Chapter 9
Going to the Holloween Ball had not been as bad as she had thought. She had gone with Jason, and he was a really good dancer. He acted as if he was having dreams about naked women massaging his shoulders, but she knew that wasn't the case. He was a liar and a really good one at that. The facade he was wearing was so...so...real. He was acting so happy. She really didn't want to go to the ball, because no one was ever willing to go with her except Jason. She could always weasel out of it and hide in Remy's office under her Invisibility Cloak. Yet, Remy had changed that night, and he had warned her to stay away if she could. The potion that Snape continued to make for him wasn't being absorbed into Remy's body correctly. He was developing a tolerance against it. It had started probably last year, when she had come close to being bitten but still dared to keep him company. She had never told anyone, no teachers or anything. She knew it would get him in trouble. No harm was done, so why worry?
Jason was a very good dancer. She mostly fumbled up, but he dealt with it quite nicely. Darn those dress robes. Well, it wasn't the dress robes. She just couldn't dance. She had watched Jason for a long time at night, but there had been no more strange sounds. She must have caught him at a lucky time. She had returned to sleeping in her own room for the entire night, although she still worried about what she had witnessed the one night that she felt the need to go down there.
Diego was doing his ritual Quidditch dance, jumping around the Quidditch field the last practice before the game. It was just for the trainees to watch. Lilus and the original team were doing what they did best today. Lilus had caught the Snitch in record time before, ten minutes and seventeen seconds, nearly scaring the pants off of Malfoy. She had caught it four times in the last hour, and after that, she landed to break.
"That was some really awesome flying, Lilus," Kyle said as she landed.
She wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled. "Thanks."
"How did you learn to fly like that?"
"Father taught me," she said, whiping her forehead some more.
Nick and Charlie suddenly flew down to her, panting like crazy. "Lil, we know that you're weak spot's Bludgers, so we need you to come train with us for a while."
She nodded and mounted her broom again, surprisingly enjoying the three seconds of break that she had recieved. She flew up behind them, and they made a Monkey-In-The-Middle game out of it. She was the monkey. The twins flew around her, each bashing a Bludger in her direction. She took a few hits before she caught onto the gist of the game. The twins weren't being merciful on her either. They were hitting hard. Well, for good reason. Working out the kinks in her weakness and helping their aim.
Her Seeker reflexes kicked in eventually, and she dodged them without getting hit. It was hard though. Charlie and Nick moved aside, letting their Bludgers fly behind them a good distance. Nick pulled the Snitch out of his pocket.
"Now, catch this while we're doing that," he said very seriously.
Lilus stared at the Snitch for a few minutes, then darted after it just as the Bludgers came back to the boys. The Snitch was extrodinary hard to catch that time, but it probably was tampered with by the twins to help with her training. Still, she would catch it, and she'd do so without breaking any bones. She flew after the Snitch, ducking barely from a Bludger sent by Charlie. Out of both twins, Charlie had the best aim, but they were both good. She reached out after it, but it shot away from her before she could grab it.
Dang...
She dove after it, and both Bludgers came crashing down against her back. She shot to the side, whimpering slightly from the hard blow that both of them had caused. She looked around for the Snitch again and saw the flicker of light under Diego, the Lord of the Underworld. She suddenly noticed the Bludger coming directly at her shoulder. She swirved upward, batting it away with the end of her broom. She flew on course again, aiming directly under Diego, who had just noticed that she was heading in his direction. She saw a Bludger out of the corner of her eye, and it too was aiming for the Snitch. So it seemed. She reached out just a few feet below Diego's broom and grabbed the buzzing little sphere. The Bludger swirved, slamming into her right shoulder while she was reaching for the Snitch. She was knocked sideways, losing her balance on her broom. The force knocked her off, and she could only hold one with one hand. Her left arm wasn't working. She tried to swing herself up onto her broom, but she wasn't balanced enough. Her hand was slipping and both of the Bludgers were coming for her again.
She kicked herself down to the front of the broom, causing the end of it to tip downward and shoot in that direction. She kicked her leg hard and slid over the broomstick, Snitch clutched in hand and demented Bludgers after her. She flew nearly straight down, climbing slowly out of her freefall until she was about ten feet from the ground. Nick suddenly came up from her right and batted a Bludger away that she had not seen heading for her. Charlie came soon after, and both of them touched down.
She nearly fell off her broom, panting and clutching her shoulder. "Crap...dammit! I think my shoulder's broken!"
The Snitch dropped to the ground, and Nick scooped it up. "Yeah, maybe I did hit that Bludger too hard."
Lilus kicked him in the shin, but not hard enough since he wasn't hopping up and down in pain. "No, Nick! I'm serious! I think it's broken!"
Charlie looked at his brother and walked over to her. She dropped her trembling left arm and let him look at it. It wasn't bleeding, but a part of it had been pushed in farther than it should be.
"God. That Bludger shoved her arm directly into the socket, its jammed in there good. Taylor, come here!" Taylor, who had shown great interest since she landed, rushed over and stood at attention. "Take her to the hospital wing. We're going to catch those Bludgers and find out what's wrong with them. Not even Nick can hit that hard."
Taylor nodded and walked with Lilus as they left the Quidditch field.
"Pretty good flying," he said.
She looked at him and smiled weakly. "Yeah, thanks. Tell Kyle that I said to watch out for those damned Bludgers!"
He laughed. "I think he already knows. But really, those were some very nice moves."
They entered the castle and made their way through groups of people talking in the hallway. After delivering her to the hospital wing, Taylor turned to leave.
"See you at practice. Hope Madam Pomfrey can fix you."
He waved and was gone. Just as he closed the door, Madam Pomfrey herself popped up out of nowhere like she always did.
"Oh. Too much Quidditch, Lilus?" she asked.
Lilus and Madam Pomfrey had been on a first name basis since her second year, when all of her little gang had to be escorted to the hospital wing at least once each week. She still called her Madam though. Just to be polite.
"Yeah. Charlie said I broke my shoulder."
Madam Pomfrey lead her over to a chair and sat her down. She took off the Quidditch gear, leaving her deformed shoulder bare and painful. The old woman knew exactly what to do.
"This is the first time you've been in here correct?"
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey."
"This is a nasty sting."
Three spells later, and she was out of there. She did not like being in there. It was too plain. Too white.Madam Pomfrey had forbidden Quidditch for the rest of the day, which wasn't a problem since she was already done with her training ten times over. She sat down on the grass next to Kyle and Taylor.
"Wow, back already?" Kyle asked in surprise.
"Yup. Miss me?"
"Of course we didn't," Taylor teased.
Lilus lied on the ground and stared up at her friends, watching them zoom around on their brooms. Then she realized that Jason wasn't there. Where was Jason? She hadn't seen him since school ended.
******************************
Jason sat quietly in the library, reading a book on the table in the farthest corner from the door. He was not a resident of the library, but then again, the only one that was out of their gang was Casey. He flipped through the books carefully, inspecting the pages and writing down questions on a piece of Muggle paper with a pen. Questions that he wanted answers for. Escaping Lilus and the boys had been quite a challenge, but being quiet for the first thirty minutes and later slinking away proved useful.
"Jason?"
He turned around in his chair and shrank into it when he saw Lilus standing at the door. "Yeeeah?"
Lilus sat down in the chair beside him, giving him a very questioning look. "What are you reading?"
He picked up the book and showed her the cover. "Animagi. I...well...it's getting kind of old being the only Animagus around...and I was wondering if I brewed the potion...would...you...maybe...take it?"
Lilus stared at him...stunned. "Well, where did...you get yours?"
Jason grinned. "Found it in Diagon Alley."
"Liar."
"Okay, okay...I stole it from Snape."
"Nice. I guess, but what makes you think I'm gonna drink whatever you brew? That...suicide right there! The last batch you made turned your quill into a lizard with pink legs!"
Jason cowered playfully in his chair. "So...if YOU brew it will you take it?"
Lilus slumped over onto the table. "I dunno. I really don't want to sprout feathers and a beak."
Jason shook his head. "No. Each person transforms into something different. You could be a wolf or a lioness or something like that."
"I dunno."
"Aren't you even remotely curious?"
She looked at him and smiled. "Of course I'm curious, but I don't want to end up going to the hospital wing because half my body is a fish and the other half a mouse."
"Igh... Well, it doesn't really happen like that..." The American pushed in his chair and stood up. "Let's go somewhere safe to talk about it. I just saw Frenchy coming in the door."
"Oh God."
They both watched as the French boy walked across the library, neither him nor his minions noticing either of them. They just swooped and were gone, directly into the restricted section. Snape must have given them special permission.
"Wow. That many?" she whispered as she and Jason huddled towards the door.
"That's a lot, but you know Snape can be extremely generous to his House. Oh well. Let's go."
Slowly, carefully, and quietly, they snuck out of the library and began to walk towards Remy's office.
"Please, please, please. It's really boring...come on. Be curious and do it!"
She scratched her back. "I dunno. Maybe before Christmas vacation. That way, I can get used to it without turning into something hideous in front of students."
Jason seemed pleased with her answer. "Okay. Deal. I'll steal the ingredients from Snape later."
Remy wasn't in the office, and almost at once, her hands went straight for the picture frame on the shelf. She had no clue why she liked it so much, but she did. It calmed her down to an extent that she would probably never realize. Jason tried to pluck it out of her hands repeatedly, and finally she handed it to him, and he inspected it curiously.
"Who's these people?" he asked, poking at the boys.
"The original Marauders."
Jason's eyes suddenly got really big. The "Originals" as they called them, were role models to all of the Marauders. Remy being one, and every one of her friends made nearly perfect scores in his classroom. He pointed at one of the boys and tilted the picture slightly.
"Moony?"
"Yeah."
"Cool."
"Yeah."
"Who's the pug with glasses?"
All Lilus could do was laugh, and it felt really good.
*************************************
The day of their big game. Gryffindor against Hufflepuff. After that game, it was just a few weeks until Christmas vacation. Then everything would be okay. She was suited up in her Quidditch gear and itching to fly. She stirred restlessly, still having a few minutes until the game started.
"Calm down, Lilus. You're making me nervous," Charlie said, trying to whack his brother in the head with his bat.
"Sorry," she whispered, grasping her broomstick tightly.
Nick shoved his brother away and put a semi-comforting arm around her shoulder. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah. I'm...just anxious."
Quidditch. The first game. She'd have to put a good show on for the audience. They were all counting on her. She'd have to get that Snitch. Lilus stared at the ground and mounted her broom, hovering silently behind her friends.
Justin slid on his robe and threw a rock at her. She glanced up quickly and smiled, sending him the thumbs up sign. He nodded and turned away to finish putting on his armor. Everyone was nervous. The room was very quiet with an exception for the constant rustling of cloth and clicking of armor.
Jason, her friend, the Seer was in those stands out there, ready to cheer her and his friends on. She would have to win for him. She'd be praised and cheered on. She would be what made them win. She would win.
Diego came up behind her. "Try to make the game last for twenty minutes at least, okay, Lil? Nothing for us to do if you don't," he said, patting her thigh. "You know? Just cruise around for a little bit and make sure Corey doesn't get the Snitch."
She nodded and Diego mysteriously vanished like he always did. That kid had some strange qualities about him, but he was good for the most part. He did like to vanish unexpectedly though and pop up in places that no one knew were there. He loved scaring people.
Shawn mounted his broom and flew next to her, patting her on the shoulder. "You alright?"
"No," she said in a very low voice.
"Tell me," he said softly.
"Paranoid," she answered.
He smiled and hugged her. They heard everyone outside being quieted, and everyone mounted their brooms. They lined up with Justin in the lead and Lilus in the rear. She was thinking to herself and waiting for their summoning call.
"Everyone, do your best. Lilus, do what comes natural. Everyone, most of all, have fun," Justin said, sounding really cliche.
"Shaddap, Justin. Everybody, WIN!" Baker yelled loudly.
Most of them cheered, but Lilus and Shawn remained silent.
Then it sounded.
Justin burst through the doors and everyone followed, zooming out of the shack and scattering like gnats. She flew down to their goal posts and needled herself in and out of them, causing the Gryffindors to scream louder. Madam Hooch called them into position. Baker patted her on the shoulder as he flew past.
Mark Corey was a very nice boy. He had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He was of medium build and decently intelligent. She had talked to him sometimes during classes, and he was really popular with the ladies. She smiled at him.
"Have a good game, Mark!"
"You too, Lilus!"
The Quaffle was thrown into the air, and the game began. Lilus immediately rose high into the air, as did Mark. She knew he was trying to copy her style, but she wasn't exactly mimicable. For about two minutes, all she did was stare. Justin and the Chasers had hold of the Quaffle and were racing to Hufflepuff's goal. There was no Snitch noise. She looked far below onto the playing field and finally saw the golden flash. Mark must have seen it too, because they both were flying towards it as fast as their brooms were carrying them the next second.
The Hufflepuff Beaters didn't make it their main purpose to knock her out with Bludgers, which was a good thing, considering that she broke her shoulder in her match with Nick and Charlie. The Snitch was moving extra fast. Nick and Charlie must have forgotten to unjinx it. Oh well. She'd still catch it. She stopped a little before Mark did and looked skyward. She saw it buzzing around Gryffindor's goal. She swirved her broom to the side and flew towards it, trying not to lose it again. Shawn looked at her when she began to head towards him, but she just kept flying.
"And it looks like Potter is going to score for herself!" blared the speaker.
It was just behind the goal that Shawn was over. She stood up on the broomstick, balancing perfectly on the trick that she had pulled off a lot. Shawn's eyes were lost to the Hufflepuff Chaser that was heading his way. Lilus took a clean jump over the goal post and reached for the Snitch, which buzzed just a little out of her reach.
She grabbed hold of her broomstick with one hand and jerked herself back on it, flying after the Snitch again. She followed it closely, but everytime, it seemed just out of her reach. Mark Corey was trying hard to keep up with her, but he was too far behind. The Snitch was making some bloodcurdling turns, and it was taking everything that she had to keep up with it. It was acting so strangely. It shot down into the ground woodworks. She followed it, trying to dodge the closely woven boards.
"Snitch, come 'ere!" she growled.
Lilus followed it for about thirty seconds down there, dodging boards and more boards. She shot out and nearly ran into Mark Corey as he tried to intercept the Snitch before she got to it. The Snitch went skyward, at a perfectly vertical angle. Her grip on her broomstick tightened considerably, so tight her knuckles were turning bleach white. It was beginning to hurt really bad, but she held on. Mark was closing in, and he was becoming very impatient with the altitude. The Snitch flew higher and higher still. The air became considerably cold, and she was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with the Snitch. It had never gone that high before. It wasn't supposed to go that high.
The coldness that surrounded her gave her a really furious headache. She shivered and coughed, feeling the cold air seep into her lungs and freeze every inch of them. Mark was almost on her, and he was shaking violently as well. The loud speaker had faded away to a little whisper while she shook the pain out of her skin.
Finally she pushed her arm farther, and her fingers wrapped around the small golden ball.
She fell backwards. With one hand on her broom and one hand on the Snitch, she fell. She flipped over, letting the wind push her hair behind her. She smiled as the air became warmer and the playing field came in clear sight again. About fifty feet above the ground, she mounted her broom again and flew to the ground, waving the Snitch victoriously. There was a loud screech from the Gryffindors.
"Gryffindor wins! 270 to 50! Gryffindor wins!"
Lilus landed and rubbed her head. She felt a chill all around her, and suddenly, she just wanted to sleep. She panted loudly, rubbing her hand across her forehead. Her eyes began to blurr, but the twins, the Chasers, and Shawn rushed up to her and scooped her into their arms. They hugged her tightly, and she looked up at Jason who was waving his arms frantically in the air. She smiled and waved at him. She couldn't collapse. The boys were too busy hugging her, saying that the thirty minutes that the game lasted, she had done wonderfully. No Bludgers. Their next game was after Christmas vacation, which was now the next thing on her list. She smiled.
She would be going home.
*******************************
Remus Lupin hugged the teenaged girl in his arms. "You're going home, Lilus. Everything will be okay."
Lilus smiled. "Yeah, thanks, Remy. I'll be back. Consider yourself warned."
She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He laughed heartily, and she exited his office. Jason and Justin were waiting outside.
"Well, we're heading home," Justin said, sighing heavily.
Jason coughed. "Man, I have to stick here. This is so not fair."
"Poor Jason. Well. Maybe during the summer you're parents will let you come over," Justin said, smiling.
"Maybe. Well, I'm sure they'd let me. Hey, Lilus, you're Animagus potion should be done by now. Wanna take a swig or four?" Jason said with his trademark grin.
Justin's eyes opened wide. "You made an Animagus potion?! Under my nose?!"
She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, and I promised Jason I'd take it too. Well, let's go. You guys can witness."
"Well, let's be off. I hid it in the room under the Whomping Willow. I'll walk you through the steps, but we did it right, so I think all you'll have to do is meditate. You'll be find on your way home tomorrow."
The Whomping Willow. Finding Charlie there nearly dead had been a nightmare. Nothing too lethal had happened that year, but still, with Diego's prank still bubbling, there was a lot of room for mistakes. All three of them walked outside. Lilus was beginning to have second thoughts about her potion, even though she brewed it right from the book. Jason had stolen his from Snape, and that was more to rely on than her abilities. They stopped just outside of the tree's reach, and Jason smiled.
"Watch the master at work."
Jason opened his arms and closed his eyes. Out of his arms, rough looking plates sprouted, but they thinned out and became feathers. His nose and mouth fused together, and his eyes turned the brightest blue that Lilus had ever seen. He had transformed in front of her before, and the first time, it had been a very strange experience. The large brown and black eagle flew upwards, calling down to his friends in an eagle's cry. The giant bird shot downwards and into the massive web of the tree's whipping branches. Since Remy's years in school, the tree had grown considerably. Almost too big for their liking. Jason shot through the branches and rammed into the knot on the trunk. The tree's branches straightened, and the three teenagers dashed into the opened space between the roots.
Jason changed back into a human and plucked the crystal vial from the shelf. He smiled and waved it at Lilus, who stared at it nervously.
"Down the hatch, chica. You promised."
He handed it to her and she looked at the clear liquid inside. "Yeah, down the hatch."
And she drank it.
Going to the Holloween Ball had not been as bad as she had thought. She had gone with Jason, and he was a really good dancer. He acted as if he was having dreams about naked women massaging his shoulders, but she knew that wasn't the case. He was a liar and a really good one at that. The facade he was wearing was so...so...real. He was acting so happy. She really didn't want to go to the ball, because no one was ever willing to go with her except Jason. She could always weasel out of it and hide in Remy's office under her Invisibility Cloak. Yet, Remy had changed that night, and he had warned her to stay away if she could. The potion that Snape continued to make for him wasn't being absorbed into Remy's body correctly. He was developing a tolerance against it. It had started probably last year, when she had come close to being bitten but still dared to keep him company. She had never told anyone, no teachers or anything. She knew it would get him in trouble. No harm was done, so why worry?
Jason was a very good dancer. She mostly fumbled up, but he dealt with it quite nicely. Darn those dress robes. Well, it wasn't the dress robes. She just couldn't dance. She had watched Jason for a long time at night, but there had been no more strange sounds. She must have caught him at a lucky time. She had returned to sleeping in her own room for the entire night, although she still worried about what she had witnessed the one night that she felt the need to go down there.
Diego was doing his ritual Quidditch dance, jumping around the Quidditch field the last practice before the game. It was just for the trainees to watch. Lilus and the original team were doing what they did best today. Lilus had caught the Snitch in record time before, ten minutes and seventeen seconds, nearly scaring the pants off of Malfoy. She had caught it four times in the last hour, and after that, she landed to break.
"That was some really awesome flying, Lilus," Kyle said as she landed.
She wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled. "Thanks."
"How did you learn to fly like that?"
"Father taught me," she said, whiping her forehead some more.
Nick and Charlie suddenly flew down to her, panting like crazy. "Lil, we know that you're weak spot's Bludgers, so we need you to come train with us for a while."
She nodded and mounted her broom again, surprisingly enjoying the three seconds of break that she had recieved. She flew up behind them, and they made a Monkey-In-The-Middle game out of it. She was the monkey. The twins flew around her, each bashing a Bludger in her direction. She took a few hits before she caught onto the gist of the game. The twins weren't being merciful on her either. They were hitting hard. Well, for good reason. Working out the kinks in her weakness and helping their aim.
Her Seeker reflexes kicked in eventually, and she dodged them without getting hit. It was hard though. Charlie and Nick moved aside, letting their Bludgers fly behind them a good distance. Nick pulled the Snitch out of his pocket.
"Now, catch this while we're doing that," he said very seriously.
Lilus stared at the Snitch for a few minutes, then darted after it just as the Bludgers came back to the boys. The Snitch was extrodinary hard to catch that time, but it probably was tampered with by the twins to help with her training. Still, she would catch it, and she'd do so without breaking any bones. She flew after the Snitch, ducking barely from a Bludger sent by Charlie. Out of both twins, Charlie had the best aim, but they were both good. She reached out after it, but it shot away from her before she could grab it.
Dang...
She dove after it, and both Bludgers came crashing down against her back. She shot to the side, whimpering slightly from the hard blow that both of them had caused. She looked around for the Snitch again and saw the flicker of light under Diego, the Lord of the Underworld. She suddenly noticed the Bludger coming directly at her shoulder. She swirved upward, batting it away with the end of her broom. She flew on course again, aiming directly under Diego, who had just noticed that she was heading in his direction. She saw a Bludger out of the corner of her eye, and it too was aiming for the Snitch. So it seemed. She reached out just a few feet below Diego's broom and grabbed the buzzing little sphere. The Bludger swirved, slamming into her right shoulder while she was reaching for the Snitch. She was knocked sideways, losing her balance on her broom. The force knocked her off, and she could only hold one with one hand. Her left arm wasn't working. She tried to swing herself up onto her broom, but she wasn't balanced enough. Her hand was slipping and both of the Bludgers were coming for her again.
She kicked herself down to the front of the broom, causing the end of it to tip downward and shoot in that direction. She kicked her leg hard and slid over the broomstick, Snitch clutched in hand and demented Bludgers after her. She flew nearly straight down, climbing slowly out of her freefall until she was about ten feet from the ground. Nick suddenly came up from her right and batted a Bludger away that she had not seen heading for her. Charlie came soon after, and both of them touched down.
She nearly fell off her broom, panting and clutching her shoulder. "Crap...dammit! I think my shoulder's broken!"
The Snitch dropped to the ground, and Nick scooped it up. "Yeah, maybe I did hit that Bludger too hard."
Lilus kicked him in the shin, but not hard enough since he wasn't hopping up and down in pain. "No, Nick! I'm serious! I think it's broken!"
Charlie looked at his brother and walked over to her. She dropped her trembling left arm and let him look at it. It wasn't bleeding, but a part of it had been pushed in farther than it should be.
"God. That Bludger shoved her arm directly into the socket, its jammed in there good. Taylor, come here!" Taylor, who had shown great interest since she landed, rushed over and stood at attention. "Take her to the hospital wing. We're going to catch those Bludgers and find out what's wrong with them. Not even Nick can hit that hard."
Taylor nodded and walked with Lilus as they left the Quidditch field.
"Pretty good flying," he said.
She looked at him and smiled weakly. "Yeah, thanks. Tell Kyle that I said to watch out for those damned Bludgers!"
He laughed. "I think he already knows. But really, those were some very nice moves."
They entered the castle and made their way through groups of people talking in the hallway. After delivering her to the hospital wing, Taylor turned to leave.
"See you at practice. Hope Madam Pomfrey can fix you."
He waved and was gone. Just as he closed the door, Madam Pomfrey herself popped up out of nowhere like she always did.
"Oh. Too much Quidditch, Lilus?" she asked.
Lilus and Madam Pomfrey had been on a first name basis since her second year, when all of her little gang had to be escorted to the hospital wing at least once each week. She still called her Madam though. Just to be polite.
"Yeah. Charlie said I broke my shoulder."
Madam Pomfrey lead her over to a chair and sat her down. She took off the Quidditch gear, leaving her deformed shoulder bare and painful. The old woman knew exactly what to do.
"This is the first time you've been in here correct?"
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey."
"This is a nasty sting."
Three spells later, and she was out of there. She did not like being in there. It was too plain. Too white.Madam Pomfrey had forbidden Quidditch for the rest of the day, which wasn't a problem since she was already done with her training ten times over. She sat down on the grass next to Kyle and Taylor.
"Wow, back already?" Kyle asked in surprise.
"Yup. Miss me?"
"Of course we didn't," Taylor teased.
Lilus lied on the ground and stared up at her friends, watching them zoom around on their brooms. Then she realized that Jason wasn't there. Where was Jason? She hadn't seen him since school ended.
******************************
Jason sat quietly in the library, reading a book on the table in the farthest corner from the door. He was not a resident of the library, but then again, the only one that was out of their gang was Casey. He flipped through the books carefully, inspecting the pages and writing down questions on a piece of Muggle paper with a pen. Questions that he wanted answers for. Escaping Lilus and the boys had been quite a challenge, but being quiet for the first thirty minutes and later slinking away proved useful.
"Jason?"
He turned around in his chair and shrank into it when he saw Lilus standing at the door. "Yeeeah?"
Lilus sat down in the chair beside him, giving him a very questioning look. "What are you reading?"
He picked up the book and showed her the cover. "Animagi. I...well...it's getting kind of old being the only Animagus around...and I was wondering if I brewed the potion...would...you...maybe...take it?"
Lilus stared at him...stunned. "Well, where did...you get yours?"
Jason grinned. "Found it in Diagon Alley."
"Liar."
"Okay, okay...I stole it from Snape."
"Nice. I guess, but what makes you think I'm gonna drink whatever you brew? That...suicide right there! The last batch you made turned your quill into a lizard with pink legs!"
Jason cowered playfully in his chair. "So...if YOU brew it will you take it?"
Lilus slumped over onto the table. "I dunno. I really don't want to sprout feathers and a beak."
Jason shook his head. "No. Each person transforms into something different. You could be a wolf or a lioness or something like that."
"I dunno."
"Aren't you even remotely curious?"
She looked at him and smiled. "Of course I'm curious, but I don't want to end up going to the hospital wing because half my body is a fish and the other half a mouse."
"Igh... Well, it doesn't really happen like that..." The American pushed in his chair and stood up. "Let's go somewhere safe to talk about it. I just saw Frenchy coming in the door."
"Oh God."
They both watched as the French boy walked across the library, neither him nor his minions noticing either of them. They just swooped and were gone, directly into the restricted section. Snape must have given them special permission.
"Wow. That many?" she whispered as she and Jason huddled towards the door.
"That's a lot, but you know Snape can be extremely generous to his House. Oh well. Let's go."
Slowly, carefully, and quietly, they snuck out of the library and began to walk towards Remy's office.
"Please, please, please. It's really boring...come on. Be curious and do it!"
She scratched her back. "I dunno. Maybe before Christmas vacation. That way, I can get used to it without turning into something hideous in front of students."
Jason seemed pleased with her answer. "Okay. Deal. I'll steal the ingredients from Snape later."
Remy wasn't in the office, and almost at once, her hands went straight for the picture frame on the shelf. She had no clue why she liked it so much, but she did. It calmed her down to an extent that she would probably never realize. Jason tried to pluck it out of her hands repeatedly, and finally she handed it to him, and he inspected it curiously.
"Who's these people?" he asked, poking at the boys.
"The original Marauders."
Jason's eyes suddenly got really big. The "Originals" as they called them, were role models to all of the Marauders. Remy being one, and every one of her friends made nearly perfect scores in his classroom. He pointed at one of the boys and tilted the picture slightly.
"Moony?"
"Yeah."
"Cool."
"Yeah."
"Who's the pug with glasses?"
All Lilus could do was laugh, and it felt really good.
*************************************
The day of their big game. Gryffindor against Hufflepuff. After that game, it was just a few weeks until Christmas vacation. Then everything would be okay. She was suited up in her Quidditch gear and itching to fly. She stirred restlessly, still having a few minutes until the game started.
"Calm down, Lilus. You're making me nervous," Charlie said, trying to whack his brother in the head with his bat.
"Sorry," she whispered, grasping her broomstick tightly.
Nick shoved his brother away and put a semi-comforting arm around her shoulder. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah. I'm...just anxious."
Quidditch. The first game. She'd have to put a good show on for the audience. They were all counting on her. She'd have to get that Snitch. Lilus stared at the ground and mounted her broom, hovering silently behind her friends.
Justin slid on his robe and threw a rock at her. She glanced up quickly and smiled, sending him the thumbs up sign. He nodded and turned away to finish putting on his armor. Everyone was nervous. The room was very quiet with an exception for the constant rustling of cloth and clicking of armor.
Jason, her friend, the Seer was in those stands out there, ready to cheer her and his friends on. She would have to win for him. She'd be praised and cheered on. She would be what made them win. She would win.
Diego came up behind her. "Try to make the game last for twenty minutes at least, okay, Lil? Nothing for us to do if you don't," he said, patting her thigh. "You know? Just cruise around for a little bit and make sure Corey doesn't get the Snitch."
She nodded and Diego mysteriously vanished like he always did. That kid had some strange qualities about him, but he was good for the most part. He did like to vanish unexpectedly though and pop up in places that no one knew were there. He loved scaring people.
Shawn mounted his broom and flew next to her, patting her on the shoulder. "You alright?"
"No," she said in a very low voice.
"Tell me," he said softly.
"Paranoid," she answered.
He smiled and hugged her. They heard everyone outside being quieted, and everyone mounted their brooms. They lined up with Justin in the lead and Lilus in the rear. She was thinking to herself and waiting for their summoning call.
"Everyone, do your best. Lilus, do what comes natural. Everyone, most of all, have fun," Justin said, sounding really cliche.
"Shaddap, Justin. Everybody, WIN!" Baker yelled loudly.
Most of them cheered, but Lilus and Shawn remained silent.
Then it sounded.
Justin burst through the doors and everyone followed, zooming out of the shack and scattering like gnats. She flew down to their goal posts and needled herself in and out of them, causing the Gryffindors to scream louder. Madam Hooch called them into position. Baker patted her on the shoulder as he flew past.
Mark Corey was a very nice boy. He had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He was of medium build and decently intelligent. She had talked to him sometimes during classes, and he was really popular with the ladies. She smiled at him.
"Have a good game, Mark!"
"You too, Lilus!"
The Quaffle was thrown into the air, and the game began. Lilus immediately rose high into the air, as did Mark. She knew he was trying to copy her style, but she wasn't exactly mimicable. For about two minutes, all she did was stare. Justin and the Chasers had hold of the Quaffle and were racing to Hufflepuff's goal. There was no Snitch noise. She looked far below onto the playing field and finally saw the golden flash. Mark must have seen it too, because they both were flying towards it as fast as their brooms were carrying them the next second.
The Hufflepuff Beaters didn't make it their main purpose to knock her out with Bludgers, which was a good thing, considering that she broke her shoulder in her match with Nick and Charlie. The Snitch was moving extra fast. Nick and Charlie must have forgotten to unjinx it. Oh well. She'd still catch it. She stopped a little before Mark did and looked skyward. She saw it buzzing around Gryffindor's goal. She swirved her broom to the side and flew towards it, trying not to lose it again. Shawn looked at her when she began to head towards him, but she just kept flying.
"And it looks like Potter is going to score for herself!" blared the speaker.
It was just behind the goal that Shawn was over. She stood up on the broomstick, balancing perfectly on the trick that she had pulled off a lot. Shawn's eyes were lost to the Hufflepuff Chaser that was heading his way. Lilus took a clean jump over the goal post and reached for the Snitch, which buzzed just a little out of her reach.
She grabbed hold of her broomstick with one hand and jerked herself back on it, flying after the Snitch again. She followed it closely, but everytime, it seemed just out of her reach. Mark Corey was trying hard to keep up with her, but he was too far behind. The Snitch was making some bloodcurdling turns, and it was taking everything that she had to keep up with it. It was acting so strangely. It shot down into the ground woodworks. She followed it, trying to dodge the closely woven boards.
"Snitch, come 'ere!" she growled.
Lilus followed it for about thirty seconds down there, dodging boards and more boards. She shot out and nearly ran into Mark Corey as he tried to intercept the Snitch before she got to it. The Snitch went skyward, at a perfectly vertical angle. Her grip on her broomstick tightened considerably, so tight her knuckles were turning bleach white. It was beginning to hurt really bad, but she held on. Mark was closing in, and he was becoming very impatient with the altitude. The Snitch flew higher and higher still. The air became considerably cold, and she was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with the Snitch. It had never gone that high before. It wasn't supposed to go that high.
The coldness that surrounded her gave her a really furious headache. She shivered and coughed, feeling the cold air seep into her lungs and freeze every inch of them. Mark was almost on her, and he was shaking violently as well. The loud speaker had faded away to a little whisper while she shook the pain out of her skin.
Finally she pushed her arm farther, and her fingers wrapped around the small golden ball.
She fell backwards. With one hand on her broom and one hand on the Snitch, she fell. She flipped over, letting the wind push her hair behind her. She smiled as the air became warmer and the playing field came in clear sight again. About fifty feet above the ground, she mounted her broom again and flew to the ground, waving the Snitch victoriously. There was a loud screech from the Gryffindors.
"Gryffindor wins! 270 to 50! Gryffindor wins!"
Lilus landed and rubbed her head. She felt a chill all around her, and suddenly, she just wanted to sleep. She panted loudly, rubbing her hand across her forehead. Her eyes began to blurr, but the twins, the Chasers, and Shawn rushed up to her and scooped her into their arms. They hugged her tightly, and she looked up at Jason who was waving his arms frantically in the air. She smiled and waved at him. She couldn't collapse. The boys were too busy hugging her, saying that the thirty minutes that the game lasted, she had done wonderfully. No Bludgers. Their next game was after Christmas vacation, which was now the next thing on her list. She smiled.
She would be going home.
*******************************
Remus Lupin hugged the teenaged girl in his arms. "You're going home, Lilus. Everything will be okay."
Lilus smiled. "Yeah, thanks, Remy. I'll be back. Consider yourself warned."
She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He laughed heartily, and she exited his office. Jason and Justin were waiting outside.
"Well, we're heading home," Justin said, sighing heavily.
Jason coughed. "Man, I have to stick here. This is so not fair."
"Poor Jason. Well. Maybe during the summer you're parents will let you come over," Justin said, smiling.
"Maybe. Well, I'm sure they'd let me. Hey, Lilus, you're Animagus potion should be done by now. Wanna take a swig or four?" Jason said with his trademark grin.
Justin's eyes opened wide. "You made an Animagus potion?! Under my nose?!"
She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, and I promised Jason I'd take it too. Well, let's go. You guys can witness."
"Well, let's be off. I hid it in the room under the Whomping Willow. I'll walk you through the steps, but we did it right, so I think all you'll have to do is meditate. You'll be find on your way home tomorrow."
The Whomping Willow. Finding Charlie there nearly dead had been a nightmare. Nothing too lethal had happened that year, but still, with Diego's prank still bubbling, there was a lot of room for mistakes. All three of them walked outside. Lilus was beginning to have second thoughts about her potion, even though she brewed it right from the book. Jason had stolen his from Snape, and that was more to rely on than her abilities. They stopped just outside of the tree's reach, and Jason smiled.
"Watch the master at work."
Jason opened his arms and closed his eyes. Out of his arms, rough looking plates sprouted, but they thinned out and became feathers. His nose and mouth fused together, and his eyes turned the brightest blue that Lilus had ever seen. He had transformed in front of her before, and the first time, it had been a very strange experience. The large brown and black eagle flew upwards, calling down to his friends in an eagle's cry. The giant bird shot downwards and into the massive web of the tree's whipping branches. Since Remy's years in school, the tree had grown considerably. Almost too big for their liking. Jason shot through the branches and rammed into the knot on the trunk. The tree's branches straightened, and the three teenagers dashed into the opened space between the roots.
Jason changed back into a human and plucked the crystal vial from the shelf. He smiled and waved it at Lilus, who stared at it nervously.
"Down the hatch, chica. You promised."
He handed it to her and she looked at the clear liquid inside. "Yeah, down the hatch."
And she drank it.