A/N: I had a lot of fun with this chapter! So much so that I've had to split it into two parts. So here's part one. Please please review and let me know what you think and how you're enjoying this story :) Thank you in advance!
Chapter Three: Initiation Week
Despite her hour and a half nap after tryouts, Lily fell asleep swiftly after dinner. She had no interest in starting her weekend homework or staying up late to chat with Julianne and Kenny in the common room. She had barely even told Julianne about practice other than to tell her that she wasn't entirely sure if she had made the team or not. Julianne seemed just as confused as Lily felt, but didn't ask anymore questions, and Lily didn't give any more answers. Kenny, however, felt the need to snigger and shrug frequently to show Lily that she would say nothing else about anything. When she finally escaped to her bedroom, Lily changed and fell into her bed, eager to sleep. All she could think of was long, uninterrupted sleep and rest for her aching body.
Lily woke suddenly at the sound of footsteps and muffled laughs. It took her a moment to register what was going on and she was still trying to force herself to wake up when she felt a hand over her mouth. Her eyes snapped open and she felt an instinct to scream. Kenny's face suddenly appeared though, and she felt significantly calmer, though still somewhat alarmed by the strong hadn't covering her mouth.
"Welcome to initiation week, bitch!" Kenny whispered in her slightly intense but somehow still humorous way she had. It helped that she started laughing as soon as she said it, as though it had been fun, and also a little forced for her to use such strong language with one of her friends.
Lily couldn't help but notice that it was not, however, Kenny's hand over her mouth. She glanced to her left, away from Kenny and noticed Leo Goyle's curly hair illuminated by the lamp mounted to the wall beside her bed.
"Let's go!" Kenny said. She jerked her head towards the door and Leo removed his hand from Lily's mouth, took hold of her arm and pulled her from her bed. He didn't grab her hard, but it was firm and let her know that she had no choice but to go where she was told.
With Kenny leading the way, Leo led Lily from her room. They moved quietly enough that the other three girls in the room remained fast asleep. Lily had no way of knowing what time it was or for how long she had been sleeping. The corridor was dark, apart from the few dimly lit lanterns that glowed green high up on the wall. Kenny was still laughing a little, but Leo kept hissing at her to be quiet. Lily could see her roommate pressing her hands over her own mouth to try and stifle her giggles, but Lily also knew Kenny well enough to know that she was impossible to stop once the giggles began.
They entered the common room, which was equally dark, and Lily realized the house elves hadn't started the morning fire in the fireplace yet, so she knew it couldn't be much later than midnight. Movement from the boys' corridor caught her eye, and Lily saw Ian Parker being shoved into the common room by the other team beater Geoff Rushton, Kale Perk was being led by Payne, and finally Scorpius brought out Nathaniel Bluett. The three new boys were in varying states of dress — Ian just in boxer shorts, Kale wearing boxers with a tee shirt, and Nathaniel in a pair of black striped pajama pants with no shirt. They all looked groggy and irritated. Though Lily had no way of knowing initiation was going to start that night, she was relieved that she had taken Scorpius' warning to heart and was at least wearing her favorite green flannel pajamas and a long sleeve black shirt. She had even put her long hair in two braids before bed so she knew she looked much more put together than any of the boys.
"Everyone's here," Payne said, smirking at the gathered group. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Ian asked, clearly irritated about the situation.
"No questions," Scorpius snapped. He stepped up beside Payne and it was clear the two of them were going to be in charge for the night.
Payne held up his hand and beckoned for everyone to follow. The new players were put in the middle of the line behind Payne, Scorpius, and Geoff, while Leo and Kenny brought up the rear. They were led silently up the steps and outside of the castle towards the Quidditch pitch. Lily wondered if they would be caught, and if so, if they would get in trouble or if this was something that Payne had somehow cleared with Professor Willoughby.
When they reached the pitch, Lily noticed brooms set out for each of them. She wondered if initiation would be as simple as just playing a round of Quidditch, but she highly doubted it. They all stopped walking when they reached the brooms, and waited for instruction. Payne motioned for everyone to take a broom and then indicated they should mount; he and the other current teammates did as well.
"It's time to explain the rules of initiation," Payne said. "So let's take to the skies." He kicked off firmly and flew straight up. Everyone followed his lead.
Once they were all hovering in the air, just above the height of the commentator's box, Payne and the other current teammates formed a line, facing the line of new initiates.
"You should all feel proud of yourselves for making it past tryouts," Payne said. "And yet, the hardest challenge is still ahead of you. Over the next week, you will be participating in initiation week. As you have seen tonight, your trials can occur at any time without warning."
Ian and Nathaniel grumbled slightly.
"The trials will be varied, unexpected, and absolutely non-negotiable. If at any time you feel unable or unwilling to perform what is asked of you, you will be instantly removed from the team," Payne said. "Is that understood?"
Lily nodded along with the others, though she felt a little uncertain and nervous about the whole thing.
"Initiation week will conclude next Saturday evening after dinner," Payne said. "If you survive the week, by that point, you will be an official member of the team." He smirked a bit when he said "survived" and Lily thought he was being a bit overdramatic.
While he had been speaking, Lily noticed that Leo and Geoff had flown back down to the ground and disappeared out of sight for a while. They were returning now, and Lily realized they were both holding two bludgers each and two bats.
"Ready for tonight's challenge?" Payne asked everyone.
The four initiates nodded slowly, though they all eyed the bludgers uncertainly.
"For tonight, all you have to do is stay on your brooms until sunrise," Payne said.
"Oh is that all?" Nathaniel asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice.
"That's all," he said. "If you are still mounted and flying when the sun comes up, you progress to tomorrow.
"Can we move?" Lily asked.
"Of course," Payne said. "As much as you like." He put his hand out to Leo who handed him one of the bats. The other was then passed off to Scorpius. "If I were you, I'd get moving." He winked and prepared to strike one of the bludgers Leo had just tossed his way.
Lily darted away quickly, realizing he had planned to send the bludger her direction.
And so it began. The four bludgers were continually hit towards each of the four initiates; the teammates took turns so everyone got a chance to hit a bludger throughout the long night. The teammates also took turns taking breaks, and Lily noticed them having snacks and drinks down on the field. The initiates had to sway and swoop and spin to avoid the fierce and persistent attacks without breaks.
Lily had no way of knowing how long they had been flying, though she assumed it had been at least three hours. She was exhausted. Her body was sweating, and she wished she had chosen a different shirt to wear that wouldn't make her so warm. She was getting hungry, but it was likely still a couple more hours before sunrise, let alone breakfast. It had been hard avoiding the bludgers all night, and she was nearly knocked from her broom a couple times. As the night went on, they seemed to become more aggressive with their attacks, as though they were trying to make sure that at least one of the initiates didn't survive the night's challenge.
Geoff currently had one of the bats and Lily didn't notice him aiming a bludger directly at her. She didn't notice until it was only a couple feet away, hurtling towards her at such speed, she knew she wound't be able to dodge it in time. The bludger hit her hard, directly in the stomach, nearly sending her entirely off her broom, but she held on tightly and managed to hang in the air for a few moments as she recaptured the breath that had been knocked from her in the bludger attack. She felt herself gasping and momentarily wondering if being on the team was worth this kind of pain and exhaustion.
"Oy, Potter!" Payne called out to her, though she couldn't entirely tell where his voice was coming from. "You quitting on us already?"
She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily and focused on pulling herself back up onto the broom; she swung her left leg up and around, securing her knee over the stick, then twisted her body, putting herself right again. She held her stomach with her left arm, trying to ignore the burning pain settling there and turned to give Payne a quick nod.
"Good girl," he said.
She rolled her eyes at his condescending tone, then refocused on the teammates currently holding bats. She was not quitting. Lily didn't know what other trials would arise this week, but she was determined to still be on the team by the end of it all. She narrowed her eyes towards Kenny, who currently held a bat, and flew further away, hoping to keep herself momentarily free from any more attacks.
"Hey!" Scorpius said, flying up beside her. "You okay?"
She glanced at him, noted he was holding a bat, and scowled. "Yep," she said. "Just fine. You guys will have to try harder than that to get rid of me."
"We don't want to get rid of you," Scorpius said. "These tests aren't intended to get rid of anyone necessarily."
She rolled her eyes. "Sure, okay," she said.
"I'm serious," he said. "Geoff should have been more careful with that one. It looked like he got you good."
She nodded. "I'll be fine," she said. "I won't get caught off guard again."
"Good," he said. "That's good." He seemed like he wanted to say more, but she had spotted Kenny aiming a bludger towards her and quickly flew off to escape.
A couple hours later, Lily was all but asleep on her broom, not sure if she actually would be able to make it through this test, when the first signs of the sun began to glow low on the horizon. As the orange glow grew higher in the sky, eliminating the dark remnants of the night sky, Payne whistled loudly and motioned for everyone to descend. Lily pointed her broom down and flew to the ground so fast, she would have crashed if she wasn't a skilled flier. She managed to land safely, but when she dismounted her legs were shaky and she wasn't entirely sure she'd be able to stand for long.
"Excellent work tonight!" Payne said as the rest of the group put their feet on the ground as well. "All four of you will continue on to the next challenge.
The four initiates didn't currently look too relieved to hear that news.
"You should be proud of yourselves," Payne said. "Tonight you flew for six solid hours. Our longest game over the past ten years lasted eight hours. You never know when you'll need this kind of stamina."
Despite her complete exhaustion, Lily felt herself almost smiling. She should have known Payne wouldn't put them through such a ridiculous test without reason. He was right; stamina was essential in Quidditch. She had heard of games lasting days in the professional circuit!
"Before I release you all to showers and food, I need to go over one more important rule for this week," Payne said. He glanced around, making sure everyone was listening to him completely. "Secrecy is absolutely imperative. You may not discuss the details of initiation week with anyone who is not a member of this group right here. This includes housemates, roommates, friends, or family…" he narrowed his eyes towards Lily with that last comment. "Do we understand?"
Everyone nodded.
"Brilliant," Payne said. "Then let's get back to our rooms before anyone catches us out here."
Scorpius motioned for the initiates to follow him and Leo, while Payne, Geoff, and Kenny put away the bludgers and bats and brooms.
After showering and dressing in a pair of jeans and a dark green tee, all before her other roommates had woken, Lily flopped out on her bed, disrupting the sleeping Styx briefly; he circled and readjusted himself beside her head. Even though she was starving, she barely felt capable of walking back up the stairs to the Great Hall; she was exhausted. Relieved that it was Sunday, and she had only minimal homework left before classes the next day, Lily allowed herself to fall asleep.
Julianne woke Lily a while later.
"Hey Lils, you feeling okay?" Julianne asked.
Lily lifted her head off her arms, wishing that she had not fallen asleep in such a strange position, sprawled out across her bed on her stomach as she had. "Hmm? Hey Jules…" she murmured.
Julianne crawled onto the bed as Lily rolled over onto her back and stretched, feeling numerous stiff joints and muscles screaming at her. Styx had left, and she assumed he was wandering around the kitchens for handouts from the elves, as she knew he frequently did with their rooms being so conveniently close to the kitchens. The elves had assured her they didn't mind.
"Is everything okay?" Julianne asked.
Lily sighed, remember she had been sworn to absolute silence. It would be hard to lie to her best friend all week. "Yeah, just didn't get a lot of sleep last night," she said. She yawned and her stomach growled. "What time is it?"
"Almost noon," Juliane said. "You slept through breakfast."
Lily was surprised to hear it. "No wonder I'm starving," she said. "Want to come up for lunch with me?"
Julianne nodded and waited for Lily to stand and smooth out her shirt and hair.
"You sure you're okay?" Julianne asked. "It's not like you to sleep in."
Lily put on a smile to reassure her friend. "Perfectly fine," she said. "Promise! Let's go get some food, and then I have got to finish my essay for Transfiguration."
Julianne seemed satisfied for the time being at least and followed Lily up to the Great Hall. Lunch hour had just begun when the girls entered the hall, so the tables were still mostly empty. After a year of school, Lily had come to realize that weekend mealtimes were never as crowded as weekday mealtimes. Students often skipped lunch in the Great Hall or simply took a sandwich and went to eat elsewhere like outside, Lily and Julianne included. Today, however, Lily just wanted to sit and focus on eating, and Julianne didn't complain.
Lily loaded her plate with a turkey and cream cheese sandwich, hot chips, and a variety of fruit. Julianne poured her a glass of milk and watched her friend devour the food voraciously. The girls barely spoke while eating.
Before Lily had a chance to finish, Leo Goyle approached the girls. Julianne seemed momentarily shocked to see the large, brooding third year in front of them.
"Potter," he said, completely ignoring Julianne's presence.
"Goyle," she returned. Despite being on the team together now, Lily did not expect she and Leo Goyle would ever get along.
"Team meeting. Twenty minutes. Mandatory," he said.
"Okay," Lily said, waiting for more information. "Where?"
"Clocktower courtyard," he said and left.
Lily sighed. She wasn't done eating, and she needed to get started on her homework. She did not have the energy or time for any more initiation trials right now.
"That was…abrasive," Julianne said. "Is he nicer than he seems?"
Lily shook her head. "No, Goyle is exactly how he seems."
The girls laughed together for a moment.
"Okay, I better get going so I'm not late for the meeting. Payne hates that," Lily said. "I'm hoping it doesn't take too long, so want to meet at the Lake in a bit to work on our homework?"
"Sure," Julianne said. "I'll go find Leona and see if she wants to join us."
"Perfect! Thank you," Lily said. "If you happen to see Louis, maybe ask him too?"
Julianne nodded, though Lily knew she wasn't quite as friendly with Lily's cousin as she was with Leona Scamander, but she hoped that would change as they got to know each other better.
Lily stood and picked up the last half of her sandwich before waving to Julianne. The clocktower courtyard wasn't a far walk from the Great Hall, and she arrived in only ten minutes. She assumed Payne had chosen this particular spot because it was less popular a hangout spot than the central courtyard, where many students chose to do their homework. This courtyard was smaller, and more overgrown with plants and vines. The fountain in the center of it sometimes had a mind of its own and would either stop working altogether or spray water wherever it felt like it. Lily had always been fond of this spot though. It felt familiar and comforting somehow.
When she arrived, she saw she was not the first there. Scorpius sat on the edge of the fountain, which was currently behaving nicely as a fountain should, holding what looked to be a sketchbook. Lily hesitated briefly before approaching him.
"Hi," she said. He hadn't yet looked up nor noticed her arrival.
"Oh, hey," he said. He made a move to hide his sketchbook, which she found curious.
"What's that?" She asked, pointing to the book he was half concealing behind his back.
"Nothing," he said.
She lifted an eyebrow, but didn't push. She knew she had destroyed whatever closeness they had had the previous year before she let her family convinced her to avoid building a friendship with him.
"Good job last night," he said.
"Thanks," she said. "I'm exhausted, honestly. I slept through breakfast."
"Yeah, that was a lot of flying," he said. "Don't worry, there's nothing like that planned today. You'll have time to rest."
"And do my homework?" She asked.
He nodded. "Yeah, this meeting won't take too long."
"That's good," she said.
There was a momentary silence, and she wished she could think of something else to say. She hated that things were awkward between her and Scorpius. Not only was he a housemate, and now a teammate, she knew in her heart that he was a good person, and could be a good friend. She had almost made up her mind to apologize to him when the rest of the team entered the courtyard.
"Alright, gather round and listen up," Payne said, speaking in his clear authoritative way that Lily was quickly growing accustomed to. "Starting today, each of you will be assigned to one of us for the rest of the week."
"Assigned to you?" Nathaniel asked.
"Yes," Payne said, smirking. "As our personal servant for the remainder of the week."
"Servant?" Ian asked, clearly horrified by the idea.
"Servant, errand-boy, slave, elf, pick the term that suits you," Payne said. Leo and Geoff laughed loudly while Kenny clapped in excitement. "Whatever we say, you do. Whatever we need, you fetch. Whatever we want, you give. Anytime, day or night. Got it?"
"Umm…" Ian seemed about to argue, but Payne shot him a warning glare and the second year quieted down with a nod.
"Each of us will claim one of you, and you will be completely devoted to us for the remainder of the week," he said.
The four initiates nodded obediently, though the uncertainty and panic was clear in their expressions. Lily hoped she would get Kenny. It wouldn't be too bad serving her roommate. Most likely Kenny would just ask her to fetch food for her at all hours.
"I claim Potter," Payne said immediately.
Lily gasped slightly, unable to stop herself. She hadn't anticipated being claimed by the Captain. The other boys started whistling and laughing, and she felt her cheeks warming in an embarrassed blush.
Kenny claimed Kale, Leo took Ian, and Geoff took Nathaniel. Scorpius hesitated.
"Right, not enough to go around," Payne said. "Well, you know what, we'll share."
Lily grimaced at what that would mean.
"Potter will serve us both," Payne said.
There were more whistles and chuckles at that comment.
"Does that work for you?" Payne asked Scorpius. He had no interest in Lily's opinion.
Scorpius glanced at Lily and nodded. "Works for me," he said.
"Perfect," Payne said. "That's all for today then. Remember, be attentive to your Masters." He laughed, somewhat louder and longer than Lily thought necessary, and dismissed them all with a wave of his hand.
Lily hesitated, lingering behind with Scorpius and Payne, not at all sure what to expect next. The idea of being attached to these two boys for the next week, made to do their bidding, terrified her.
"So…" she said slowly.
Payne was still laughing. "This is going to be fun," he said, finally getting his laughter under control.
Lily rolled her eyes. Payne was well-liked amongst the Slytherins. Everyone said he was charming. Not just physically attractive, but he had a personality that drew people in, which was likely why Lily had heard rumors of him having frequent girlfriends over the past couple years. She had been particularly fond of him as well throughout her first year, but at this moment, she was not feeling anything but irritation with the arrogant sixth year.
"Don't worry, Potter, we'll take it slow and easy in the beginning," he said.
Lily scowled.
"How about a cup of tea?" Payne asked.
"A cup of tea?" She repeated.
"Yes, I've got some reading to finish for Potions and could use some tea," Payne said. "I like it with lots of cream, no sugar. Bring it to me in the common room." Payne winked at Scorpius. "Your turn, mate." He laughed again and walked off.
Lily turned to him, feeling a little frustrated with Payne, and unfortunately took it out on Scorpius. "So what do you want from me?" She asked, snapping more than entirely necessary.
"Hey, I distinctly remember a time last year when I was your slave for a week. I brought you food when you asked, even after curfew that one time! And I did your homework," he said.
"That was a bet that I won fair and square," Lily said. "And it was only one assignment."
"Yeah, well, my turn," he said.
She sighed; she could tell he was getting too much joy out of this moment.
"Alright then," she said. "What would you like me to do for you?"
"For starters," he said, speaking a little slowly as he formulated his thoughts, "I'm going to need you to call me 'Master' whenever you address me."
She gasped. "You cannot be serious!"
"Oh very," he said.
"Scorpius!"
He frowned, waiting for her to speak again.
With a very long, exaggerated sigh, she spoke again. "Master…"
He grinned. "Yes, that's much better."
"Fine," she said, surrendering the last of her resistance when she realized he would not be changing his mind on this particular point. "What can I do for you, Master." She added a dramatic curtsy this time.
"Good girl," he said, still grinning. "I'll take some tea as well. No cream or sugar in mine. And some crisps."
She nodded and turned to leave.
"I'll be in the common room," he said.
Lily huffed the entire way down to the kitchens. She could not believe that Scorpius was being so ridiculous. When she had won their Quidditch bed the previous year and he had to give her a week of service, she had barely asked him for anything. For the most part, she was too embarrassed to ask the older boy for favors, and so there were only a couple times when she asked him to bring her a snack, once a blanket when she was cold on the couch, and once she made him write her essay for History class. She had a feeling he would not be so kind this week with her forced servitude.
Is Quidditch really worth this? She asked herself as she waited for the elves to prepare the two cups of tea and crisps. She wanted to be on the team more than anything right now, but this long week had only just begun and she was a little nervous, not knowing what to expect next.
…
Lily woke up Monday morning, exhausted, frustrated, and not feeling at all ready for lessons. Though Scorpius and Payne had graciously given her time to go and do her homework with her friends at the Lake Sunday afternoon, by time she made her way in for dinner, both of them were eager to use her once again. In the evening, Payne had Lily copy out part of his potions homework, and fetch him a late night snack after dinner. Scorpius had asked her to play a game of chess, and though it wasn't necessarily too much to ask, Lily was not a particular fan of chess, and she had been too tired to want to focus on the game.
She dressed for the day in her uniform and robes, left her hair down loose, shoved her necessary books, quills, and wand into her brown leather satchel, and headed out to the common room before Julianne had woken. She was hoping to get to breakfast before either of the boys were awake and able to ask her for something.
"Hey Potter!" Payne said as she entered the common room. He was sitting at one of the black marble top study tables.
She paused, took a deep breath, and forced a smile as she approached him. "Good morning, Payne."
"Sleep well?" He asked.
She shrugged, not sure why he was trying to have a casual conversation with her all of a sudden.
"Well, I hope so…today's going to be…fun," he said. His eyes had that mischievous glimmer again and Lily felt panicked. "That's why I'm up so early. Lots to prepare!"
"Oh…okay…" Lily said. "Any hints?"
"Not bloody likely," he said. "Today you'll just need to expect the unexpected!"
"Well I'm off to breakfast," she said, slowly retreating towards the door.
"Hold on!" He said. He beckoned her back over with a nod of his head.
"Yes?" She asked, a little hesitant.
"I forgot my book bag on my bed," he said. "Can you go get it for me?"
"On your bed?" She repeated. "In your room?"
"Yes…" he said.
"But what about your roommates…" she said. "Surely they won't like me barging in on them first thing in the morning."
"They'll be fine," he said. "They're always bringing strange girls in the room."
Lily felt her stomach twisting at the thought of entering the sixth years' room. Apart from Payne, she had never even spoken to any of the other six year boys.
"Go on now," he said. "I don't want to be late."
Lily nodded, knowing she had no choice. She turned towards the boys' side and made her way down the dimly lit stone corridor until she came to the second to last door on the right, which was marked with a silver "SIX". She took a deep breath, her hand shook as she reached out to grasp the door handle. She pushed the door open slowly, seeing the room was still fairly dark. She spotted an empty bed along the opposite wall and saw Payne's black leather book bag on it.
She took a deep breath and darted into the room, hoping to be quiet enough that nobody even noticed her. She heard a couple low snores and knew at least some of the occupants were still sleeping. She grabbed the bag, slung it over her shoulder, and prepared to bolt back to the door. Halfway across the room though someone emerged from the adjoining bathroom.
"Hey," he said, stopping her in her tracks.
"Hi," she said back, her voice quiet and shaky.
The tall blonde who had stopped her was wearing only a towel around his waist. He looked both puzzled and amused by her presence in his room.
"Your the Potter girl, aren't you?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Aren't you only a second year?" He asked.
She nodded again.
He laughed. "So who brought you to bed last night?" He glanced around the room of his still sleeping roommates as though searching for a target.
"What?" She gasped. "Oh, no, I wasn't…I'm not…" she stuttered as her mouth seemed to instantly go dry. "Payne forgot his bag, and I just came to get it for him."
He laughed again. "Payne? Really? Hmm."
"Yeah…okay…" she said. "I've got to get back to him now." She headed to the door.
"Yeah, you do that. Run back to Payne. I'm sure he's missing you," he said. His deep laughter followed her out the door and into the corridor.
Lily knew she was blushing. She could feel the humiliation burning in her cheeks. She was almost all the way out of the corridor when another door opened and she crashed directly into the person exiting through it.
"Sorry!" She said, instinctively.
"Lily?" Scorpius asked. "What are you doing in the boys' hall?" He raised one eyebrow at her questioningly.
"Running an errand for Payne," she said quickly. She continued on towards the common room.
Scorpius followed her, pulling on his robes as he walked.
"He starts early, doesn't he?" He said.
In the common room, Payne was waiting beside the large couch, speaking with Regina Zambini, the gorgeous sixth year prefect that all the girls envied and all the guys admired.
"Here," Lily said, handing him his bag. Payne took it without even acknowledging her and continued his conversation with Regina.
Lily rolled her eyes and moved towards the door.
"Hey, Lily," Scorpius said, stopping her exit again.
"Yes?" She asked, turning towards him.
"Yes, what?" He asked.
She scowled. "Yes, Master?"
He grinned and held out his green and silver striped tie. "Could you help?"
"With your tie?" She asked.
He nodded. "They're just so tricky."
She doubted he struggled with his tie since he wore one every day, but again, knowing she had no ability to refuse, she took the silky tie from him and slipped it around his neck. She noticed him grinning the entire time as she carefully but quickly worked the knot for the tie. It felt a little awkward doing something so personal for Scorpius, but she tried not to think about that as she finished the knot and readjusted his collar over the tie.
"Thanks," he said. He glanced in the floor length mirror near the door and smiled. "You're good at that."
She shrugged. "When I was little I used to like helping my dad get ready for work. He taught me to tie his ties when I was only five," she said. "I'm actually the one who taught both my brothers how to tie their ties."
He seemed impressed with that information. "Well, I might have to get your help more often then," he said. "See you at breakfast." He turned and left without another word.
Lily sighed and followed more slowly, wanting to put some distance between herself and Scorpius. She promised herself when she returned to school that she would keep him at a distance, that she would not resume the friendship that had been so easy for them the previous year. She had worked so hard over the summer to repair her relationship with her brothers and cousins and didn't want anything to come between them again. She knew her becoming friends with Scorpius would complicate her familial relationships.
"Lily!" Julianne said, running to catch up to her friend as she exited the common room.
"Morning, Jules," Lily said.
Julianne put her arm through Lily's. "So…want to tell me what that was all about?"
"What?" Lily asked.
"You and Scorpius," Julianne said. "What were you doing?"
"I was helping him with his tie," Lily said, trying to make it sound like it was entirely natural for her to be helping a male classmate get ready for the day.
Julianne gave her a side glance. "Okay…"
"So did you finish the Herbology homework all right?" Lily asked, tactfully changing the subject.
Julianne nodded, but looked eager to continue discussing the Scorpius situation.
The girls were just about to enter the Great Hall when they heard a sudden shout coming from inside. The glanced at each other curiously as they went in to investigate. They saw a crowd of students standing at the Slytherin table, most were laughing, some looked confused. In the middle of the crowd Lily spotted Ian and Nathaniel. They looked shocked and furious and somehow wet. The girls hurried over.
"What happened?" Lily asked when she was near enough to the boys for them to hear her. Their robes were definitely wet, and there were splotches of something shiny and sticky on them as well.
Ian looked prepared to respond, but before he had a chance something hard hit Lily in the back, and a moment later she felt a warm wetness spreading across the back of her robes. She yelped in surprise and turned around to see what had hit her.
Julianne was staring with wide eyes. Geoff was standing behind Lily, cackling and holding what looked to be a green water balloon.
Lily glared, but he raise his arm and threw it at her, this time hitting her directly in the stomach. It burst and she felt the same warm and wet sensation again. She touched her robes and realized they felt slightly sticky where the balloon had popped. She remembered what Payne had said about expecting the unexpected today and sighed. Initiation week shenanigans.
"Let's go sit," Lily said, tugging at Julianne's arm, and trying to put space between herself and Geoff before he had a chance to throw anymore.
"What?" Julianne asked. "You're just going to ignore that?"
"Yes," Lily said.
"Umm…but why? Geoff Rushton just threw a water balloon at you in the middle of breakfast! Tell Professor Willoughby or McGonagall or somebody!" Julianne said.
"No," Lily said "It's fine."
"Nothing about this is fine," Julianne said. "Why are you letting him get away with this?"
"It's just…" Lily said. "It's no big deal."
Julianne scowled, but sat beside her friend obediently at the opposite end of the table.
"It is so a big deal," Julianne said.
"Let it go, Jules," Lily said. "Please."
Julianne looked prepared to argue again, but snapped her mouth shut quickly and started loading toast and eggs onto her plate.
"Thank you," Lily said, appreciating her friend's ability to support and trust her.
The girls ate quickly, though Lily barely ate more than a bowl of cereal and half a cup of tea. She was eager to flee from the Great Hall before the rest of the team arrived and could target her with anymore balloons. Julianne seemed to sense her friend's rush and likewise ate quickly.
When they had finished, Lily led the way directly to their transfiguration class. They were almost to the classroom when Lily was hit again. She gasped and looked around to find her assailant. Instead of seeing any of her teammates, however, she spotted two fourth year Slytherin boys laughing and pointing. They prepared to launch another one, but she managed to dodge it this time. They scowled but left.
"Lily!" Julianne said. "What is going on?"
Lily sighed. She knew she couldn't tell Julianne the whole truth without getting in trouble, but knew she had to say something. "Just trust that I can't talk about it, okay?"
Julianne frowned. Lily had a hard time when Julianne frowned because she never looked truly angry. Lily thought her freckled friend was so beautiful that even when she frowned, her face only looked slightly angry. She could, however, tell she was mad because there was a slight crease that formed just above her nose between her eyebrows.
"It's a Quidditch thing," Lily said. "That's all I can say, okay?"
Julianne finally seemed to accept the explanation and stopped asking about it. "Well, it's rubbish whatever it is," she said. "Your robes are all wet, and sticky…" she touched Lily's robes carefully, but pulled her hand back in disgust.
"I know, and they haven't dried at all, not even the ones from before breakfast," Lily said.
"It must be a spell," Julianne said. "They're probably some kind of enchanted water balloons."
"Great," Lily said. She shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it unfortunately."
The girls entered the classroom and found it a little more than half full of students, though their professor had not yet arrived. The moment they entered all chatter stopped abruptly. Lily barely had a moment to wonder why before half a dozen water balloons were being lobbed in her direction. Julianne had managed to avoid all of them, but five of them landed squarely on Lily's body. As she fought back the urge to scream and curse Payne Trotter to oblivion, the rest of the second year Slytherins burst into fits of laughter.
"Oh Lily…" Julianne said a little breathlessly.
"Take a seat please," Lily said to her best friend through tightly clenched teeth.
Julianne wisely chose the table open at the back of the classroom and Lily slid into the chair beside her. Kenny was still laughing as she took the open chair at the table in front of the other two girls.
"That was brilliant," Kenny said.
Lily wanted to argue with Kenny's assessment of the prank, but decided it was best to keep quiet.
Professor Hughes entered a moment later and his eyes scanned the room taking attendance mentally as he always did first thing. When his eyes landed on Lily his already stern face turned into a scowl.
"Miss Potter, you are an utter disgrace," he said. "Can you explain your disheveled appearance?"
"Umm," Lily hesitated. "I was the unfortunate target of a prank, Professor."
"Who did this?" He demanded.
"I can't say, Sir." She said. She fought the urge to let her eyes drift to Kenny.
"I demand a name, Miss Potter," He said. "Pranks are not tolerated at school."
"I understand, Professor, but I didn't see who it was, so I truly can't give you a name," Lily said.
He frowned, but seemed to believe her. "Very well Miss Potter. I will allow you to sit class in this condition today, but in the future I expect all my students to show up to class neat and tidy, understood?"
Lily nodded meekly. She did not think it was fair to be in trouble for something that was entirely not her fault.
After the two hour transfiguration class, the girls headed directly to their lunch, eager to eat early so they could enjoy their free period, which they shared with Louis. Just as they exited the class however, Lily was hit with two more balloons. This time she very clearly saw both Cassie and Nicolette throw them. The girls cackled and fled before Lily could say or do anything.
Lily could tolerate it from the other teammates, but being hit by those two was too much! She decided right then and there to tell Payne exactly what she thought of this particular initiation trial. Leaving Julianne to nearly run to catch up to her quick steps, Lily marched swiftly to the Great Hall, her eyes seeking out the Quidditch captain.
Before she had a chance to give him a piece of her mind, however, she spotted Nathaniel Bluett standing beside the Slytherin table nearly screaming at Payne and Geoff.
"I've had enough!" He said.
Lily and Julianne approached and watched from the sidelines, as did the rest of the Great Hall.
"Bluett," Payne said, his voice was heavy with warning.
"No! I will not do another single thing that bastard tells me to do," he said, pointing quite aggressively at Geoff. "I am not a bloody house elf, and I will not be treated as such."
"Bluett, you agreed…" Payne said, his voice very calm.
"And then these bloody water balloons!" He said, nearly screaming now. "It's too much. I will not be humiliated in this way. I am a Bluett for Merlin's sake."
Lily hadn't actually ever heard of the Bluett family, but before being sorted into Slytherin she hadn't heard of many of the pureblood families she was now becoming familiar with.
"Please lower your voice," Payne said, still calm.
Lily noticed Scorpius edging up beside Payne and Geoff. He was smirking slightly.
"I will not lower my voice!" Nathaniel shouted. "You cannot tell me what to do!"
"Very well," Payne said. He glanced at Scorpius who nodded curtly.
"Nathaniel Bluett you are no longer in the running for the Quidditch team," Payne said. "Furthermore, you will from this point forward be banned from trying out in future years."
Payne, Scorpius, and Geoff turned together and walked away before they could hear any of Nathaniel's outraged protests. Lily realized that she was not going to give Payne a piece of her mind, nor was she going to complain when Cassie or Nicolette or anyone else bombarded her water balloons that day. She was going to make it on this team no matter how frustrated she was with all the trials.
During their free period, which the girls spent by the Lake with Louis as usual, Lily had to try and explain away her messy robes to her cousin. He was not quite as understandable as Julianne had been nor as eager to drop the subject.
Lily continually tried to redirect her cousin to the task at hand, finishing their potions assignment which was due the next class, but he continually returned to the subject of her robes.
"Louis!" She finally burst, completely exasperated with her cousin. "I can't talk about it, so please stop asking me!"
"But we tell each other everything!" He said, clearly angry.
"I know, but this…I just can't," she said. "Please don't be angry with me."
He still looked angry, but quieted down and continued with the assignment.
Lily momentarily was able to breathe in peace, but it was short lived.
"What's he doing?" Louis asked.
Lily glanced up suddenly to see where he was looking.
Julianne looked as well and almost laughed, but decided her friend wouldn't appreciate it.
Scorpius was walking across the lawn, heading directly towards them. Lily scowled as he approached, but forced herself to look at least halfway pleasant when he arrived.
"Hiya," Julianne said.
"Hey," he said to her, but he focused his attention on Lily. "I need your help for a minute."
She stood and came to his side. "What can I do for you?" She asked.
He quirked an eyebrow and she paused. He still waited.
"What can I do for you, Master?" She asked, keeping her voice a little quiet and hoping her friend and cousin couldn't hear.
Scorpius grinned. She did not appreciate the way he always grinned when she called him "Master" but she ignored it and waited for his request.
"I need you to help me revise before my Potions exam," he said. "I know you're brilliant at potions."
"That's not really a demand," she said. "That's just kind of something friends do with each other."
"True, but since you've made it clear that we're not friends, I am making it a demand," he said, "so you have no choice."
Lily felt a slight pang of guilt.
"I have class in twenty minutes," she said.
"Yeah, I do too, but what about after class?" He said. "You have an afternoon break before Charms, right?"
"How do you know my schedule?" She asked.
"My sister is in your year, remember? You two have the same schedule," he said.
"Oh, right, that makes sense," Lily said. "Yeah, I have break then. Where do you want to meet?"
"You seem to like it here," he said. "Let's meet right here at three o'clock."
"Fine," she said. Though she wished they were meeting somewhere more private where people couldn't see them so easily .
"One more thing," he said. "Can I borrow a quill? I lost mine and don't have time to run back to the rooms before class."
Lily returned to where she had left her bag by her friends and pulled out a spare quill. She brought it back to him. "Here."
"Thanks," he said.
"You're welcome," she said.
He raised his eyebrow again in that way he did.
"You're welcome, Master," she said, trying very hard not to slug him or hex him.
He nodded and walked away. Lily turned back to her friends and couldn't miss their stares. Louis' mouth was agape.
"DID YOU JUST CALL HIM MASTER?"
Lily looked around the lawn, hoping that nobody could hear her cousin's outraged shout.
Julianne's expression was partly amused and partly horrified.
"It's a joke," Lily said. "That's all." She sat down again and tried to refocus on her homework.
"Lily Luna Potter, how the bloody hell is calling Scorpius Malfoy "Master" at all a joke?" Louis asked.
"Can you please lower your voice?" Lily asked, glancing around again.
"It's complicated," Lily said.
"Then explain it to me," he said.
"I'm sorry but I can't," she said. "I really can't."
"Look Lily, I'm pretty understanding with things when it comes to you," he said, "but this one's hard. What do you think James would think if he had heard?"
Lily winced. That would not have been a good thing at all. "You're not going to tell him, are you?"
Louis hung his head.
"Lou! You can't tell him," she said. "Please!"
"I don't know. I'm worried about you," he said.
"Oh come off it," she said. "It's just a stupid joke."
He sighed. "Sometimes I just wish you had been sorted into Gryffindor. Things would have been so much easier. Then you never even would have met Malfoy."
Lily glared at her cousin. She didn't care if he was her favorite person on earth, right now she was furious. "And I wouldn't have ever met Julianne either!" She said, working hard not to scream at him. "I don't regret being put in Slytherin. I wish the rest of you would just get over yourselves already." She stood and carelessly shoved her homework and Potions' book back into her bag. "Come on, Jules."
Julianne stood up and gathered her things as well. She gave Louis a small attempt at a smile before following Lily away.
Lily got through Potions class without talking to her cousin. She sat with Julianne and Kenny, while he sat with Hugo and Daniel Thomas. She ignored the other Slytherins when they attacked her with another round of water balloons. She ignored Louis when he tried to apologize and Hugo when he tried to ask what was wrong. All she could think about was getting through the rest of the day with as little interaction with anyone as possible.
After Potions she made her way back to the Lake after explaining to Julianne that she was going to revise with Scorpius for one of his exams. On her way to the Lake she was hit with two more balloons by a couple of seventh year boys. Lily was disappointed that such high year students should stoop to such a nasty prank, but she ignored them and their malicious laughter and kept on towards the lake.
Scorpius was waiting for her. When he saw her approach, he reached into the pocket of his robes. Lily halted, expecting a water balloon from him. She squeezed her eyes shut briefly and waited for the wet impact.
"What are you doing?" He asked when she still hadn't moved after a few moments.
She opened her eyes and saw he was holding out her quill.
"Oh…" she said. "Thank you. I thought…"
"That I was going to attack you with a water balloon?" He said. He laughed. "You look pretty wet already."
She nodded and sat down beside him. "I've lost count of how many hits I've had. Well over forty."
"Seriously?" He said. "Ian's only had six."
"That's not fair!" She said.
"Sorry," he said. "We thought it would be fun to pass them out to the whole house, but unfortunately it seems quite a few people chose to target you a little unfairly."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Like your sister," she said. "She's gotten me four times today!"
"Oh? Sorry about that," he said. "I wish she'd be nicer to you since she's your roommate and all that."
"Don't worry about it, I can handle Cassie," she said.
"Can you?" He asked. "Cassiopeia has never been the easiest to get along with."
Lily shrugged. "It's fine," she said. "They're just water balloons."
"You're drenched," he said, eyeing her robes.
"Yes, I am," she said. "It must have been a clever enchantment Payne used to make sure the water never dries."
Scorpius nodded. "Yeah, he worked good and hard on that one."
"You know I've been thinking, Kenny must have gone through initiation last year when she made the team," Lily said. "But I don't remember a thing about it."
"She did," he said. "Leo and Geoff did too."
"Not you though?" She asked.
"I joined my first year," he said.
"Did you?" She asked. She was slightly surprised she hadn't known that fact about him.
He nodded, though not looking the least bit vain about it as Kenny had been when she was chosen first year, or even when Lily's brother James had been chosen first year. James had been eager to tell everyone.
"So why didn't I notice the others going through this?" She asked.
"Well, for one, our captain last year wasn't quite as interested in initiation week. He was a seventh year and a little uninterested in his duties as captain," he said. "Payne has been waiting to be in charge since he joined the team practically." He paused and cleared his throat. "Also it happened second week of school."
"Yes, I assumed as much," she said.
"You weren't very observant of anyone or anything during second week except for yourself and your…situation," he said.
Lily knew he was trying to remind her of how consumed by grief she had been after being sorted into Slytherin; she had spent the first few weeks more or less ignoring everyone and wallowing in self-pity. She ignored him now and proceeded to open her book bag.
"Shall we begin?" She asked.
Scorpius seemed to realize he had hit a nerve by bringing up a past time in life she was not exceptionally proud of, so he kindly let it go and brought out his Potions book.
"You know, Potions is typically a more hands on kind of study," Lily said. "I'm not sure how much we'll get out of just reading and talking about it."
"I was set an essay that is supposed to describe the important difference of cutting, squeezing, chopping, or crushing an ingredient, but to be perfectly honest I just don't understand," he said.
Lily frowned. It seemed pretty simple to her and she wondered if he was simply pretending to be confused for some reason.
"What?" He asked after analyzing her expression.
She decided to just pretend he was truly confused and explain it to him, so she began slowly, telling him about the variances in each method and what would happen if someone were to crush instead of chop or cut instead of squeeze. She detailed each carefully and then asked if he had any questions.
"So, say for instance, I cut two bezoars instead of crushed them for my antidote potion exam next week, would the antidote not work at all?" Scorpius asked.
Lily laughed a little. "Well first of all, it's only one bezoar that's called for in a common antidote potion, and crushing it allows the antidote to work more immediately. If you were to cut one you would notice that it would maintain too much of its original texture and would not blend well into the potion. The antidote would still work, however it would be more delayed. Also it would be extremely unpleasant going down." She explained it all to him and watched him scratch out quick notes with his long black quill. "However, if you were desperate and in a hurry you could always just shove a bezoar down someone's throat and save them all the same, from most poisons that is."
"How do you know that?" Scorpius asked. "Professor Willoughby has never taught us anything like that, and I'm a year ahead of you!"
"Also be aware," she said, continuing as though he had not interrupted her. "If you were to add two by accident, as you said, the antidote would turn and you run the risk of creating an entirely new poison."
"Lily, this is third year work at best," he said. "The knowledge you have on the subject is brilliant."
"I like potions," she said. "It just makes sense to me. It's like cooking."
"Cooking?" He asked.
She nodded. "I love cooking, making up different recipes and playing around with different foods and spices."
Scorpius was smiling.
"What?" She asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You're not like other witches," he said.
She felt the familiar warmth of embarrassment creeping into her cheeks.
"It's a good thing," he said, seeming to note that she was embarrassed. "You're very interesting. And quite smart."
"Thank you," she said. She stared down at her textbook to avoid looking at him.
Twenty minutes later they were so wrapped up in their potions' conversations that Lily didn't notice Leona and Julianne standing next to her until they spoke.
"Lils, we're going to be late," Julianne said.
"Late for what?" Lily asked, glancing up at her friends.
"Class," Leona said simply.
Lily gasped. She hadn't realized how late it was. "Scorpius, I have to go to Charms, I'm sorry," she said. She shoved her books back into her bag and jumped to her feet.
He nodded. "Thank you for the help," he said. "I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome," she said. "I'll see you later."
Julianne and Leona turned to go, but Scorpius stopped Lily briefly.
"Hey…I wanted to warn you…" He said, hesitating a little.
"About what?"
"I really shouldn't," he said. "Payne would hex me for sure."
"Then don't…" she said.
"Look, I just want to apologize in advance," he said. "I know today's been tough, but tonight's going to be even harder."
Lily frowned. "Seriously?"
He nodded. "Sorry."
"Well, thanks for the heads up I guess…though it was sort of vague," she said.
"It's all I can say," he said, "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," she said. "Thanks."
She left to catch up with her friends.
"You and Scorpius were revising together?" Julianne asked.
"Yes," Lily said, hoping her friend left the conversation at that.
"He seems nice," Leona said.
Lily raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her best friend. Next to Louis, Leona had been her closest friend the longest in her life. She had not yet spoken to Leona about Scorpius Malfoy, not even the previous year when the two of them had started their strange friendship pre-Christmas.
"He asked for some Potions help," Lily said.
Julianne and Leona nodded and seemed to temporarily accept that as an answer; they both knew their friend excelled at Potions.
Class finished without any more water balloon incidents, and Lily started to become optimistic that the water ballon trial might be complete. Halfway through dinner, however, Lily was stunned as a particularly large ballon came crashing down on top of her head, drenching her hair, face and neck with the magically altered sticky water.
She heard giggling and turned her head to see Delia Thorne flouncing back over to where she had been sitting with Scorpius and his friends. She pointed towards Lily, still laughing. A few of the guys around her laughed too, but Lily was grateful to see that Scorpius was not one of them. He looked slightly apologetic.
"I think I have lost my appetite," Lily said. She pushed her plate away and used her napkin to try and dry her face even though she knew it would be impossible.
"Want to go back to the rooms?" Julianne asked. "I can bring us some food for later."
"No, that's okay, you stay and finish," Lily said. "I think I'm going to take a walk."
"A walk?" Julianne said.
"Yeah, I'm feeling a little restless and sort of want to be away from people for a while," Lily said.
"Okay," Julianne said. "I'll see you later."
Lily left the table, determined not to look at anyone on her way out. She exited the Great Hall and made her way outside. She enjoyed the grounds at Hogwarts more than most places she had been in her life. She enjoyed the extensive green lawns, the lake, the trees scattered around for shade, and even the daunting edge of the dark forest that lined the far side of the grounds. Since starting Hogwarts, Lily had frequently found herself wandering the grounds alone at various times throughout the day for quiet time alone with her thoughts.
A nagging part in the back of mind told her that she should probably check in with Payne and Scorpius to see if her "Masters" needed anything of her tonight, but she didn't have any interest in sitting through evening chatter in the Slytherin common rooms, dodging more water balloon attacks.
She walked around outside until the sun had set completely and the darkness had taken over the grounds. She knew Julianne would undoubtedly be worried about her, and she was starting to feel a bit cold thanks to the night air and her wet robes, so she finally turned to head inside. The main floor was quiet, and she knew most students had returned to their common rooms for the evening. Making her way downstairs to the dungeons, Lily became eager for a shower to finally wash away all the attacks of the day. She was eager to be clean and to put on dry clothes and to put this day behind her.
Lily reached the door to the common room and recited the password and waited. But nothing happened. She frowned and repeated the password. She glanced around, wondering if somehow she had been lost in her thoughts and had chosen the wrong patch of wall, but she knew she was right. She tried the password one more time, and still nothing happened.
A moment later though the door opened from the inside. Payne, Scorpius, and Leo stood there staring at her.
"Evening Potter," Payne said.
"Hi…" She said, feeling a little nervous by the greeting. "I tried the password but it wasn't working…"
"Yeah…it won't work for you tonight," Payne said.
"Excuse me?" She asked.
Scorpius' expression was apologetic again, and Lily remembered his warning from earlier. She instantly knew that her long day was not over yet.
"Tonight you, and the remaining initiates, will not be allowed to enter," Payne said. "For tonight you must prove your resourcefulness, bravery, and clandestine skills to survive the entire night outside the rooms."
"Please tell me you're joking!" Lily said. She desperately wanted a shower.
"You can go anywhere in the castle, that is not here, and the only rule is that you must not get caught by Milton or any of the professors, prefects, or the head boy or girl," Payne said. "If you survive the night, we'll see you at breakfast!"
"Good luck," Scorpius said quickly as Payne began to shut the door.
For a moment, Lily stood there staring at the stone wall, feeling as though she had been stunned. She wondered if maybe they were playing a cruel prank and would in fact open the door for her, laughing, and welcome her into the warmth of the Slytherin common room. But they didn't. And she knew they weren't going to.
How am I going to avoid Milton all night? Lily wondered. The caretaker was almost as sneaky as her cousin Roxie. He was eager to catch students breaking rules, and staying outside of her common room all night could not be ignored. Then there were the prefects and the Head Boy and Girl who patrolled the halls. Lily's wet robes were becoming exhaustingly heavy, she was cold, tired, and feeling particularly angry now. She knew she needed to find somewhere to hide for the night, but didn't have a clue where to start. It was going to be a very long night.