Lily did a quick head count to make sure everyone was there. This was a rare occasion; a field trip. There hadn't been one of them for years. But the Hogesmeade Museum had received such a good reputation as somewhere where important new historical discoveries were made that Professor Binns had finally got approval to take a group of students. The Museum contained many famous historical items and ancient documents, some of which were yet to be translated.
She wasn't entirely sure what to expect from it, but was glad that she had been chosen to accompany the students. It was mainly first and second years, there had been a selection process and only those who had been consistently good at History of Magic had been allowed to go. There were roughly ten from each house and a prefect from each to help supervise.
There was her of course from Ravenclaw, Gemma Milena from Hufflepuff, Klarin Yulesca from Slytherin and James Potter from Gryffindor. And it took all of them to keep track of the forty or so excitable students.
Professor Binns floated along at the head of the party, Gemma and Klarin halfway down either side of the column of students. She and James were at the tail, to catch any stragglers.
It was into autumn now and the path was carpeted with a slippery coating of wet leaves. A cold wind blew strongly down on them and they all pulled their cloaks tight around them. Lily fished in her pocked for a hairtie and struggled to scrape back her long hair to tie it back. She slipped on a large wet patch of leaves.
James threw out an arm to catch her and stopped her from falling.
"Thanks," she said, pulling the last bit of hair through the band.
"No problem," he smiled, "that looks pretty high maintenance," he nodded towards her hair.
"Oh it is," she agreed, "but I guess it's my one vanity, I wouldn't have it cut for the world, although I might colour it one of these days" she smiled.
"I think all hair has a life of its own," he grinned and ran a hand through his own tousled locks.
"I think that maybe it's just us," she replied.
"Well, in that case I'd like to think that if I ever have children that I don't pass it on to them! I wouldn't want them to resent me because of it." He grinned as she laughed. "I'm sorry, I feel so rude, but what was your name again?"
"Lily, Lily Evans."
He smiled good-naturedly, "Well Lily Evans, what do you think of our trip today?"
"I'm looking forward to seeing inside, it really has an excellent reputation."
He wrinkled his nose, "typical Ravenclaw."
"What did you want me to say, 'I'm glad we're missing lessons?'"
He grinned and said innocently, "oh certainly not, that was most definitely not what I was thinking anyway."
She shook her head.
"Surely you aren't disapproving of me already?" he asked her with a smile.
"If you must know, I was thinking that, you don't have to reduce everything to trivialities," she smiled to show that she wasn't meaning to be overly critical, after all they hardly even knew each other.
"Well then I shall have to show you that I'm not always trivial. What do you think of the recent attacks in the paper?"
"Do you always have to talk?" she asked.
"Yes, sometimes it is best, then you don't have to endue awkward silences," he grinned.
"Silence doesn't have to be awkward," Lily said.
"Here we are class," the professor said, shouting so his voice carried over to the students at the rear. James and Lily ushered those at the back closer so they could hear what he was saying. Lily had an odd fleeting thought that she felt a bit like a sheepdog. "Now, don't touch anything once we're in here. They are all protected by a very strong charm and if you all want to come out with the same number of limbs and digits as you went in with then I suggest that you keep well behind the line. In addition to the security here, certain artefacts have their own inbuilt security measures."
Several of the younger students looked nervous and looked dubiously at the open door in front of them. James caught her eye and winked.
Inside the small house there were several large rooms, each with their own set period of items, such as Classical, Medieval, Anglo-Saxon etc. The same white marble floor ran through all the rooms and they had high vaulted roofs that looked like the shell of an upturned boat. Professor Binns split them into their respective houses and they set off through the rooms, prefects in tow.
Lily wandered through the classical section a few paces behind her charges, who were mostly chattering excitedly and pointing at exhibits. Several had clipboards and were making sketches of some of the more decorative artefacts. But some looked utterly bored and stood with an all-suffering expression on their faces', twirling their wands between their fingers.
Running round the edge of the room and round the central exhibits a thin gold thread hung in the middle of the air, she could almost feel the power radiating from it. Making sure not to touch it she looked into a large case with a gleaming golden fleece and then moved on the next containing a velvet cushion with a golden apple sat on top. The description read, 'The Apple of Chaos- it brings division and arguments to whoever touches it.'
She looked through the open archway to the area to the left and grinned, James was restraining two red-faced boys. It seemed yet another row had broken out between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. Personally she couldn't quite understand the animosity between those two houses, how could you stereotype such a large group of people into 'good' and 'bad'?
She'd always hated stereotypes, they were rarely true anyhow. Take her for instance, she didn't like to be noticed but this didn't mean she was a shy retiring flower. If asked, she would speak her mind and she didn't mind meeting new people, it was just that she preferred anonymity. In a way it prevented people from making judgements about you based on how you looked, spoke, how clever you were or how much money you had. It was so much simpler.
Paddy came running over to show her a drawing he'd just done of a medieval cauldron. She smiled and complimented him before watching him run back over to join his house. The younger ones she helped were different though. They didn't make any presuppositions about her; they accepted what she told them and had a childlike innocence that she couldn't help but envy from time to time.
Helping them made more work for her, every time she redid her Charm she had to remember to exclude them from the people it affected, and the more people she tutored the harder it was, but she didn't really mind. Secretly she was glad that there were some people that remembered she existed other than teachers, of course she had made sure the spell didn't affect them. She doubted that any of them would take kindly to having their perception altered.
Sometimes she thought it was a sad reflection on her life that the only people she could reasonably call friends were first and second years. But it was rather an unequal friendship, and she reminded herself that she didn't need friends. They might make things easier sometimes but they were not a necessity.
Looking up she saw her group were stood pretending to listen to the professor. She turned away from him and looked at the object in front of her. It was in the corner at the back of the room, hung on a hook on the wall. It shone brightly and she could hear humming in her ears. Mesmerised she took a step closer not noticing the golden thread that was almost touching her stomach. Unblinking, her eyes fixed on the object she stepped forwards again.
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A/N: Well I hope that answered a few questions. Thanks for asking about the teachers and the students she helps, Sarai Ice-Elf, I'd forgotten about that if truth be told. Also it isn't an invisibility spell, just one to make her unremarkable, people do remember her name while she's around (once she's reminded them of it usually), it's just that they forget her afterwards.
Also I'm sorry that last chapter was so short, it wasn't until I looked back after posting it that I realised just how short it was. Hope this slightly longer one makes up for it. (Also if you want longer chapters go read my other HP fic, 'The White Fire' its chapters are about five times longer. It's more fun that one, mostly less serious due to the personality of the main person.)
(And Damia, you were right, that hint before was about the animagi thing being finished)
Hmm …well review people and I'll prob update Wednesday night or Thursday- I have an exam on Wednesday!! Arg!! So review and give me something to smile about ^__^