A/N: The song referenced near the end of this chapter is Lilah by former Eagle, Don Henley. It's one of the songs on his 1982 debut solo album, "I Can't Stand Still". Come to think of it, it would make a pretty nice theme song for Miss Darling. Very Irish-sounding ditty.
Lilah was indeed grateful for Harry during flying lessons. Although she had a long ways to overcome her fear of heights, she did exactly as she was supposed to do, and that was enough for her. She was almost excited for her next flying lesson - Harry definitely made things easier at least.
As they left the training grounds, Lilah rushed to catch up with Harry.
"Harry, you have your own owl, right?" she asked with a bit of urgency in her voice.
"I do, Lilah, what's up?" Harry replied.
"I need to send a message to Professor Sprout about what happened at the lunch room today. I want her to know that hitting Malfoy was not unprovoked. He tripped you, firstly, and he called me that disgusting name..." Lilah began to tear up.
"Mudblood," Harry asked? "Until today, I've never heard anyone say that before. I'm not even certain what it means."
Lilah looked at Harry, with a tear rolling down her cheek. "Why did you have to say that, Harry? It's a really hurtful word."
"I'm sorry, Lilah," Harry said sincerely. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with all of the wizarding slang yet."
Lilah sniffled a bit. "I know you didn't mean anything by it, Harry, and I truly didn't mean to accuse you of anything. But... mudblood... it's really a horrible word. It means dirty blood. I can't help that I came from a non-magical family." She shuddered slightly as she said that terrible epithet.
Harry gave Lilah a gentle hug. "Lilah, magical or not, your family is a far better one than the one Draco Malfoy belongs to. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I'd have been delighted to have a family like yours."
Lilah looked into Harry's emerald green eyes. "You really mean that, Harry?"
Harry looked into Lilah's light blue eyes. "Every word, Lilah. Every word." He looked at her reassuringly. "Now, let's get to the owlery and have Hedwig deliver your note to Professor Sprout. I hope she can get you out of detention because you don't deserve that, just like you didn't deserve to be mocked by Malfoy."
They had just enough time to drop off the note at the Owlery before they had to head to class. Unfortunately, Lilah had Potions that afternoon, and she was dreading Professor Snape's wrath. What's worse, is that Harry was not going to be there to comfort her as it was not one of their shared classes.
Lilah thought that Potions was going to go well as she didn't hear anything from Snape before or during class, nor did he seem to act particularly hostile to her. The time passed by quickly enough, and she had hoped that maybe Malfoy was simply bluffing. However, just after he dismissed the class - "Miss Darling, I require a moment of your time."
She exhaled in despair, and braced herself for a severe tongue lashing.
"Yes, Professor Snape?" she asked hesitantly.
"It has come to my attention that you physically struck one of my own in the Great Hall earlier today. Is that true?" he growled.
Lilah hung her head in shame. "It's true, sir," she confessed.
Snape nodded. "Thank you for your honesty, Miss Darling."
He then drew closer to Lilah. He spoke softly, yet menacingly. "You are exceedingly lucky, Miss Darling, that the palm of my hand has not slapped that pretty face of yours after hearing what young Mister Malfoy has told me. Why did you strike him?" His face hardened into a steely glare. "Answer me."
Lilah was intimidated to tears. "Sir, he tripped my friend Harry Potter for no reason, other than to mock him for being friends with Muggle-born girls such as myself and Miss Granger. He called me... a really awful word concerning my parentage."
Professor Snape stood straight again, and took a slight step back. He raised an eyebrow, and had a rather amused expression on his face. "Ahh, so he called you a mudblood, did he?"
"Yes, Professor," Lilah said between sobs. "It was really, really hurtful."
"And do you expect me to offer any sympathy or comfort?" Snape asked in a monotonous tone.
"I don't know, sir," replied Lilah, clearly offended by the Potion Master's indifference.
Snape nodded. "You were honest with me, Miss Darling. I will not assign detention - this time. However, I will dock your house ten points for needless pugilism, and I will also have you write a note of apology to Mister Malfoy for your actions. You will give me the note at the beginning of our next class, and I will personally deliver it to him."
Snape's nostrils flared ever so slightly. "Ten inches, minimum. I will be checking your spelling and grammar. It had better be both sincere and immaculate." He sneered ever so slightly. "You have precisely thirty seconds to disappear, before I change my mind about detention."
Lilah quickly grabbed her belongings and fled the classroom.
The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs met up for Charms that afternoon, one of their few shared classes. Lilah was excited to finally meet up with Harry and Hermione as they could provide her the comfort that she desperately needed after getting dressed down by Professor Snape.
Lilah took her seat next to Harry, who saw that her eyes were red from crying. It didn't take him long to figure out who was responsible for this.
"I'm so sorry, Lilah. Snape can be a very cruel instructor," Harry said to Lilah.
"He didn't even care that Malfoy was such a prat," she confessed. "While I am grateful that he did not assign me detention because I was honest with him, he still took ten points away from Hufflepuff and is making me write an apology letter to Malfoy for slugging him."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "If anything, Malfoy should be writing an apology letter to you and Harry," she said indignantly. She then giggled. "I wish I was there to see you bust his lip. The little prat deserved it."
"I don't regret it, Hermione," replied Lilah. "Not one iota."
"I would have done the same thing, Lilah," admitted Hermione. "I despise the Slytherins and want to beat them as badly as you do, but friendship is more important than house points. And I am so, so sorry that he called you that disgusting m-word. I know that has to hurt badly." She turned around to give Lilah a tender hug. She spoke softly into Lilah's ear. "You're an amazing witch, Lilah Darling. Don't you ever forget that." Her smile broadened. "A personal question, please?"
Lilah flashed a smile of her own. "Sure, Hermione."
"I'm curious why your parents named you Lilah... lye-luh," Hermione giggled. "It's one of the prettiest names a girl can have, really. I'm honestly a little jealous."
"If you must know, her-my-uh-knee," Lilah said with a giggle of her own, "I was named after the wife of former Muggle politician Sir Mervyn Manningham-Buller and not after a Muggle rock artist's song like some non-magical people assume. Besides, I was almost three when that album came out."
"That's rather obscure," murmured Hermione. "But it's a neat story. Thanks for sharing."
At that moment, Professor Flitwick came in and started his lesson.
"We're going to continue with our levitation spells today, class. A few of you have it down, but many of you are still working on it. Miss Darling and Miss Granger, I know both of you are capable witches, so if you could assist your classmates with their levitation spells, I would be most appreciative. I will give your respective houses five points apiece at the end of class for your help," he said.
Lilah watched Harry and Hermione watched Susan with their feathers.
"Wingardium leviosa," Harry said, somewhat hurriedly.
"Harry," Lilah advised. "You need to slow down. I've noticed that you rush through your spells just a teeny bit. Everything else is right - just relax. You're a terrific wizard," she said with a wink.
Hermione turned around. "That's the exact problem I noticed with Harry earlier," she said with a giggle. "And you're right, he truly is a talented wizard." She smiled sweetly at Harry. "You're getting there, Harry. I promise."
Harry took a breath, and did it again. "Wingar-dium... levio-sa," he said, slightly more deliberately, also taking care to swish and flick his wand correctly. And just like that, his puffy white feather floated in the air.
"Congratulations, Mister Potter," said Professor Flitwick. "Your friends were absolutely right - the trick is to relax, and take your time. Great work, young man. And thank you for encouraging him, ladies."
Harry blushed slightly. "Thanks, Professor," he said. He turned to his pretty witch friends. "And thank you, Lilah and Hermione. If I'm a great wizard, it's because you're both helping make me great." Both Lilah and Hermione blushed deeply.
Susan was still struggling with hers. She got the feather to fan a little bit, but not really lift off the table.
"Let me watch you more clearly, Susan," Hermione said. "Harry just got it, and I know you can, too."
"Wingardium leviosa," Susan breathed out as she waved her wand.
"Hmm," Hermione thought aloud. "You're saying it clearly enough, and I don't see anything really wrong with your wand movements." She turned behind her. "Lilah, could you observe Susan and see what might be the problem?"
Lilah smiled at Hermione and Susan. "Show me, Susan," she said in a gentle tone.
"Wingardium leviosa," Susan repeated, along with her wand movements.
The feather fanned a bit, but didn't float.
"Hermione is right, your incantation is fine and so is your wand movement. But the way you are holding your wand looks a teeny bit wonky. Try changing the grip," suggested Lilah. "I'm left handed, but even for a righty it looks a smidge off. Hermione, you're right-handed like Susan, so I need you to show me how you hold your wand."
Hermione demonstrated her grip to Lilah and Susan. "That's a perfect grip right there," Lilah complimented Hermione with a warm smile.
Lilah continued. "Okay, Susan, I need you to grip your wand the exact same way. Bring your hand back about half an inch, and don't forget to lightly press your thumb on the wand instead of clasping it over your fingers. I want to see if that makes a difference. Then, try everything else again, just as before."
Susan nodded. "Here goes nothing," she said after making the grip adjustment. "Wingardium leviosa", she called out, swishing and flicking her wand as before. And just like that, the feather floated up.
"Marvelous, Miss Bones," said Professor Flitwick. "Miss Darling, maybe you have a future as a Charms professor one day. That was a most ingenious observation, young lady." Lilah blushed a very deep pink.
Hermione looked at Lilah in utter amazement. "Wow, Lilah, not even I would have thought of that. I know I told you that you're a smart witch, but even then I had underestimated your brilliance. I don't think you knew how right you were when you said that I might be able to learn something from you."
Lilah grinned from ear to ear. "If you're not learning something new every day, you're not doing it right - that's my motto," she said with a giggle.
Hermione returned the smile. "Agreed, Lilah. And I wanted to let you know, that you have truly been a positive influence since I met you. I'd like to think I'm a little more humble and a little less bossy than the girl that you met on the train a few days ago."
Lilah giggled. "I'd like to think you are too, Hermione. You've been patient with Susan with her spell, and Harry's been singing your praises." Her light blue eyes looked into Hermione's warm brown ones. "You've been a positive influence for me, as well. Because of you, I now take pride in my intellect. I've always downplayed it a bit until I met you. Thank you."
Hermione beamed. "And you should be proud. You're a very, very bright witch, Lilah. I can easily see why the hat considered Ravenclaw for you."
A short while later, class was dismissed. Hermione addressed her three friends. "I'm going to stay behind for a moment, I need to ask the Professor something. Don't wait up for me," she said.
That evening, Lilah got her last birthday surprise from her friends at the dinner table. Harry and Hermione had joined Lilah and Susan at the Hufflepuff table after eating their dinner.
Hermione couldn't contain the smile on her face. "I hope you've had a good birthday so far Lilah - I'm sure slugging Malfoy was just the icing on the cake, pun quite possibly intended," she said with a giggle.
She waved her wand in a squiggly pattern, said some sort of incantation that nobody at the table recognized, and pointed it at Lilah's head. Her golden hair came out of its ponytail, and cascaded down to her shoulders. Her hair then lifted straight up, and then twisted itself into a pretty halo braid on top of her head.
Several of the Hufflepuff girls' jaws dropped at Lilah's hair. "Your hair is... amazing, Lilah," said Hannah Abbott, a girl that sat a few seats down from Lilah and Susan. "I don't know how Hermione pulled that off, because that's a pretty advanced spell. She must really care about you to learn such a difficult charm like that.
Another girl, Megan Jones, smiled at Lilah radiantly. "You have to see yourself in a mirror, Lilah. That's a very flattering hairstyle, you should wear it more often."
Suddenly, a huge man appeared in the Great Hall carrying a white box. Harry, Hermione, and Susan waved him toward the Hufflepuff table. "I have a little something fer the birthday girl," he exclaimed joyfully.
"Hagrid!" Lilah squeaked. "Thank you for remembering my birthday." She ran up to hug the half-giant.
"'Twas nothin', Lilah," Hagrid said with a chuckle. "Harry and I made this fer yer and yer friends. It should be nice and tasty, if yer don't mind me sayin'". He looked at her hairstyle approvingly. "And yer hair is right pretty, Miss Lilah. Very pretty."
He opened the white box, and inside was a round chocolate birthday cake with purple icing and "Happy Birthday Lilah" spelled out in green lettering. "Thank you, Hagrid and Harry. It looks delicious," said Lilah.
Harry, Lilah, Hermione, and Susan each grabbed a piece of the chocolate cake. It was far less lumpy than the one Hagrid made Harry, as Harry lended a hand for Lilah's cake.
Being the daughter of dentists, Hermione made sure her piece was small as she didn't want to overindulge in sweets, even if it was for a very special occasion.
Even Lilah's piece was fairly modest in size as she never had a huge sweet tooth.
"Would either of you care for a piece?" Lilah asked Hannah and Megan sweetly.
"Maybe a very small one," answered Hannah. "Thank you for offering, Lilah."
"Sure, a small piece won't hurt," replied Megan. "Thank you, Lilah. Happy birthday, by the way."
There was still about half a cake left after it was divvied out among Harry, Hermione, and the four Hufflepuffs. "Hagrid," Lilah said. "Perhaps Ron and Neville would care for a bit of cake? And be sure to save some for yourself," she added with a brilliant smile.
"Well thank yer, Lilah," Hagrid responded. "I'll drop by the Gryffindor table ter see if they might want a bit, and I'll be happy ter finish off what's left." He chuckled heartily as he headed toward the Gryffindors.
The children started tucking into their pieces of birthday cake.
"This cake is delectable, Harry," said Lilah. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Happy birthday, Lilah Louise Darling," replied Harry. "I'm sorry I didn't mention this earlier, but you look beautiful with that hair charm."
Lilah's cheeks turned almost crimson in color. "We have Miss Granger to thank for that one, Harry."
Harry turned to Hermione. "So I take it that Professor Flitwick gave you some pointers after class then? It sure looks like it worked, whatever it was."
Hermione giggled. "Yeah, most beauty charms are rather advanced but thankfully Professor Flitwick helped me out some. I had to test it on myself to make sure it worked. With all due respect to Miss Darling, but a birthday celebration isn't occasion enough for me to wear my hair up."
"You did a good job for sure. I'm sure it took a bit of practice to get it down," replied Harry.
"Not as much as you might think," said Hermione.
When it was time to go back to their respective houses for the night, Lilah hugged Harry and Hermione. "Thank you for helping me celebrate my birthday today. You made it a wonderful day. You two are wonderful friends."