Chapter 11
"Did you ask Sprout for the ingredients?" asked Alice. She and Lily were sitting at the table for breakfast. Students bustled all around, finding seats and fighting for milk. But there was a significant loss all around where students were concerned.
"Er, I did. But she wouldn't give them to me," replied Lily. She was quieter than usual and had a warm pink in her cheeks whenever someone tried talking to her.
"What happened to you? You're all shy today," said Alice, watching her intently. Lily's eyes darted over to James who was talking with his friends at the other end of the table. Alice didn't miss a thing; she followed and looked James up and down.
"You kissed, didn't you?" asked Alice in a low voice.
Lily wouldn't reply.
"It's taking you, Lily," said Alice. "The potion is corrupting you. You have to fight it. When it's over, you'll hate yourself if you don't take control."
"Of course you're right," said Lily. "But you don't love him."
"You don't either," retorted Alice. "It's-"
"The potion, I know," said Lily. "It feels so-"
"Real. I know, Lily. We're together on this, remember? Don't worry about Sprout. We'll find a way to get dead lovage, we'll make Amorbane Wine, and it'll all be dandy."
"You know, I just remembered something," said Lily. "Didn't Dollops say something about dragon pox when he told us about love potions?"
"I think I recall. I'll read up on it. Maybe this love potion thing and the epidemic are related. In the mean time, I beg you to hold on to real Lily."
"I'll try."
"No, say you will. Trying isn't good enough for me."
"I will."
"Thank you."
*
It was mid February, and the epidemic hadn't ended yet. Between classes, students brushed elbows with senior Healers from St. Mungo's and exotic witch doctors from all over the world. The epidemic had spread to over one hundred students. The entire hospital wing floor was used as a housing facility for the sick.
It wasn't that students wouldn't heal from the dragon pox. It was that they were cured, sent back to class, and then had relapses. The first students to contract the disease were in their fifth relapse. Nobody was in danger of dying, of course. Not yet, said the Healers. But if it wasn't gone by summertime, their chances for full recovery were slim.
Classes became simple. They basically reviewed what they had learned in previous years and honed skills that had been less than perfect before. None of the teachers (except Prof. Binns) wanted to progress and leave their ill students behind and have to catch up later.
Quidditch had been suspended indefinitely. The entire Ravenclaw team had contracted dragon pox, leaving just Slytherin to be trounced over and over again by either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were scheduled for the Championship in May. There were rumors about England Int'l representatives coming to the game to pick out favorites for the National Team.
Lily did her best never to look at James. It had been uncomfortable before, but now it was painful. She never spoke to him and quickly fled whenever he tried to talk to her.
"I need to talk to you," said Sirius to Lily. She was surprised to find him before her as she was reading in the semi-empty common room. "Can we take a walk outside? And don't you say you're to busy, because I know you don't have homework."
"I wasn't going to," she said. She fetched her coat and let him lead her out from behind the portrait and down the grand staircase to the entrance hall.
Outside was lovely. Younger students were having snow fights and building snow forts. Though she was sure no one at Hogwarts had ice skates, students were slipping around in their shoes on the frozen black lake. In some places the snow had frozen over and was hard enough to walk on without your leg sinking in.
"Lovely day out," she said. And it was. Sirius began hard at work building a snow bench for them to sit on. When he was done, he motioned grandly to it and she sat down primly.
"What's this all about?"
"James."
"Oh," she said softly, becoming pink again. "What about him?"
"Look, I know you don't like him. Goodness knows that after what you said last year. All that stuff about the squid."
"I was just angry. He didn't have to be such a bully."
"That's beside the point. Look, he told me.er.that you were fond of him. You're not, are you?"
"No, I'm not," she said quietly.
"I didn't think so. Don't go snogging guys you aren't fond of."
"Excuse me?" she said indignantly. "Who I snog is my business."
"I meant don't go snogging James. You don't like him, but he really likes you, has as long as I can remember. I know you don't care for him, but leading him on just to get back at him? That's beneath you, Lily. It's low. Just stay away from him, okay?"
"Fine," said Lily. She hopped up off the snow bench, kicked it, and walked back into the school.
"Did you ask Sprout for the ingredients?" asked Alice. She and Lily were sitting at the table for breakfast. Students bustled all around, finding seats and fighting for milk. But there was a significant loss all around where students were concerned.
"Er, I did. But she wouldn't give them to me," replied Lily. She was quieter than usual and had a warm pink in her cheeks whenever someone tried talking to her.
"What happened to you? You're all shy today," said Alice, watching her intently. Lily's eyes darted over to James who was talking with his friends at the other end of the table. Alice didn't miss a thing; she followed and looked James up and down.
"You kissed, didn't you?" asked Alice in a low voice.
Lily wouldn't reply.
"It's taking you, Lily," said Alice. "The potion is corrupting you. You have to fight it. When it's over, you'll hate yourself if you don't take control."
"Of course you're right," said Lily. "But you don't love him."
"You don't either," retorted Alice. "It's-"
"The potion, I know," said Lily. "It feels so-"
"Real. I know, Lily. We're together on this, remember? Don't worry about Sprout. We'll find a way to get dead lovage, we'll make Amorbane Wine, and it'll all be dandy."
"You know, I just remembered something," said Lily. "Didn't Dollops say something about dragon pox when he told us about love potions?"
"I think I recall. I'll read up on it. Maybe this love potion thing and the epidemic are related. In the mean time, I beg you to hold on to real Lily."
"I'll try."
"No, say you will. Trying isn't good enough for me."
"I will."
"Thank you."
*
It was mid February, and the epidemic hadn't ended yet. Between classes, students brushed elbows with senior Healers from St. Mungo's and exotic witch doctors from all over the world. The epidemic had spread to over one hundred students. The entire hospital wing floor was used as a housing facility for the sick.
It wasn't that students wouldn't heal from the dragon pox. It was that they were cured, sent back to class, and then had relapses. The first students to contract the disease were in their fifth relapse. Nobody was in danger of dying, of course. Not yet, said the Healers. But if it wasn't gone by summertime, their chances for full recovery were slim.
Classes became simple. They basically reviewed what they had learned in previous years and honed skills that had been less than perfect before. None of the teachers (except Prof. Binns) wanted to progress and leave their ill students behind and have to catch up later.
Quidditch had been suspended indefinitely. The entire Ravenclaw team had contracted dragon pox, leaving just Slytherin to be trounced over and over again by either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were scheduled for the Championship in May. There were rumors about England Int'l representatives coming to the game to pick out favorites for the National Team.
Lily did her best never to look at James. It had been uncomfortable before, but now it was painful. She never spoke to him and quickly fled whenever he tried to talk to her.
"I need to talk to you," said Sirius to Lily. She was surprised to find him before her as she was reading in the semi-empty common room. "Can we take a walk outside? And don't you say you're to busy, because I know you don't have homework."
"I wasn't going to," she said. She fetched her coat and let him lead her out from behind the portrait and down the grand staircase to the entrance hall.
Outside was lovely. Younger students were having snow fights and building snow forts. Though she was sure no one at Hogwarts had ice skates, students were slipping around in their shoes on the frozen black lake. In some places the snow had frozen over and was hard enough to walk on without your leg sinking in.
"Lovely day out," she said. And it was. Sirius began hard at work building a snow bench for them to sit on. When he was done, he motioned grandly to it and she sat down primly.
"What's this all about?"
"James."
"Oh," she said softly, becoming pink again. "What about him?"
"Look, I know you don't like him. Goodness knows that after what you said last year. All that stuff about the squid."
"I was just angry. He didn't have to be such a bully."
"That's beside the point. Look, he told me.er.that you were fond of him. You're not, are you?"
"No, I'm not," she said quietly.
"I didn't think so. Don't go snogging guys you aren't fond of."
"Excuse me?" she said indignantly. "Who I snog is my business."
"I meant don't go snogging James. You don't like him, but he really likes you, has as long as I can remember. I know you don't care for him, but leading him on just to get back at him? That's beneath you, Lily. It's low. Just stay away from him, okay?"
"Fine," said Lily. She hopped up off the snow bench, kicked it, and walked back into the school.