A/N: This chapter isn't super exciting, but I have some very exciting moments coming up next chapter. Thanks for the new follows and favs. Please Review :) It feeds my hungry writer appetite.
Chapter Two: Try-Outs
The next morning, Lily woke feeling refreshed, contented, and even excited. She was amazed how much she had missed sleeping in her bed in the Slytherin dungeons. She had missed the dim torch lighting on the stone walls that she could easily block out with her heavy green canopy at nighttime. She had missed the deep green velvet quilt that she snuggled up with every night, which was now made even snugglier with the addition of the beautiful hand knitted silver and green blanket her Grandma Molly had given her as a late birthday gift during the summer. She had even missed the silly loud snores of Kenny in the bed to her right and the frequent sleep talking and giggles that escaped from Julianne's canopy frequently during the night. She had not missed the scowls she endured from her other two roommates or the conversations they pretended to whisper to each other about how they had hoped she wouldn't have returned while she was getting for bed, but despite Cassie and Nicolette's hateful talks, Lily woke up realizing that she actually felt at home in this dungeon room.
Styx's steady purring stopped and Lily felt his soft paws pressing against her cheek as he began stirring with his morning stretches. She turned her head and found his tiny pink nose only an inch from hers. She smiled and scratched behind his ears.
"You happy to be back, too?" She whispered.
He meowed and readjusted his black furry body closer to nook between her shoulder and ear.
"Don't get too comfy, sweetheart," she said. "I am not going to be late for first day!" After one more quick nuzzle with her cat, Lily parted her canopy and slipped out of bed.
Like the previous year, Lily was the first in the room to wake. She had gotten very used to her routine during first year of waking and getting dressed before any of her roommates were out of bed, and she anticipated this year progressing in a similar manner.
She showered and quickly dried her hair with a charm Victoire had taught her over the summer. Ever since Lily had caught her oldest cousin sneaking her boyfriend, Lily's adopted brother Teddy, into the school for an after dark snogging session the previous year, Victoire had been extra kind and helpful towards Lily. Even though Victoire had graduated now, she still seemed eager to take Lily under her wing and assist her in any way she could, particularly with tips and tricks regarding beauty. Lily believed Victoire was the most beautiful girl in the world, and she had always been particularly happy for earning the half-Veela's attentions. Though Lily often told her friends she didn't much care for things like fashion and beauty, she was secretly quite proud of her natural good looks.
Lily didn't feel she had changed much over the summer after her twelfth birthday. She had grown maybe a fraction, but was still shorter than Julianne and Leona, and though she couldn't quite see it herself, her figure had begun to shift towards the beginnings of womanhood rather than that of her adolescence. The real change she noticed in herself was her hair. It had grown longer, at least three inches over summer so that it now reached almost to her waistline. Lily loved her hair. Both her brothers had dark hair like their dad; she had inherited the Weasley red hair, though it was somewhat darker like a ruby or blood, as her brother's sometimes teased her, and not quite as vibrant as Rose's, which was more like the flames of a bright fire. The charm she used to dry it allowed her hair to maintain its natural waviness.
She dressed in her school uniform and pulled on her robes. Lily had only hesitated briefly at Madam Malkin's this year before choosing to have her robes adorned with the green and silver trim that most Slytherin's chose to add to their plain black robes. Her brothers both had Gryffindor's red and gold trim after all. Once she was dressed, Lily stared at her reflection in the large floor-length mirror against the far wall of the girls' private bathroom. She smiled a little. Though she couldn't deny there was still a small part of her that wished her robes matched her brothers' there was another part of her, a fast growing part, that rather liked the green and silver. She liked the way the green matched her soft emerald green eyes. Her brother Albus shared her green eyes, like their father; James had eyes more similar to their mother's amber ones. Unlike Albus' deep eyes, green like the forest, Lily's were clear, almost shimmering, like polished sea-glass.
As she laced up her slightly-heeled black boots, Julianne joined her in the bathroom.
"Morning," Julianne said. She smiled through a yawn.
"Good morning!" Lily said.
"I can't wait to get our class schedules at breakfast," Julianne said.
Lily smiled. She had missed her friend's passion for school. Lily was excited to see their schedule as well, but more excited for her private Potions lessons she had been promised. She wasn't sure when they would start or what to expect from them, but she was eager to begin.
"Want me to wait for you?" Lily asked as her friend prepared for her morning shower.
"That's okay, I can meet you at breakfast," Julianne said. "You seem eager!" She laughed, tossing her pajamas into the large hamper beside the shower stalls where the girls' used clothes would be taken by house elves, cleaned, pressed, and refolded in their trunks or hung in their closet.
"I'm just excited to be back," Lily said. "And I'm hoping to catch Louis before breakfast."
"Go on then," Julianne said. "Save me a seat."
"Of course!" Lily said, as if there were anyone else she would sit with at breakfast. She waved at her friend and headed out of the bathroom. Passing through the large closet shared by all the girls, Lily spotted Nicolette picking out her uniform for the day. She did not acknowledge Lily. Kenny and Cassie were still asleep in the bedroom, so she silently walked back to her bed, kissed her cat on the head and told him to behave. She took her wand from where she kept it in the drawer beside her bed, stashed it in an inside pocket of her robes, and left the room.
Knowing it was still early, Lily intended to go directly upstairs towards breakfast in an attempt to find her cousin or Leona. Once she entered the common room, however, she was surprised to find others lingering in the common room. Scorpius and Payne stood chatting near the fireplace.
Lily planned to walk directly past them without pause. Despite the farewell conversation she had had with Scorpius the previous semester, or perhaps because of it, Lily was determined to stay as far away from him as possible this year. Scorpius Malfoy would have zero space in her thoughts or life, as far as she was concerned.
"Oy! Potter!" Payne Trotter, the ridiculously attractive, though somewhat stoic sixth year Quidditch captain, had other plans for Lily's morning.
Lily stopped just a few feet away from the door, hesitating.
"Potter!" He called again.
She turned. "Good morning," she said. She put on a smile, one of her nice smiles, though it wasn't entirely real or as big as she knew it could be.
He beckoned to her and though every fiber in her being told her to just smile and go about her day, she walked over to the boys standing by the fireplace.
"Good morning," she said, trying to sound polite and not forced. She looked up, keeping her green eyes on Payne's dark blue ones, intentionally avoiding the blonde beside her.
"We were just talking about you," Payne said. His tone didn't imply it as a compliment particularly, more just a matter-of-fact, but Lily couldn't help being a bit put off to know that Scorpius Malfoy and a sixth year had been discussing her.
"Oh?" She said, now feeling a little on edge.
"You excited?" Payne asked.
"For what?" Lily asked.
He smirked. "For tryouts," he said. "For Quidditch."
Lily smiled. "What makes you think I'm going to try out?" She asked. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to tease him. Of course she would try out. She was, however somewhat annoyed that they had been discussing her, and she felt the need to bother them a bit. It was a little fun seeing his momentary scowl as he considered what she had said.
"You're not trying out?" He asked. "But you have to."
"Do I?" She asked, still goading him for a reason not entirely known to herself. She would never have quite had the nerve to speak to him in this way the previous year. She and Payne had an okay relationship for students with four years between them, but she wouldn't have ever teased the older boy with such audacity.
He frowned now. He was still handsome, but his frown made his dark blue eyes darker. "Look, Potter," he said. "I'm Captain this year. I gave up my Prefect's badge for it, and I intend to win the Cup. In order to do that, I need the strongest team. Got it?"
"Of course you do," she said.
"So…" he said.
"Yes?"
Payne smirked slightly, his left eyebrow lifting. "What? Do you want me to beg?"
Lily couldn't help smiling. "Sure," she said. Scorpius chuckled, and Lily glanced at him for the first time and was only slightly surprised to find him staring at her.
Payne laughed, really laughed. Lily didn't know he knew how to laugh.
"Fine, Potter, I beg you," he said. "Please try out for the team. We need you!" He even clasped his hands beneath his chin.
Lily glanced again at Scorpius and lifted an eyebrow.
He smirked. "I don't beg," he said.
"I suppose I'll have to settle with just one of you then," she said. "Fine Captain Trotter, I'll try out."
Payne grinned. "Brilliant."
"Can I go to breakfast now?" She asked.
"Sure thing," Payne said. "Remember tryouts are Saturday. Nine o'clock."
"I'll be there," she said. She gave both the boys a quick nod.
As she turned to head back towards the door, Julianne exited the girls' corridor and caught up with her.
"I thought you'd be at breakfast by now!"
"I got distracted," Lily said. She nodded briefly towards the older boys who were still chatting by the fireplace.
"I see," Julianne said. She looked about to make a comment, but Lily shook her head.
"Don't start," she said. "We were just discussing Quidditch tryouts."
"Very well," Julianne said. The girls headed out of the common room and down the long stone corridor towards the stairs. "When are tryouts?" She asked.
"Saturday," Lily said.
"That's only four days away! Are you ready for them?" Julianne asked.
"Ready?" Lily said. "I guess. I mean, I hadn't really put a lot of thought into it."
"You are going to try out though?"
"Of course I am," Lily said. "I just haven't thought much about the actual tryouts. I don't even know what I should do to get ready for them."
"You could talk to somebody about it," Julianne said. "Maybe Kenny…or Scorpius…"
"No." Lily said quickly.
Julianne didn't push, but the scowl on her tanned face and the way she wrinkled her nose slightly showed she wasn't pleased with Lily's resistance to Scorpius. Lily appreciated Julianne's loyalty as a friend though and knew she wouldn't bring it up.
"I'll talk to James," Lily said. "He'll know what I should expect."
"That's a good plan," Julianne said.
As the girls entered the Great Hall, Lily couldn't help but smile as the sounds of eager students thrummed in her ears, and the aroma of the delicious first morning breakfast wafted into her nostrils. She had missed the din and atmosphere of school life.
"I'm starving!" Julianne said. She tugged Lily's arm in the direction of the Slytherin table to the far left the Great Hall.
Lily briefly glanced towards the Gryffindor table just to the right of the doorway. She didn't resent her Slytherin placement in the same way she had during her first year, but she still felt a pang of sadness as she spotted a few of her cousins grouped together on the long benches enjoying their breakfast and prepping for a new year. She gave a quick wave to Albus as he glanced up and spotted her. He grinned at her and nodded before Julianne succeeded in dragging her over to their own house's table.
The girls sat at the end nearest the Professor's table at the front of the hall. As usual the chose to sit slightly apart from other students. There was a time during the previous year when Lily had started to feel guilty that her isolation from the other Slytherins had forced Julianne to stay distanced as well, but her best friend had assured Lily numerous times that she would rather have Lily's friendship than all the other Slytherins' combined. That truth had convinced Lily that meeting Julianne was the best thing that ever could have happened to her at school, and she knew they would be best friends forever, no matter what.
"What class do you think we'll have first?" Julianne asked, getting right to business as they began serving themselves from the platters loaded with breakfast foods.
Lily shrugged. "Hopefully not History of Magic. I'm not ready for that boredom yet," she said.
The girls ate in silence for a while, both enjoying the breakfast spread before them. Lily really had missed breakfasts at school. During the summer, cooking breakfasts each morning with her dad as was their custom, she had almost managed to convince herself that Hogwarts' breakfasts weren't anything special. Now, eating them again and remembering how extensive and delicious they were, she realized she had been fooling herself over the summer.
After a few minutes, Lily noticed Scorpius entering the Great Hall. She instantly felt frustrated with herself for having noticed him at all, even though she was facing the door and it wasn't exactly hard to notice new people walking in. She looked away before she could see if he would look at her or not, and she tried not to notice where he sat. Only a moment after that, Kenny arrived and succeeded in thoroughly distracting Lily with her loud and enthusiastic morning greeting.
Julianne and Lily both thought Kenny was loads of fun, but there were times when here loudness and slightly aggressive behaviors made them wish for some time away from her. This morning though they sat with her and listened without interruption to her hurried and slightly loud chatter about her summer traveling around her with her dad, practicing her quidditch moves, and how much she had not wanted to return to school. She never thought to ask Julianne or Lily about their summers, but that didn't bother the girls; they simply exchanged understanding smiles while their friend prattled on.
As they were finishing their breakfast, the professors came around to pass out class schedules. Lily tried not to catch Professor Willoughby's eyes when he handed her the schedule. For some reason she felt embarrassed about the idea of private lessons with her head of house. Other than Julianne, she wasn't sure she wanted her other classmates to know about it.
"Morning girls," Professor Willoughby said as he handed them their schedules. "Welcome back."
Julianne smiled at him kindly. She was slightly enraptured with their handsome Head of House, as most of the girls in school were. "Thanks, Professor. I can't wait to start classes!"
He returned her smile, then he handed Lily her schedule. "And you, Miss Potter. Are you excited to start all your classes?"
She felt instinctively that he was trying to say more than he was really saying, and she appreciated his wisdom to be discreet. "Yes," she said. "Very much." She smiled and nodded, hoping he understood the meaning to her words as well.
"I'll see you girls later then," he said, and he moved on down the table to the next student in line.
The girls opened their folded piece of parchment and watched as the green ink appeared, revealing their class schedule for the year. Julianne instantly started chatting about their classes, noting that they had Transfiguration in only twenty minutes.
Lily studied her schedule closely, noting when she had shared classes with the Gryffindors — Potions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and Defense Against the Dark Arts on Tuesdays and Thursdays — and how many free periods she would have to coordinate meet ups with Leona or Louis. As she glanced over the different classes and time slots, she noticed a new class materializing in the same deep green ink: Beginning Wednesday, October 2nd, Private Potions Tutoring 7:00 - 8:00 every Wednesday evening. Lily smiled to herself and folded the paper, tucking it away in a pocket of her robe. She only wished she wouldn't have to wait until October.
Only a few minutes later, Julianne and Lily had finished breakfast and were hurrying towards their first class of second term, eager to learn new spells.
…
The first days of the new term passed by like a windstorm for Lily. Each class indicated that the lessons of second year would be substantially more difficult than first year, homework would be more involved and challenging, and her free time would be minimal.
By the time Friday afternoon finally arrived, Lily felt drained and discouraged. She felt overwhelmed by the new lessons and the workload of homework, she felt disappointed that she had barely managed to spend time with Louis or Leona for more than a few moments a day, and she hadn't even had a chance to think about Quidditch tryouts the next morning.
Upon exiting their afternoon Potions class with the Gryffindors, Louis stopped Lily for a quick chat.
"Hey, Lily, wait up!" Louis followed his cousin out of the classroom. Hugo was on his heals.
"Louis!" Lily stuck out her hand and Louis grasped it eagerly. "Any chance you happen to have a free period right now? Jules and I were going to sit by the lake to get started on some weekend homework before our last class."
Louis shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Got to run to Transfiguration in a bit, but just wanted to make sure I at least got to say hi first," he said.
Lily felt the familiar wave of disappointment come over her again. It had been easy for her and Louis to return to their normal best friend relationship over the summer, spending nearly every day together. During July he had stayed at the Potter's house for three weeks straight just because he had been tired of his sisters' behaviors. Now back at school, it was becoming harder and harder for them to maintain that closeness.
"Okay," Lily said sadly.
"Tomorrow though," he said. "Tomorrow we'll spend time together. What do you want to do?"
"Well actually tomorrow's tryouts," Lily said.
"Oh right," Louis said. "I forgot."
"They start at nine, but I don't know how long they'll go," Lily said. "Hopefully we can hang out after lunch?"
"How about I come watch tryouts?" He said.
Lily laughed.
"What?"
"Seriously?" She asked. "You hate Quidditch. Why would you want to watch tryouts?"
He shrugged. "It's important to you."
Lily hugged her cousin quickly. "Thank you. You really don't have to, but I really appreciate the support."
Julianne spoke up. "I'll come too. We can work on our Potions assignment if we get bored watching you fly around in circles," she said.
Louis smiled at her, and Lily smiled at both of them, pleased that they wanted to watch her, but also pleased their friendship had grown so much since the previous year when they barely spoke to each other.
"Thank you both," she said. "Though to be honest, I'm not sure tryouts are going to go very well."
"Why not? You're made for Quidditch," Louis said.
"I've been so busy this week I haven't even had a chance to practice at all," Lily said.
"I doubt you really need any practice," Louis said.
"Even so, I had hoped to ask James for any tips he might have for me," she said. "But I've barely seen him this week at all."
Louis thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure he has a free period right now," he said. "You should check the pitch."
"The Quidditch pitch?" Lily asked.
"Yeah, he and some of the others do homework there," Louis said.
"Brilliant! Thanks Louis!" Lily hugged him again before releasing his hand. "See you at dinner?" She turned quickly to Hugo who had been silently hanging behind them during the conversation and gave him a quick hug as well. The boys nodded to the girls and headed off for their class. "Come on!" Lily took Julianne's hand and started pulling her up the steps towards the back exit of the castle.
"I assume we're off to look for your brother?" Julianne said.
"Yes we are," Lily said.
"Must I come with?" Julianne asked.
"I thought you and James got on alright over summer," Lily said.
"We did," Julianne said. "Over summer. At your home. When it was just us and him, Albus, and Louis."
"So?" Lily asked. "What's the problem then?"
"It won't be the same here," Julianne said. "It won't just be him there will it?"
"No," Lily said, "I expect not."
"So it'll be your brother and a bunch of his Gryffindor mates," Julianne said. Her smooth forehead creased slightly.
Lily had to admit that her friend had a point. Even though she and James had more or less repaired their broken relationship over the summer, and he had even accepted Julianne when she came to stay at Grimmauld Place with Lily for a fortnight, she wasn't sure how secure his promise would remain about being friendly with her now that they really were back at school. He had his valuable reputation as Potter-royalty-quidditch-keeper-all-around-Gryffindor-badass to maintain after all.
"It's fine," Lily said, trying to convince herself a the same time. "James and I had a talk before semester started, and he promised it wouldn't be like last year."
Julianne nodded. "I hope he keeps that promise," she said. Lily knew Julianne meant it for her sake. And even though she knew Julianne still didn't particularly enjoy fraternizing with the other houses, she appreciated her willingness to do so as her best friend.
As they neared the pitch, the girls could hear loud laughter and busy chatter. They passed through the arched entrance to the field of the pitch and spotted a cluster of Gryffindors lounging in the middle of the field. James' dark messy hair was easy to spot amongst the group, especially since he was standing, while most others were sitting, and waving his arms around emphatically as though engaged in a particularly active story.
Lily took a slow breath to steady her nerves. Julianne squeezed her hand reassuringly and the girls marched directly towards the center of the field.
James was speaking as the girls approached. His voice was loud, but not in an obnoxious way. He knew he had the attention of the crowd, and he clearly enjoyed every moment of it. Every eye was on him, most of his eager friends had smiles and half laughs plastered to their faces. He lost himself in a half-chuckle, held up his hand for a moment, and then continued: "And then I told him that I knew exactly where his wand might have gotten lost, and if he'd bend over…" He lost himself to laughter, joined by most of his friends, while a couple of the girls blushed with a hint of modestly and embarrassment at his topic of conversation.
"James!" Roxie said, through her own gasps of laughter. "You did not say that to a professor!"
"I did too," he said.
Lily both rolled her eyes and also smiled at her brother's attention-seeking antics. She knew how much he enjoyed being center of attention. She finally cleared her throat, getting the attention of not only her brother, but every Gryffindor eye there. There were a few brief snickers and Lily couldn't help hear the "Snake" whispers and under-breath comments by a few, but she chose to ignore them.
The momentary falter in James' smile as he glanced at her was unmistakable, but he quickly recovered it as he stepped away from his circle of friends and offered his sister a short hug. "Hey Lily," he said. "What's up?" He nodded a brief acknowledgement towards Julianne and she smiled.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Lily asked. "Louis mentioned you had a free period, and I could really use some advice."
He glanced briefly at his friends, seemed to notice Dominique and Roxie's encouraging nods, and motioned for Lily and Julianne to follow him away from the others. He led them a couple yards away from the Gryffindors, and Lily knew they would now be out of ear shot. She didn't particularly care if anyone overheard her conversation with James, but it seemed that he would prefer it to be just between them.
"What's up?" He asked.
"I have tryouts tomorrow morning," she said, jumping right into the matter.
"Yeah?" He said. "That's great, good luck."
"Yes, thank you," she said, "but I was just hoping you might have some suggestions for me."
"About what exactly?"
"About tryouts," she said. She could tell that despite his willingness to chat with her, he was still slightly resistant. "I've been so busy this week I haven't had a chance to practice, and to be honest, I'm a little nervous about it all."
"Don't be silly." He said. "You'll be great."
"That's what I told her," Julianne said.
James glanced at her suddenly as though he had forgotten she were there.
"What if I'm not?" Lily said.
"You already won them the cup last year," he said, and this time he wasn't trying to hide the frustration in his voice. She felt momentarily apologetic, but also secretly proud remembering how excited she had been helping Slytherin to victory the previous season.
"But I've never done tryouts," she said. "What if someone better than me tries out?"
"You're good, Lily, really good. I doubt anyone will be better than you," he said.
She blushed slightly at her brother's compliment; it wasn't common for him to go out of his way to be kind like that. "Thank you," she said, "but what if…"
"Fly fast," he said. "They'll test your speed. They'll test your reflexes."
She nodded.
"They'll have you do some practice catches with the snitch," he said, then paused. "You are trying for seeker, yeah?"
She nodded again.
"Just make sure you're the fastest one trying out then," he said. "And don't be nervous." He glanced back towards his friends. Lily followed his gaze and noticed a couple girls waving him back over; he returned their wave.
Lily realized he wasn't going to give her any more help. "Okay," she said. "Thanks then."
"Yep," he said. "You'll be fine."
"Okay," she said again.
"Is there anything else?" He asked.
"No, that's all," she said. "Thanks for taking time for me."
He nodded, but had already started edging backwards, back towards his group. "I'll see you around then," he said.
Lily waved, and he turned and jogged back to his friends. Lily noticed one of the girls stand as he approached. She was tall and thin like a willowy tree. Her light brown hair was braided out of her pretty face. Even from the distance Lily could see how her smile lit up her eyes. James reached out to her as he neared her and draped his arm around her shoulders. Lily was surprised. She had never seen him be overly friendly with any particular girl, and she had definitely never heard him mention a girl he was interested in while home over summer. She was definitely going to have to ask Louis about that.
"Well, I guess that's it then," she said to Julianne.
"Yeah? Did it help?" Julianne asked, though Lily could tell by her tone that she knew it hadn't.
"At least he didn't ignore me," Lily said.
The girls turned back towards the castle and started the walk back.
"Do you feel any better about tomorrow?" Julianne asked.
Lily sighed. "No, not really," she said. "Oh well. I guess I'll just do my best."
"You'll be great," Julianne said.
Lily could tell that her friend truly meant it; she believed in Lily. Lily just wished she could better believe in herself.
"Come on," Julianne said, tugging a bit on Lily's hand. "I don't want to be late for Charms."
Lily smiled, knowing full well that Charms was Julianne's favorite subject. Lily wasn't particularly fond of their Charms' Professor, but at least it was doubled with Ravenclaw so she'd get a chance to chat with Leona, so Lily obligingly increased her speed to get to class.
…
Throughout Charms and then the dinner hour that followed, Lily felt her anxiety rising instead of settling as she had hoped it would do. After dinner, she had tried to focus on her Potions homework with Julianne for a while, but barely wrote a sentence before giving up and going to take a shower to try and further soothe her nerves.
While Lily was showering, Kenny had come into the bathroom and started chatting about how excited she was to watch all the newbies tryout for Quidditch the next morning, which did not help Lily in the least. So by bedtime, Lily had become so anxious she couldn't even think of sleep.
Julianne and Kenny had fallen asleep easily, as usual, almost the moment their heads touched their pillows. Lily sat in bed for a while, Styx curled up on her lap, while she tried to journal away her nervousness over the morning tryouts. Cassie and Nicolette had not yet fallen asleep and Lily could hear them not-so-quietly whispering to each other from their beds across the room. She couldn't make out every word, but every once in a while she heard her name, as though they whispered that part just a little more loudly, then there would be a round of snickering and giggles. Lily finally gave up trying to focus on peace and quiet. She climbed out of bed, held tightly to Styx in one arm and her journal in the other and marched out of the bedroom. She had told herself before semester started that she would not let anything Cassie said or did get to her this year, but she knew that if she stayed in the room any longer she would be tempted to retaliate against the blonde witch.
Lily retreated to the common room, assuming it would be empty by this point in the night, as usual. Her first year at Hogwarts had taught her that Slytherins did not tend to linger and mingle too late into the night hours.
As she exited the corridor for the girls' dormitories, Lily headed directly to the high-backed black leather sofa in front of the fireplace, which had become her favorite spot in the common room. She had been so distracted with her anxiety and the added frustrations from overhearing Cassie and Nicolette's late night chatter, she hadn't realized she wasn't alone until she had reached the sofa.
"Oh!" Lily said, stopping short and letting out a slight gasp. In her surprise, she unintentionally tightened her arm around Styx and he let out a soft meow in protest.
"Hey there," Scorpius said. He smiled up at her from his reclined position on the sofa, one leg was casually crossed the other knee and he had a book propped against against his bent leg.
"Hi," she said. "I didn't realize…I mean, I didn't think anyone…" She sighed. Of course he would still be awake, and in her spot no less.
"You mean you didn't come all this way just to see me?" He asked.
Lily was momentarily taken aback before she realized he was teasing her. "I came for some peace and quiet," she said.
"Isn't that what sleep is usually for?" He asked.
"Well, yes," she said, "but I couldn't sleep."
"It's late," he said. "You've got tryouts in the morning. You should be snoring by now."
Lily narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'm aware of the hour, thank you. You've got tryouts, too. And I do not snore," she said.
"They're not so much tryouts for me," he said. "It's sort of a given I'll be on the team again. Unless someone really botches up in a previous term, we don't easily replace existing teammates."
"Oh, right," Lily said, "of course." She panicked briefly. "So doesn't that mean that Jesse will be returning as seeker this year?"
Scorpius smirked at her panic. "Nah, he's done," he said.
"Done?" She asked.
"After the blunger thing last year, he decided he was over Quidditch," Scorpius said. His eye roll showed what he thought of that kind of behavior. "Bloody coward."
Lily felt instant relief.
"Though to be honest," he said. "I think Payne would have preferred you even if Jesse had wanted to return."
Lily smiled a little. "Well, I expect there may be others trying out for seeker tomorrow as well," she said.
Scorpius shifted his position so he was sitting up. He focused his eyes on her and she felt like he was trying to read her thoughts. "You're not nervous, are you?" He asked.
She didn't entirely trust herself to answer without betraying the truth, so she just shook her head and shrugged.
"You are!" He said, smiling a little. "Is that why you're out here instead of sleeping soundly with the others?"
She sighed and nodded, giving into his clever insight. "I can't help it," she said. "I've been so distracted with school this week I haven't had any time to think about tryouts at all!"
"You'll be fine," he said. "Really! You saved all our necks last year with the final game. You've got nothing to worry about."
Lily finally sat down on the couch, releasing her grip on Styx. He instantly leapt from her arms and curled up in the middle of the couch between Lily and Scorpius.
"I haven't even practiced," she said.
"You're good though, Lily," he said. "Like really good. You know you'll be great even without practice." Scorpius leaned forward and scratched Styx behind the ear, the cat purred and nuzzled into his hand. Lily couldn't help smiling as she watched Scorpius' gentle actions with her cat. "What's that?" He asked suddenly.
She was momentarily confused, but then realized he was nodding towards the leather-bound journal still gripped beneath her arm. "Nothing," she said.
"Oh?" He asked, grinning slightly.
"Well it's certainly nothing for you to concern yourself with," she said.
"Is that your diary?" He asked. He was smirking now, and she could see a mischievous glint in his eyes reflected by the firelight.
"No," she said quickly. "It's a journal. I'm not eight."
He reached his hand out as if to take it. "What do you write in it?" He asked.
"That's incredibly private," she said.
"Am I in it?" He asked.
She felt her breath catch in her throat and hoped he wouldn't notice how her voice faltered and how a blush had crept into her cheeks. "Why would you be in my journal?"
He chuckled. "I am," he said. "I knew it."
"I did not say that," she said.
He just continued to smirk at her.
"Anyway, I should probably get some sleep before tryouts," she said, standing suddenly and swiftly scooping her cat up and away from him.
"Lily, you came out here for something…" he said.
"I came out here to calm down, but surprisingly this did not help at all," she said.
"Sorry," he said. "I guess that's kind of my fault."
"It's not," she said. "It's fine." She let out a sigh. "I'm just working myself up for no reason." She turned towards the girls' corridor.
"Lily, wait," Scorpius said. She could tell without turning around that he had stood and moved towards her.
She paused but only glanced over her shoulder.
"You will be great tomorrow," he said. "I have complete confidence in you."
She smiled slightly. "Thank you," she said.
"Sleep well," he said.
She turned and continued back to her dormitory.
…
The next morning Lily woke and dressed before her dorm mates were awake. She felt both eager and terrified for tryouts and though her stomach was grumbling already, she doubted her ability to actually eat breakfast before heading to the pitch.
Even though she still had the uniform she had worn for the final game the previous term, Lily felt that wearing it to tryouts would possibly be a bit presumptuous, so she instead dressed in tight black trousers and a white shirt, and braided her long hair out of her face. Julianne joined her in the large shared closet while Lily was lacing up her boots.
"You ready?" Julianne asked.
"No," Lily said, feeling unusually irritable.
"You're not still feeling anxious are you?" Julianne asked.
Lily shrugged. "I don't know. I just can't seem to kick these nerves!" She said.
Julianne quickly changed into jeans and a green jumper with a silver snake "S" embroidered on the front. "Well, I know you'll do great, no matter what you're feeling."
"Come on, let's go to breakfast," Lily said, trying to distract herself from what was to come.
"Wait!" Julianne said, stopping the redhead from leaving. "You need one more thing…"
"What?" Lily asked, but Julianne held up a finger to stop her from talking and been rifling through a small box she kept on the top shelf of her closet space. She finally smiled and held up her hand in victory, clutching a bright green ribbon.
"It's good luck," she said. "You wore it during the game last season, and look how well that turned out."
Lily smiled, touched by her friend's thoughtfulness. Julianne tied the ribbon around Lily's long braid. When she was settled with Lily's appearance, Julianne nodded, and led the way up to breakfast.
Lily managed to eat a little, though she didn't hear much Julianne or Kenny said throughout breakfast. All she could think of was the imminent approach of tryouts. She couldn't even entirely explain to herself why she was so nervous. She agreed with James that she was good enough to make the team, and she knew she had performed well at the final game the previous year, but she couldn't stop thinking about someone else who could tryout better. What if she messed up? What if she missed the snitch? What if the broom she had brought from home, the same broom she had had since she was eight wasn't fast enough to compete? She hated to think about not making the team. She knew she would be humiliated and brokenhearted.
As the buzz of breakfast began to die down, Lily became aware of Kenny urging her on. She followed Kenny out to the pitch, barely aware of her feet moving beneath her. Julianne walked beside her, chatting continually about how excited she was for Lily to join the team and watch her in all the games. Lily felt a little dizzy from all the confidence. If only James could have been more helpful with his suggestions the day before. She had so counted on him helping her feel more ready for tryouts.
They had just reached the entrance to the pitch when Lily stopped short. James was standing there beneath the arched entrance holding his Lightening Flash 100. Kenny ignored him as she hurried into the pitch, eager for tryouts to begin, but Julianne hung back with Lily.
"James, what are you doing here?" Lily asked.
"Hey," he said. "I realize I was not super helpful yesterday. You came to me for help, and I should have done better."
"It's okay," she said.
"Yeah, well, anyway, what I said about speed was true. You need to be fast as seeker," he said.
"I know," she said.
"And I figured you're trying out with your old broom," he said, eyeing the broom in her hands.
She nodded. "It's what I have," she said.
"Well I thought you might like to use mine," he said. He held his hand out, offering her his brand new broom he had received for his birthday that year.
"Are you serious?" She asked. He had never even let her try it out at home, no matter how much she begged him.
He nodded. "Do you want it?" He asked, still holding it out to her.
Lily didn't hesitate for another moment, but quickly reached out and took the broom from him. Julianne took her old broom from her. "James, I don't know what to say…"
"Just go out there and show them what Potters are made of," he said, giving her a true big brother grin for the first time she could remember in quite a while.
Lily flung her free arm around his neck. "Thank you so much!"
"Go on now," he said, giving her a little shove. "I'll be in the stands watching, so go impress me. Louis and Hugo plan to come watch for a bit, too."
Lily smiled widely at her brother, gave Julianne a quick hug, then ran out onto the field with her newly acquired broom in hand.
"All right then, let's get started," Payne Trotter's deep voice was spoke clearly to everyone gathered there on the pitch as Lily approached. She stepped up beside Kenny and waited; she still felt anxious, but somehow receiving both James' broom and support brought her a renewed sense of confidence.
And then tryouts began. For the next two solid hours, Lily flew and performed however she was told. She was instructed to fly races with other hopefuls; she was instructed to catch the snitch over a dozen times, occasionally while also avoiding blunger attacks; she was instructed to perform trick moves and dives and spins; and she was even instructed to attempt a few goals with the quaffle even though she wasn't trying out for Chaser. Payne was adamant that his entire team had at least a basic knowledge of each position, and not just their own.
By the end of the two hours, Lily was exhausted. Her body ached, her head was humming with the adrenaline of constant flying and orders being barked at her, her clothes and hair were sticking to her sweaty body, and all she wanted was to take a shower and a nap. She had noticed James, Louis, Hugo, and even Julianne leave a while ago, clearly bored with the lengthy tryouts.
Setting her feet back on the solid grass with the other Slytherin hopefuls, Lily's knees felt shaky. She leaned against her broom to keep herself stable.
"Thank you all for showing up today to try out for our team," Payne began his speech, his clear blue eyes surveying the group gathered in front of him. Scorpius stood to Payne's right, clearly confident in his ability to hold onto his position as keeper, even though there was a second year Slytherin trying out for keeper. "There was a lot of good flying and performing here this morning. Of course we can't take all of you," he paused, a little longer than Lily though necessary. "At this time, we only have space for two new starters. One seeker and one chaser, however, we have selected four of you to move on to the next phase."
"Next phase?" Someone in the group asked.
Lily couldn't miss the slightly sadistic smile that crept across Payne's handsome face. He continued talking: "If you pass the next phase, you will officially be on the team. If not…" He shrugged. "At this time we would like welcome the following four to join us for the next phase. The rest of you are free to leave." He cleared his throat. "Kale Perk. Ian Parker. Nathaniel Bluett."
Lily felt her heart racing and her breathing slowed.
"And Lily Potter," Payne said, staring at her directly as he called her name.
She felt her breath begin normally again.
"If I did not call your name, you may now leave," he said. He clearly had no sympathy in his voice for the six students who headed back to the castle with disappointed frowns and slumped shoulders.
"To the rest of you," Payne said, "Congratulations. You have qualified for the next phase."
"When are you going to tell us what this next phase is?" Ian Parker asked. Ian was a second year like Lily. He was tall, with light brown hair and dark eyes, and walked around with an air of superiority that made Lily's skin crawl. Cassie and Nicolette spent a lot of time with him and his friends.
"You'll learn when it's time," Payne said. "If you successfully complete all the trials of the second phase, you will officially be welcomed as part of our team. If you fail, then you will officially be off the team."
Lily's anxiety began to grow again. She had never heard of a second round of Quidditch tryouts, and at least half her family played Quidditch at Hogwarts!
"That's it for now," Payne said. "Hit the showers, get some rest, and be ready."
"When…" Lily began to ask, but Payne just held up his hand to silence her.
"You'll know when it's time," he said, much more calmly and pleasantly than Lily thought entirely fair.
She sighed.
"Go on now," Payne said. "That's all I'm saying for now."
Kale, Ian, and Nathaniel turned and instantly left the pitch, heading back to the castle. A few of the Quidditch teammates left as well. Payne, Scorpius, and Kenny stayed to put away the balls. Lily hung back with them, somehow hoping to pry a bit more information out of one of them. She thought Kenny would be her best shot, so she edged over to her roommate and helped her strap the quaffle back into the trunk.
"Anything I should be aware of for the next phase?" She asked.
Kenny grinned. "Anything and everything," she said. Then she laughed, in the whole hearted way she did, throwing her head back and practically trembling with enthusiasm.
Lily frowned, realizing she would't get anything more out of Kenny.
She turned to head back to the castle, eager to shower and nap before dinner. After a moment, she realized she wasn't walking alone.
"Nice broom," Scorpius said, speaking up from beside her.
"Thank you," she said. She smiled at James' broom with pride. "It's not mine."
"I know," he said. "It's your brother's isn't it?"
She nodded.
"It was good of him to lend it to you," he said. "I guess this means you all are on better terms than last year."
She nodded. "I hope so," she said. "I tried hard to work things out with all them over summer so it wound't be all awkward once we came back to school."
"Well, I think that broom really helped you today with the speed part," he said.
She nodded.
"Congratulations, by the way," he said.
"Well, I guess it's not official yet," she said. She hesitated. She had no right to ask Scorpius for any favors after the way she had treated him the previous year, but she wondered if he would maybe volunteer information anyway. "Any hints about what I can expect next?"
He smirked.
"Yeah, didn't think so," she said, "I guess I'll just have to wait and try to keep my anxiety under control in the meantime."
They were almost back to the castle before he spoke again, and it was so quiet she had to ask him to repeat himself. "It's initiation week," he said.
"What?" She asked.
"Initiation," he said. "Expect it to be intense, strange, possibly brutal and embarrassing."
"Uh, that sounds awful," she said.
"It can be," he agreed. "We all had to go through it though."
"Why does Payne think some of us won't pass?" She asked.
"Because like I said, it can be brutal! Usually people drop out," he said.
Lily was momentarily stunned and terrified. "Oh…" she said.
"You'll be fine," he said. "You're tough."
"That's not entirely encouraging," she said.
He grinned. "I believe in you," he said.
"Thanks," she said. She glanced at him briefly and felt herself blushing a little when she noticed he was staring at her.
They had reached the back door to the castle.
"I'm going to go shower and probably nap before dinner," she said. "Payne ran us hard today!"
Scorpius nodded. "Yeah, get used to that," he said. "Payne believes in perfection."
"I'll keep that in mind," She said.
"And for initiation week," he said, "always be ready!"
She nodded.
"I'm being serious," he said. "My first night I got pulled out of my bed in the middle of the night stark naked."
Her blush returned instantly. "Naked?"
He seemed momentarily embarrassed as well, but then shrugged. "I don't usually wear anything to bed," he said.
"Okay then," she said. "I think I'm going to go now."
He laughed. "Just thought I'd warn you!"
"I appreciate it," she said. "See you later."
"See you, teammate," he said. He smirked and waved as she ran off towards the Slytherin quarters, headed for a long shower and rest time.