Chapter 3 Firewhiskey Lullaby
She was pulled out of her misery a few hours later by the sound of hundreds of feet trudging out in the hallway. She lifted her head slowly, feeling the stiffness in her back. She got shakily to her feet that had long ago fallen asleep. She idly stamped them, trying to get the circulation back before trying to walk. She listened for the noise in the hall to stop before she dared to open the door. When all was silent, she slid into the hallway and wondered about what to do. Her stomach rumbled, happily giving her an idea. Her feet automatically began the journey towards the kitchens.
"Lily Evans, miss!" the head house-elf Menky squeaked. "Is Miss still hungry? We have leftover food from the feast, miss," she gestured and several house-elves scurried over proffering platters. "Or Menky could make miss something if she wants."
Lily smiled at the eager little faces surrounding her. They looked at her with smiles on their faces and innocence in their eyes. Bitterly she thought how she had been as innocent as them. The knot of guilt in her stomach twisted, causing all sensation of hunger to disappear. She wanted something to make these feelings go away, something to numb her. A vague thought entered her head and she turned towards Menky. "No thanks, Menky. I'm not hungry, just thirsty…"
An hour later she stumbled up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Taking a swig from the bottle she held in her left hand, she stared at the painting. The Fat Lady was gently snoring, her hair in curlers. Lily opened her mouth to say the password but closed it again. She realized that she, Head Girl, didn't know the password. It was funny really. She of all people should know the password. She giggled. Six years of hard work and she didn't even know the password. She started laughing harder. First day of being Head Girl, and here she was drunk and stuck outside her dormitory. She was having trouble catching her breath so she leaned against the stone wall for support, and wound up sitting on the ground.
She took another sip from her bottle. The Firewhiskey burned as it flowed down her throat, distracting her from the bad thoughts in her head. Lily glanced at the Fat Lady again from her position sitting on the floor, and the giggle resulting from the sheer ridiculousness of the painting turned into a hiccup. She looked away from the painting and drank more of the fiery liquid. The little voice that had been yelling at her the entire time she had been convincing Menky to give her the bottle had long fallen silent. She couldn't really remember why she had wanted the bottle so badly but soon forgot the thought with another healthy dose of the liquor. Suddenly tired, she stretched full length onto the cold stone ground, clutching the Firewhiskey to her like a child to a doll, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
They found her as the first lights of dawn were coming through the window, slightly snoring, the bottle still firmly clasped to her breast. He ran a worried hand through his untidy dark hair before stepping out from under the Invisibility Cloak. He gently worked the Firewhiskey out of her grasp and handed it to the patch of air beside him that contained his three invisible friends. She stirred slightly as he picked her up, but made no sound. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of alcohol that came from her, but held her firmly. He woke the Fat Lady and murmured to her the password, climbing inside as best he could without waking his precious burden.