surprise when she heard a feral growl.

"What did you find out?" Remus asked the second she was out of the library.

"Not much. He's searching January 1958 editions of the Prophet for personal business, not academic."

"Not bad. Not bad at all." He said, pleased, "At this rate, we'll have the secret cracked in a month or so.

"I'm the optimist, not you. And I'm looking at nothing under two months." Lily sighed. "He's nuts."


"Aren't we all. So, what's my tutoring topic tonight?"

"How in the world am I supposed to transfigure a jewelry box into a box turtle? That's Friday's lesson, and I know I'm going to absolutely humiliate myself."

*~*~*

The next night, Lily went in the library again, and found James in there again. Like last time, she sat down across from him, but she wasn't as nervous as before, there were other people in the library so he couldn't do anything too awful. She started peeling an orange. "Want half?"

James looked between her and the offered orange half skeptically before nodding. "Sure."

They sat in silence for about twenty minutes before he completely sat the papers down, and looked at her. "Why are you here again?"

"It's part of a bargain."

"What?"

"A mutual friend wants to know what you're up to. In return, they are helping me with transfiguration."

"You're a Prefect, you shouldn't need help in transfiguration."

"But I do. I'm awful at it, and I have to work ten times harder to make up for the lack of skill."

James narrowed his eyes in either anger or suspicion, Lily wasn't sure which. "Why didn't you lie to me?"

"What's the point? Besides, I'm also an awful liar."

"Hmmmm." He turned back to a paper. Nothing was said the rest of the time they were together, but James had more than one mouthful of words to throw at Remus that night.

"You're mad?" Remus asked, sounding surprised by the revelation.

"Yeah. Just a little."

"I figured you would enjoy her company."

"She sits there and watches me read the paper."


"She's an excellent judge of character."


"She doesn't know me, and I don't know her."


"She knows more than anyone gives her credit for."


"This isn't about her! It's about you sending her to spy on me!" James said loudly, waving his hands around.

"If you would just tell us what's going on, I would need to send a sixth year girl to spy on you!"

"Maybe I want some of my personal life to remain private!"

"Maybe you should learn not to carry a chip on your shoulder!"


"Maybe you should know what it's like to be me!"

"Maybe you should know what it's like to be an out of control wolf once a month!"

James shut up very quickly and crossed his arms. "Call her off."

"Tell me what you're doing."

"NO."

"As soon as you change your answer, I'll change mine. You'll have to excuse me, I have a Prefect to tutor."

A Quidditch wrist guard hit the door as soon as it shut behind Remus.

*~*~*

"Hi, James, how are you doing today?" For the third day in a row, Lily joined him across the table.

"Persistent, aren't you?"

"At times."

"What? No orange today?"

[

"Do you want one?"

James paused for a second and resisted a grin. "If you wouldn't mind."

"Here you go." Lily pulled an orange from her backpack, and laughed at his disappointed expression. "Surely you didn't think you would get rid of me that easily!"

"I hoped to."

"If you tell me what you're looking for, I'll help you look."

"I don't need help that bad."

"You're one prickly porcupine, James Potter."

"It generally keeps intruders away. Apparently I'm losing my touch."

Lily studied him while he was reading a paper. She could see what drew people to him. James was an attractive guy, but he looked irreparably lost. His entire appearance led up to that. He looked unyielding and accepting that life wasn't at all nice.

"Do you have any family here at Hogwarts?" She asked, thinking of no better conversation starter.

"Do you know of anyone else here with the name Potter?"

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything."

James looked up, and again, there was an odd look on his face, "No. It doesn't mean a thing."

"What are your training classes for?" New topic. The training classes were for seventh years, and sixth years who were interested in certain professions, and it gave them them the vast majority of the preparation they needed for a career in the wizarding world. They were optional, and generally a lot of work. Of course the Head Boy would take one of these.

"Medicine."

"Which kind?"

"Trauma. I'll do emergency surgeries and take care of people in the emergency room, but I'll also be able to handle general health needs."

Lily smiled brightly, thinking she had finally had a break through. "You sound like you really love it."


"I do."

"But?"

"But what?"

"I have a feeling with you there are always buts."

"I probably won't get to practice medicine for a good many years."


"Why?"


"Personal reasons that are going to remain private."

"Back to that again, eh?"

"Yes. Back to that again."

*~*~*

On the fourth day Lily grudgingly earned a small amount of respect when she walked into the library at 8:30, two hours later than usual, after James had his little Quidditch practice.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Amos and Remus." She said tiredly. After having a particularly exhausting Career-Charms class, sitting in the library was the last place she wanted to be. She made the necessary small talk for an hour that basically only filled time. She learned very little about James, he learned very little about her, and there was no mental enlightenment involved. "Goodnight, James."

"Goodnight, Lily. Don't come tomorrow night."


"Why not? Have you finally found what you're looking for?"

"Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm taking a day off."

"Well then, happy birthday. How old?"


"Eighteen."

Lily raised her eyebrows at his older than average seventh year age.

"The Hogwarts cut off date is September first, so I had to wait an entire year."

"I see. Goodnight." By the time Lily reached her dormitory, she was royally confused. Her subject of observation was one of the more perplexing people she had ever been in acquaintance with. What's more, he was completely opposite her in just about every way possible. While he oozed cynicism and life's disappointments, Lily was about as cheerful and naive as they come. She dropped on her bed and sighed in sheer frustration.

"Rough meeting?" Millie asked, insinuation flooding the question.

"You could say that."


"But I won't. However, I'm going to say again that this is an awful idea, Lily!" She walked over and sat at the foot of Lily's bed, drilling into her eyes. "You're not the sort of person that deals well with his sort."


"I deal well with everyone."


"For a short time, yes!" Millie wailed, "But you're spending an hour with him every night! He's not like you! You're the sort of person people like him hate!"

"Millicent." Lily paused to let her cringe at the usage of her legal name, "He is a person just like the rest of us, albeit a dark and entirely scary person, but a person. And I would like to take the opportunity to remind you that I'm doing this because I need help in Transfiguration, and if I just find out what James Potter is doing, I'll get free tutoring for the rest of the year. I don't mean to sound cold-hearted, but that's why I'm doing it."

"Lily, he's got some major problems you don't want to get involved in."

"Like what? Is he a serial killer? Rapist? Thief? Identity stealer? Kidnapper?"

"Well, no, but…he just has some problems that you don't want to get involved in."


"Tell me."

"I can't. It's just sort of a wizard code; you don't talk about his family. They're a dangerous set to get involved in."

"Until you tell me, I will base my actions on my own experience with him. When I deem him dangerous, I will cease my spy-like activities."

Millie scowled. "You don't understand, or you would stop them now."


"Let me judge for myself."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"That's right, I don't." Lily pulled clothes from her trunk.

"Where are you going?"

"The Prefect's bathroom."

"Chicken!"

"Feel free to tell me about what I'm getting myself into at any time."

*~*~*

Lily began a search that would turn out to be even more difficult than James's. Well, at least she assumed so; hers was rather fruitless, but he had to be turning up with something. As it turned out, Millie wasn't the only witch to stick by some sort of unspoken wizarding code about the Potters. After an entire weekend of clandestine searching, the only thing that had been revealed to her was that all their great piles of gold and public fame, they were far from happy. Even this wasn't said, but Lily picked it up from the general implication of the people she spoke to. Sadly enough, Lily's biggest advancement to date would come from James himself on her fifth day of meeting him in the library

"Back again I see."

"Of course. I can't pass up an opportunity for free Transfiguration tutoring just because you happen to be in a permanent bad mood."

James narrowed his eyes, "If I helped you with Transfiguration, would you leave me alone while I'm doing this?"

"Nope. A deal's a deal."

"Figures. In that case, you might as well do something while you're here." He scooted a stack of papers in front of her. "Look for anything about my mother, if you see her picture or any article even mentioning her, copy it into this notebook," a large scrapbook type object was held up, "along with the date."

"Alright. What's your mother's name, and what does she look like?"

James gave her an incredulous stare. "You're kidding me."

"Not at all."


He burst into loud laughter, looking happier than she had seen him yet. Madame Pince came bustling over after about thirty seconds, "This is a library, and as Head Boy, I would think you of all people would honor the silence it should be shrouded in."

"My apologies." James wheezed out, his eyes watering, "But she doesn't know who my mother is!"

The librarian looked at her in surprise, but let it pass. "If there's any more disturbances, you'll have to leave."

"My Lord, this is too perfect!" His head hit the table with a thump, still laughing like a maniac. "You don't know my mother! Are you a Muggle-born or something?"

"Yes, I would happen to be." Lily said stiffly, not particularly liking the way he said that. "If you happen to be one of the purebloods who think they're greater than God himself because of their pedigree, you just did a wonderful job of getting rid of your investigator."

When she stood up, James immediately grabbed her wrist and indicated she should sit back down. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that you obviously haven't lived in the wizarding world if you don't know who my mother is. And as much as I would love to sever myself from your company, I wouldn't wish to do so in such an offensive way."

"I see."

"Actually, I'd wager you don't, but we can move on." James started laughing yet again. "Her name is Emmaline. Her maiden name was Bones, here's a picture. If you see James Potter anywhere, read that to see if she's mentioned. Actually, when you se an article with him, copy it too. You know, 'copius'."

"Yes. I do know." Lily resisted the urge to kick him under the table.

"I wasn't sure. You forgot the levitating charm after all."


"Can it. James Potter, hmmm, I'm assuming you mean senior, your father?"

"The twenty third, let's leave it at that, okay?"

"Fine. Fine." Lily sat on that for awhile, waiting for a good opportunity to ask questions to satisfy her own curiosity. Since she was mildly scared to beard the lion in his den, she had to wait quite awhile for that opportunity.

"I'm done." James said abruptly, re-stacking the papers. "I'll walk you back to the tower. It would be a tragedy if your path was blocked. You might be stumped for a good many hours thinking up a spell."

"For someone who found sixteen articles on your stupid parents, you're being awfully rude." She said angrily, entirely fed up with the whole trunk episode.

He grinned unexpectedly, "You're the first person to agree with me about my parents. I think I like you."

"You really need some help, you know."

"So I've been told." When they reached the base of Gryffindor Tower, James said the password and waited expectantly for Lily to go in. To his surprise, she kept walking. "Er, Lily? The portrait's right there."

"I realize that."

"Then why didn't you go in?"

"I'm meeting someone."

"Oh really?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"No. Not at all. I just didn't think you would actually, well, never mind, it's none of my business, you know."


"Yes, I do know, but I don't generally get upset when people ask mild questions. However, when you start pestering me, I do mind."

"I see. I guess, anyway. So who are you meeting?"

"Where are you going?"

"I asked first."

"Fair enough. I'm going to go meet Barty."

James snorted, everybody knew who 'Barty' was, seeings as that there was only one 'Barty' in Hogwarts. "Seriously?"

"Yes. Now you answer."

"I'm going to the kitchens."

"How nice for you." Lily nodded, and turned off in a corridor he wasn't familiar with. She met Barty as planned at the head of the stairs leading to the Hufflepuff common room. Lily smiled, and sat next to him, giving a saluatory kiss on the cheek. "Long time no see."

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to come."

"I have yet to cancel a date without giving you advance notice." Lily informed him, turning to study him again. People were a great source of curiosity for Lily, and she was sad to think she had nearly figured Barty out. She enjoyed the enigma that was a select few; Barty wasn't among them. He was the all-around golden boy of Hufflepuff. It was his seventh year, and he excelled in most areas: he was beater on his house team, did well academically, and had a natural charm that could coerce people into doing nearly anything for him. He was a nice guy, basically.

"Point well taken." Barty observed wisely, stupidity not being one of his faults. "So how did another marvelous evening with Potter, the Hogwarts host of all things gloomy go?"

"Decently. I suppose." Lily shrugged, not exactly knowing what sort of label she would put on the experience other than 'interesting'.

"I've told you before, and I'll say it again, he's bad news, Lily."

Lily stood up abruptly, mostly in ire and frustration. "Maybe if I knew what sort of bad news the situation was, I'd stay out of it. However, nobody has deemed it appropriate for me to actually know what I'm getting myself into. So unless you're going to tell me what this big secret that only I don't know is, drop it, Barty, I'm sick of it."

Barty also stood, looking apologetic. He placed a hand on her arm to keep her from walking away in anger. "I'm sorry. But we just don't talk about it."

"Why not? How do you know if you don't talk about it? What do you do, pass notes?"

"You pick it up from the atmosphere."

"I'm assuming you don't mean the weather. So basically, I have to somehow wrangle an invite to the greatest castle in England so I can see what the heck the whole world knows!"

"Wrangling an invite isn't that hard if you know the right people. And I'd say Hogwarts is greater." A cool voice, belonging to the subject of their dialogue announced from behind Lily, who felt the blood flow from her face, then rush back in an embarrassed blush.

"Why didn't you tell me he was behind me?" She hissed at Barty, knowing how badly this could turn out.

"This is far too interesting for me to pass up in normal situations, however I have things to do. How did you get here more quickly than I. You took the longer route."

"I just took a shortcut." Lily said, wondering what sort of scene this would evolve into.

"Impossible, I took the shortest way."

"Apparently not." She turned back to Barty and glared at him ferociously. "Can I speak to you?"

"You are, aren't you?"

"This isn't a good time." Lily snapped, and started to turn away. "Maybe we should discuss what I was planning on discussing after I've calmed down. I think tomorrow would be nice, my mood should be a bit more stable then."

"Wait just a second." James halted her, effectively blocking the passage that would allow her to either go to the kitchens corridor or to exit into the Great Hall. Lily gritted her teeth, waiting for a cutting remark about snooping or prying, or something along those lines. "How exactly did you get here that fast? I know Hogwarts like I know my way around the Quidditch pitch, and I took the fastest way."

No way, Lily thought, not believing things could be this easy. "I'm assuming you had to go up a set of stairs across a landing, and then down another set. In that corridor, the second door on the left goes into the girls' toilet for the fifth floor. You merely cross it, and you have crossed that landing."

"Oh."

"I better not hear about you lurking in the girls' toilets." Barty said jokingly, and as such it was meant. That was rather obvious to Lily.

"No self-respecting Potter raised as a Potter would be in the opposite gender's toilet. Junior, I was raised with a slightly higher amount of class."

"Too bad all…Potters weren't raised with that same class. I suppose there wouldn't be quite so many, shall we say, accidents, running around, would there?" Barty sneered this, hating the comparison Junior implied between him and his father.

Lily's eyes, already wide, nearly popped from their sockets when she saw the steely look immediately overtake James's face. Moving with Quidditch-evolved reflexes, he pinned Barty against the wall in a split second, the cold hazel eyes of James drilling into the warm brown ones belonging to Barty. "I suggest you follow your own advice. Pick up the atmosphere and stay out of my affairs."

"I was merely commenting that-"

"Shut the hell up. Leave the subject alone. Forever." James had done nothing besides pin Barty against the wall by pressing a hand to the other's chest. James deliberately stepped away and spoke condescendingly, looking directly at Crouch. "I extend the same advice to you too, Lily. Now be a good boy and walk her back to the tower, Junior."

Lily and Barty both watched in silence as he turned sharply and walked brusquely down the hall, the heels of his shoes leaving a crisp[I] click-click-click-click[/I] on the stone floor.

"Lily, that is why you don't ask about the Potters." Barty said in her ear, as if he was afraid someone would hear.

*~*~*

"…Project that will be worked on for the next month." For most likely the first time in the century he had been teaching at Hogwarts, Professor Binns held his class riveted. They were actually going to have a project! The few people who had the will power to stay awake started nudging their snoozing friends, and soon, he had a very alert class. Professor Binns was a classic example of teachers with great potential slacking off on the job.

One of the few people who hadn't been awakened, Otto Bagman, made a rather loud thumping sound as his head hit his desk. All eyes turned toward him, and watched the Ravenclaw sleep, waiting to see if Binns would notice.

"Would somebody please wake the student up?" The Professor said drolly, indicating it wasn't an unusual occurrence. One of Otto's snickering friends shook him a bit, and the sixth year snapped awake, instantly aware that the entire class was staring at him.

"If he's that slow on the Quidditch field, we'll run over Ravenclaw!" Amos said gleefully in Lily's ear.

"Whatever happened to the desire for a good competition?"

"I just want to win."

"How spirited of you. Now be quiet so we don't get in trouble."

"He's half deaf, he wouldn't hear a freight train."

"Mister Diggory, would you like to say something?" Binns asked in his typical wheezy voice.

"No, not at all, Professor. I'm just waiting for some facts on our new project." Amos grinned, knowing the effect the word facts would have.

The professor rubbed his hands together enthusiastically, "Yes, yes, the facts. Being a teacher of the cold, hard, truth, nobody quite appreciates solid information as much as I do. I can see you have the same zeal for them I do. This project will be entirely out of class," there was a loud groan passing through the class, "I want you to write one complete scroll on one wizard from history." Again, groans were apparent. "Pass this bowl around, and draw out one card randomly."

For once, Millie and Amos were happy Lily directed them toward the front seating area, because they had the best selection of chocolate frog cards, because of course, no one actually selected randomly when a negligent teacher was on watch.

"Who'd you get?" Millie asked, showing her own Alberic Grunnion card. Lily displayed one of Merlin, and Amos grinned as he handed them a Cliodna card, the Celtic Irish goddess of beauty.

"Gee, I wonder why you got that one?" Millie teased, holding the card of the dark-haired beauty for inspection.

"If I have to dig up dirt on these people, I might as well get one easy on the eyes."

"Men." The surrounding girls sighed, making Amos feel rather intimidated.

*~*~*

When Lily walked into the library that night, it became apparent that Barty's little stunt, teamed with her curiosity, had caused her a major setback in the area of James Potter. When she sat down, he glared up at her for a fraction of a second, then continued his search in the newspapers. When she attempted a conversation and an apology, he moved to a different table. When she followed, he scowled at her malevolently. "Can you not take a hint?"

"Can you not accept a sincere apology?"

"No."

"When you live in spite you hurt no one besides yourself. You know, I am trying to help you. But you continually slap away my offerings, and slam them in my face. I'm trying to be your friend, but you growl and look at me as if I'm here to hurt you. It's obvious that you have went through something in your life that I haven't, that most people haven't, and you're hurt from it. You can move past that hurt, or you can let it grow and fester like a nasty wound, and you can let it destroy you. Nobody can live for long the way you do, James. I hope you can find some sort of peace soon, because I've had it with you. I have a little pride to, and you know what, I don't like you, or Remus, or my Transfiguration grade enough for my pride to be continually shot down. So you can sit here and mope in the dark library with a bunch of nineteen year old newspapers for the rest of the year and I don't care." She paused and looked as if she had been hit by a rampaging manticore. "Oh my! Nineteen years? What are-"

"Get out of here! NOW!" James said furiously, knowing this witch was too clever for his own good.

"No way, not now. You are looking for-"

"Madame Pince?!!!" He shouted loudly, looking panicked, making the library trot over. "She's disturbing my studying, would you please remove her?"

Lily's eyes widened, and she picked up her own books, her face red with anger and mortification, and stomped out. She was grinding her teeth as she walked briskly down the cool hallways, but had calmed down by the time she saw Remus waiting for her eagerly outside of the portrait to the Gryffindor common room. The hopeful look on his face made her feel a tiny bit bad for her outburst.

"Well?"

"He got me kicked out of the blessed library!"

"What?!"

"He GOT ME KICKED OUT OF THE LIBRARY! Do you know how humiliating that was? Besides, he's incredibly rude, and won't even accept a well-meant apology!" Lily pointed her finger into Remus's chest. "And through all of that, I found out what he's looking for."

"What?!"

"Don't be redundant. And technically, I don't know for sure, but I've got one heck of a guess. One that I think is right."

"What?!"

*~*~*

"Is he walking toward us?" Millie asked whoever happened to be listening to her at the moment, which would be either/and/perhaps neither of her friends as they walked down the corridor after .

"He probably wants to talk to me about Quidditch." Amos said, glancing to see the encroaching James Potter.

"Or not." Lily muttered, not liking the stormy look on his face.

"Hey! James! What's goin-"

"I can't believe you!" James hissed at Lily, interrupting his fellow Quidditch player. "I honestly thought you were better than that! You told!"

"Told what?" Lily asked, hoping feigning innocence would get her off the hook.

No such luck.

"Don't play the fool." He took her arm and started leading her away. "And how in the hell did you even find out for that matter?"

"Lily?" Millie asked worriedly, following them.

"Go to class, Millie." James said sharply, not turning back to look at her, so he was surprised when she planted herself in front of him.

"Classes are over for sixth years today. Except Lily, she has an advanced class. Which she needs to be getting to." She took Lily's hand, and attempted to lead her away from James.

"We need to talk, and this is my only available time."

"Come on, Lily." Millie protectively put herself between Lily and James. "She's going to class. I'm sure whatever you want to say to her can be said in the common room tonight. With witnesses."

"Like hell it-"

"Millie, I'll be fine. I can get there in time. Don't worry. Let's go." Lily looked at James over Millie's shoulder.

"Are you-"

"I'm sure." Millie slowly left, and Lily turned to James. "Whatever you want to say, say it."

"It's not worth it. Forget about it." He muttered, his head hung, making his black hair fall over his face.

"It was the deal I made with Remus, and you now that. It wasn't anything personal, believe it or not, the world isn't out to get you." Lily said wryly, trying to toss in a little humor.

"Whatever." James turned on his heel, and walked away, and Lily being Lily, couldn't let the situation walk off with him. She chased after him, grabbing the sleeve of his robes to make him slow down for her. "I didn't know for sure, you know. It was merely a guess, but I suppose you just confirmed it."

"Are you going to tell anyone?"

"Of course. I'm going to hang a note on all the dormitory doors, and probably write it on the walls of the girls' toilets."

Silence

"Of course I'm not going to tell anyone. It's not something I would necessarily want the whole world to know about me. Oh wait! The whole world DOES know it about you! Gee, how could I have been so daft?"

"You are awfully mouthy for the resident golden girl."

"And you're awfully rude for the resident golden boy." Lily retorted sharply. "You know, this isn't a one-way street. If you want me to be honest with you, I expect nothing less from you."

"You act like we're friends." James's face twisted into an odd expression which Lily couldn't describe completely as curiosity or wariness.

"I'm trying to be your friend."

"I don't want anymore friends."

"Because you've carefully selected the ones you have and I don't quite make the grade?"

"Precisely. Now, could I have a simple yes or no as to whether you're going to blab to the entire school about what you think you know about me?"

"It isn't worth my time. I am not Bertha Jorkins, contrary to your belief, and I can find better ways to occupy myself."

"Is that a no?"

"Yes, it's a no!!"

"Good. Very good." James looked highly satisfied as he smirked his way down the hallway, leaving Lily to fume in his wake.

*~*~*

"Millie!" Lily called tauntingly as she stepped in the dormitory, ready to provide the explanation she had put off until now. "I know what you guys wouldn't tell me?"

"And what of many things would that be?" Millie was lying on her bed, her Transfiguration book open in front of her, pretending she wasn't interested.

"The secret about James Potter."

"Oh?" Extreme disinterest. "I think I got tomorrow's assignment figured out. You shouldn't have much trouble with it."

"So you don't want to hear what I found out?" Lily was beyond excited as she bounded onto her own bed.

"Why not?"

"It's about his family, isn't it?"

"What's this?"

"Oh, come off it, Millie! Nobody is here, it's just you and I! You can tell me what's going on." She was alight with excitement, very much enjoying the moment. "What nobody will talk about, it's about his family, right?"

"Maybe." Millie answered cautiously, studying her parchment carefully. "Look, Lily, can we just drop this? I'm not comfortable with the topic at all."

Lily, sensing her friends discomfort, sat silent for a few moments. "Alright, you can tell me if you feel like I need to know. But would you just tell me why you, or anybody else for that matter, can't tell me?"

"I'm involved too closely in the situation, just like many others."

"Thank you." Lily brushed her hair into a fresh ponytail and watched Millie for awhile in the mirror. Seeing that her friend wasn't going to do anything else particularly interesting, she headed for the exit.

"What're you doing?"

"What do I do every evening?"

"UUUGGGHHH!" Millie hit her pillow, apparently in either anger or frustration, "Don't you get it?"

"I guess I don't. Bye."

"Bye." Millie grumbled, shooting her a parting look of caution, which Lily ignored.