A/N: Thanks for all the love for the past couple chapters! This one is a bit less exciting than initiation week. Next update will be a special Halloween party update! so expect that hopefully by Halloween night :) I've been so excited seeing all the new follows and favs for this story - but without begging too much, I truly appreciate any and all reviews! They make me sooo happy! So please review! Feel free to leave critical comments as well as positive ones. I can take it! Also open to any advice or suggestions or things you might like to see happen in future chapters. Thanks in advance. XOXO

Chapter Four: Potions Lessons

After dinner on the second of October, Lily hurried down to Professor Willoughby's office to finally receive her first private Potions lesson. She had been looking forward to it since the first day of school, imagining what sort of things they would talk about and the complex potions she would learn. She did not know with any certainty of course what lessons would entail, but she couldn't wait to find out.

Since Quidditch initiation week, Lily was not sure she had entirely forgiven Professor Willoughby for the part he had played in the trials she had endured, particularly in regards to her hair. She had yet to confront him about his decision to turn her hair green, so tonight as she knocked and waited outside his office door, while she indeed felt eagerness for expanding her knowledge of her favorite subject, she also felt slight apprehension for the conversation she knew would be inevitable.

"Miss Potter," he said, opening the door and motioning her into his office. "Welcome."

Lily stepped into the office and glanced around, noticing it looked somewhat tidier than it had been on any of her past visits. There were still books stacked around haphazardly, and an excess of parchment and scrolls stacked high on shelves, but he had cleared off the top of his desk, and she didn't have to move anything off the chair before sitting as usual.

"Please, sit," he said.

She took the cracked brown leather chair opposite his desk and waited with her hands in her lap for more instructions.

"Would you care for some tea?" He asked. "I had the elves prepare some for us." He indicated a small silver tea tray on a side table beside his desk. It held a silver tea pot, two silver cups and saucers along with milk and sugar, and a plate of tea biscuits.

"Sure, thank you," Lily said. "Tea would be great."

He poured them both a cup of tea. "How do you take it?" He asked, ready to pour in the milk.

"Just a splash, please," she said. He splashed a bit in and waited for her nod of approval. He lifted a spoon of sugar but she shook her head. "No sugar, thank you."

He handed her the prepared tea cup with saucer then fixed his own. She watched him fill it with tea until it was quite milky, and then added two spoonfuls of sugar. He noticed her observing him and smiled.

"I have quite a sweet tooth, I'm afraid. I've never been too keen on the bitterness of black teas," he said.

"I usually take mine with a touch of cinnamon," Lily said.

"That sounds quite satisfying," he said. "I'll have to try it."

He finished fixing his tea, took two biscuits, and finally sat behind his desk. "Well now, where to begin," he said. He brushed his unruly dark away from his forehead and fixed his gray eyes on Lily.

Lily sat quietly and sipped at her tea. It was still a bit too hot to drink comfortably, but drinking it gave her something to do and helped her feel less awkward sitting there across from her professor.

"Perhaps we should begin with your essay," he said after a moment of consideration.

"My essay?" She asked. "The one I wrote after hexing Cassie last month?"

He nodded. "Yes that is the one," he said.

Lily fidgeted slightly in her chair and took another sip of her too-hot tea.

"What would you like to talk about?" She asked. "Did I not do it right?"

"You did just fine," he said. "You wrote quite a bit actually—a whole foot and half. I was expecting maybe few sentences."

"Oh, yeah, well, I like writing," she said. "Putting my thoughts down on paper helps me think things through and understand things better. I've kept journals since I was old enough to hold a quill."

"That's good," he said. "Really good. Keeping notes on your life, your thoughts, and daily experiences is essential for a strong mind and memory."

"My mum says that too," Lily said. "She's an editor for the Daily Prophet."

He nodded slowly as though already aware of the information, but also pondering over something silently. "And do you see yourself with a future career in the newspaper as well?"

Lily shrugged. "Oh, I don't know about all that yet," she said. "I like so many things, it's hard to really consider only one future career. Writing is something I do because it just comes naturally for me. I observe, and I write it down, or I feel it so I write it down…but I'm not sure I'd want to make it a career. Even my mum played professional Quidditch before turning to the paper."

"Yes, Ginny Potter made quite the name for herself," he said. "I have a feeling you may do the same now that you are officially a part of the Slytherin team."

Lily watched his expression carefully. She hadn't had many opportunities to discuss initiation week with her professor since she had found out he was so involved with it. She'd been practicing with the team three days a week for two weeks now, but hadn't had many chances for direct conversation with Professor Willoughby, and she felt strongly that some discussion was necessary. Thanks to some detailed help through correspondence with her Uncle George she had, however, managed to seek retribution on Kenny by charming a personal raincloud to follow her around for half a day, continually raining on her and soaking her robes and hair. She had gotten even with Geoff, with some help from Scorpius and Finn Nott, who agreed to lock him out of the third years' room for the night. It wasn't quite the same as being locked out of the common room entirely, but it was still satisfying to see him sleeping on the couch in front of the fireplace, while many other students who knew he was there snuck from their rooms to draw both silly and obscene words and pictures on his face and arms with magical ink that he was forced to wear around school for twenty four hours after. Leo's payback came in the form of public humiliation. She couldn't figure out how to convince him to sing in front of the whole school, but she did manage to jinx his robes bright pink in the middle of breakfast, and he had to seek out Professor Hughes to set them straight at the end of the day. She had yet to figure out an appropriate form of retribution for either Payne or Scorpius, but since Scorpius had been extra kind to her lately she considered letting him off the hook. Payne, she would not. She wanted some form of retribution on her professor for suggesting anything that had messed with her hair, but she had a feeling that jinxing one's head of house went against pretty much every school rule.

"Professor…" She began slowly, trying to formulate the correct words on her tongue before speaking. "I wanted to ask you about something."

"Sure, go ahead," he said.

"It's about Quidditch initiation week," she said, still forming her words slowly.

A smile formed on his face. "Oh?"

She hesitated. "I know that you were involved," she said, finally deciding direct was best.

He nodded. "I was," he said.

"I know that it was your idea to make us dye our hair green," she said.

"It was," he said.

She frowned. "You knew how much I didn't like things messing with my hair," she said.

"I did," he said. "I remember the gum incident from last year."

"So…"

"You're wondering how I could be so cruel?" He asked, chuckling slightly.

She shrugged.

"First of all, I thought it was a fitting punishment for what you had done to Miss Malfoy. Secondly, I knew there was no danger of the spell being permanent," he said. "And finally, it was funny."

Lily was slightly surprised to hear him being so honest, and even more surprised when he started chuckling, clearly amused by her horrified expression. She decided to get all her questions out at once.

"You also knew about all the things the team was making me do when you called me to your office for discipline after hexing Cassie. You know why I had been out of my room all night long and had to sleep somewhere else, you knew why I was in the Forbidden Forest…" she said.

He nodded but did not interrupt her tirade.

"You knew why I was so angry and what sort of trials I had to endure…" she paused to take a breath. Her cheeks had began to heat up and she knew they were blushing red as they did when she grew too angry. "You were a part of it, but you sat here in your office and interrogated me over it!"

He nodded again. When she didn't speak again, he answered. "Mr. Trotter asked me to," he said simply.

"What? Why would Payne want you to do that? What if I had told you everything? I was sworn to secrecy!" She said.

"Yes, exactly," Professor Willoughby said. "Mr. Trotter thought you would be a great addition to their team, however, he wasn't convinced of your loyalty to our Slytherin House. He was concerned that under great pressure from your family, friends, or authority figures you would snap and betray your team and house."

"You were testing me?" She asked, feeling more angry than before. "Payne told you to test my loyalty? How dare he!"

"He said he feared that your Potter name would be stronger than your Slytherin identity and if you felt that your identity as a Potter was at all threatened, you would not stand up for your team," he said.

Lily frowned. She knew now that she would be seeking even greater retribution on Payne Trotter.

"Miss Potter," he began slowly, his voice calm and steady, and his eyes fixed on her firmly. "You must understand that even though you have settled into Slytherin as well as you can, there are still those who believe you don't feel you truly belong there. Students as well as teachers observe you and your family, and they sense the resentment and frustrations amongst you."

"Even you?" She asked. "Do you feel that I'm not happy in Slytherin?"

He held up the parchment he had been holding, which she knew was her essay. "Before I read your essay, perhaps I did," he said. "However, this has convinced me differently."

Lily tried to remember all that she had written in her essay. It had been long, as he had said, and not entirely coherent; mostly she had spouted out a bunch of her feelings, even taking some snippets from her personal journals to try and express what it meant for her to be a Slytherin. She wasn't sure she had entirely answered the prompt her professor had set, but she knew it was at the very least an honest representation of her feelings.

"You mention here that you told the hat not to put you in Gryffindor," he said. "Is that true?"

Lily forgot she had written that part. "Oh, well, sort of," she said. "Not exactly like that. I just sort of told it that I was more than my blood and I shouldn't be put somewhere just because my family was there, and then it told me that it agreed, and then in the end I tried to change my mind and told it I wanted to be with my family, but it had already decided…"

"That was a very brave decision for you," he said. "And very honest and insightful."

She shrugged. "I've always sort of felt that way," she said. "I mean, I know that with a family like mine, everyone just sort of has expectations about what we'll do in life and where we'll end up, but I'm not just another Potter, or another Weasley. I'm my own person with my own choices…"

He nodded. "I can see that," he said. "You are very unique, Miss Potter. I've taught a lot of your family over the years, all of them in fact. You are by far the most peculiar little witch of the lot."

"Peculiar?" She repeated. "That doesn't sound like a compliment, Professor."

He smiled. "You are also extremely talented and focused and I believe you know what you want and what you don't want more than you even realize."

She shrugged.

"You are not the kind of witch to be bossed around by anyone," he said. "You are proud of who you are, how you differ from your family."

She took a sip of her tea, but didn't answer.

"And whether or not you'll admit it, I think you're proud that you were placed in Slytherin and not Gryffindor," he said, finishing his analysis with a set smile. He took a sip of his tea as well.

She knew he wanted her to speak now, so she thought about her words for a moment, and all that he had said. "I am proud," she said. "My oldest brother Teddy has always told me that I was different from everyone else and that it was something to be proud of."

"Mr. Lupin was quite different in his own way as well," Professor Willoughby said.

"When I was younger and was worried about not fitting in with my cousins or brothers all the time, he told me it was more important to just be me than to pretend to be like them," she said.

"I think you were very lucky to grow up with such a wise older brother," he said.

"Teddy's the best," she said.

"Did he ever tell you that he was almost put in Slytherin?" Professor Willoughby asked.

"What? No!"

He nodded. "He confided that to me his first year. He said the hat was very conflicted about it, but eventually it put him in Gryffindor."

Lily wondered why Teddy had never told her that himself. She was quiet for a moment, considering what her professor had told her while drinking her tea. Willoughby was likewise quiet, seeming content to have a biscuit and observe her pondering silently.

After a few moments, she said without hesitancy: "I like being a Slytherin."

"Do you?" He asked, one dark eyebrow slightly raised.

"I do," she said. "I like my friends I have made, I like the common room and my bedroom, but more importantly I like the commitment the students have to getting ahead and being the best at whatever they do…" she shrugged. "It feels like me. Initiation week, for example, was bloody awful, and at first I was confused and angry about why Payne would make it so challenging that only two of us made it through, but after I thought about it, I understood. Slytherins are not second best. We are not satisfied with only doing alright with something we attempt. Whether its lessons, quidditch, or whatever…Payne challenged us to make sure we'd be up for the challenges of the team. He only wants the best on his team."

"That's very wise of you to see it that way," Willoughby said.

She fell silent again for a bit and started to wonder if they were going to do anything at all with potions. She didn't mind talking with her professor; he was kind and encouraging and often a good listener, but she had been very excited to do potions.

Almost a though he could read her thoughts, Willoughby spoke again. "I know you're probably eager to begin mixing thrillingly dangerous and complex potions, however, I feel it is important to get to know someone and evaluate state of mind before throwing them into complicated spells and potion concoctions."

"State of mind?" Lily asked.

"If you are at all mentally or emotionally unstable, how can I trust you with such advanced magic?"

"Do you think I am?" She asked.

He shook his head slightly. "No, not unstable exactly," he said. "I think your family and your loyalties to them could become a stumbling block for you. When you feel that they are upset with you or that they do not approve of you it makes you feel upset with yourself…"

She scowled slightly, but shook her head.

"I'm not trying to offend you," he said.

"It's fine," she said. She hesitated. "I think I'm just feeling a little confused, Professor. Why exactly do you care about all this? About me?"

"Because I am your head of house," he said, "and you are a Slytherin, and we Slytherins care about each other and stand by each other, no matter what."

"Do we?" She asked before she could stop herself.

He smirked and nodded knowingly. "I know you have not had the most friendly experiences with everyone in Slytherin," he said. "Cassiopeia Malfoy in particular."

"It's fine," she said. "I don't need everyone to like me."

"Of course you don't," he said. "Though she is your roommate. I imagine that is a complicated dynamic."

"I manage," she said.

"How has everyone else been? Better this year?"

She nodded. "Everyone has been fine," she said. "Particularly the team. They all have been great."

"Including Mr. Malfoy?" He asked. "Has he been alright or is he more similar to his sister?"

"No," she said quickly. "No, Scorpius is nothing like his sister."

"That's good," he said. "The team needs to maintain good relationships to be a strong team. Your family, I believe, do not like the Malfoys."

"Not particularly, no," Lily said. "There's a long history there."

"Yes, I imagine there is," he said. He didn't pry for anything else beyond that, but Lily felt that he was carefully analyzing her expressions, so she stared into her tea cup diligently.

"Do you share their animosity towards the family?" He asked after a few moments.

She shrugged, then shook her head, and then nodded.

He waited silently for her to further explain.

"It's complicated," she said. "I understand why my family doesn't like the Malfoy family. Scorpius and I have even discussed it. He understands it as well as I do. And when his sister acts the way she does with me, it's easy to just say that it's because she's a Malfoy and I'm a Potter, but I also don't like the idea of holding onto old grudges of my family when they don't really have anything at all to do with me."

"I think that's a mature way to feel about it all," he said.

Lily finished her tea and placed the cup and saucer back on the side table.

"Would you care for another cup?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Professor, are we going to discuss my family and my alliances to Slytherin all night?"

He chuckled a bit and shook his head. "You are direct when you want to be," he said, "I appreciate that. I apologize if I pried too much into your personal matters, Miss Potter."

"You didn't really," she said. "All of this was more or less in my essay. It's just that…"

"Yes?"

"I'm really eager to work on potions," she said.

Professor Willoughby laughed genuinely now, and Lily smiled at the way the skin crinkled around his eyes when he laughed. She thought it made him look particularly friendly.

"Alright then, let's get started," he said. "For tonight I'm going to begin teaching you an antidote to cure most common poisons. I will discuss the details with you tonight, and then as homework you will complete some research during the week on your own, and then finally attempt the potion and bring me a vial of your attempt to our next lesson."

As Professor Willoughby pulled out a large textbook from one of the shelves behind his desk, Lily thought about telling him that she already knew how to brew common antidotes. It was something her dad had taught her one evening the summer before her first year when the boys were out with friends and she was feeling lonely and left out. They had just finished cleaning up from the dinner she had helped him make, as she did most nights, and her mum had gone out for a night off with her best friend, Luna Scamander. Harry had told Lily that curing common poisons had been unfortunately necessary more than once in his youth, and he thought it would be beneficial for her to learn it. She remembered being delighted to be learning any potions at all, but particularly one that he had told her was so advanced. Her dad had seemed to realize then that potions would be a natural subject for Lily. She had successfully brewed the potion on only her second try.

When Willoughby started discussing the various ingredients needed as well as the properties of each and how they each specifically combat poisonous effects, Lily still debated within herself. She wanted to benefit from all of his teachings, but at the same time, she didn't want to deceive him on her previous knowledge. After a moment, she raised her hand.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Professor," she said, taking a small breath and staring down at her hands. "I already know this one."

He paused.

She glanced up at him briefly and saw his eyes were fixed on her curiously. She looked down again. "I'm still happy to learn it from you, but I just thought you should know."

"You know what exactly?" He asked.

"How to brew the antidote," she said.

"This is a third year lesson," he said calmly, though she thought maybe a bit skeptically as well.

"Yes sir," she said, remembering how she had helped Scorpius with it a few weeks ago.

"You're saying if you had all the ingredients in front of you right now, you could successfully brew it for me without help?" He asked.

She nodded.

He stood from his seat abruptly and motioned for her to do the same. She stood and followed him wordlessly from his office. He led her down the stone corridor to the potions classroom and indicated for her to enter ahead of him.

"Do it," he said when they were inside the class.

"Do it?" She repeated.

"Brew the antidote," he said. "I want you to show me how you do it."

Lily knew it would take over an hour to finish completely and it was already almost curfew.

"Oh…" she hesitated. "Right now?"

"Yes," he said. "If you can."

She set her lips firmly and nodded. Of course she could. He was testing her again, and she knew that like all the other tests she had been put through that year, she would not fail him.

Lily removed her robes, wanting to be free from the restraint of excess material, rolled up the sleeves of her white button up shirt, and set to work gathering ingredients from the cupboards and shelves around the classroom. She didn't know where everything was yet, but she saw Willoughby go and take a seat at his classroom desk and she realized he was not planning to help her at all, so if she couldn't find something, she searched through drawers and cupboards until she found it.

She fixed herself up at a desk near the back of the classroom where cauldrons were set out. She enjoyed the freedom to make a potion all by herself. No one was instructing her what to do, how to cut, or when to stir. She wasn't even using a textbook to check her measurements or steps; she had realized long ago that once she adequately learned how to do something, she never forgot it.

While the first ingredients were heating up in a pewter cauldron, she began collecting the ingredients for the second part of the antidote. When Harry had taught her the antidote, he informed her that he altered the standard ingredients slightly due to a specific way he had learned it from a book that had once belonged to a great potions master. He told her it was a better way to brew it but might not be expected in school, and she should ultimately listen to her own teacher in how to do things. So she hesitated briefly now as she collected mint and lavender, wondering which way she should brew it. She glanced at Willoughby and saw that he was still seated at his desk but observing her carefully all the time. She held her chin a little higher and decided to do it the way she had been taught. Her professor wanted to see how she did it after all, and she was convinced that her dad had taught her best.

An hour later, she had become so engrossed in her potions making, that she hadn't even realized she had started to sing. She often sang to herself when she was very focused on something. She would sing with her dad while making breakfast or dinner, she would sing in the shower while washing her long thick hair, she would sing while flying on her broom, either while alone or while practicing with her brothers, and she would often sing while walking the extensive Hogwarts grounds alone at all hours. She did not, however, usually sing around other people, except for her family or Julianne. She hadn't realized she had started singing now, nor that Professor Willoughby was observing her with slight amusement and curiosity.

It took another thirty minutes to fully complete the potion. When she was satisfied, she found an empty vial and bottled up a sample to bring to Willoughby as was customary in class lessons. She walked up to the front of the class to bring it to him. She was exhausted, and sweaty, and suddenly very hungry, but she was proud of her work and knew that had done well.

He took the vial from her silently, uncorked it, sniffed it, frowned slightly, then put a drop on his tongue to taste it.

"It's not entirely standard," she said as he tasted it.

"No, it's not," he said. "Though it's completely flawless."

She beamed.

"Tell me, Miss Potter, where did you learn to add lavender and mint, and…" he sniffed it again. "Mandrake?"

"My father taught me, Sir," she said. "He said it was how he was taught, and he was taught by a great potions master."

"Indeed he was," Professor Willoughby said, smiling. "Severus Snape was one of the greatest potions masters in Hogwarts' history. Your father was lucky to have learned from him."

Lily nodded.

"Can you tell me the use of the extra ingredients that were added?" He asked.

Lily nodded again and then began to explain everything she had learned from her father as well as things she had researched on her own. She described the additional healing properties of the brewed mandrake that would counteract any side effects of common antidotes such as stomach ache or sore throat, and then she explained that the lavender prevents any murky mental side effects, while the mint and honeywater help breakdown the bitterness of the bezoar and mistletoe berries.

Willoughby was grinning at her by time she finished her explanation.

"Most impressive, Miss Potter," he said. "I see I have my work cut out for me if I'm to actually teach you anything exciting during these lessons."

Lily smiled. "I still have much to learn, Professor."

"Indeed," he said. "Right now, however, we had best call it a night. It's past curfew and you should be getting to bed. I will have something more challenging for you prepared for next week."

"Thank you, Professor," Lily said.

"You go on now," he said. "I'll clean up here."

She grabbed her robes and scurried out of the classroom quickly, not noticing how Professor Willoughby took out a dozen extra empty vials and bottled up her perfectly brewed antidote potion, smiling all the while at his student's surprising concoction.

Lily ran nearly the entire length of the stone corridor, turning left and right mindlessly on her way back to the Slytherin common room. She briefly remembered how lost she used to get in the dungeons during her first year, and smiled at how naturally it all came to her now. She never lost her way down here anymore. The stone maze now felt comfortable and familiar, rather than daunting as it once had.

Turning the second to last corner before she reached the correct dead end that led to the common room, Lily stopped short and gasped.

Regina Zabini, Slytherin's stunning sixth year prefect, was there, her back pressed up against the stone wall, and a tall fair haired boy pressed up against her front. His left hand was lost somewhere beneath Regina's skirt, his right hand keeping him balanced against the wall, and his mouth was on her neck.

Lily panicked. She didn't know Regina well, but knew that she would not appreciate being gawked at by a second year while in such a private moment. Lily felt her cheeks heating up and considered all her options quickly. This was the only path back to the rooms, so either she turned and walked away and waited for them to finish whatever they were engaged in, or she could walk right past them and pretend not to have noticed them, continuing on her way. She realized that as she was considering her options, she had not looked away from the couple. Her eyes were fixated on them as though she couldn't look away. Something about their scandalous act had hypnotized her.

She had seen Teddy snogging Victoire frequently enough around school last year when he would sneak in, or even at home on holidays when they could be sure their parents wouldn't find them, but she had never seen them quite like this—so passionate and aggressive. She had never seen anything like this before, and even though she felt embarrassed and horrified, she also felt incredibly curious.

Regina's eyes were closed, which was the only reason Lily had not yet been caught staring, and Lily knew she should tiptoe on past right now before she was seen. She set her mind to it and began to pass them, walking as lightly as she could in her heeled boots, trying not to make a sound. Regina gasped suddenly, and Lily's head snapped towards her. She saw that the boy's right hand was no longer on the wall, but was excitedly exploring Regina's body, lingering particularly long on her very developed chest. Lily assumed that's why Regina had gasped.

Suddenly Lily heard Regina speak, and she froze, wondering if she had been caught.

"No, no, Roger," Regina was saying, and Lily realized she was addressing the boy.

"Com on Reg, you promised," he said. His voice sounded desperate and a little frustrated.

"I did no such thing," Regina said. Her voice sounded smooth and completely in control.

"Don't be such a tease," he said. "You owe me this."

Regina's voice was cold when she answered him. "I owe nothing to you or anybody else," she said. "Goodnight now Roger."

Lily tried to keep walking, but she knew Regina had spotted her when the older girl's golden brown eyes looked up and connected with Lily's pale green ones. She gave her a very specific kind of look that made Lily feel that she was not supposed to move, so she stood still and waited.

"Regina!" Roger said, sounding more aggressive than before.

Lily saw that he had grabbed Regina's wrist.

"You do not want to do this, Roger," she said. She twisted her am and slipped her wrist free. "Go back to your rooms now before I have to report you for being out after curfew."

That was when Lily noticed Roger's gold and red tie. He was a Gryffindor.

"Potter," Regina said, speaking towards Lily. "What are you doing out past curfew?"

Roger suddenly realized they were no longer alone and glared briefly at Lily before running off down the stone corridor and away from the girls.

Lily instantly started talking. "I'm so sorry, Regina. I didn't mean to interrupt or whatever. I was coming back from a meeting with Professor Willoughby…"

Regina walked towards Lily, refastening the top three buttons of her shirt and straightening her skirt as she approached. Her eyes were like liquid gold, and in the dimly lit corridors her dark skin seemed to shimmer with a golden hue.

"You didn't interrupt," she said. "We were finished."

Lily felt like she wanted to look away from the prefect, but also found herself completely stuck, staring into her eyes. This was the most communication Lily had ever had with Regina, and she felt completely confused about what to say or what to do. She still felt the embarrassed blush burning in her cheeks for what she had witnessed.

"Let's go," Regina said simply, and started walking towards their room.

Lily thought that would be the end of it, and they would say nothing else to one another and never speak of the night again, so she was surprised when Regina began to talk again.

"Boys are ridiculous, aren't they?" She said.

Lily wasn't entirely sure how to answer so she was quiet.

"They think they are something so bloody special, and that if you smile at them or Merlin forbid, kiss them, that they suddenly own you," Regina said. She laughed slightly. She had a cold but somehow magical laugh, like a sad little fairy. She glanced sideways at Lily. "Have you ever kissed a boy, Potter?"

Lily shook her head quickly.

Regina laughed again. "Well, you will one day, probably one day soon with your pretty face."

Lily was a little surprised to hear the compliment. "I'm not sure I'm ready for all that…" Lily said.

"Of course not," Regina said. "We never think we're ready, until suddenly there's a handsome boy standing in front of us, and then all you'll be able to think about is kissing him and letting him do things to you that you never thought you'd want anyone to do to you." She paused and looked at Lily again. "You don't have the faintest idea what I'm talking about do you?"

Lily blushed.

"Oh you are an innocent little flower, aren't you?" Regina said, almost smiling. "You won't be forever. None of us are innocent forever." She sighed. "Just remember that boys are never innocent. I guarantee you there are already at least a dozen boys who have thought about kissing you."

Lily's eyes widened.

"I mean it, Potter. One day a boy will try and kiss you, whether you are ready for it or not, but just remember, you are in charge," she said. "Don't ever let a boy think they own you. There's absolutely no fun in that." They had reached the door for the common room and Regina spoke the password and walked in before Lily. "And the only thing boys are good for is having fun!" She gave Lily her little laugh again, winked, and flounced off to the couch by the fireplace where Payne was sitting with Trey.

Lily watched with wide-eyed curiosity as Regina placed herself on Payne's lap, and he immediately began kissing her deep red lips.

"Hey!"

Lily looked away from Regina and Payne suddenly and noticed Scorpius standing next to her.

"Oh, hi," she said, momentarily finding herself blushing for no apparent reason.

"You're coming in late tonight," he said.

"I was with Professor Willoughby," she said. "We were working on a potion."

"That sounds…boring," he said, smirking a bit.

"Not at all actually," she said. "Though it did make me quite hungry." She frowned as her stomach rumbled slightly. She had been so anxious for her lessons at dinner that she hadn't eaten much.

"Well, I was thinking of sneaking down to the kitchens for a cup of tea and a sandwich. I've got an exam in potions tomorrow and expect I'll be up late revising," he said. "How about I bring you back something?"

Lily was surprised by the kind offer. "Oh, sure, thanks, that would be great."

"It's the least I can do after how many times you ran to the kitchens for me last month," he said. "What would you like?"

"Whatever you're having is fine," she said. "I'm going to take a quick shower. I spilled some mandrake juice on me during potions and I know from past experience it can smell vile pretty quick."

"Alright, I'll meet you back here in a few," he said.

"Sure, maybe I can help you revise for your Potions exam," she said.

He grinned. "That would be brilliant, thanks."

He ran off and she headed towards the girls' corridor. She passed by the couch, glancing at Payne and Regina who were still very much wrapped up with each other.

Lily shook her head and swore to herself then and there that she would never want to kiss a boy; she also decided not to take relationship advice from Regina Zabini, even if she was the most popular and most beautiful girl in the entire school.