A/N: Thank you thank you for all the delightful reviews :) I'm so glad to see ya'll are liking my story. I love writing Lily, and I'm having so much fun with this story. I know there's a lot of eagerness for her and Scorpius to be together - but as she's only second year it'll be a little while yet. There are some *sweet* Scorpius/Lily moments in this update though, so I hope you enjoy those for now! Reviews are my best motivation to get new updates out (I'm currently aiming for one a week, so hopefully I can keep that pace!). So Please read and review. Let me know what you like, what you don't, what else you might like to see...I'm open to it all. XOXO
Lily didn't have to wait long for the new challenge the next morning. She woke up slightly later than usual, so she and Julianne joined the Great Hall when it was already loud and full of breakfasting students. They sat together towards the far side of the Slytherin's table and prepared their plates. Lily was hopeful for a quiet morning after the long night she had had in the forest.
A note was dropped onto her plate in front of her and she sighed. Clearly quiet was not on the schedule for the day. She opened the note quickly, once again letting Julianne read it over her shoulder. Her friend gasped.
It read: Stand on the table and sing the school song loud enough for the whole of the Great Hall to hear.
"Oh Lily," Julianne said. "I'm so sorry."
Lily felt her heart beat quickening and wished she was back in the Forbidden Forest with the baby unicorn, even with the howling. She glanced towards the center of the table where Kale Perk was no longer eating his breakfast, but looking as panicked as Lily felt, possibly more. She noticed his face was paler than usual.
Payne looked at both of them and nodded, indicating that the time was now.
Lily stood up and leaned forward to move a few dishes away from the center of the table. She noticed Kale doing the same where he sat a few feet down from her. She wanted to wait until he stood up. She was not eager to start this challenge alone. She noticed, however, that he was looking very hesitant. His hands were shaking, and he seemed to be sweating.
"He's not going to do it," she whispered to no one in particular, but Julianne knew what she meant.
"What happens if he doesn't?" Julianne asked.
"He'll be kicked off the team," Lily said. "He has to do it." Lily had felt disappointed with how the other two initiates had been eliminated. She thought it showed a weakness and cowardice that she didn't believe Slytherins should have. "He will do it," she said, feeling determined to not lose another initiate.
Lily swiftly walked down to where Kale was sitting, still shaking. She noticed Payne, Scorpius, and the other teammates had been watching him and whispering to each other, shaking their heads.
"Kale, stand up with me," she said. She hadn't had many conversations with Kale before in her life. He had never been particularly rude, but he had also never been particularly nice. They had mostly stayed out of each other's ways. When he didn't move, she took his arm and tugged. "Stand up with me. You are not quitting now. We have one day left. You and I are going to do this."
Even though he was at least a foot taller than she was, she had to pull him to his feet. She could feel his clammy skin beneath her grip.
"Come on," she said. She placed one foot on the wooden bench and climbed up to the center of the table, forcing him to join her.
They stood there together, suddenly feeling all eyes turning towards them like a slow wave spreading across the Great Hall.
"You can do this," she said to Kale.
He nodded, but she could feel his body was stiff. She grasped his had suddenly and squeezed.
"Together," she said.
He looked down at her, smiled slightly, and they began to sing the school song.
There were small bursts of laughter around the Great Hall as they began, and Kale's voice faltered slightly, though he didn't stop. His voice was shaky and pitchy, but Lily raised her voice, singly clearly and loudly to cover his blunders. Lily knew she had a good voice; she had been told numerous times by her family, even her cousin Victoire, so she knew it was true. She wished she wasn't signing in front of the entire school at the moment, however, because even with a good voice, she had only ever sung in front of her family before and did not particularly like attention for this sort of thing.
She glanced towards the Gryffindor table and could see her family herd watching her with puzzled expressions. She glanced towards Ravenclaw and saw Lorcan dancing and pretending to sing along. Then she glanced down towards her teammates and saw their expressions of unmistakable surprise; Scorpius was smiling at her. She blushed, and felt eager to finish the song. Kale's voice had grown a little more steady as they progressed, but when they finally finished he scrambled off the table faster than a bolt of lightening. Lily found herself standing there alone before she even knew what had happened. Taking one more glance around she did a quick silly bow, and then climbed down from the table as well. A seventh year boy she didn't know offered her a hand to help her down.
"You've got a brilliant voice," he told her.
"Oh, umm, thank you," she said, blushing intensely. She hurried back towards Julianne and sat down to finish her breakfast.
"Lils, you were great!" Julianne said. "I've heard you sing in the shower, so I know you have a great voice, but I think they were expecting you to be rubbish." She laughed. "You should have seen Cassie's face! And that girl, Delia. She looked so angry."
"Why should she care?" Lily asked, glancing down to where Delia Thorne was sitting next to Scorpius. She was talking animatedly and continually putting her hand on Scorpius' arm.
"Because Scorpius couldn't stop watching you," Julianne said.
Lily snapped her attention back to her friend and saw the laughing twinkle in her friend's eyes. "Whatever," she said. "I don't care about any of that and you know it."
"Just because you don't, doesn't mean he doesn't," Julianne said.
"Can I just eat my breakfast please?" Lily asked. Lily had noticed that since second year had started, Julianne had become increasingly more interested in talking about boys and the different couples they observed forming around the school. Lily couldn't care less, and wished her best friend would stop being so silly about it all. She had absolutely no interest in romance or boys in that way, and even if she did, she would definitely not be interested in Scorpius Malfoy of all people.
During their Defense class after breakfast, Louis and Hugo tried to ask Lily about her sudden urge to sing in front of the whole school, but she carefully deflected the question and tried to laugh it off as a joke. Louis clearly didn't believe her. As her best friend, he knew that she wasn't comfortable singing like that in front of a crowd; the family struggled to convince her to sing "happy birthday" to Grandpa Arthur that year in front of the whole family.
Daniel Thomas and and Zachary Lane, two of Louis and Hugo's Gryffindor roommates, had a little too much fun teasing Lily about her public performance. Though they also both assured her she had a great voice.
Not everyone was kind about it though.
"You'd think she had enough attention being a Potter, and sorted into Slytherin, and trying out for Quidditch, and having to get highest marks in classes, and the way she throws herself at all the guys, even my brother! As if he'd ever have anything to do with a Potter…"
Lily tried hard to ignore Cassie's whispering to Nicolette during class. They weren't exactly being quiet, but Lily knew they were just trying to get a rise out of her. She hated what they were saying about her, especially since it wasn't at all true. She took slow breaths to keep herself from lashing out.
"Did you hear she spent the night with Payne Trotter?" Nicolette asked.
"I heard," Cassie said. "It's absolutely revolting. Does she have no shame?"
Lily felt her cheeks burning and she clenched her hand into a fist around her wand. Julianne was currently demonstrating at the front of the classroom with Louis, so she couldn't hear what her friend was being forced to listen to, nor could she come to her rescue as Lily knew she would be inclined to do.
"I've heard all the girls in her family are like that," Nicolette said. "Last year one of them was Head Girl and I heard she was always getting caught around school with different boys!"
Lily snapped. "That's not true!" She said, loudly, and quite viciously, whipping around suddenly and staring directly into Nicolette's dark eyes. "Victoire would never do that. She is in a very serious relationship."
"Clearly not serious enough to keep her affections from roaming all over school," Cassie said. "I suppose you two have that in common."
Lily had her wand out and had said the hex before she even knew what she was saying. Thanks to her brother Teddy and her Uncle George, Lily had a whole store of hexes hiding away in her mind, sometimes a little too easy to access. She wasn't even sure which one she had used—just chose the first one that jumped to her tongue—until she saw Cassie's hair had turned brilliant blue and started sticking up straight from her head.
Nicolette screamed. The entire class turned to look at the commotion. The Gryffindors burst out in peels of laughter, as did a couple of the Slytherins, particularly Kenny and Julianne.
Professor McGregor let out a deep sigh, shook his head, and walked towards the girls.
"Miss Potter," he said.
Lily had no ability to respond to her professor. She couldn't deny that she had hexed Cassie; the entire class had seen her. She couldn't talk herself out of this situation. She lowered her wand arm, and stowed her wand back in her robe pocket.
"Class dismissed," he said, waving at the students who were openly gawking at Lily and Cassie. "Miss Potter, Miss Malfoy, please remain behind."
Lily stood very still, not sure what her consequences would be for losing her temper on Cassie as she had. She was determined, however, not to make eye contact with Cassie no matter what. Cassie, meanwhile, was sobbing, quite hysterically.
When everyone had left the classroom, Professor McGregor turned his focus on the two girls.
"Miss Malfoy, please control yourself," he said.
"My hair!" She wailed. "She destroyed me! You cannot let her get away with that. She's awful. She must be expelled!"
"Miss Malfoy," he said again, his voice very calm but firm. "Thank you for your opinions, but Miss Potter will not be expelled for a simple prank, despite how inappropriate it was. Her punishment does not concern you."
Cassie started crying even harder. Lily still refused to make eye contact.
"If you would get yourself under control I will put your hair right again," Professor McGregor said. "Miss Potter, you may report to your head of house for your punishment. I will be certain he is made aware of what occurred here." He nodded at her and she took it as permission to leave, which she did quickly.
Instead of finding Julianne and Leona during free period, Lily sought out Professor Willoughby as she had been instructed. She saw no sense in delaying the inevitable punishment that was to come. He was not in his office, so she tried his classroom. Unfortunately, she caught him in the middle of a third year class with the Slytherins and Ravenclaws.
"Miss Potter?" Professor Willoughby glanced up as she opened the door. "Can I help you?"
"Oh!" Lily stopped at the doorway. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you had class," she said. She took a step backwards to leave, but collided with the partially open door and stumbled.
"Did you need something?" He asked.
She glanced around the classroom briefly noticing Lysander and Lorcan sitting to the right; they both waved at her. She smiled at them briefly.
"Umm, no…" Lily said, but she hesitated when she heard whispers and snickers coming from the Slytherins on the other side of the room. She couldn't hear what they said, but the way they eyed her and then looked towards the twins made their comments apparent.
Professor Willoughby seemed to pick up on a few of the comments as well because he cleared his throat and moved quickly through the room towards Lily, pausing briefly beside one of the Slytherin's tables.
"Five points from Slytherin for ghastly conversation," he said, scowling at the two girls sitting there. He reached Lily and lowered his voice slightly. "We will have a meeting later. Come to my office during your afternoon break."
"Yes sir," she said.
"And yes, I know all about what passed between you and Miss Malfoy," he said. "You will be pleased to hear that her hair has been returned to normal."
Lily tried hard not to smile. She accidentally glanced towards the Slytherins' side again and caught Scorpius' eye. He was clearly curious, and she knew she'd have to answer to him later after he had heard the entire story from his sister, undoubtedly very embellished.
"I will see you later then," Professor Willoughby said, dismissing Lily from the room.
Lily retreated quickly from the classroom and back to the Slytherin common room. She found herself suddenly very tired from all that had happened over the past few days, and desperate for some quiet time. She was glad to find her bedroom empty and curled up in the middle of her bed, wishing her cat was there to snuggle. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but when Julianne woke her up almost two hours later, she realized she had.
"You're not getting sick are you?" Julianne asked.
"No," Lily said. "I feel fine. Just tired. This week has been exhausting, and this morning was a mess."
Julianne sat on the bed beside her friend. "You missed lunch," she said.
"That's alright," Lily said. "I wasn't very hungry."
"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Julianne asked.
Lily nodded.
"History starts in ten minutes," Julianne said.
"Right," Lily said, not at all looking forward to sitting through a class with a Cassie or Nicolette. "Let's go then."
The girls sat a the back of the room for their history class and when Cassie and Nicolette started whispering and glaring at Lily, she forced herself to stay strong and simply glare back. Julianne seemed a little tense, her body was stiff and her eyes were alert, as though she were waiting for either a retaliation from Cassie or for Lily to lose her temper again. Class, however, passed without incident, and at its conclusion, Cassie and Nicolette left quickly.
"I'm off to meet with Professor Willoughby," Lily said. "Sorry I can't stay with you for our break."
"That's alright," Julianne said. "I'm going to meet with Leona at the library. She promised to help me with that Transfiguration incantation I keep messing up."
"That's great!" Lily said. "I don't know how long it will take. I'll try to meet you at the library but if not I'll see you at dinner."
The girls hugged and separated. Lily made her way down to the dungeons, not at all looking forward to her meeting with her professor.
He was waiting when she arrived, with a large book open on his desk, a quill in his hand, and ink stains on the sleeve of his white button down shirt. He looked focused, distracted, and a little angry.
"Hi Professor…" Lily said, cautiously stepping into the room. "Am I early?"
"No, you're fine, come sit," he said without looking up.
Lily sank down in the chair across from him, having to move a couple books and pieces of parchment off the chair first. She waited quietly for him to finish what he was writing, nervously twisting a piece of her long hair around her fingers.
"Am I in a lot of trouble?" She asked finally, unable to wait quietly any longer.
He didn't look up, but she could see a slight smile cross across his face.
She waited again until he finally put down his quill and began rolling the parchment he had been writing on. He took one of the dark green candles from his desk and dripped wax on the rolled parchment to seal it. He took his seal and pressed it into the wax.
"Do you know what this is?" He asked her. She shook her head. "It's a letter to your parents."
Lily's eyes widened.
"Yes, indeed," he said. "I suppose you were hoping they wouldn't hear about all your interesting escapades this week."
She wondered how much he knew about and how much he would be telling her parents. She wasn't sure what to say, so she started cautiously. "Yes…I suppose they need to hear about what happened with Cassie…"
"For starters, yes," he said. "As well as your venture into the forbidden forest, your staying out after curfew, your staying all night with the Scamander boys…"
She gasped.
"Oh yes, I heard about that," he said, lifting one of his eyebrows.
"Am I being expelled?" She asked in an unusually quiet voice.
"Do you think you ought to be?" He asked her.
Lily shrugged. "I have broken a lot of rules," she said.
"Would you like to talk about why you have broken so many rules?" He asked.
Lily thought about Quidditch and Payne and Scorpius and how close she was to finishing initiation week. If she told Professor Willoughby everything now, she would surely be eliminated from the team.
"Umm, not really. It's just been a difficult week," she said. She shifted her eyes away from her professor. She had a hard time lying to him for some reason. Ever since her first day the previous year, she had felt drawn to Professor Willoughby. She liked the way he seemed to care about her and all his students. She didn't like lying to him.
"Perhaps we can start small," he said. "Why did you attack Miss Malfoy today?"
"She was saying unkind things," Lily said. "About my cousin Victoire."
"I remember Miss Weasley from last year. She was Head Girl," Professor Willoughby said. "And quite a good Potions' student."
Lily nodded.
"Would you like to tell me what she said?" He asked.
"No," Lily said. "Not really. It was sort of personal, but just really not nice or true."
He nodded. "Okay. Do you think you made the right choice then by hexing her?"
Lily felt an urge to smile again, but she knew that would not be the right choice at the moment, so she bit her lip and shook her head.
"You know that hex was pretty advanced for a second year," he said.
She shrugged.
"Not that I'm condoning using hexes," he said, "however, it was an impressive use of magic."
She dared to look him directly in the eyes and was surprised to see him almost smiling.
"Hexing another student, however, is prohibited, and wrong," he said. "You will apologize to Miss Malfoy this evening at dinner. I will be watching to be certain that you do."
"At dinner?" She echoed. "In front of everyone?"
"Yes, that is the idea." He said. He smiled, and she could tell he knew it would irritate her to have to do it so publicly. "Now, how about we discuss why you stayed the night with the Ravenclaw boys."
Lily blushed. "I got locked out of the Slytherin rooms and it seemed like the best option at the time. Lorcan and Lysander are good friends."
"How did you get locked out?" He asked.
"I…" she hesitated. "I really can't say," she said.
"Because you don't know or because you're not allowed?" He asked.
Lily didn't answer for a moment. "Please don't ask," she said.
He analyzed her expression briefly and then nodded. "Very well. Along with Miss Malfoy's apology, you will also be writing me an essay on what it means to be a Slytherin."
"What it means to be a Slytherin?" She asked.
"Yes. What does it mean to you?" He said. "Remember, Slytherins are proud. We are cunning and bold, yes, but we take pride in our magic and who we are. Think on it. You may turn it in at the end of the month."
Lily frowned. She had no idea what he wanted her to write in an essay. She still wasn't sure why the hat had put her in Slytherin.
"And Miss Potter, please try to avoid trouble. I'd hate to have to cancel our private lessons together as a consequence for your misbehaviors," he said.
"I promise," she said. "I'll behave."
"You are dismissed then," he said.
Lily stood and prepared to leave. She paused at the door and turned back to him. "I am truly sorry for causing trouble," she said. "And I am very much looking forward to our lessons."
"As am I," he said. "You have great potential for excellence here, Miss Potter. I'd hate to see it overshadowed by petty squabbles with classmates."
"Thank you," she said, unable to think of anything better, and left quickly.
Lily briefly considered ditching dinner so she could avoid the required apology to Cassie, but she knew that if she tried that Professor Willoughby would find some other way to make her do it, so she entered the Great Hall begrudgingly a few minutes after dinner hour began.
Julianne was already there, sitting with Kenny and Kale. Lily could tell Kenny was telling Julianne a story of some sort. She was talking quickly, the way she did, and Julianne was doing her best to look entertained. A few places down from them, Lily spotted Scorpius sitting with Leo, Geoff, and Delia. There was another third year girl with dark hair who Lily didn't know well sitting with them as well. Cassie sat on the other side of Delia with Nicolette, Ian, and William Blackwell.
Lily stopped a few feet from the table and took a deep breath to try and prepare herself. I can do this. It's just an apology. I've apologized to James and Albus loads of times without really meaning it. She tried to encourage herself as she walked towards Cassie, but her feet felt heavy and she wanted to run.
When she was standing at the table, on the opposite side where Cassie sat, facing her, she straightened herself out to her full height, trying to seem tall and confident, and waited to be noticed. When Cassie continued to ignore her and chat on with Nicolette, Lily finally cleared her throat.
"Cassie…" Lily said in a small, unwilling voice.
Cassie glanced up at Lily. Her silver eyes narrowed into slits like crescent moons. "What do you want?" She asked. Her voice was cold and vicious and not at all quiet.
Everyone near her turned their attention to Lily, waiting to see what was about to happen.
"Umm…" Lily heisted. Her eyes shifted around the table, noting how many people were watching her, as though expecting something awful to happen.
Nicolette had her hand on Cassie's arm and had her dark eyes fixed on Lily in a warning. Delia and the dark haired third year girl were whispering together, but their eyes were darting between Lily and Cassie, and they looked almost excited. And then she saw Scorpius. His expression was unclear; he almost looked upset, or maybe it was concern.
Just get it over with, she told herself. "I'm sorry," she said, spitting the word out in a hurry.
"Excuse me?" Cassie asked, staring at Lily as though she had not heard her.
"I'm sorry for hexing you," Lily said. "I shouldn't have done it."
Cassie stared at her hard. "I do not forgive you," she said. "You are a hateful person with a very bad temper, and I wish you had never come to Hogwarts!" She stood suddenly and left the table. Nicolette waited only a moment before following her friend.
Lily sighed. She glanced up towards the staff table and saw Professor Willoughby watching her. She gave him a shrug, and he nodded. She felt satisfied that she had done her part, and he seemed to agree, so she turned and headed towards Julianne and Kenny, sitting across the table from them on an open space on the bench.
"What was that all about?" Julianne asked.
"I was apologizing to Cassie," Lily said.
"Why?" Julianne asked.
"Because I hexed her in class…" Lily said, wondering if her friend had somehow forgotten that incident.
"Yes, I know that, silly," Julianne said. "But from what you told me, she was going off on your cousin, and you for that matter."
Lily nodded to confirm what her friend said.
"So, she deserved what she got," Julianne said.
Lily smiled. This is why she and Julianne got on so well.
"Professor Willoughby made you do it, didn't he?" Julianne asked. Lily nodded, and her friend rolled her eyes. "Well, she didn't deserve an apology."
Lily shrugged and started helping herself to chicken curry and rice. Even though Lily agreed with Julianne, and did not feel that she had anything to apologize to Cassie for, she didn't admit that to her friend. Her studies with Professor Willoughby were important to her, and she wasn't willing to jeopardize them just because she didn't want to apologize.
"That was a bloody brilliant hex today," Kenny said, having finished whatever conversation she had been having with Kale, and now eager to move on to her next topic of conversation. "The look on Cassie's face!" She lost herself to laughter.
Lily and Julianne smiled at her. Lily loved Kenny's laugh. It was so loud and uninhibited, though sometimes she did carry on a bit longer than necessary.
The girls finished dinner and went directly to the library to revise for their charms quiz the next day for the hour they had before Astronomy class that night. After class they hurried down to their common room to continue revising on the couch in front of the fire. Mostly it was Lily who needed to revise, since Julianne was quite good at Charms, and Lily was rubbish, but since Lily surpassed Julianne at every other subject, Julianne never bragged about it.
Lily had been relieved that after the singing demand at breakfast that morning, there had been no more demands for her Quidditch initiation. She was tired, and frustrated from her confrontation with Cassie, her meeting with Professor Willoughby, and her inability to understand what she was learning in Charms. Just when she and Julianne had decided to call it a night, however, her peace was disrupted.
"So, you want to talk about what you did to my sister today?" Scorpius said, coming around the side of the couch and sitting down between Lily and Julianne, forcing them to make space for him.
Lily scooted back against the arm of the couch, and shifted her feet that Scorpius had almost sat on. She scowled at him. "No I do not."
He lifted an eyebrow at her. "What if I told you that you had to. I'm asking you to please tell me why you hexed my sister today," he said.
"Are you asking as a friend or as my master?" Lily asked, lifting one of her eyebrows to him in a mock copy of his expression.
"As your master," he said.
She sighed and rolled her eyes, trying not to look at Julianne who she knew would have a very specific kind of expression on her face at that moment.
"Cassie was saying some not very nice things about me and my cousin Victoire, and I lost my temper," she said.
"What was she saying?" He asked.
"I really don't want to talk about it. I should't have let it get to me like it did," Lily said.
"She's my sister, and if she's being unkind, I'd like to know," he said.
Lily wasn't sure if that was really his motivation for making her tell him, but knew he wouldn't quit until she gave him what he wanted. "She accused Victoire of being with lots of different guys last year before she graduated," Lily said.
"Well, was she?" He asked.
"What? No!" Lily said, horrified. "Not a bit."
"I'm sorry if I offended you. I did not know her or what sort of relationships she had," he said. "I do remember that she was very pretty, and a lot of guys talked about her, so I wouldn't necessarily be surprised…"
Lily cut him off angrily. "Vic has been dating my brother Teddy since she was fifteen. She is absolutely devoted to him and would never betray him in that way. Now that she's out of school, we expect them to get engaged soon," she said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I wasn't trying to be rude," he said. He frowned a little. "I also didn't know you had another brother. I thought it was just the two…"
"Teddy is older. He's twenty-one," she said. "And he's not technically my brother. But his parents both died and my parents have been looking after him since he was two years old. They raised him as their own way before James was born."
Scorpius looked thoughtful. "Well, I am sorry my sister was rude about your family. Truly."
Lily didn't feel quite as angry as she had been earlier and she did appreciate Scorpius trying to be polite about it all. "It's okay. Like I said. I shouldn't have let it get to me like it did."
"You said she was saying things about you as well," he said. "What sort of things?"
Lily blushed and shook her head. "It's not important, honestly."
"Lily, tell me," he said.
She stared firmly at her lap, her fingers were laced together tightly. "She said I was 'throwing myself at guys' and trying to get everyone's attention," she spoke quickly once she started, trying to get it all out before he could interrupt. "She said I was trying to get your attention." She felt her cheeks grow warm and knew if it had been less dim in the common room, he would be able to see how red they were. "And she and Nicolette said that I had spent the night with Payne." She took a deep breath when she finished and continued to stare at her hands.
Scorpius was quiet for a moment. She felt a little apprehensive about his silence and finally looked at him. She was confused by his expression. He looked angry, and almost a little sad.
"She shouldn't have said those things about you," he said. "It wasn't fair to you at all."
His sincerity startled her, and she tried to seem less concerned than she was. "It's fine, really. I shouldn't have let it get to me."
"Lily," he said. "My sister should not have said those things. If I had heard them I would've done a lot more than a simple hex. I'm truly sorry she hurt you like that."
Lily smiled a little. "Words can't hurt me that easily," she said. "To be honest, if she hadn't started in on my cousin, I probably would have been able to ignore her."
Before Scorpius had a chance to respond, Payne leaned over the couch, close to Lily and claimed her attention. "I'm ravenous," he said. "I could really go for some leftover curry. Could you pop down to the kitchens and see if there's any left for me? I'll take a cup of tea, too. You know how I like it." He winked and walked away.
Lily sighed, put down her charms book and stood from the couch, straightening out her black skirt and white button down shirt. "And for you?" She asked Scorpius. "What are you peckish for this evening?"
"I'll take a cup of tea as well, if you don't mind," he said.
"Yes, Master," she said.
"Hey, Lily," he said, standing and following her towards the door.
She waited.
"You don't have to do that anymore," he said.
"Do what?" She asked.
"The 'Master' thing," he said. "I was having a go at you by making you say that, but it wasn't really all that nice was it? You don't have to call me that."
Lily was slightly surprised. "Oh, all right then," she said. "Thank you."
Lily hurried to the kitchens to retrieve the requested things; she had become very familiar with this path over the past week and the elves had all become very familiar with her late night requests. They never gave her trouble for it and were always eager to be sure she had everything she needed. She was back to the common room in under half an hour, delivering the requested things to Payne and Scorpius. Payne took his curry and tea to a table with a couple other sixth years, while Scorpius took a seat in one of the low-backed leather armchairs beside the couch. He pulled out a History of Magic textbook and seemed content to settle in and read in silence. Lily resumed her seat across from Julianne on the couch and tried to focus on her Charms work.
It was just past ten o'clock when Lily began yawning. Julianne had fallen asleep on the couch, her textbook dropped across her stomach. Scorpius was still reading in the chair beside the couch. Lily closed up her own book and prepared to wake her friend, when Payne suddenly appeared over her shoulder again.
"Hey Potter," he said. "I'm going to bed now."
"Sounds good," Lily said, not sure why he was announcing this fact to her. "I think I'm going to turn in now too."
"You know, you've got a beautiful singing voice," he said.
"Thank you," she said, feeling a little uncomfortable with his tone of voice.
"I was thinking, I would really enjoy a bedtime lullaby," he said.
Lily gasped. "What?"
"I want you to come and sing me a lullaby," he said.
Lily felt her cheeks flushing red, and her chest felt heavy. "Payne, please no," she said.
"I am your captain, and I gave you a command," he said. "Come and sing me a lullaby."
"Please don't ask that of me," she said. "I can't come to your room. Ask me something else. Anything else. Do you have any essays set? I can write it for you!"
Payne frowned. "Are you refusing me?"
Lily hesitated. She knew the rules. She knew what she was risking by refusing one of Payne's demands. However, she also knew that if she went to his room and sang him a lullaby, word of much more would likely spread by breakfast. After all the talk she'd heard around school today, and the chat she had with Rose the day before, she knew she could not go to Payne's room under any circumstance.
She felt a burning sensation pricking at her eyes as she fought against both embarrassment and panic, but she didn't know what to say. Payne motioned for her to stand up and follow him.
"That's enough, Payne," Scorpius spoke up suddenly. Lily had almost forgotten he was still sitting there.
"Excuse me?" Payne asked.
"She'll not be going to your room with you," he said.
"I gave her an order," Payne said.
Scorpius stood and moved to Lily's side. "Sod off, Payne. She's done enough today." Payne looked prepared to argue, but Scorpius reached over and nudged Julianne to wake her. "Lily, get your friend to bed. We'll see you in the morning."
Lily didn't want to look at Payne. She tugged on Julianne's arm, took both their books in her arms, and led the sleepy Julianne quickly away from the couch and down the corridor to their room. She didn't say anything to either of the guys.
…
After a slightly fitful night's sleep, Lily woke on Friday morning, eager to get through classes. She knew there was still one day of initiation trials left, but was determined to finish them without complaints and hopefully avoid anymore awkward interactions with Payne or anyone else. She was tired of all the hoops the guys were making her jump through. She was tired of never knowing what to expect was tired of feeling anxious all the time.
She dressed quickly in her uniform and robes, glad that Julianne was up as early as she was this morning and would be ready to join her for breakfast. She hadn't told Julianne about Payne's request the previous night, but she felt that having her friend close by her side at all times today would help her feel more confident for whatever might be thrown at her.
"Ready to go?" Julianne asked as she gathered her light brown hair up into a ponytail and securing it with an elastic.
Lily fluffed out her long red hair and nodded at her own reflection in the mirror. "Let's go."
The girls grabbed their book bags and hurried out to the common room.
Scorpius was already there, chatting with Leo and Geoff. He glanced up when he spotted the girls emerging form the corridor.
"All right, Lily?" He greeted them. He offered a nod to Julianne too, but was clearly mostly interested in conversing with Lily.
Lily nodded briefly at Scorpius and felt an urge to thank him for intervening the previous night with Payne, but didn't know what to say and felt uncomfortable bringing it up with so many others around to hear the conversation, so she didn't say anything.
"We're going to breakfast," Lily said, unable to say what she wanted to say.
"Actually, hold up a minute," Scorpius said. "We have your final challenge this morning."
"Oh? Right now?" Lily asked, feeling her anxiety rise.
He nodded and she saw Leo and Geoff grinning. At that moment Payne approached from the boys' corridor. Lily was slightly afraid to make eye contact with him after what occurred the night before, but he did not bring it up.
"Where's Krum?" He asked.
"Still asleep," Lily answered. Kenny was never awake this early.
"Fine, we'll proceed without her," Payne said. He glanced around briefly and spotted Kale exiting from the corridor. He motioned him over and Kale came and stood next to Lily, dwarfing her with his size. Kale was taller than all the other second year boys and most of the third years as well.
"Morning," he said to the group, but mostly to Lily.
She offered him a slight smile. They were in this together, whatever it was. Ever since Lily had helped him with the singing task at breakfast the previous day, he had warmed up to her significantly. She would go as far as saying they were almost friends now.
"Today's task will test your Slytherin pride and spirit," Payne said.
Lily's breathing was faster than she liked.
"I have a spell that I will use and for the next twenty four hours your hair will be changed to a brilliant Slytherin green in support of our house," he said. "That's all. Simple. Straightforward."
"That's it?" Kale asked. He shrugged. "Great."
Lily, however, felt her chest growing tight. "My hair?" She asked in a slightly squeaky voice.
Julianne instantly reached out and grasped her friend's hand. Julianne knew how desperately vain Lily was about her red hair, which was a vanity Julianne fully understood as she had often told Lily how she envied her beautiful hair.
"Is that a problem for you, Potter?" Payne asked, smirking slightly.
Lily tried to speak, but couldn't. "Isn't there some other way I can show my spirit?"
"This is the challenge. Are you going to refuse me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Again?"
Lily swallowed and started twisting a strand of her red hair around her fingers. "What if it doesn't go back?"
"It'll be fine," Scorpius spoke up. "After the twenty-four hours, the spell will be reversed. It's not permanent."
"But what if something goes wrong?" She asked.
Payne narrowed his eyes at her. "Come on, Potter. It's just hair." He turned to Kale who nodded, and then Payne withdrew his wand and muttered the spell while waving his wand over Kale's head. His hair instantly transformed into a vibrant emerald green. He glanced in the floor-length mirror on the wall beside the door and nodded.
"Your turn," Kale said to Lily. "It doesn't hurt or anything."
"I know," she said. She wasn't worried about the pain. The thought of her red hair being somehow ruined though, destroyed forever…what if Payne botched the spell?
"You weren't so concerned about Cassie's hair when you hexed her yesterday," Payne said.
Lily scowled. Then she turned her eyes to Scorpius. "Was this your idea then? Payback for your sister?"
He shook his head. "This was not my idea. I told you yesterday I didn't hold it against you."
"Running out of patience, Potter," Payne said. "Are you going to refuse?"
Lily sighed, knowing she had no choice. "Do it," she said. "Just get it over with." She squeezed Julianne's hand tightly and closed her eyes as Payne performed the spell. When she heard Julianne gasp, she knew it had been a success. "I don't think I want to look in the mirror," she said.
Julianne held Lily's hand tightly and the girls walked quickly together past the mirror and out of the common room to breakfast.
"Is it horrid?" Lily asked.
"No…" Julianne said.
"Jules, that was not convincing," Lily said.
"It's just very…different," Julianne said.
"Payne better be able to put it back the right way," Lily said. "I'll never forgive him for this."
"This week has been a bit ridiculous," Julianne said. She had been careful to keep her opinions to herself throughout the week, but it seemed she no longer cared. "They've asked so much of you."
"I know," Lily agreed.
"Is Quidditch really worth all this to you?" Julianne asked.
"You know it is," Lily said.
Julianne nodded. Though she did not share Lily's love of the sport, she understood and supported the obsession. "Well, let's just hope this is the last thing," she said.
Lily agreed and the girls entered the Great Hall together. Lily felt all eyes on her when she entered. Maybe everyone wasn't actually staring at her, but it certainly felt that way. Though she hadn't seen her hair yet for herself, she could feel the difference. She felt that she was no longer a redhead and it made her feel sad and lost. Her hair was such a big part of who she was, and she hated it being different, even if it was just for a day. There was a loud gasp from her right and she spotted Louis, Hugo, and Rose standing near the Gryffindor table. They ran to her quickly.
"Lily! What in Merlin's name have you done to your hair?" Louis demanded. "It looks dreadful!"
Lily frowned. "Thanks for the support," she said. Though Louis was her best friend and she knew he loved her unconditionally, he was also part Veela, and sometimes he was too like his mum and Victoire for his own good. He liked things to look nice and to be pretty. Dominic was the only sane one in that family when it came to things like that.
Hugo tried to be more sensible. "Umm, you look…fun…" he said.
Rose scoffed at her younger brother's attempt at kindness. "Fun? She looks ridiculous." She said. "Sorry Lils, but seriously, why?"
"It's just for fun," she said. "Like Hugo said. It's a Slytherin thing."
"I knew those Snakes would have a bad influence on you," Louis said.
"Well, I think she looks great!" Julianne spoke up, suddenly putting her foot down against Lily's family. She never spoke out against them the previous year, but after having spent more time with them over the summer, she realized that many of the Weasleys and Potters needed a good talking to now and again. "Come on, Lil, let's go eat." She took her friend's hand and pulled towards the Slytherin table.
"Thanks," Lily said when the girls sat down to eat. There were some murmurs and laughs at the Slytherin table, but she chose to ignore everyone. "Do I really look ridiculous?"
"It's definitely bold…" Julianne said. "But you're still beautiful."
Lily smiled at her friend's encouragement. "Let's just get through this day."
The day proved challenging for Lily with everyone constantly pointing out her hair, some with gasps, some with laughs, most with plain confusion. Cassie and Nicolette wasted no time in taunting her for her hair, calling her a frog for most of the day and occasionally asking her to "hop" for them. She wanted to hex Cassie again, and was proud of herself for fighting the urge. During the afternoon Potions class with the Gryffindors, Louis apologized for being rude at breakfast, but did assure her she needed to put her hair back to red as soon as possible. Daniel Thomas told her he thought it was fun and kind of cute, which made her feel uncomfortable but flattered at the same time. James told her he was worried about her and Roxie told her she seemed like she was asking for attention. During their Charms class with the Ravenclaws, Leona told Lily that she hadn't even noticed it, which Lily knew wasn't true but appreciated all the same. By bedtime, Lily felt that she had talked to more people in that single day than she usually did in a week. Everyone seemed to need to give her an opinion on her shocking hair, even people she didn't know.
She was relieved that Payne didn't ask her for any more uncomfortable favors, and after fetching his and Scorpius' nightly tea and snack, she told Julianne she wanted to go to bed early. Julianne retired to the room with her friend but stayed up late to read while Lily drew the curtains around her bed and tried to block out all the negative feelings she had from the day.
Even though it was a Saturday, Lily woke early the next morning, as was her way, and showered and dressed before her roommates woke. She had slept well and had almost forgotten about her hair until after her shower when she looked in the bathroom mirror. She gasped and stopped short, taking a moment to recognize herself. She had managed to avoid mirrors for the whole of the previous day and hadn't actually seen herself yet with the green hair. It was quite ridiculous, as Rose had said, but she could also see why Daniel Thomas and Lorcan had told her it was fun. It didn't look as bright on her as it had on Geoff. It was a deep emerald green, similar to her brother's eyes. The color actually complemented her pale complexion and pale green eyes well. Her eyes looked more brilliant than usual and she couldn't help smiling at herself. Though she was eager to be a redhead again. Payne had told her he would fix it this morning, so she rushed through the rest of her morning routine, drying her hair with the charm she used, and dressing in a pair of jeans and a white short-sleeved hooded sweater, and a pair of brown heeled boots. She then hurried out to the common room, hoping to find Payne and have her hair fixed before breakfast, but he wasn't there. No one she normally socialized with was there, so she head up to breakfast to seek Payne out.
More murmurs erupted from the gathered Slytherins as Lily took her seat alone at the table. She slipped the hood of her sweater up over her hair, hoping to discourage any more conversation, but it ended up bringing new rounds of laughter. She ate a piece of toast and a fried egg, and then decided to leave the table, not having seen Payne or any of the team, and not caring to stick around any longer to listen to her housemates laugh at her expense. Julianne hadn't shown up yet, and Lily assumed she had stayed up late reading as she did sometimes and would come down late for breakfast.
Not sure where to go or what to do on her own, Lily made her way outside, grateful that the rains that had persisted throughout the week had finally let up. She wandered aimlessly, enjoying the cool air of the early fall morning and the fresh damp smell in the air after the week-long rain. This week had been hard, in more ways than she had allowed herself to think about yet. She felt like she'd just been moving from one day to the next, trying to get by without giving anything too much though because she knew that once she let herself really think about it, she'd become angry and sad and frustrated, and those were emotions she didn't handle very well.
What she told Julianne was true, she loved Quidditch and being on the team was important to her. However, she was angry at Payne and Scorpius and the rest of the team for putting her and the others through these ridiculous trials. She was frustrated with her family and the rest of the school for the rumors that had been spread about where she spent her nights, when she knew she had done absolutely nothing disreputable. And she was frustrated with herself for making choices that might have encouraged those rumors when she hadn't meant to do anything that seemed wrong. Rose was right. Being at school meant being more responsible. Lily knew she had a lot of growing up to do, and she had a feeling that this year would bring a lot of changes for her life.
Thirty minutes later, Lily had begun skipping rocks at the Black Lake, half-heartedly trying to wake the Giant Squid that was rumored to live there. She had never seen it for herself, though sometimes down in the common room, something would swim past the windows high on the walls, and students claimed it was the Squid. She wan't sure she believed it yet for herself.
"Potter!" Payne called out from behind her, and Lily turned around to see the whole of the team marching towards her across the grass. Kale was with them as well. Lily noted instantly that his hair had been put back to its normal black.
She waited for them to reach her at the edge of the lake. She still had the hood over her hair and when they reached her, Payne reached out and flipped the hood down to reveal the green.
"Good," he said. "Wanted to make sure you hadn't done away with it yourself."
She shook her head. "Still green," she said. "Are you here to fix it?"
"Do I have to?" He asked. "I kind of like it this way."
Lily narrowed her eyes at him and he smirked.
He waved his wand over her hair, muttering the reversal spell. "There you go. Red as blood." He said, grinning a bit as he dragged out the last word.
Lily knew he was trying to offend her, but her family frequently told her that her hair was as red as blood and she did not find it at all offensive. She smiled, and pulled strands of her hair through her fingers, inspecting it happily.
"So what now?" She asked.
"You're done," Payne said.
"Done?" Lily echoed.
"This has officially concluded initiation week," Payne said. He motioned towards Kale and he moved forwards. "You two have passed. Congratulations and welcome, officially, to the team."
The others clapped and Kale grinned at Lily. She felt an urge to hug him, and so she did. She had to almost jump to reach her arms around his neck, and he seemed temporarily shocked by the move, but he put his arms around her waist tentatively and returned the hug.
"We survived!" She said, speaking to Kale alone. She felt like the two of them had found a new bond through this week, and it made her like him, despite his large hulking figure and brooding personality.
"We did it," he agreed, offering her a slight smile, which was more than she'd ever seen from him.
Lily felt relief and delight at being done with the week, but as she turned back to the rest of the team, observing their smirks and smiles, she felt an overwhelming surge of rage. They had been so awful all week. They had put her through so many awful situations.
"So, it's official?" She asked, carefully choosing her words as she addressed the team. "We are on the team, no matter what."
"Yep," Payne said. The others nodded their conformation.
"No more tests, no more threats of being removed?" Lily asked.
Again they nodded.
"You're one of us now," Scorpius said. "Nothing can change that." He stepped up beside Payne and held out his hand towards Lily for a confirming shake.
Lily eyed his hand briefly, then her eyes shifted to Payne. He stood there, tall and handsome, smirking at her as though he had won something. Lily knew that Payne and Scorpius were the main two who had masterminded the whole week, being the two who had been on the team the longest. They had also been the two who had bossed her around all week, making her run their errands and do their bidding. All her rage started bubbling over.
Instead of accepting Scorpius' handshake, her hand slipped around to her back pocket and she withdrew her wand from it in one fluid motion, speaking the words before fully processing her choice. At the completion of her words, she flicked her wand and both Scorpius and Payne flew backwards off their feet as though they had been thrown. They soared a few feet through the air and landed with a violent splash in the Black Lake. They didn't land so deep that they couldn't touch bottom, but without any warning to prepare themselves, they both slipped under the water momentarily. When they emerged, they were both spitting water.
"Bloody hell, Potter!" Payne grumbled, trudging through the water back to the shore. His clothes clung to his body as he tripped in the mud along the shoreline. Scorpius was following directly behind, though he managed to avoid tripping as Payne had done.
She stood her ground, her hands on her hips, wand still in hand. Payne came towards her, dripping with lake water, his eyebrows furrowed. Scorpius stood just outside the lake, brushing his wet hair out of his eyes, staring at her curiously.
"That was…" Payne began in a loud, angry voice.
"Totally deserved?" She finished for him. "Letting you off easy?"
"How dare you!" He said.
"Me?" She said, her voice rising with her anger. "How dare you? This week was bloody awful, and you know it. You deserve a hell of a lot more than a brief splash in the lake." She stood as tall as she could as Payne towered above her, but she barely reached his shoulders. "You lot had far too much fun with us this week." She cast her eyes around the whole team when she said this. "You should be ashamed of yourselves."
Payne didn't respond.
"I have a good mind to hex you all, hard," she said. "However, we are officially teammates now, and I am choosing to put this week behind me." She stuck her hand out to him.
He eyed her hand suspiciously, then finally nodded and shook it. "Welcome to the team, Potter," he said. "You're feisty for such a twee thing. Let's save that fight for the pitch, alright?"
She nodded and Payne headed away. The rest of the team, Kale included, followed him. Lily watched them go, feeling satisfied with herself. She had forgotten Scorpius was still there behind her by the lake.
"You're a bit off your trolley for trying something like that with Payne," he said.
She turned to him suddenly, feeling surprised to hear anyone speak. "Like I said, you both deserved it," she said.
"I'm not saying we didn't," he said. "You know, you're a bit scary with that wand of yours."
She realized she still had her wand out and slipped it back into her pants pocket. She shrugged at him with a smile.
"How do you know so many hexes and spells?" He asked.
"I like to be prepared," she said. "My brother taught me a lot."
"The older one, Teddy?" He said, remembering their conversation from the previous night.
She nodded. "And my Uncle Charlie and Uncle George taught me a lot."
"You're lucky to have so many people who care so much about you," he said.
She smiled at the way he said it, but also wondered if there was jealousy in his voice as he spoke. "I could teach you some, if you like," she said. She wasn't entirely sure what made her offer.
He seemed surprised by the offer as well, but then he grinned. "Yeah? That could be fun."
She smiled back. They had started walking back to the castle as they talked. "Anyway, sorry about the lake," she said. "I know Payne's really in charge. I shouldn't have punished you as well."
"We were all in it together," he said. "You don't know this, but each of us was in charge of planning one of the challenges."
"Really?" Lily said. She was surprised. She had thought Payne had masterminded it all.
"Yep. Payne had final approval, but we all took a turn," he said. "Payne only chose the first night — the flying with the bludgers. He thought that would be a great start to the whole week. Kenny chose the water balloons. She thought that was hilarious."
"That makes sense," Lily said, remembering how hard Kenny had laughed any time Lily was hit with a balloon.
"Leo made you guys sing. Geoff locked you out all night…"
"And let me guess, you made my hair green!" Lily said.
He shook his head. "I've told you now a couple times. Cassie deserved what she got. I wasn't concerned about that. I sent you all to the Forbidden Forest," he said.
Lily raised her eyebrow. "Then the hair…"
"You really didn't like that one, did you?" He said. "Playing with unicorns, hiding from prefects all night…those didn't bother you, but changing your hair really did you in!" He laughed. "He sure knew what he was doing."
"Who? Who chose that one?"
"Our final task is left to our Head of House," he said.
"Professor Willoughby?" Lily gasped. "He knew about initiation week?"
"Of course," Scorpius said. "We never could have gotten away with everything we did without his knowledge."
"He chose that one?" She asked.
"He taught Payne the charm," Scorpius said. He smirked.
"I have a feeling he knew exactly how much it would bother you," he said.
"Yes," Lily said. "I agree. He knows that I'm particularly…attached to my hair. First year he had to help me when Sylvie Rushton put gum in my hair. I was pretty upset over it."
"Sylvie did that to you?" He asked.
Lily nodded. "First day of classes."
"I never knew that," he said. "I wonder if Geoff knows."
"He was with her when she did it," Lily said. "He may have helped for all I know." Geoff and his sister had seemed more inseparable the previous year. Lily was relieved that Geoff didn't seem to spend as much time with Sylvie this year. She assumed it had something to do with Quidditch.
"Well, I'm sorry we chose to attack your hair," he said, but he was smirking again. "I didn't know how important it was to you."
She rolled her eyes. "You make me sound like a nitwit," she said. "I just happen to be quite fond of my hair. Everyone's always told me it's like my mum's when she was younger, and I've heard from everyone that my mum was considered beautiful." She realized she was saying more than she meant to, so she quickly stopped talking.
Scorpius seemed to understand what she was saying. They had reached the back door of the castle, but paused there briefly. "Your hair is pretty extraordinary," he said. "I've never known anyone with hair like yours." He reached out suddenly and ran his fingers through her hair.
She caught her breath, completely thrown off guard by his sudden action.
"Sorry…" he said, pulling his hand away. He seemed to have even surprised himself. "Anyway, it wasn't all that awful when it was green either." His smirk returned and he seemed to be trying to move past what had just happened. "And you were still beautiful even with green hair, you know?"
Lily knew her cheeks were blushing pink, and she didn't know how to answer him. Before she had a chance though, he winked at her and turned to head into the castle. He didn't hold the door for her, and she didn't try to follow, deciding she wanted a few more minutes alone.