A/N: I don't know what is wrong with me. Initiation week was only supposed to be one chapter, but I just am having too much fun with it apparently. Also there were conversations and family moments that needed to happen. They weren't planned, but they just sort of happened! So this is "part 2" of initiation week. There will be ONE more part to it before it's all over and done with.

A BIG thanks to speedsONEandONLY for helping with some of the ideas for initiation :)

Hope you all enjoy! Please review!

For the first hour of her night outside of her common rooms, Lily wandered aimlessly, darting into tucked away corners when she thought she heard footsteps, and occasionally behind a heavy tapestry to be extra secure. She knew she would not be able to simply hide herself all night, however, and her exhaustion was becoming unbearable. She briefly considered hiding out in the girls' lavatory where the ghost Myrtle dwelled; no one ever bothered to go there. Though, Lily knew that Myrtle would just as soon chat her ear off and she'd never be able to actually get a good night's sleep. After a brief internal debate, Lily decided her best option was to sneak outside and hide herself away somewhere that wouldn't be patrolled. She wished she had at least been able to retrieve her invisibility cloak from her room, but without that as an option she decided the Quidditch pitch would be the most secure place to stay the night. She knew the stands well enough and knew they wouldn't likely be patrolled. She decided that she would sleep on one of the benches in the stands.

By this point she had wandered herself all the way up to the seventh floor. She had been to this floor before, though only a few times the previous year to pace in front of where she knew the Gryffindor tower entrance was and consider what her life could have been had she been sorted differently. That, however, was on the other side of the corridor. This west side of the seventh floor was unknown to her. She had reached this point of the seventh floor by way of an unknown staircase she had stumbled upon, and now she was trying to rediscover that staircase to return downstairs and outside to the pitch.

Hearing a shuffling noise coming her way, Lily looked around furiously in search of a hiding place. Disappointingly there was absolutely nothing there. There were no statues, tapestries, potted plants, or sharp corners for her to press her slender body up behind. She was completely stuck and knew she would be caught. In a moment she imagined her entire Quidditch future slipping away from her; she would never play for her house team; she would never beat her brother's team; she would never again help her house win the Quidditch cup…

"Lily?"

She stopped short when she heard a familiar voice. She spun around and spotted one of Leona's twin brothers walking towards her swiftly. His dark blonde hair looked darker in the nighttime shadows, but his blue eyes were bright and clear as the sky, just like his sister's.

"Lorcan!" She said, catching her breath briefly in relief. "It's you!"

"It's you," he said, repeating her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"This is my corridor," he said.

And then she realized where she was—the Ravenclaw Tower.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" She asked.

"Shouldn't you?" He said.

Lily smirked. She had always liked Lorcan. Of Leona's two brothers, he was certainly the more entertaining, always getting into trouble and pulling pranks, usually along with James or her cousin Roxie. She had grown up with Lorcan, and his twin Lysander, and was as close to them in some ways as either of her own brothers.

"Look, I can't say much," she said, "however, for tonight I am without a place to sleep and it has been a very long day and I'm just trying to get by until morning without getting caught." She explained it all in a rush. "If you could just point me back towards the staircase, so I can find my way outside…"

"Outside?" He asked. "Why in Merlin's name would you want to go outside at this time of night?"

"I need to find somewhere to sleep where I won't be found by Milton or any of the patrols," she said. "So I decided on the Quidditch stands."

"Lils, that's absurd," he said. "It started raining over an hour ago."

Lily's confidence paled for a moment. She hadn't realized that development. "Did it?" She asked.

He motioned for her to follow him a few feet over to a tall open archway at the base of a spiral staircase. Sure enough, a downpour had begun outside. She could feel the spray from the rain standing there. Lily knew even if she managed to make it to the pitch in this state, there would be few places for her to stay at all dry.

"Well that's just brilliant," she said, sighing deeply. "I guess I best be off then before someone catches me." She decided Myrtle's loo might be the best option after all, though it would require making it all the way back to ground floor without getting caught.

"Oh come on then," Lorcan said.

Lily stared at him blankly.

"Come on," he said again.

"Come on where?" She asked.

"You can stay with me tonight," he said. "In our room." He turned and headed towards the spiral staircase that rose up past the open archway.

Lily eyed the steep staircase hesitantly.

"Lor, I can't stay with you!" She said.

"Why not? You've shared a room with me before," he said.

"Sure, at your house, or my house, but not at school!" She said. "You have roommates!"

"They won't care," he said. "Lysander will back me."

"Why don't you go and fetch Leona. I'll stay in her room," Lily said.

He shook his head. "No good. Leona rooms with Susie Hughes, Professor Hughes' niece. She'll turn you in the moment you step foot in the room," he said.

Lily huffed. "I can't stay in your room," she said, feeling determined.

"Fine, good luck tonight," he said. "Hope you get some sleep." He turned to head up the steps.

"Fine!" She said quickly.

He turned back, grinning. She followed him up the steps, noting how close they were to the open archway. She wasn't afraid of heights, but the open air made her feel almost nervous. At the top of the steps, he answered a riddle for the password, but Lily had become so exhausted, she hardly noticed what he was saying. The door swung open and he beckoned her to follow him.

"The common rooms are empty. They usually are by this time. We Ravenclaws enjoy being in our rooms in the evenings," he said.

"Except for you apparently," she said.

"I had important things to do!" He said.

"Any interest in sharing with me?" She asked.

"Nope," he said. "What I do after dark is private! Also you're safer if you don't have the details."

She stopped herself from laughing as she imagined what scheme he had been plotting and tried to keep quiet as he led her across the high-ceilinged open common room. She was too tired to notice much of the decor, but did notice how many windows there were all around. She imagined it would be bright and airy during the day, entirely opposite from the dark Slytherin rooms. He motioned towards a passageway to the left of a tall statue of a woman she knew was Rowena Ravenclaw, and she followed him down a white marble corridor until he stopped at the door to what she assumed to be his room.

"Don't worry if they're weird at first," he said, referring to his roommates. "They won't bother you."

Lily wasn't so sure, but was too tired to think about it anymore.

He pushed open the door and she followed him in.

"Lor? Is that you finally? Finished with whatever mayhem you were causing?" Lysander said, looking up from where he studied at the desk beside his bed. Lysander was identical to his twin in every way, except that his eyes were a much darker shade of blue than either Lorcan's or their sister's. "Lily?"

Lorcan took Lily by the arm and led her further into the room. "Listen up guys," he said, gaining the attention of all four guys in the room, who were surprisingly still awake and seemingly revising at their own desks or beds. Lily knew her own roommates would all likely be asleep by this time. "Lily has had a rough go of it today and is in need of a place to crash."

"Umm, she's a Slytherin," one of the guys said, eyeing her robes. "And a girl."

"She's a friend," Lysander said, standing from his desk and moving towards Lily. "If she needs our help, we will give it to her." He opened his arms and Lily fell into his embrace, unaware of how desperate she had been for some support and encouragement from a friend after the day she had had.

The other three guys in the room seemed to accept that decision and returned to their books, somewhat indifferent and uninterested in Lily's presence in their room.

"Hey, Lily," Lysander said. "You're a bit wet…and sticky."

"Yeah…it's been a day," she said.

Having brought her safely into their room, Lorcan seemed to feel like he had done his part and left Lily in the hands of his twin. Lorcan moved to his dresser beside his bed and pulled out his pajamas, then left the room, Lily assumed headed towards the bathroom to change.

"Want to talk about it?" Lysander asked.

Lily shook her head. "I can't really," she said. "I really appreciate being allowed to stay here tonight though. It means the world to me."

"Of course," Lysander said.

"You guys are being so amazing and helpful, I feel a little bad asking for anything else," Lily said, hesitating.

"Anything, Lils, seriously, what do you need?" Lysander said.

Lily smiled, grateful for his sincerity. "Is there anyway I could take a shower?" She asked. "I've been attacked by these strange magical water balloons all day and I'm an absolute mess, and feeling a little cold as well as sticky, like you said…I'd just really like to get cleaned up."

Lysander instantly headed towards the door. "Come on," he said.

She followed him back into the corridor and down to the end to a door that read: "Toilet". He pushed open the door and called out as a warning. Lorcan responded, and Lysander continued in with Lily behind him. Lorcan had changed into a pair of blue pajama pants without a shirt and was brushing his teeth at one of the sinks.

"Lily wants to take a shower," Lysander said.

Lorcan nodded. "I would too if my hair looked like that," he said. He winked at Lily, but she rolled her eyes. "Someone should watch the door."

Lysander nodded. "I'll take care of it," he said.

"I'll bring a change of clothes," Lorcan said. "Those robes are disgusting."

Lily greatly appreciated the attention from both the twins as she moved towards one of the five white marble shower stalls, separated by opaque glass and shuttered from view by floor-length deep blue curtains. She stepped inside the cover of the curtain before undressing. Her robes were disgusting, as Lorcan had said, and even her uniform skirt and shirt beneath had been tarnished by the balloons. She removed everything and tossed it all in a pile outside the shower curtain before turning on the water. She was grateful for the multiple shower heads that rained down warm, soothing water on her, washing away all the trials of her day.

"Hey, Sands?" Lily called out to Lysander.

"Yeah?" He called back.

She could tell by the distance in his voice that he was probably somewhere near the door, giving her respectful privacy.

"I really appreciate this," she said. "It was so kind of Lorcan to invite me up tonight, and for you and your mates to let me stay. I really don't know what else I would have done."

"Of course, Lils," he said. "I'd do anything for you, you know that."

Lily smiled to herself, feeling a little bit embarrassed, though she knew it was silly. Leona had often teased Lily about how Lysander felt about her. He wasn't particularly discreet about it. Everyone in their families could see that he liked her, and had since they were both little kids. He used to tell his parents that he planned to marry Lily when they grew up and graduated school. She was grateful he didn't talk quite like that anymore, at least not to her knowledge, but she had a feeling he still possibly planned to do just that.

"Can you tell me why you're not in your room though?" He asked after a momentary pause.

Lily began washing her long hair with the shampoo provided in the shower; it came out of a bronze pump in the wall and smelled of vanilla and cedar-wood.

"I really can't," she said.

"Okay…" He said.

"I'm sorry, but it's just sort of like a private thing," she said.

"It's fine, you don't have to explain to me," he said.

Few people would have let Lily off the hook with that shoddy explanation, but she knew Lysander respected her enough to not press her for information she was not willing to give easily. She appreciated that trait in him; it made it easy to be his friend.

After shampooing her hair, Lily used the provided soap and scrubbed her body until she felt it begin to ache under her aggressive cleansing. When she was finally satisfied that all remnants of the magical water balloon incident had been scrubbed from her skin, Lily turned off the water.

"Sands?" She called out again.

"Yes?" He answered.

"Could you hand me a towel?" She asked. She stuck her hand out from behind the curtain.

A moment later a soft white towel was thrust into her hands.

"Should I step outside?" He asked.

Lily wrapped the towel around herself, tucking it beneath her arm, and exited the shower. "Why?" She asked. He was averting his eyes, and she smiled at the slight blush creeping into his cheeks. "You've known me since before I was born, Sands. This is not the first time you've seen me in a towel."

He nodded a little too quickly. Lorcan entered the bathroom abruptly, hardly seeming to notice that Lily was wearing only a towel. He handed her a pile of clothes.

"Sorry, they won't fit you well or anything, they're mine," he said.

"I'm not picky," Lily said, "I'm just so grateful to have something clean and dry after this day!"

She took the clothes into one of the dry shower stalls, closed the curtain and began to change. Lorcan had brought her a pair of his dark blue flannel pajama pants and a white tee shirt with the Ravenclaw eagle embroidered in gold in the center of it. The pants were far too loose on her slim hips, but she pulled the drawstring tight and then rolled them over three times at the waistband to keep them from falling off; they still brushed the floor a bit. Lorcan wasn't quite as tall as her brother James, but he was still a few inches taller than she was. The shirt was hopeless. It nearly swallowed her whole. She easily could have worn it as a nightshirt alone. Instead she gathered the edges at either side of her hips and tied it up into a knot just below her belly button. She emerged from behind the curtain and found the twins leaning against the white marble counter whispering to each other. They stopped when they saw her.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

They both nodded together.

She scowled slightly, but was too tired to press them for more information. "Thanks for the clothes, Lor," she said. "I really appreciate it."

He nodded. "They look good on you," he said. He was smirking, and she knew he was teasing a bit.

"Come on, let's get to bed," Lysander said. "It's getting ridiculously late."

Lily bent over her dirty robes and uniform, withdrew her wand from the pocket of her robes and stored it in the waistband of her pajama pants. "What should I do with these?" She asked.

Lysander moved forward, gathered up all the dirty clothes and dumped them in a tall white basket in the corner of the bathroom. "The elves will get them sorted for you."

Lorcan opened the bathroom door and peered out to check the corridor before motioning for the others to follow. They all three crept back to the third years' bedroom and entered without any issue. Lily noticed that two of the other three roommates were now fast asleep with their heavy blue canopies drawn. The final roommate sat in the middle of his bed with a textbook propped open on his lap. He didn't look up or acknowledge them as they entered, and Lily had to admire his devotion to his studies.

"Take my bed," Lysander said, pointing it out to her.

"Oh, I couldn't do that," she said. "I can sleep in the chair, really." She glanced over at the large blue velvet armchair in the corner of the room. It did look truly comfortable, and she was so exhausted she knew she'd be able to sleep it in fine.

"Don't be daft," he said. "Take my bed." He pulled the covers down for her. "I'll bunk with Lor tonight."

Lorcan nodded in agreement.

"I appreciate it," she said and climbed into the large bed eagerly, knowing it was near midnight. "Thank you both again, truly."

The twins waved away her repetitive gratitude and she drew the hangings around her bed. She was delighted when tiny lights like stars lit up the dark interior of the canopy. It was a beautiful effect, and soon she was fast asleep, dreaming of flying through the stars.

…

Lysander shook Lily awake the next morning, and it took her a few moments to realize that she was in his bed in the Ravenclaw third year boys' dormitory.

"Morning," she said with a yawn.

"Hey, sorry to rush you, but if we're going to get you out of here before anyone sees you, we should get moving. Ravenclaws wake early," Lysander sand.

Lily nodded and climbed out of bed quickly, noting that the other roommates were already stirring as well.

"So I had thought maybe the elves would clean your robes and bring them back here, but it doesn't look like it. I expect they returned them to your room as usual," Lysander said.

She understood what that meant. She would have to walk downstairs and into breakfast wearing Lorcan's borrowed pajamas. "Well, this will be fun…" she said, rolling her eyes.

"If you'd rather, you could borrow one of my robes," Lysander said.

"I don't think wearing Ravenclaw robes will be any less obvious than what I'm wearing right now," she said. "It's fine, I'll go and eat quickly and then run down to my room to change before classes."

Lorcan and Lysander were already dressed in their uniforms and robes and were ready to leave once she was out of bed. She pulled on the black boots she had been wearing the previous day, turned to a mirror and ran her fingers through her wavy red mane so it didn't look quite so obvious she had just woken up, and then smiled at the boys.

"All set," she said.

The twins moved into the corridor first, checking it was clear and then led her quickly back to the common room, out the door, and down the staircase. They saw nobody, and finally breathed a sigh of relief when they stepped off onto the seventh floor landing.

"Well that was thrilling!" Lorcan said.

Lily grinned and the three of them hurried down to breakfast. Lily realized how much closer her rooms were to the main floor and felt relief that she didn't have to descend seven floors every time she wanted a meal.

As she hopped off the final step of the main staircase, Lily hesitated. Though she knew she must enter the Hall and speak to Payne, so he knew she had successfully passed the nighttime trial, she had no idea how to explain her attire.

"Aren't you coming?" Lysander asked.

"Yes," she said. She shook her long hair out of her face and forced a smile. She knew she had no choice but to get it over with. "Sorry, just got lost in my thoughts."

The twins nodded, clearly familiar with the idea of being lost in one's thoughts. They led the way into the Great Hall, paused just inside the door and gave her a brief hug, sandwiching her small body between them.

"See ya, Lils," Lorcan said. Lysander just nodded.

"Thanks again you two," she said. "I owe you!"

They waved and headed off to the Ravenclaw table, which was still quite empty.

Lily took a breath and walked towards the Slytherins. It was more full than the Ravenclaw table, but she did not yet see Payne or any of the other teammates. Nor did she see Julianne, so Lily picked a spot at random and began loading her plate with various breakfast items. Remembering how her dinner had been interrupted the previous evening, Lily understood the gnawing hunger pains in her stomach.

She heard a couple whispers around the table and when she glanced up she saw some older Slytherins glancing her way, but she chose to ignore them and eat quickly so she'd have time to go and change before class.

Halfway through her beans and toast, Julianne squeezed in next to her.

"Lily!" Her friend nearly screamed out her name and attacked her with a hug. "What happened to you last night? I was so worried! I would have summoned Professor Willoughby if Kenny hadn't talked me out of it, but she wouldn't tell me anything. Where were you?"

Lily gave her friend a hug, and smiled at her appreciatively. "I'm sorry I worried you, Jules," she said. "I really can't explain much, but it was beyond my control. I wish I could have warned you that I wouldn't be in the room so you wouldn't worry."

"I assume it was another stupid Quidditch thing," Julianne said. That slight crease had returned between her eyes. Lily knew her friend was worried about her, and all the things she couldn't currently talk about.

Lily simply nodded and started on her fried egg.

"Well I'm not going to pretend to understand or agree with it, but as long as you're safe and everything, I guess I'll have to just let it go, won't I?" Julianne said.

Lily smiled. "Thank you, Jules," she said.

Julianne started loading her own plate, but she gave Lily a side glance. "What on earth are you wearing?"

"Oy, Potter!" Payne's booming voice called Lily's attention up from her food.

She didn't budge from her seat, and took a sip of her tea calmly. Payne led the rest of the Quidditch team over to where Lily was sitting.

Julianne looked slightly nervous, but also slightly excited when the team took seats near the girls. Geoff, Leo, and Kenny sat down across from them; Kenny gave Lily a grin and a wink. Payne made the effort to walk around the long table until he was standing directly beside Lily. Scorpius stayed standing on the other side of the table, but began to prepare himself a mug of tea.

Lily noticed the other two initiates standing awkwardly behind Scorpius. Neither looked to be at all happy or quite so rested as Lily. Ian had discarded his robes, but had clearly not showered. His light brown hair was still sticky and matted to his head, and even without his robes his uniform shirt and pants had obvious signs of leftover water balloons. Kale Perk looked like he had maybe tried washing his face and hair, possibly in a sink somewhere, but his robes were still wet and sticky. They both looked miserable. Lily silently thanked the Scamander twins again for the warm shower, dry clothes, and comfy bed. (She later learned that Ian had spent the majority of the night hiding in a broom closet on the third floor with barely enough room to sit, and Kale had had the same idea she had of hiding in Myrtle's loo).

"So you've made it," Payne said. He frowned slightly and looked her up and down. "Stand up," he said.

She did as she was told, though held her mug and drank her tea as she did so.

"What the bloody hell are you wearing?" He asked.

She shrugged, forcing herself to be unnerved by his keen eyes. "Pajamas," she said. "Since you insisted I meet you at breakfast, I didn't have time to go back to my room and change first, did I?"

Ian and Kale exchanged looks and then stared hard at Lily.

"Are they Ravenclaw?" Payne asked.

"Yes," Lily said.

"Have you…showered?" He asked, glancing at her clean hair.

"Yes," she said. "May I sit and finish my breakfast?" She asked. "I'll need to go and fetch my robes before classes."

Payne didn't answer, so she sank back on the bench beside Julianne and continued eating. Payne sat next to her.

"So you spent the night with the Ravenclaws?" He asked.

"You didn't say anything about not being allowed in a different room," she said, "the only rule was we couldn't be in our rooms."

"That's true," he said. "I'm just surprised." He started fixing his own breakfast plate.

Scorpius had finally sat opposite Payne and motioned for Ian and Kale to sit and eat as well. They did so, but both were scowling at Lily.

"Alright, while everyone's here together, listen up," he said. His dark blue eyes scanned the gathered group, lingering briefly on Julianne who was keeping her gaze down on her plate as though if she were quiet he wouldn't notice her. He smirked at her. "Westerly, as you're now roommate with two of our team, I'm not going to pretend that you're as oblivious as we'd like you to be, but I expect I can trust in your silence?" Julianne looked momentarily stunned that Payne Trotter was addressing her directly, but she nodded quickly, and he continued. "Alright, you have all three passed last night's trial, though Potter clearly seems to have succeeded somewhat better than the others," he said, smirking towards Ian and Kale. "After the events of yesterday and last night, we have decided to give you a break day today. Get caught up on your school and sleep, and we'll have a new task tomorrow."

Lily felt relief wash over her.

"Your duties to your appointed teammate, however, still apply," Payne said, "and since we have lost Bluett, Parker will serve Geoff as well now."

Ian looked slight grumpy about that plan, but didn't say anything.

"Alright, any questions?" He asked.

Everyone was quiet.

"Good," he said. He began on his breakfast in silence.

Lily was briefly shocked that everyone seemed content to actually sit there and eat. She wasn't used to being surrounded by so many other students while eating. She glanced sideways at Julianne and saw that her friend looked equally surprised. The girls said nothing, and finished their meals quickly.

Lily finished her food and stood. "I've got to go change before class," she said to Julianne, though everyone sitting there heard.

"Yes you do," Julianne said. "Whose clothes are those anyway?" She asked. "They look far too big to be Leona's. She's almost as tiny as you are!"

"I am not that tiny!" Lily said.

Payne didn't even try to hide his chuckle.

Lily glared down at him. She knew she was small. Everyone in her family enjoyed pointing it out to her. Her brothers had both gained significant height around their second year, and she was hopeful she might this year too.

"No they're not Leona's," Lily said. "They're Lorcan's."

Julianne's eyes widened. "Why are you wearing her brother's clothes? Why couldn't you have just borrowed some of hers?"

"Jules, let's go," Lily said. "I don't want to talk about this here." She glanced at the rest of the team and saw they were all staring at her, waiting for an answer.

Before they had a chance to leave, Leona appeared at the other side of the table directly behind where Scorpius was sitting. Her long blonde hair was tied up with a blue ribbon and her bright blue eyes looked inquisitive.

"Lily," she said in greeting. She ignored all the sudden stares she received from the Slytherins. Lily had learned long ago that Leona couldn't care less about house snobberies or rivalries.

"Oh, hi Leona," Lily said.

Leona suddenly stuck her arm out across the table, leaning between Scorpius and Geoff. She was holding Lily's wand.

"Lysander asked me to bring this to you," she said.

"My wand!" Lily said. She took it quickly. "Umm…thanks…"

Leona still stood there. "He says you left it…in his bed." Her tone was curious, but not accusatory.

Scorpius started coughing aggressively as though he had choked on the toast he was eating. Payne started laughing in a way that Lily had never heard before. The other guys started whispering.

Julianne turned her wide hazel eyes towards her best friend quickly.

Lily felt her cheeks warming up and tried to sound less embarrassed than she actually was at the moment. "Fine, yes, I stayed with Lorcan and Lysander last night, not Leona," she said, only really speaking to Julianne, but knowing everyone else was listening attentively.

Leona didn't seem particularly surprised. She was used to sleepovers with Lily and all their brothers throughout their childhoods. "Why didn't you come to me?" She asked.

"You room with Professor Hughes' niece," Lily said.

Leona nodded. "Right, that's true. That would not have gone well for you." She shrugged. "I'll see you later, I've got to get to class."

"Thanks for returning this," Lily said, holding up her wand.

Julianne was still staring at her friend.

"Lorcan found me last night and told me to come stay with them," she said in a quick explanation. "Look, I know it seems odd, but Lysander and Lorcan are practically family. We grew up together. I'm named after his mum for Merlin's sake—she's my god-mum."

Julianne seemed appeased by this explanation, and Lily didn't spare a glance at the others because she had a feeling their expressions would make her uncomfortable again.

"Okay, I'm going to change," Lily said. "Save me a seat in class?"

Julianne nodded and Lily hurried away.

…

After changing into a clean school uniform and robe, Lily had rushed off to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class with the Gryffindors just in time to slip into the saved seat beside Julianne as Professor McGregor began the lesson for the day.

When the students were instructed to pick a partner from the other house to practice the disarming charm, Lily quickly grabbed Louis' attention to partner with him. He joined her, but she couldn't help noticing he looked somewhat lackluster as he approached.

"Louis," she said, "you're not still mad with me are you?" She grasped both his hands in hers suddenly and squeezed them tightly. "Please say you're not. I can never bare it when we're having a row."

Louis rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not mad at you," he said, "but I still think you're not being honest with me, and I don't like how chummy you're being with Malfoy."

"I'm not being chummy," she argued. "You just don't understand how it is."

"No, I don't," he said. "But I do understand how you spent all summer trying to convince your brothers and everyone else that you being in Slytherin wouldn't change you a bit, and I also remember you promising that you would have nothing to do with the Malfoys."

Lily glanced down at the ground. What he said was entirely true. It had been one of the unspoken conditions that her brothers and cousins had seemed to so desperately require to fully accept her placement in Slytherin. She knew how much her family loathed Scorpius, particularly James who had a Quidditch rivalry with him as an opposing Keeper, and Rose who shared classes with him and claimed he was "simply awful." So Lily had convinced them that she and Malfoy would never be anything more than housemates and she would never even be civil to him, which had seemed to appease her family enough for them to embrace her back into their fold over summer holiday. She knew that since she had been back at school, she had already broken that promise in many ways, but she hadn't anticipated the complications that joining the Quidditch team would bring.

"Look Lils, I get that things will be complicated with you both on the Quidditch team," he said, as though reading her mind. "I'm not daft, and your brother's not either. He can't expect you to never speak to him. However, anything beyond that…whatever game you've got going with him right now…" he shook his head.

Lily wasn't sure how to answer him without telling him everything about initiation week, and she knew that wasn't a possibility. Fortunately before she had a chance to respond, they were interrupted by their professor.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Potter, I do not see how you expect to disarm one another without wands even drawn!" Professor McGregor said, coming to stand beside them.

Professor McGregor was one of Lily's favorite professors, next to her own head of house of course. He was kind, and fun, and he approached class with an excited and adventurous attitude that made every student eager to listen and give their best. Though he was currently scolding them, she could tell he wasn't truly upset, and more concerned over their lack of participation.

"Apologies, Professor," Lily said quickly. She withdrew her wand from her robes and aimed it at her cousin. "Come on Louis, disarm me." Lily knew her cousin was not particularly skilled at Defense, indeed there were not many subjects he was particularly skilled at, but she wanted him to have a chance before she tried against him.

Louis pulled out his wand quickly and aimed it at Lily. "Expelliarmus," he said, firmly and loudly. Her wand quivered slightly in her hand.

"Good first attempt," Professor McGregor said. "Miss Potter?"

Lily held her wand delicately, took a deep breath, swished her wrist softly, and spoke clearly: "Expelliarmus." Louis' wand flew from his hand the moment she spoke.

"Very good, Miss Potter!" Professor McGregor said, his voice slightly shocked, but also very excited and proud. "Perhaps we should consider extra Defense lessons in addition to your Potions lessons." He smiled at her and moved on to a different pair of students.

Louis rolled his eyes at her and went to retrieve his wand from where it had landed, but Lily was delighted by the compliment. She was also slightly surprised to learn that other professors were aware of her arrangements with Professor Willoughby.

After class, Lily and Julianne went outside for their free period, and Julianne instantly tried to reignite their morning conversation about the previous evening.

"You have to tell me every detail," Julianne said.

"Every detail?" Lily said.

"Of what it was like to stay the night in a boys' room! In a different house no less!" Julianne said.

Lily laughed. "It wasn't particularly exciting," she said.

Julianne glowered at her. "Lils, come on!"

"Honestly!" Lily said. "I was so tired from the day, I mostly was just thinking about sleep. I hardly even noticed anything about their room or anything like that…" She noticed her friend staring at her, waiting for more information, so she tried to think something exciting to share. "Umm…their bathroom was nice I guess. Everything was very white and bright, like clouds or something. Though they all have to share one big bathroom at the end of the hall, so I much prefer how we have our own for our room."

Julianne nodded her agreement with that.

"I barely even saw the common room, we rushed through so quickly to make sure no one else saw me," Lily said. "Oh! Lysander's bed was really nice. When I closed the canopy it had these twinkling lights all around like stars. I liked that." She noted her friend's expression and kept talking before she could ask the question she anticipated. "Lysander shared with Lorcan for the night."

"You are very lucky you weren't caught," Julianne said.

"Can we start homework now?" Lily asked. "I don't have a lot of free time these days with all this Quidditch stuff going on, so I need to work when I get the chance."

"Right, of course," Julianne said.

The girls pulled quills, parchment, and their Astronomy books from their bags and began finishing the assignment for that night's class. They worked hard until lunchtime then ran up to the Great Hall for sandwiches before their History of Magic class. Lily was glad that the day had so uneventful compared to the previous. She was able to eat in peace and quiet and not have to be on guard against water balloon attacks or anything else. Halfway through her meal, however, she was interrupted, and her peace was shattered.

"Lily!"

Lily glanced up at her brother James, very surprised to see him at the Slytherin table when he had never before approached her here.

"Hi James," she said, smiling. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you," he said, and then Lily realized that his expression was not calm or happy.

"Of course you do," she said with a sigh. "Have a seat. I'm not done eating yet."

James glanced around at the other Slytherins who were eyeing him with slightly aggressive curiosity. "I'm not sitting here," he said.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll be done soon."

"Lily, I'm serious. I need to talk to you, now," he said. He took hold of her wrist and pulled on her to stand.

Lily scowled at him, but grabbed the last half of her sandwich and let him half lead, half pull her into the main entrance away from the lunching students. She noticed a few of her other family members waiting by the wide doorway, and she rolled her eyes. James directed her towards a corner, slightly tucked away from the view of the Great Hall, near the main staircase; the others followed.

"James, I have class soon," she said.

"We need to talk," James said, his voice low and serious.

"Which is why I'm standing here in front of you, instead of finishing my lunch at the table like a normal person," she said. "So talk."

"We're concerned about you," Albus said. He had been standing just behind James, but now stepped up in front his of older brother. His voice was softer, less accusatory than James' was, and Lily knew he was trying to keep things calm.

"What for?" Lily asked. "I'm fine!"

"We've been hearing some things," he said slowly.

"What sort of things?" She asked.

"Look, it's only your second year, so things are still sort of new for you, but you've got to understand how quickly things spread around this school," Albus said. "People like to talk…"

"What are they talking about?" She asked again, getting slightly frustrated with how long this conversation was taking.

James seemed equally frustrated and finally just burst. "Did you sleep in a boys' room last night?"

Lily made a slightly angry hiss, sounding similar to her cat Styx. "Did Lysander tell you?" She asked. She had a feeling that if one of the twins had confessed, it wouldn't have been Lorcan. He understood the value of secrets, whereas Lysander understood the value of honesty.

"So it's true?" Rose said, gasping slightly from her position beside Albus.

Roxie and Dominique stood on either side of James and exchanged glances of alarm.

"Yes, I stayed with the twins last night," Lily said. "It was an emergency."

"What sort of emergency could possibly have required you to stay in a boys' room in a different house than your own?" James demanded.

"I can't talk about it," she said. "Also it's none of your business."

"You are my sister, Lily. If people are talking about you around school, then it is most certainly my business," he said.

"Who all is talking?" She asked.

"We've also heard that you spent the previous night in a sixth years' boys room!" James said, ignoring her question. His voice was growing louder.

Lily gasped. "I did not!"

"Well, everyone's saying it," James said.

"Everyone?" She asked.

Dominique spoke up. "We heard it from Lucy, who heard it from her boyfriend. He's a sixth year in Gryffindor, but he heard it from Trey Rollings, a sixth year Slytherin. He says you spent the night with Payne Trotter."

Lily narrowed her pale green eyes at her cousin. She did not like the matter-of-fact way Dominique was discussing this rumor as though she had no doubt that it could be true. Not for the first time, Lily appreciated how different Louis was from his sister. He would never doubt her honesty like this.

"It's not true," Lily said. She assumed Trey Rollings was the sixth year who had caught her the previous morning collecting Payne's book bag from the room. "I was in his room, but just to get something he needed. I was there for less than a minute. Trey saw me and just assumed…"

"You have no business going into a guys' room at all!" James said. "Let alone a sixth year!"

"What I do or where I go is nobody's business but my own," Lily said.

"Yeah, that's not how it works, and you know it, not when the whole school is talking about my baby sister shacking up with different guys," James said. "You're only twelve for Merlin's sake. Do you even understand what it would mean? Do you understand what kind of things they're saying?"

Lily realized she wasn't entirely sure what it meant. She never felt quite as young as she did right now with all her older siblings and cousins staring at her with their wide, angry, and slightly panicked eyes.

"I don't understand why you're all so upset," Lily said, not at all liking the slightly nervous quiver that had taken over her voice. "I was just getting Payne's book bag. He's my Quidditch captain. We're friends."

Only Rose seemed to understand Lily's naive confusion. Her scowl suddenly softened. "Okay, we're done here for now," she said.

James turned his angry golden eyes on Rose. "We're done when I say we're done," he said.

"No, James, we're done now. Lily hasn't done anything wrong," Rose said. "I'm going to walk her to class, and you all are going to bugger off." Rose stepped forward and took Lily's arm, gently pulling her away from the rest of the Potter/Weasley clan.

Rose may have only been a year older than Lily, and still a year younger than James, but everyone knew that her temper was as scary as her mother's when she got going, and they knew well enough to let her be when she had made up her mind. Lily was grateful to Rose for stepping in and taking her away from the others.

"What class do you have?" Rose asked.

"History of Magic," Lily said.

"Great, let's go."

The girls walked up the steps towards the classroom, which was on the first floor of classes, just above the main floor.

"Thanks, Rosie," Lily said.

"Of course," she said. "I remember what it was like to be the youngest girl in the family here at Hogwarts."

"Yeah? Were they awful to you too?" Lily asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't necessarily say they're being awful," Rose said. "You know they're only concerned…"

"But I haven't done anything wrong!" Lily said. "I know it must seem odd to have spent the night with the Ravenclaws last night, but it was important, and the twins were just being kind."

"I know they were," Rose said, "though I don't know why you weren't in your own room…"

"I can't explain," Lily said.

"Fine," Rose said, wisely choosing not to pry. "Though you also must try and understand how it must look to the rest of the school to hear that you stayed the night with third year boys. We understand that they're just friends, because we've all grown up with them. I know that the twins are as good as brothers to you, but it's just different here at school. There are different rules…different expectations…" Rose sighed. "Lily, you're still young, and very sweet and naive in a lot of ways…"

"I'm not…" Lily tried to argue. She hated anyone pointing out how young she was or that she didn't understand something, even if it was true.

"You are," Rose said. "I am too in a lot of ways that the others aren't, however, I am older than you, and I've been here longer, and I've already learned some of the lessons that you haven't…"

"Like school lessons?" Lily asked.

"No, Lils, not school lessons," Rose said. Her bright blue eyes scanned the corridor quickly, then she stopped and pulled Lily over to a window seat where she sat down. Lily sat with her. "Things are different at school than at home. We have more responsibility because we're on our own here. We have to be responsible for all of our own actions. It also means we have more freedom than at home. A lot of students take advantage of that, especially older students."

"Okay…" Lily said. She had no clue where this conversation was going.

"It's not entirely uncommon to hear about older students sneaking into each others' rooms for the night," Rose said.

"Okay…" Lily said, still not understanding why that was such a bad thing.

Rose sighed. "Maybe this is a conversation you should be having with your mum," she said.

"Rose can you just get to the point please?" Lily asked.

She glanced around again and leaned closer to Lily to whisper: "Has your mum ever talked to you about sex?"

Lily knew her cheeks had instantly flushed red. Of course she and her mum had had that talk. They'd had it the summer before she went to Hogwarts her first year. Her mum had explained it was an important part of "growing up" and had spent about fifteen minutes explaining the basics, and then had ended the conversation with: "But I don't ever want to hear you talking about it or thinking about it again because you are too young and you don't need to do that until you are grown up and married, young lady!"

And so as far as Lily was concerned that was something strictly reserved for grown ups and had no idea why Rose would be talking about it so casually here in the corridor before History class. She told her cousin as much.

"That's a grown up thing, Rosie!" Lily said.

Rose smiled slightly. "Well, not really," she said. "Though I had a feeling that's how your mum might have explained it. It's not just an adult thing though. Trust me. A lot of the older students here…" she hesitated. "Look, if you like, we can talk more about it later. You probably have questions your mum wouldn't answer for you. I just wanted you to understand that sneaking into boys' rooms in the middle of the night, especially sixth years' rooms…well it makes people talk in not a very nice way, okay?"

Lily felt her cheeks burning now. "People are saying that I…they think I was doing that?"

"No, not necessarily…" Rose said. "But you just need to be aware that your actions, even the perfectly innocent ones, can start people talking. I don't want anyone saying things about you that aren't true. I love you, Lils. You're one of my favorite cousins by far, but being put in Slytherin has already given people reasons to talk about you. So you need to be extra careful with your choices and actions."

Lily didn't think her being in Slytherin should have anything to do with it, but she knew Rosie meant well and decided to let it go.

"Rosie, how do you know so much about this stuff?" Lily asked.

"My mum and I talk about everything," she said. "She told me that going through school with two boys as her best friends had people talking about her a lot more than she would have liked. And I'm not sure if you've noticed, but my best friend here is a guy, and mum wanted to make sure that I never let myself get into a situation I didn't plan on."

Lily thought about it and realized she wasn't sure who Rosie's best friend was. She didn't really know a whole lot about her family's friendships in Gryffindor.

"You should get to class," Rose said, noticing an increase in students finished with lunch and rushing to classes.

Lily nodded.

"Remember, anytime you want to talk, I'm here. I'll try and answer any questions you have, okay?" Rose said. "Also, Lucy is a good one to talk to."

"Lucy?" Lily asked. She liked her fifth-year cousin well enough, but hadn't spent too much time with her growing up. Lucy tended to prefer her friendships outside the family.

"Yeah, she's had more…experience…in this sort of thing," Rose said. "We talk a lot about it."

Lily nodded.

"Roxie and Dom are no help," Rose said. Then she laughed and Lily laughed too, though she still felt that there was a lot more she needed to understand about the whole topic.

"Rose, have you ever…" Lily started to ask, but wasn't entirely sure she should.

"Had sex?" Rose finished for her without hesitation or embarrassment.

Lily nodded.

"No, I haven't," Rose said. "I'm only thirteen, Lily! Just because it's not just an adult thing, I do think one should be a bit older than thirteen. Besides, I've never had a boyfriend. Henry is my best friend, but I'm not interested in him romantically."

"Right, of course," Lily said.

"Alright, go to class. I've got a free period and am meeting Henry in the library."

Lily hugged her cousin and hurried off to class, arriving at the same time as Julianne.

…

The rest of the day was uneventful, and by time dinner was over, Lily headed to the Slytherin common room, eager to hide away from her family, and everyone else as far as she was concerned. Julianne and Lily sat together on the black leather sofa in front of the fireplace, prepared to spend the evening revising for their Transfiguration exam at the end of the week—a subject neither of them excelled at. It was hard for Lily to focus on her reading or the questions Julianne was quizzing her with, when she kept picking up on snippets of whispered conversations throughout the common room regarding her late night escapades and where she had spent the night. After her conversation with Rose, Lily was now keenly aware of how staying the night in a boys' room had looked to the rest of the school, and her embarrassment was growing.

Just as she was about to call it a night and go to bed early, a fifth year boy approached the couch and leaned over the back, close to Lily.

"Hey Potter, you know if you ever need a place to crash, my bed's always open to you," he said.

Julianne and Lily both gasped. Before either of them had a chance to speak though, Scorpius had stepped up behind the fifth year and smacked him hard across the back of the head.

"Get stuffed, Burton," Scorpius said.

The fifth year, Burton, glowered at Scorpius, but walked away.

"Thank you," Lily said, still full of embarrassment.

He shrugged. "Some people need to learn to keep their mouths shut." He stared at Lily hard. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Words can't hurt me." She said.

"Good," he said. "So, I need you to finish my Potions homework."

Julianne gasped, but Lily just sighed. "Even after all the help I gave you yesterday?"

"Well, the essay took longer than I expected. I was supposed to identify some ingredients and just haven't managed to finish. I thought it wound't take you very long at all," he said.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that could be considered cheating," she said.

"Or being resourceful," he said with a smirk. He handed her a half-completed parchment. "Let me know when it's done."

"Okay…" she said.

He lifted his eyebrow in that way that was becoming much too familiar to her, and waited.

"Yes, Master," she said.

He grinned and headed back to the table where he had been working with Leo.

Julianne began to speak but Lily shook her head. "Just don't, okay?" Lily said. Julianne was quiet and let Lily focus on her extra work she had to do.

A little while later, Payne asked Lily to fetch him tea and pumpkin scones from the kitchens, and Scorpius heard and asked for the same. Lily decided to bring some back for herself and Julianne as well to help with the rest of their studying.

…

The next day was quiet and almost boring. There were no unexpected challenges or family confrontations, and Lily was able to make it through all her classes with complete focus. By dinner time she was starting to think Payne had given up on testing the initiates that day. Before she had time to finish her meal, however, a first year delivered her a note.

Lily opened it under Julianne's watchful eyes.

Meet at the Whomping Willow. Immediately.

She glanced up and noticed Ian and Kale had received similar notes and were already standing to leave. She gave Julianne a sad look, took one last bite of her roast lamb, and blew her friend a kiss as she left to catch up with the other two.

Ian and Kale had never seemed particularly fond of Lily, and didn't try to start a conversation with her now. She was content to walk quietly behind them as they discussed classes, and what they thought the next trial might be. When they arrived at the infamous Willow tree, Lily saw the rest of the team gathered already.

"Good, you're all prompt," Payne said, stepping forward. "Tonight's trial will test your bravery, skill, and survival instinct."

"Survival instinct?" Ian said.

Lily felt nervous.

"For this test, you will each be sent into the forest for one hour. You may take nothing with you except for your wand," Payne said.

Lily felt herself growing more nervous.

"We will take you each to a different spot and send you into the forest, so you will be completely alone during this time. We will be patrolling, so don't think about leaving before your hour is up," Payne said. "When your time is up, we will come in and retrieve you."

"You've got to be bloody joking!" Ian said. "The forest?"

"I heard there are vampires in there," Kale said.

Payne shrugged.

"And Werewolves," Ian said.

Payne just stared at them. "Would you like to refuse?"

They were silent.

"Fine. Let's begin." Payne said.

Kenny and Geoff motioned for Ian to follow them to the left of the forest. Leo directed Kale towards the right, and Payne and Scorpius took Lily towards the center.

"You've got this, Potter," Payne said. "Don't be scared."

"I'm not," she said.

Scorpius glanced at her sideways. "It's okay to be a little scared," he said.

She shrugged.

"You don't have to too far in," Scorpius said.

"Okay," she said. "One hour?"

"One hour," they confirmed.

"In you go," Payne said.

She looked at both the guys briefly, held her head high, and marched into the forest. She didn't plan to wander too far in, and once she had lost sight of the guys outside the forest, she figured she could just sit and wait it out. After a few minutes of doing just that, however, she heard a small whinny that sounded desperate and sad, and she knew she had to investigate.

…

Just past an hour later, she heard Scorpius's voice calling for her. Lily had wandered farther into the forest than planned, and they couldn't find her as easily as they had anticipated.

"Potter?" Payne was calling for her now too, and his voice sounded slightly anxious.

"Lily!" Scorpius called out.

"Over here," Lily called in response, though she tried to keep her voice calm and not too loud.

The guys appeared a moment later, pushing their way through the branches of the trees that grew thick where she was.

"Blimey, Potter! What are you doing so far in?" Payne said as they came closer.

Then the guys both stopped suddenly when they saw what she was doing.

"Shh…" she held her hand out to them to quiet them and keep them where they were. "Don't come too close. They don't like men as much," she said.

Lily was kneeling, gently cradling the head of a young unicorn. He was still so young, his coat was more golden than white and his horn was only half grown.

"Lily, that's a unicorn!" Scorpius said.

"Yes, obviously," she said. "I heard it crying. His hoof was caught in a thorny vine. I got him free, but he's not able to walk well. I heard howling a little while ago, and didn't want to leave him in case something came and hurt him."

"You heard howling and chose to stay?" Payne asked. "That's insane."

"I can't leave him helpless like this!" She said. "Go and get Hagrid. He'll know how to help."

"Seriously?" Payne asked. "Just leave it. He'll be fine."

Lily glared at him.

Scorpius told Payne to go and Payne left, but he rolled his eyes as he did. Scorpius stayed put.

"You didn't have to stay," Lily said.

"And leave you here alone to potentially get eaten by a werewolf?" He said. "Yeah, sure."

Lily smiled. "Thanks." Though she had felt the need to be brave for the unicorn foal, she couldn't deny that having someone else there with her was encouraging. "Do you want to try and pet him?"

"You said they don't like guys," he said.

"Unicorns are more comfortable with girls, typically, but this little one might let you come closer," she said. "Here, kneel down beside me and move slowly."

Scorpius knelt on the ground beside Lily, keeping her between himself and the unicorn foal. He seemed hesitant to reach out, so she suddenly took his hand and placed it gently on the foal's nose.

"See," she said. "Nothing to be afraid of."

"I wasn't afraid," he said, but he smiled at her a little.

"Isn't he so soft?" She said. "I've just been sitting here for better part of the hour stroking him, and I can't get over how soft he is."

There was more howling in the distance and Scorpius' arm jerked suddenly.

"It's okay," Lily said. "I think they're farther away than they seem. The howls are just loud."

Scorpius glanced at her oddly.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing," he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything.

Only a moment later, there was rustling in the trees and Payne returned with Hagrid huffing along behind him.

"Oy, what 'ave we 'ere then?" He asked.

"Oh Hagrid, this poor little darling was trapped, and now he's hurt and can't walk," Lily said.

"Lily, what in Merlin's name were you doin' in the forest?" Hagrid asked, kneeling down beside Lily and Scorpius.

Scorpius stood and moved to stand beside Payne. Lily glanced up at the guys but they both stared at her as though waiting to see what she would say.

"Umm, I heard his cries, and had to come and see what was going on," she said.

"You 'eard his cries from out there?" He asked. "And came in to investigate on yer own?"

Lily nodded.

"You cannot just be comin' in 'ere like that," he said. "You 'ear me? What am I gonna tell yer parents if'n you end up bit by a werewolf or kindapped by acromantulas?"

"It won't happen again," she said. "I promise."

"It better not," Hagrid said roughly. Then he softened and smiled at her a little. "Though I 'preciate what you've done fer this 'here foal." He stood and stooped to scoop the baby unicorn up into his arms. "I've gotta take 'im back and fix 'im up."

Lily stood and prepared to follow him. She felt a need to stay close to the unicorn foal until she was certain he was better and could fend for himself.

"You better get on back to yer rooms before that Milton gets 'hold of you," Hagrid said.

"Oh, please let me come with you and help!" She asked. "I want to make sure he's okay."

"He'll be just fine now, thanks to yer care so far," Hagrid said. "But I need you to go on back inside now, Little Flower." He winked at her and though she wanted to argue, she knew better. She'd known Hagrid since she was born and she knew when he would and would not give in.

"Fine," she said.

Hagrid glanced at Scorpius and Payne. "I expect you two are able to see her back safe and sound?"

They both nodded quickly, not wanting to argue with him. He nodded, satisfied that the students would listen, bid goodnight to the three of them and walked off with the injured foal.

"Come on," Payne said. He jerked his head towards the castle and Lily reluctantly followed him and Scorpius back inside.

Nobody spoke again until they reached the common room. Payne muttered the password and the three entered, finding it empty at the late hour. For a moment the three stood silently by the fireplace, warming up after the chilly night air, but Lily started feeling uncomfortable with the two boys after the past few days.

"Alright, well I'm off to bed," she said.

"You should know, Parker had buggar all to do with the forest," Payne said. "He's out of the running."

"Is he?" She asked, truly surprised to hear about Ian.

"Yeah, he couldn't make it ten minutes," Payne said. He shook his head showing his clear disappointment. "Perk made it, though he was only a few feet inside the treeline, huddled up like a bloody baby when they went to get him." He rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'm knackered. See you in the morning." Payne walked off towards the boys' corridor with a nod towards the other two.

Lily started to walk away too.

"Lily," Scorpius said, stopping her suddenly.

"Yeah?" She asked, pausing by the archway to the girls' side.

"You were great tonight," he said. "Really impressive."

"Thanks," she said. "What am I going to have to do tomorrow? Wrestle a Troll?"

Scorpius laughed a bit. "Nah, nothing quite so exciting I'm afraid. See you in the morning."

Lily returned to her room, relieved to see everyone already asleep. She changed and climbed into bed, eager for sleep.