Lily had never realised quite how much she had missed out on having the Mediocrity Charm on her all the time. But over the next few days she was so amazed by the way people reacted to her that she never regretted taking it off for one moment. The younger years came up to her in the common room to ask for help and advice and the older years laughed and joked with her. She'd even noticed that most of the first years were afraid of her. When she'd mentioned it to Saffron, her friend had pointed to her shiny blue prefect badge and explained they were probably in awe of her.
"Don't be silly," Lily responded in surprise.
"Why shouldn't it be true?" Saffron returned, "I was wary of the prefects when I was a first year, weren't you?"
Lily thought about it, "actually yeah, I'd totally forgotten about that."
Saffron laughed.
Other than this, Lily spent a lot of time in the library with her year mates. They had been given so much homework over the holidays that it was almost as if lessons were still on.
"McGonagall's just plain evil!" Meg announced with frustration as she threw her quill onto the table. Meg was one of the other two girls in Lily's year, who she'd been spending the last fortnight getting to know. She was a short girl, slightly on the plump side with short, curly blond hair and pale blue eyes. Lily had come to realise that Meg, although she still was an intelligent girl, sometimes resented being in Ravenclaw. As she had once explained, "People automatically think you're a genius and if you make a mistake they make a huge deal out of it! We Ravenclaws are always expected to be the best and so we work hard to keep it so, but then when we do get the top grades, not so much as a 'well done', because we were expected to get that in the first place!"
"Surely it's not that bad," Amy said, leaning over to glance at Meg's work. Amy was the last member of the Ravenclaw sixth year girls. She had a round freckled face framed by masses of light brown curls she had a small pert nose and serious grey eyes. Not nearly as opinionated as her best friend, Amy was content to bury herself in a pile of books for hours on end.
"Have you finished it?" Meg asked Lily.
Lily nodded, "I did that one first, I could tell when she gave it to us it was going to take ages!"
Meg sighed, "I should have done that too."
But she didn't ask to see Lily's work. That was the thing about Ravenclaws. As a rule they never copied, the right of intellectual property, was how it was known in the house. On the rare occasion someone really couldn't manage something on their own, it was up to friends to unobtrusively lend a hand. Ravenclaws were notoriously touchy about academic weaknesses.
The holidays passed in a blur of hard work and soon Lily realised that the rest of the school would be coming back the next day. She'd barely seen the Gryffindor boys, the Marauders was what Saffron said they secretly called themselves. Lily thought they were a bit too old for a secret society but said nothing about it. Thankful that she had never had to explain to James about what had happened after they had found the portrait room, she still hadn't thought of a good enough excuse yet.
The common room was quiet that last night, several harassed looking students pouring over open books hidden behind yet more stacks of books as they struggled to complete the holiday assignments. Most of these were those taking official ministry examinations in the summer. Lily remembered all too well her previous year when she had taken her OWLs, like many of her housemates, she had a knack of remembering things so she never had to do as much revision as many of the other pupils in her year, but all the same the teachers had piled on the work that year and even the Ravenclaws had struggled to complete it.
Now she was thankful for all the hard work she had spent with the other girls in the library as she sat herself comfortably down in a chair near to the fireplace, tucking her legs up next to her as she settled the book Dumbledore had given her on her lap. It was the first real chance she'd had to take a look at the thing and Saffron was out at yet another Quidditch practice, so she'd taken the opportunity to enjoy her own company and read her book.
The tales about how the school was established, built and organised were interesting enough, but what really caught her attention were the histories of the people. After practically meeting them before and all the extra she now knew about Rowena she was eager to know more about them. The lines that fascinated her the most was a short section that discussed about what little was known of Rowena.
'Whether or not it could be said that the lack of information available about Rowena Ravenclaw is due to the years that have passed since her existence and this account, or the fact that it just was not known, one thing is certain; the large part of her private life remains a mystery. We read accounts of her in Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin's personal journals and both describe her as a charming and powerful witch. Hufflepuff, who seemed to know her best of the two, comments particularly on her seemingly effortless aptitude for magic, an innate intelligence when it came to all things magical. Perhaps this is very well the thing that caused intelligence to be such a predominant characteristic accredited to today's Ravenclaw student. It is also said of her that she often disappeared without warning, only to appear several days later without comment. Her friends, when they dared to ask why, never received a straight answer.
As for the other founder, Gryffindor, all signs point to a deep emotional attachment between the two during their later youth which was suddenly and inexplicably broken off. Neither of the pair ever married.
Other than personal accounts about this witch shrouded in mystery from the other founders and odd pieces of correspondence between herself and Gryffindor, the only other clue to this woman lies in a painting by Geordochelli. His writings describe it as a scene he once saw on a chance visit to his sister-in-law, Hufflepuff, at the school,
"It was late in the evening, and I was enjoying walking back down to the village, there was a full moon in the sky and everything was so beautiful. Suddenly something bright caught my eye and I turned to see what I can only describe as a wonderous vision. A tall, graceful woman with long flowing hair, unbound and fluttering in the slight breeze ran deer-like across the grounds towards the forest. Her skin was as pale as a white rose petal and almost luminous to my awed eyes. Garbed in a simple tunic she was more nymph than human, and yet I felt I knew her, but it wasn't until after the event that I realised who it was who I had seen. I must have gasped aloud, for she turned and saw me. She halted briefly, coolly appraising me, her beauty almost painful to see, but more astonishing still were her eyes. As I stared into those vibrant orbs of emerald I felt as if I were looking at life itself!"
While Geordochelli was well know for his Romantic ideals and flowery language the picture he describes above is surprisingly like he says. It hangs in the National Wizarding Art Gallery in London, one of his most highly acclaimed portraits…'
Lily stopped reading and glanced up, staring absently into the middle distance. Was that how people would see her in a thousand years time? She stopped herself, why would anyone bother remembering her for that long after she was gone? She wasn't exactly going to do something as important as Rowena. But all the same so many untold details she could understand touched her deeply. This was a woman who had shared her burden and lived through it. Lily turned the page to see what had become of Rowena.
'…After the four quarrelled and Slytherin left their numbers, the other three began to turn the reins over to new hands, employing more teachers to slowly take over their jobs. They also appointed the first Headmaster of the School, Gryffindor himself was the first to take this title while Hufflepuff was his deputy. Ravenclaw, who had become increasingly absent moved away from the school to settle somewhere near the place known today as Godric's Hollow. It is thought that the new Headmaster, who also lived there, but separately, would often visit her. Hufflepuff remarks in one of her entries that he was always much saddened when he came back after these visits. She fancied that he suffered from a broken heart because she would not have him.
One winter afternoon, Ravenclaw made her last visit to the school. She presented a set of paintings to the school, believed to be of the founders themselves but long since lost in the passageways of the castle. Then she visited the Ravenclaws and spoke with them briefly before leaving the castle. She walked towards the forest, turning to look once more at the castle, silhouetted against the night's sky before becoming lost amongst the trees. And that was the last that was ever heard of her.'
Lily paused her reading and gazed into the flames, gently flickering in the grate. There was so much she had read about Rowena that was unexpected. While she had hinted at there being difficulties between her and Godric Lily had never imagined it would have been like this. She knew how much the Rowena and Godric she had met had seemed to love one another, and that Rowena had said she had preserved their love in the canvases. But what had happened to separate them? And what had happened that night she walked into the forest? Was it selfish for the most prominent question in her mind to be whether her fate was to be the same? No love and an ignominious end?
She sighed as her mind wandered through these thoughts over and over trying to come to some sort of conclusion. Didn't all the Moonlit ones come to the same end? She had met all the Huntress' before- Wait a minute, she thought suddenly, why is it that when Rowena talked about herself and the other Huntress' that was all that she referred to them as- Huntress'? Why didn't she call them the Moonlit Ones? Unless of course there were more to the Moonlit Ones than the Huntress'…what about that other woman she had seen in the glade? Was she a Moonlit One?
Her mind was full of questions to ask Rowena when she next met her, she hoped she wouldn't mind answering questions about her personal life, but she thought she would leave those questions for a slightly later date at least. As she mulled over in her mind the questions she was willing to put to her mentor she remembered something else she had said, something about one awaiting her. Now who could that be? She also mentioned something about other helpers appearing, but she didn't see any sign of any of them. And what was this other that was waiting? Was she supposed to go and find it? And if she was, how would she ever know where to look?
She shut the book sharply with a snap, she was tired of having so many unanswered questions running round her mind. At that moment Saffron and the rest of the Ravenclaw team stumbled wearily into the common room, half collapsing onto the chairs around her.
"Honestly Dan, anyone would think you were trying to kill us!" Saffron grumbled as she winked a greeting to Lily and dropped into the sofa opposite.
"Yeah, you're such a slave driver!" Rosie agreed, taking a seat next to the dark beater, Ben, the quietest member of the team.
Lily smiled at them all, it was nice to have people to distract her from her circular thoughts. "When's the next match?" she asked them.
"Two weeks," Dan replied, "we're playing Gryffindor, which is going to be a really tough match. Their seeker has meant that they haven't lost a match in years," he frowned and sat down looking thoroughly dispirited at the prospect of such formidable opponents.
"But you've trained us up really well, and Gryffindor are due for a lost," Kirena replied comfortingly, she was still standing as if trying to decide where to sit as the other players were occupying all the seats.
"Just sit on his lap and be done with it," Matt said with a grin as she flushed.
"Some people have no sense of tact," Saffron said, shaking her head at him, a smile on her face.
He shrugged, "they've been doing this dance round one another for months, I just thought it was time that things were finally out in the open. Then those two can get together and be done with it."
"Ever the romantic I see," Rosie observed.
Matt didn't seem to know how to reply to this and opened and then closed his mouth.
Lily decided to have compassion on the blushing fifth year and got up, "here Kirena, you can have my seat, I'm going to go for a walk."
"Thanks," Kirena replied gratefully, as she took Lily's place.
Lily smiled in return as she walked upstairs to deposit her book.
***
The next day she was sat in the library by herself, Saffron being at Quidditch and Meg and Amy off to the Greenhouses. She nibbled the edge of her quill as she flicked though the pages of her Potions book.
"Can I join you?"
She looked up to see Remus smiling down at her, "Of course!" she replied shifting some of her things to make room for him.
"Potions huh?" he commented as he sat down next to her.
"Yeah," she sighed, "boring old Potions. I almost wish I'd taken something else."
"Yeah, well, wise people do tend to make that decision," he replied grinning.
She gave him a playful push, "Don't you dare gloat!"
"I couldn't, not when I need you to help me with my Charms," he said with a small smile.
"Always an ulterior motive to see me, Remus?" she teased.
He looked slightly anxious for a moment, then realised she was joking and smiled. "I hardly get to see you out of lessons," he said ruefully by means of a reply.
Lily caught her breath and looked sharply at him to check if she had really heard correctly. But he cleared his throat and rummaged in his bag for his work. Pushing her Potions book to one side she spread out his parchment and browsed through what he had already written.
"It doesn't need much," she told him as she pointed out several sections and made suggestions, trying to ignore the fact that their hands kept brushing against one another.
"Is it really necessary to sit that close?" Sirius asked as he grinned at them.
"Where did you come from?" Remus asked, surprised to see him.
"And for your information I was helping with Remus's essay. I couldn't very well do that from the other side of the room," Lily retorted in reply to his question.
"Poor Remus, did you mother not teach you about the birds and he bees," Sirius replied grinning wickedly.
Remus flushed and Lily got her Potions essay back out.
***
A few days later she was just walking back down the stairs to the common room, when she heard a tapping noise on a window just ahead. A small silver owl was perched on the windowsill tapping at the glass. She ran to let it in. It flew in past her to drop a letter into Saffron's lap, before taking back off out the window. Opening the letter and scanning quickly through its contents Saffron glanced at Lily and grinned.
"What is it?" Lily asked, curious.
"Nothing much," Saffron replied dismissively, tucking the letter in her pocket, "where did you say you were going to go?"
"No where in particular," replied Lily. "Why?"
"I was just wondering if you'd go and pick up my Muggle Studies essay for me, seeing as you were headed out."
"Sure," Lily agreed and asked for directions. Upon receiving them she left the common room and headed for the office Saffron had described, not noticing the grin on her friend's face.
"Wasn't that Black's owl?" Matt asked when she was gone.
"Yep," Saffron nodded.
"Are you two-"
"No, nothing like that," Saffron cut in, "we're just performing a mutual service for a good friend." She grinned mischievously.
"So you're matchmaking," translated Rosie with a smirk.
"Basically," Saffron laughed.
************************
A/N: Sooo sorry for the long update, I'm getting quiet bad aren't I? But it's so not my fault, been totally messed around with broadband thing, it's a very long and frustrating story. Anyway, I'm trying to get it fixed asap so you guys will just have to be patient with me for the next fortnight.
Anyways, I passed my test! Woo-hoo! Thanks to everyone who wished me good luck, it must have worked! ^__^
Oh yeah, what did people think about Lily romance developments? I bet you all know who her first beau is going to be now! (I had a horrible dream ages ago that someone was really mad and nasty about it- I really hope that doesn't come true-oh and no-one say I'm crazy for dreaming that! :P) What about Rowena? I really enjoyed writing about her and Godric, ahh the mystery of it all....^__^
Right, well keep reviewing, I love to hear what you have to say, it totally makes my day!
Xxxx