Chapter 6

A/N: Hey guys! Guess what today is? It's my one year anniversary on ! So I thought I would post a chapter today for the symbolic ness of it! So here is the chapter. I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. How many times do I need to tell you that?

When Lily woke up the next morning, her body was less sore than it had been last night, but that wasn't saying very much. She had to make that potion today, or else, she was going to be sore for the next few weeks.

She groaned as she looked at her bedside clock. She had overslept big time. It was nearly noon! She dragged herself out of bed, showered, and made herself presentable in a pair of short shorts and a tank top. She settled into a spot by the kitchen table and read through The Daily Prophet as she absentmindedly consumed her

She sighed as she read about more disappearances and strange occurrences down in Kent. When will it all just end? Lily demanded inside her own head. How long had it been? She quickly did the math in her head. Nine years, she concluded out loud.

"What was that, darling?" Her mother asked.

"Oh, it was nothing, just thinking," she said softly.

"About Potter," she mum finished for her tapping her nose mischievously. Who knew Lily Evans's own mother could act so much like a teenage girl?

Thankfully, the Lily was spared having to into yet another detailed explanation about how James Potter was an arrogant, annoying, bothersome, troublemaker who she was definitely NOT infatuated with by a knock on the door.

Lily bounced to her feet (nearly spilling her coffee in the process) and limped to the door to get it. She opened up the door and much to her surprise, there stood her best friends from school.

"Marley, Allie, Mary!" Lily exclaimed in greeting. The ruckus that responded was mind blowing.

"Heard what happened—

"Mum wouldn't let—

"Made the potion—

"-hurt too much?

"Going to harm Severus—

"How did—

"Worried sick—

Lily panicked. Her mum was right there in the living room. What if she heard? There was no way in hell, heaven, and earth that she was ever going to let her parents hear what had happened last night. She had to do something, and fast.

Pulling together her Lily-the-perfect-prefect side, she said in a voice that she hoped would come off scolding, "Mary MacDonald, do you mean to tell me that you were asked to that Ministry Ball and you still don't have anything to wear?"

It was the first thing that fell into her head.

Mary opened her mouth to argue, but Lily couldn't let Mary blow her cover. She raised her voice ever so slightly and said, "Come in, I'm sure we can figure something out." She ushered them to her room before they ever had a chance to argue. She shut the door behind them and put a silencing charm on the door. "Sorry, about that Mary, can't let mum and dad know."

Mary dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Never mind that," she said impatiently. "We have bigger things to worry about."

Lily nodded, business-like as she sat down on her bed. The other girls also made themselves comfortable.

"Dad heard what happened from the Ministry," Alice said. "You have to be more careful Lil; we can't keep an eye out for you twenty four seven when you're out here. I was terrified for you. Anyway, mum helped us brew the potion, Merlin knows you're not up to making something this complicated right now." She pulled a vial from her pocket and handed it to her. "Drink," Alice demanded.

Lily pinched her nose and tried not to notice the bitter taste of the liquid as it slid down her throat. She could almost feel the potion work its magic as it chased away the soreness in her aching muscles.

"What happened yesterday anyway? " Marlene asked. She said looking uncharacteristically serious and worried.

Lily began recounting the events of the night before, a bit reluctantly, because she didn't really want to worry anyone.

"I swear I am going to kill Severus!" Marlene cried passionately after Lily finished her tale. And for a moment, Lily thought that she would make good on that threat.

"So Severus gave you a message from…well…you know who," Mary said beginning to pace up and down the room, as she often did when she was trying to find and answer to a difficult riddle. "And then he just sort of left you there? Huh, I always got the vibe that he fancied you… interesting way of showing it… anyway, so then you got back and your parents were fine, so it wasn't a trick to throw us of scent… for the most part anyway…" She threw her hands up in frustration. "I swear I will never understand how that lunatic's mid works!"

"Ugh, I know, it's so frustrating! As if boys weren't confusing enough without adding Severus's lunacy on top!" Alice moaned as she flopped onto the floor to make herself comfortable. Marlene snorted at the understatement.

Lily took a moment to take a good look at her honorary sisters around her. They were all tired with dark circles under their eyes. They were the same people she left two months ago on platform nine and three-quarters, but they were still completely different. Mary, who always fixed her hair in some sort of complex braid and put her make up on even if they were going to have a Honeydukes fest in their dorm, was make up free and her hair was in a ponytail. Marlene's usually mischievous blue eyes were serious, not sparkling and outlined with a little bit of puffiness form the lack of sleep and Alice's round, innocent face had the look of an old woman who had seen too much.

"Look at us!" Lily exclaimed. "Fighting a war when the only thing we should be worried about is out NEWT scores! You know what? We need to just go have some girl time and leave the whole war, and Death Eaters and Voldemort and other such rubbish behind, and just unwind. I mean, what do we look like in Hogwarts, and what do we look like right now? I swear, we are more stressed than the Ravenclaws in exam week!" Then her temper seemed to leave her has she fell backwards onto the bed. "This is so stupid!" She groaned.

"You know what? You're right Lily. Especially about those Ravenclaws during exam week. Mary, do you still need something for the ball? Because we are going shopping!" Marlene decided

A/N: So, what do you think? Please leave a review!

Love,

Ice