Marlene slipped into the seat next to Nate who glanced up from a letter.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hey, is that from your mum?" Marlene asked.
Nate nodded, "Felicia is getting married over the Easter break. She's set a date."
"Ohh, I'm so excited for her," Marlene smiled. "Oh, I wanted to ask if you wanted to meet up in Hogsmeade on the weekend? It's the first trip and all."
Nate hesitated, "I have a date but maybe if it finishes early."
"Who do you have a date with?" Marlene asked but Nate didn't get a chance to answer, which he was quite glad for, as Lily plopped down in the seat opposite them her hair a dark brown colour. "What in the name of Merlin happened to your hair?"
"Marlene, help me!" Lily pleaded, "Please!"
"But what happened? You're not still feuding with Potter are you?" Marlene smirked at Lily's distress. "I don't know why you two don't just get it over with and shag in a broom closet. You wouldn't be the first."
"Marlene!" Lily insisted.
"All right, all right," Marlene hushed her, grabbing her wand out of her pocket.
"You are an odd looking brunette," Nate commented.
"Thanks," Lily said dryly. "Bloody Potter."
"What're you going to do to get him back?" Marlene asked.
"Less questions, more fixing," Lily demanded.
"Son of a banshee! What happened to your hair!" Alice exclaimed sitting down next to Lily. "I didn't even recognise you."
"Marlene," Lily whined.
"I'm trying!"
"She's still feuding with Potter," Nate told Alice.
"Ahh. How're you going to get him back this time?"
"Lily, the spell has anti-anti-jinxes on it. You'll need to go to Pomfrey or just wait for the spell to wear out."
"Wait for it to wear out? Marlene, my hair is dark brown and my eyebrows are red!"
"Maybe we can change your eyebrows more brunette?" Marlene suggested.
Lily glared at her and Alice jumped in. "Come on, I'll come with you to Pomfrey."
As soon as the two were out of earshot Nate and Marlene bursted into laughter. "You know, I kind of hope the feuding keeps going," Nate mused. "It's interesting.
Marlene giggled, "That's a word for it. Hilarious is more like it. Did you see when Lily spiked his firewhiskey stash with ageing potion?"
"Yes, it was quite amusing to see Black and Potter with beards and grey hair."
Marlene laughed, "It was my idea."
The bell rung signalling the start of the school day and they both jumped up, bags over their shoulders and headed out to the greenhouses. With the end of September, the first cool winds had started to hit the school and Marlene buttoned up her cloak as they went outside. Nate didn't bother though and Marlene asked, "Aren't you cold? You should put a cloak on."
"Stop nagging," he brushed her off and Marlene frowned.
"I'm not nagging."
"Yeah, you are. You're a nag," he told her matter-of-factly. "Have been since you could talk."
"Nathaniel McKinnon, you take that back!" Marlene demanded.
"Or what?" He sent her a wicked grin before darting off, Marlene close on his heels. She chased him all the way to the greenhouses where she finally managed to whack his arm.
"Or else that!" Marlene said proudly.
"What?" he said. "I didn't feel anything."
Marlene whacked him harder just as Professor Postumus walked by. "Adams, five points from Gryffindor! We do not hit other students. Everyone inside!"
"I hate you," Marlene hissed, as they headed into the stuffy greenhouses.
"Hate you, too."
"Hey, you never said who your date was with?" Marlene remembered as they sat at a table.
"Oh, er, well-"
"Come on, she can't be that bad!"
"Settle down everybody!" Professor Postumus demanded, "Get your textbooks out to page ninety-three!"
With that the lesson had started and Nate had once again been let off the hook about answering Marlene's question.
—
Marlene, Ella and Lily were all in Defence Against the Dark Arts when Lily had let slip that she didn't think she'd be going down to Hogsmeade this weekend. She just didn't feel like going. She wasn't some little thirteen year old girl who got excited over trips to Hogsmeade anymore. Besides, Potter would be going down to Hogsmeade and she was doing her best to avoid him.
"I can't believe you're not coming Hogsmeade with us!" Marlene huffed furiously. "It's your last first Hogsmeade trip ever!"
Lily knew Marlene had a point but Hogsmeade would be there next week and the week after, in fact the amazing thing about a town was that it was there all year round every year. Professor Scrivens seventeen-inch essay on Dark Creatures due on Monday however, would not and Lily had barely started.
"I told you, I don't need to go," Lily said for the tenth time.
"Oh, come on Lily! Hogsmeade won't be the same without you!" Ella persisted and Lily smiled.
"Are you trying to flatter me?"
"Is it working?"
"No."
Ella groaned frustratedly.
"Miss Dearborn, is everything all right? You seem rather tense for someone who is meant to be thinking of happy thoughts," Professor Scrivens said and Lily sniggered.
"Sorry, professor," Ella muttered and then muttered to Lily, "You know what would make me happy? You coming to Hogsmeade."
"So now it's my fault that you can't produce a patronus charm?"
"Of course it is!" Alice intervened, leaning back on her chair to talk to them. "You should be ashamed of yourself Lily!"
Lily scowled. "Are you all just going to gang up on me?"
"Yes," they all chorused, even Ella, and Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She'd expected this from the other three but she had expected Ella to stay perfectly impartial but Ella had joined in on their side right from the beginning. Usually Ella wasn't one to fuss on about this stuff but it seemed that even Ella agreed that Lily should attend the Hogsmeade trip with them.
"In that case I'm going to go and practise the spell with Daisy and Allison so I can actually concentrate!"
With that, Lily snatched up her books and quill and moved across the room in the spare seat next to Allison. The only downfall was that the spare seat next to Allison was also the spare seat next to Potter but he seemed very focused in a conversation with his mates and Lily doubted he would even notice her. She avoided him and greeted Allison brightly. Lily was determined to produce a corporeal patronus by the end of the lesson however she kept getting distracted by Potter's absolute disturbing behaviour. By disturbing, she meant wafts of their conversation that were loud enough for Lily to hear and the occasional accidental brush of elbows that would cause an odd feeling in her stomach.
"No one's going to find out," James insisted and Lupin urged him to keep his voice down. "Oh take a calming potion. It's just a furry little problem. Nothing we can't handle. Besides I'm Head Boy, I'll just say I excused you from the meeting or that McGonagall did. It's not a big deal."
"Keep your voice down, Prongs!" Pettigrew said nervously as he noticed Lily was within hearing range.
Lily didn't end up producing her Patronus charm thanks to Potter … again. Lily wondered what 'furry little problem' stood for and why it was so important that no one find out. It seemed to have something to do with Remus and the next Prefects meeting. It sounded like Remus had wanted to skive and James was going to help him, a thought that didn't comfort Lily at all and if James did cover for Remus, he was going to hear an earful from her, whether she was avoiding him or not.
"Over your sook, are you?" Adaline asked and Lily sulked.
"I wasn't sooking! I just wanted to be able to do the charm so I wouldn't have to practice for homework."
"Yeah well, you failed," Adaline deadpanned and Lily smiled forcibly at Adaline.
"Thanks, Della. I wasn't aware."
"It's okay, Lily, you'll get there," Marlene assured.
Alice snorted, "Just because you managed to get your patronus up! That great big lion wondering around the classroom."
"Oh, just because you didn't get a corporeal patronus up doesn't mean you have to be bitter about mine," Marlene snapped before turning to Lily. "So have you changed your mind then?"
"I'll tell you what," Lily said smiling mischievously. "If McGonagall doesn't give us homework, I'll go."
Her friends protested at once, "That's so unfair! McGonagall always gives out homework!"
"Oh well," Lily shrugged delightfully at her clever plan as they made their way into McGonagall's classroom. However, Lily's smug face turned worried when she saw Professor McGonagall's grim face under the brim of her large, emerald, pointed hat.
"Is everything okay, Professor?" Lily asked tentatively, approaching the Professor.
"I'm afraid not," the Professor said and Lily waited for McGonagall to continue. "A terrible accident has occurred and all classes have been cancelled. Everyone is to go to their common rooms and Lily, tonight I suspect the prefect meeting will be changed to urgent or it may even be cancelled. You must make sure all the prefects know of the possible changes. Tell Potter, will you?"
"Of course, Professor … is there any homework?"
Professor McGonagall peered down at Lily and she felt as small as a bean. "In times like these Evans, homework should be the last thing on your mind. Now, up to your Common Rooms! All of you!" she barked and Lily and her friends scarpered off rather quickly.
"Ha! She didn't set homework! You have to come to Hogsmeade!" Marlene said gleefully before turning serious, "I wonder what's happened though."
"It seemed really serious," Lily said worriedly, "I've never seen McGonagall so … worried."
"Lily! Someone shouted and Lily turned around to see Severus Snape running towards her. "Why aren't you in your common room?!" he asked as though it was a crime for Lily to be walking in the corridors.
"I was just headed there."
"What's it to you what Lily does anyways?" Adaline asked meanly and Lily shot her a look. Adaline shot her one back.
"Haven't you heard? A, a mudblood has been attacked," he said looking alarmed, his eyes wide in fright. Lily's eyes widened in surprise for two reasons. The first, a muggle-born attacked in Hogwarts? How was something like that even possible? The second, the casual way 'mudblood' had so easily fell out of Severus' mouth.
"Who was it?"
"Charlotte Rogers, they found her with her … with her throat slit."
"She died?!" Marlene shouted in surprise and Lily shushed her as people started to look at them curiously. They shouldn't start a panic before they really knew what had happened.
"No, but she almost did. They're saying another minute or so and she would've become brain dead. She's in the Hospital Wing, they're waiting for her to wake up," Snape told them, "Professor Flitwick found her just in time, healed the cut before she could loose anymore blood and took her up to Madam Pomfrey. You should go to your common room, Lily. Where you're safe."
"Right because I'm a filthy, little mudblood," Lily said bitterly. "Afraid Avery or Aitkens will get me too?"
"Lily," Alice gasped, "Don't even say something like that!"
Lily grabbed Alice and Adaline and started pulling them away from Severus. "Come on," she mumbled and the rest of her friends followed. Severus was left in the corridor watching the girl he could once call friend walk away from him as though he was the enemy.
—
The Marauders sauntered into their Defence class and sat at a row of tables and Remus finally told them what had been bothering him today.
"I don't think I can do the prefect thing anymore," he said unhappily and James raised an eyebrow at him.
"Is this because you're going to miss that meeting tonight?"
Remus looked down and didn't answer which gave James all the answers he needed and James rolled his eyes.
"Moony, how many times have we told you!" Sirius said, "No one cares about-"
"Shh!" Remus said and Sirius stopped talking. "Aren't you at least going to try to practice the charm?"
"Remus, it'll be fine. I'll cover for you. No one's going to notice," James insisted and added, "Nah, dad taught me the charm in the holidays. It was a stag of course."
Remus took in the last bit of information before returning to the matter at hand.
"But how do you know? What if Lily keeps scheduling meetings for the," he mouthed 'full moon'. Peter shouted, "Expecto Patronus!" and James sighed and told him that it was 'Patronum' not 'Patronus' before turning back to Remus.
"You know, I am Head Boy and I do get a say in when the meetings are held and I'll make sure she doesn't. No one's going to find out," he insisted and Lupin urged him to keep his voice down. "Oh take a calming potion. It's just a furry little problem. Nothing we can't handle. Besides I'm Head Boy, I'll just say I excused you from the meeting or that McGonagall did. It's not a big deal."
"Yes, it is!" Remus hissed. "Snape is a prefect and you know he'll make a big deal about me being gone! He always does," he added glumly and James fought the urge to hex the little shit right then.
"I can handle Snape," James said instead.
"Oh, you should try this new hex I read about," Sirius started but Remus silenced him with a stern look.
"Look, Moony, you've nothing to worry about. There are so many prefects that I doubt anyone will even notice."
"It does help that there are technically two Seventh Year Gryffindor Prefects," Peter added, "What with James getting Head Boy. I doubt anyone will even notice." James looked at Peter oddly. He didn't think telling Remus that his absence won't even be noticed was the best tact. He may as well have told Remus he was a wallflower.
"Look, Moony. Don't worry about the meeting tonight. It's just one, stupid meeting and like I said, I can handle Evans and Snape."
Remus still looked glum and Professor Scrivens dismissed the class as they started to pack up their things and left the room.
They were walking to Transfiguration however they ran into Lily much to James dislike. He'd been trying to avoid her after the almost word-vomit that ended up coming out as something as moronic as 'Congratulations, for winning'. He'd wanted to be buried in a hole guarded by a dragon ever since. Not to mention that his friends — well Remus and Sirius — were starting to pick up on it, whatever it was.
"The meeting tonight," Lily said breathlessly, "It might be cancelled but if they don't cancel it, it'll become urgent which means everyone needs to be there."
"What's happened?" Remus asked before James could.
"A, a muggle-born has been attacked."
James was shell-shocked. A muggle-born attacked?
"Where?" he asked and Lily told them that the attack had happened in Hogwarts on the fourth floor corridor, in front of the Charms classroom. The muggle-born was a fourth-year Hufflepuff by the name of Mia Scott.
"That's horrible," Peter exclaimed as though the rest didn't know the nature of the events.
"Here, in Hogwarts," Sirius tsked, "Who would be ballsy enough to pull that off? Dumbledore will have them expelled by tomorrow."
"They've no idea who did it," Lily said. "Everyone was in class or in the library or common rooms. There weren't any witnesses. Professor Flitwick found her after a couple of seconds by mere chance but of course with Scott bleeding out he couldn't go searching for the attacker."
"You should get back to the common room," James said suddenly remembering that Lily was very much a muggle-born and the idea of a person attacking muggle-borns made James' stomach flip.
"Do you seriously think someone will attack me in a crowded corridor, Potter?" Lily asked him crossing her arms with her eyebrows raised. Her green eyes looked so doubtful and he knew she was right but…
"You never know. One Unforgivable curse flung across the corridor and poof, you're gone."
"That's a little morbid and slightly dramatic not to mention completely irrational and stupid."
More words he could add to lists of things James was. Morbid, dramatic, irrational, stupid and moron. Wonderful. How could Lily not fall for him?
"Call it what it is but it could still happen," Sirius shrugged. "One time my mum killed a house elf because he folded the linens wrong so when the poor elf least expected it she severed his head by throwing the knife skilfully across the kitchen. Everyone quite lost their appetite after that. Poor Deetus had to clean all of his brother's blood off the floor. Cried for days he did."
No one really knew what to say about Sirius's mother beheading a house elf at dinner and James just sort of flailed before patting Sirius' back once or twice. James knew how terrible Sirius had it at his parents house, it was why Sirius had moved in with them at the end of Fifth Year, but it was still a bit awkward when Sirius dropped gruesome stories like that.
"That's…horrible!" Lily exclaimed and Sirius nodded.
"Yep. So you should get back to the common room," James instructed.
"I've got to go tell the other prefects," Lily protested as James started dragging her towards the common room.
"I'll let them know," James said firmly. "You need to be safe."
"Oh, now you care about my safety?" she asked icily, "It didn't seem like that when you left me glued to a train and I had to burn my own leg just to be able to jump off in time!"
James was completely shocked at her outburst and Lily took that as her chance to wiggle out of his grip, he had been holding her arm quite tightly and ran away. In the opposite direction of the common room.
"Is that why she was late to the welcoming feast?" Remus asked and James didn't reply. He wasn't supposed to care about Lily Evans anymore. It would be so much simpler if he didn't care about her anymore.
—
That night the Prefect Meeting had been made urgent and all the Prefects sat around in an empty classroom waiting for Professor Dumbledore and the Heads of Houses. Lily noticed that Remus wasn't there and she went up to James.
"Where's Remus?"
"He's not feeling great," James replied.
"This meeting is urgent someone was attacked."
"And Remus feels horrible for missing it, but lucky he's got the Head Boy as a roommate to catch him up on everything he missed."
"Don't play that, I heard you and your friends today," Lily stopped when James looked at her darkly.
"You heard nothing," he told her sharply. "If Professor Dumbledore has okayed Remus not being here, I don't see why it should bother you. Now why don't you just go off and flirt with Fortescue, like you always do, and stay out of my business?"
Lily shocked by his abruptness was left speechless. "I don't flirt with Fortescue," was her only brilliant response and James rolled his eyes.
"Sure you don't and I'm a hippogriff."
"Oh, just go snog Helena Bonham, why don't you?"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Don't talk to me!"
"I won't."
"Good."
Lily turned and purposely went to sit next to Andrew, just to piss James off, and a few minutes later, the meeting started. Dumbledore explained that since the attack, all patrols would be extended by an hour, so would be starting at 8pm and finishing at midnight, instead of eleven. There was a collective groan at that particular news, and Dumbledore smiled apologetically. He also told them that the Ministry was sending Aurors to help guard the school. After that news, Professor Flitwick stepped forward and taught all of them how to perform healing Charms should they ever find the need to use them.
"Better to be safe then sorry, Miss Keddle," Flitwick told the sixth year Hufflepuff when she questioned whether or not this was a bit morbid. "You learning these spells, might just save someone's life."
Lily got the hang of it quickly, easily healing the paper cuts she gave herself and Andrew looked at her frustrated. "How do you do it in one go? I have to say the spell like three times before the cut is completely gone."
Lily started to explain the theory to him again, and used her hand to move his in the correct movement. "If you go too fast or too slow, it won't work and you'll have to do it again," she explained to him. "Go on, try." She gave herself a paper cut and gestured for him to heal it. He only needed two tries to heal it completely. "Good job," she told him with a warm smile. She heard someone scoff from behind her and she turned to see Potter. "Problem?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"None at all," he said coolly.
Lily turned back to Andrew and smiled. "Come on, try again," she encouraged, giving herself another paper cut, "Practice makes perfect."
After an hour, the Professors announced the meeting over and Lily grabbed her bag and headed straight for the library. Curfew would end in an hour and she wanted to find a book to help her with Transfiguration.
—
Ella and Marlene sat in the Great Hall together talking quietly as they did some homework. The time being an hour to curfew, the Great Hall was empty and dimmed and personally, Ella loved it like this.
"So has Putley made a move on you yet?"
"No. And he's not going to." Even if he did. Ella was too much baggage. A guy like Putley didn't want a girl like Ella and Ella knew that so why should she bother to waste her time with him? Because he was ridiculously good looking. Because he was interested. Because he was funny and fun to talk to — his wit matched hers and he seemed to find her bluntness endearing rather than offending. Because she imagined he was a good kisser. Because she imagined that if they weren't completely incompatible with each other, they'd actually work rather well.
"I think he is."
"Well, I think he's not."
Marlene went quiet for a moment. "Nate has a date for Hogsmeade."
"So?"
"He won't tell me who. Do you think that's weird?"
"I think it's weird that you care."
"Nate and I are best friends. He should be able to tell me this stuff," Marlene insisted.
"I am your best friend. Nate is like your brother."
"I can have more than one best friend. And so even if Nate was like a brother, he should still be able to tell me."
"Okay so maybe he has feelings for you."
"Don't be ridiculous, he's like my brother."
Ella raised an eyebrow at her and Marlene sighed. "I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?"
"Extremely."
Marlene nodded and said, "Right. I just find it weird. Nate tells me everything — oh god, what if he's dating someone I hate? Like Polly Piggens or what if he's dating a Slytherin?"
Ella dropped her quill. "Marlene, stop. This is the thing that you do and it's incredibly annoying."
"I don't do a thing."
"Yeah, you do."
"What's the thing that I do?"
"The thing that you do is that you make a thing that isn't a thing, a thing."
"That made zero sense."
"Oh, it made perfect sense," Ella told her matter of factly. "You're just in denial. Nate will tell you when he grows a pair. Until then stop worrying about it and instead help me with this bloody Transfiguration homework."
"I could help you with Transfiguration."
The two girls jumped and whirled around in their seats. "Jesus, Putley! Give a girl a heart attack," Marlene muttered.
"Sorry, Adams," he smiled sheepishly. "I was looking for Ella actually."
"What's up?"
"I was hoping you'd have that book we checked out of the library last week for the Potions assignment. I need it for the ingredient list."
Ella nodded and fished it out of her bag. "You're lucky you found me. I was going to return it before I headed to my dormitory." She handed it to him.
"I could help you with transfiguration," he offered again.
"Marlene's got it covered," Ella smiled.
"Actually, I was going to turn in," Marlene smiled sweetly at Ella who sent daggers back. "I'll see you later." She gathered her materials, not bothering to put her books in her bag, opting to hold them instead and exited the Great Hall swiftly.
"I can go if you want," Michael suggested.
"You may as well stay. Marlene was my last hope of getting an E on this essay."
"I reckon I can get you an O," he assured her, taking Marlene's seat.
"We'll see," Ella said.
"Are you doubting me, Dearborn?"
"Wouldn't dream of it. I just think you're underestimating just how terrible I am at Transfiguration. I reckon my essay now is about a T."
"That bad," Michael grinned.
"Hey, don't grin! This is an emergency. Marlene was my last hope, now you are my last hope."
"Yes, ma'am. Well, let's give it a read then."
Ella slid over her essay and rested her head on the table only lifting it up when he coughed. She winced.
"Dearborn, you are tragically hopeless at Transfiguration." Ella groaned and hit her head against the table. "But luckily I am a whizz at Transfiguration and I will give your essay a very drastic make-over."
"You don't want to run for the hills?"
Michael laughed and Ella smiled for the first time that night. "I can't let your last hope die." Ella grinned.
"Thank you."
"Thank me after you get the O. McGonagall won't know what hit her."
Ten minutes before curfew and the first half of the essay had been completely redone and Ella was physically dreading when curfew would be over.
"So, you just need to add these points," Michael said writing an outline for the next few paragraphs and the conclusion, "And then you should be all set." He checked his watch. "We better get going if we want to make it back for curfew."
Ella nodded in agreement and they both started to pack up their things. Michael slid the Potions book over to her but Ella pushed it back, "Didn't you say you needed it for the ingredient list?"
"Oh yeah," he exclaimed taking the book gladly. "My head is so full of Transfiguration things are falling out of it."
—
Lily woke with a start, her head nestled in the crook of the book she'd been looking at. The library had emptied and she checked her watch and strangled the yelp that wanted to come out of her mouth, it was an hour past curfew. She gathered her things quickly and quietly, scared Madam Pince would come around a bookshelf and give her a detention. Of course it was completely irrational, Madam Pince would be fast asleep by now. Lily returned the book to the shelf before scarpering out of the Library quietly.
The halls were empty and it felt a little eerie. She should be use to how quiet the castle got after curfew but usually she was with someone. She'd never been out after curfew on her own before but as more time passed and she didn't run into any teachers or Prefects she calmed down a little and found she actually enjoyed how still the castle was. The torches had been extinguished and only moonlight lit the corridors, which made it hard to navigate through the shortcut passage ways, but she managed it without even lighting her wand — she didn't want to draw attention to herself.
She'd made it half way when her heart almost stopped. She heard people whispering and walking. Quickly, Lily threw herself into a broom closet and closed the door quietly.
"Dumbledore's gone nutters," a witch said obviously annoyed. Lily peeked through the keyhole and saw a witch and a wizard. The witch was very short and frail looking with honey hair and muggle clothing on and the wizard was scary looking, he looked African and wore gold and purple robes that seemed to glow even in the darkness of midnight. "Summoning us at this hour of the night! What could be so bloody important at this unforgiving hour?"
"Shush, Arabelle! You're lucky I came to get you at all, now if you don't stop whinging I'll apparate you back where you came from!"
Arabella, the witch, looked taken back. "No need to get so touchy, Shacklebolt. I'm just saying, I've got to get up at six tomorrow and Dumbledore better have a good reason … oh do you even know where we are going?"
Their voices faded completely and Lily was curious. She was so curious that even though she knew she shouldn't she followed them. She crept out of her broom closet on the fifth floor and took her shoes off so her footsteps were muffled by her socks. She ran silently until the faded voices could be heard again.
"I'm sure he said the fifth floor portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw," the wizard, Shacklebolt said.
"You idiot! There are no portraits of Rowena Ravenclaw! I'm a squib and I know that! You call yourself a wizard," Arabella muttered. Lily's curiosity had peeked. She wanted to know who these peculiar people were. The squib and the wizard. Why did Dumbledore want to talk to them? The wizard didn't look of any importance. Lily had never seen him, not even in the Prophet. In fact the wizard didn't seem very intelligent if he had thought there was a portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt? Arabelle Figg? Is that you?" Lily recognised Professor McGonagall's voice and placed her hand on top of her mouth. If McGonagall found Lily out of bed, Lily shuddered to think of what would happen. "Well it's about time! We're all waiting for you! The Bennetts and McKinnons arrived twenty minutes ago and Mad-Eye Moody has been here since nine p.m. He's getting very moody," McGonagall's voice got softer and softer as they walked away but Lily dared not to move until she was sure they were completely gone. "And all the teachers are getting restless of course especially with Prewett brothers setting parchments on fire every five seconds for their mere…"
McGonagall's voice could no longer be heard and Lily sprinted up in the corridors up to Gryffindor Tower only to be yanked into an empty classroom.
"Potter," she said without even looking at him. He'd had a knack for pulling her into rooms and closets and she didn't miss the fact that this was their classroom.
"What the hell are you doing out of bed, Evans?" he hissed at her.
Suddenly, Lily heard a long drawn out howl. "What was that?" she cried and James stiffened, checking his watch.
"Damn it," he muttered, "I'm late."
"Late for what?"
"Come on, I'm taking you to the common room."
Lily rolled her eyes, "What makes you think I want to go anywhere with you? Besides, I thought you didn't want me to talk to you?"
"Well the good thing about walking, is that it doesn't require talking and it's not safe to roam the castle."
"I think I can handle the three flights of stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room." Another howl sounded and Lily froze, "Seriously, what is that?"
"I've got to go," he muttered urgently and without a further glance at Lily, he sprinted off so fast that when Lily went out into the corridor to see which way he'd gone, she couldn't even see him.
—
Ella woke up at the ungodly hour of five in the morning and the thing Ella hated most about herself was that once she woke up, she was up. No amount of tossing and turning was going to change that. So, regrettably, she rolled out of bed and changed into her school robes quietly before heading out of the dormitory, her journal in hand.
It's funny how she had started writing in a journal. Ella's mum had given it to her on her first ever day of Hogwarts. Ella had been frightened she'd be homesick and miss her mum so her mum had given her a journal and said that if she ever felt like talking, she could write whatever it was she wanted to say and then she'd feel better. Ella at first, had scoffed at the idea but halfway through the year Ella had written in it on a whim after she'd gotten a letter from home and since Ella had been hooked. Now it had become a therapeutic habit that Ella could not live without.
Ella took a glance at the burnt out fireplace and frowned. The common room, whilst cold was chilled and if Ella was going to be cold anyways, she'd rather do it somewhere with a view so she headed out of the common room, the Fat Lady grumbling as she climbed out of the portrait hole, and then she was faced with a decision. Up or down. Up had nice scenery, she could sit on a window seal with the grounds rolling out before her. But down had a lake. Before she knew what she was doing, she stepped down and then continued until eventually she was outside by the lake.
The lake was stunning at this time in the morning, the grey light casting just enough light to make it sparkle and a light mist rolling over the calm water. The air still around her but chilly enough that she wrapped her cloak tightly around her as she searched for a spot to sit. The grass had beads of morning dew clinging to it and the grass and dirt stuck to her shoes as she walked. Overhead, in the trees neighbouring the lake, the birds were waking up and Ella knew she had chosen right. If she'd gone up, she'd never have heard the birds sing. Besides, it was nice to get some fresh air.
She found a tree with gnarly roots and sat against it, opening her journal and touching the top of her page with her quill, writing the date neatly in the right corner. That was as far as she got though.
"Dearborn?"
She jumped a mile into the air, dropping her book and quill into her lap. "Bloody hell, Black!" Ella exclaimed clutching her heart. "What are you doing out here? It's five in the morning!"
"Ditto."
Ella looked at him properly and pursed her lips. He had a jagged bloody line across his neck and terrible black bags under his eyes. "You're bleeding."
Sirius looked down at his body, looking for the blood and Ella rolled her eyes before tossing her journal aside and getting up. She pulled her wand out, her other hand angling his head to expose his neck where the red gash was. She waved her wand over the gash and frowned when it didn't immediately heal. She did it several more times before the gash closed but her frown remained. Where should've been perfectly healed skin, was a raw pink line.
"How did you get that? It was awfully hard to heal."
"Careful, Dearborn. I might think you care."
Ella stepped back. "Wouldn't want you to get that impression," she agreed.
"So you write then?"
"Careful, Black. I might think you care."
Sirius grinned, "Wouldn't want you to get that impression."
"Seriously though, what're you doing out here at this time and how did you get that gash?"
Sirius shrugged, "What are you doing up?"
"I asked first."
"I asked second."
Ella narrowed her eyes at him. "I woke up."
"So?"
"Once I wake up, I can't fall back asleep so I came out here because it's pretty — at least it was until you ruined it with your face."
"Mean."
Ella shrugged, "Wouldn't want you to think I cared."
"Touché. Well, I'll leave you to pour out your heart in a book."
"Why so hasty to leave, Black?"
"Because you want me to."
Ella put her hands on her hips. "And how could you possibly know that?"
Sirius smirked, "I have the inner eye, Dearborn and it's telling me that as soon as I leave your going to write about how hot I am in your journal."
Ella snorted, "Ha! And I have common sense and it's telling me that you are full of shit."
"Now that is highly illogical. Everyone knows that people are mainly filled with blood and guts and bones and water."
"Okay, now I want you to leave."
"See, I have the inner eye, Dearborn," he winked. "See you around."
"Full of shit," she called after him, "And you still owe me a galleon!"
—
Lily tried to find James to question where he'd gone last night but he hadn't been in the common room and Lily struggled to find him on the Gryffindor table at breakfast. She only saw a flicker of Peter but she looked away and by the time she looked back he was gone. Lily ate breakfast slowly, wondering what Potter had been up to last night and those howls. Potter knew something about those howls, Lily just didn't know what.
"Hurry up, Lily," Ella encouraged, "The bell is going to go off soon and we've Potions."
"Excited to get to Potions, are we?" Marlene smirked and Ella rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond.
Lily didn't start eating faster until she realised that Potter would have to be in class but when they arrived in the dungeons, Potter was nowhere to be found. Instead, only Sirius and Peter were there. Lily debated whether she should ask them where he was. It really wasn't any of her business but she was curious (and maybe a little worried). It irked her that Remus wasn't here either. He hadn't come to the meeting last night and now he was missing classes too, maybe he was ill. Lily fiddled with the clasp on her robe until she mustered up the nerve to just go and ask. She could just blame it on Prefect schedules.
"Oi, Black," Lily called, "Where's Potter?"
"Who's asking?" he retorted.
"Me, obviously. Head business," she offered as an excuse.
"Vague," he noted and Lily rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms.
"Are you going to tell me where he is or not?"
"Nope," he said popping the 'p'.
"Why?" Lily questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Because telling you would require me actually knowing where he is, which I don't."
Lily groaned, "You really could have just started with that."
"But then I would've missed this stimulating conversation," he replied with a charming smile and Lily snorted and turned back to Ella and Marlene.
"Since when do you care where Potter is?" Ella asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Like I said, Head business, just need to ask him something."
"Uh-huh," Ella said in a way that said, I know you're lying. But she couldn't press Lily any further since Professor Slughorn arrived and they entered the classroom and he started lecturing them about what goes into creating a new potion for twenty minutes and instructed them to create a potion that would cause the recipient to sing. They had barely pulled their cauldrons out when classes were cancelled for the second day in a row when Professor Dumbledore made a voice-over announcement. Everyone was to be escorted by their teachers to their common rooms at once and students were to remain in their common rooms until further notified. The whole school was buzzing as they followed various teachers up to their common rooms but no one knew what had happened.
"Do you think Rogers died?" Marlene whispered fretfully.
"She couldn't have," Ella said, "She was in the Hospital Wing."
Marlene rolled her eyes, "Sometimes people in comas don't wake up!"
Lily shook her head, "Nah, they wouldn't only give her overnight to wake up. Usually people are in comas for longer than a week before they unplug them."
"Unplug?" Adaline asked.
"Muggle thing. I suppose you guys have a spell that helps people breathe in comas," Marlene contributed. "But usually if the patient doesn't wake up, they take the spell off and the person, well, the person dies. My uncle was in a coma for two and a half weeks before mum let them take him off life support."
"What happened?"
"We all sat around his bed, said our goodbyes — my mum was crying heaps and then the doctors started turning off all the machines that were keeping him alive."
"No," Adaline rolled her eyes, "How did your uncle end up in a coma?"
"Summer after third year, wasn't it?" Ella asked and Marlene nodded.
"Yet I still don't know how."
"A car accident," Marlene shrugged, "A drunk driver-"
"Someone who had been drinking alcohol," Lily clarified.
"I didn't gather," Ella said dryly.
"Drunk driver t-boned my uncles car. I think he died."
"Jumping jarvies," Polly Piggens, a Hufflepuff in their year exclaimed loudly, interrupting their conversation, "I can't believe you have to walk up all these steps just to get to your common room!"
Ella rolled her eyes, "We can't all live in the basement, Piggens."
"Do you think there was another attack?" Adaline asked quietly so the first years behind them wouldn't hear.
"I hope not," Lily murmured.
Something like that would have to be a Hogwarts record if another student had been attacked within twenty-four hours of the first attack but Lily quickly realised that another attack would make perfect sense for classes to be called off again. Lily wondered who had fallen victim this time. She thought about it all morning. First year or seventh year? Witch or wizard? Kind or cruel? Muggle-born, half-blood or pure-blood? When her thoughts concluded that it was probably a muggle-born, Lily was cross. Why should muggle-borns always be targeted? They hadn't done anything wrong.
Lily's questions and suspicions were confirmed when Professor McGonagall came up to their common room at lunch. The entire room quietened down as soon as she entered, eager to hear what had happened.
"Unfortunately," Professor McGonagall said heavily. "Another student has been attacked, however, Professor Scrivens found her just in time and Madam Pomfrey is confident that she will make a full recovery."
"Who was the student?" Alex Brown, a boy in their year who shared a dormitory with the Marauders, asked.
"Mia Scott," Professor McGonagall answered and a few fourth years gasped. "Now, classes after lunch will resume as normal and you may go to the Great Hall for lunch. However, as precautionary measures, I advise that everyone travel around the castle in pairs or groups, and if possible, try to stay in the Tower. Do not wander."
—
Ella was walking to the library alone, which deep down she knew was a terrible idea but deep down she also knew she would be safe because she was a pure blood and the unfairness of it all irked her. Just because she came from a long line of witches and wizards her life was somehow more worthy than that of fellow students who didn't. But no matter how much it irked her she couldn't sit in that common room listening to Marlene and Adaline go on about it.
"Elle!" someone called out and Ella frowned, not sure if it was meant for her. "Elle! Ella!"
She turned around and Michael was running up to her. "Hey," she said. "What's up?"
"What are you doing?"
"Going to the library. You?"
"Going to the library."
Ella shrugged and started walking again, Michael falling into step with her. "You know, I kind of miss having an excuse to talk to you."
"Are you asking me out?" Ella turned to face him. "Because if you are, you should just ask you know."
"Has anyone ever said you're kind of blunt?"
Ella shrugged, "Lily might've mentioned it a few times. So are you asking me out or not because if you are I'd rather you just get it over with now, I've got a tonne of homework to do and-"
He bent down and kissed her, effectively shutting her up and taking her by surprise in the process. His hands cupped her face and Ella dropped her books, her hands going to his waist. He pulled back and Ella flushed. "So I guess you're asking me out."
"I guess I am."
She waited and he waited. "You know you still have to ask. It is only polite."
"Right. Want to go on a date sometime, Ella?"
She considered for a moment. "You're a great kisser. Fun to talk to. But no. See you around, Putley."
She swooped down to pick up her books and walked away, leaving Putley stunned in the middle of the empty corridor.
—
After classes, Lily found herself in the Heads Office — she deemed it safe considering only Prefects new the password to get in — signing detention and points taken slips. She was surprised to find a lot of slips had accumulated this week. A group of third years out of bed. A pair of Ravenclaws hexing each other. Two Sixth Year Gryffindors caught snogging in a broom closet just after curfew. The list went on and on and quite frankly just looking at the pile had given Lily a headache. Ara Black, a sixth year Slytherin Prefect, was not helping.
She stood in front of Lily's desk, her arms folded as she ranted on about how patrolling an extra hour at night was damaging her sleep routine.
"I just don't see why we have to patrol until midnight when the stupid girl got attacked during the day!" she finished her very self-centred rant.
"I understand your frustrations," Lily said slowly, reminding herself to be patient, "I just don't understand what you want me to do about it. Professor Dumbledore has decided that it is necessary for us to patrol an extra hour at nights and that's final. I can't do anything to change that, unless you're suggesting you don't wish to be a Prefect anymore in which case I'd be happy to have a word with Professor Slughorn."
Black huffed and stormed out of the Heads Office as James walked in, upon seeing him, Lily said, "Good, I need you to sign these slips and Professor McGonagall has asked us to supervise a detention of a group of second years next Thursday at eight."
James sat in a chair. "What will they be doing?"
"Cleaning portraits in the sixth floor corridor. Without magic," Lily answered. "Oh, and I've done the schedule for next week."
James picked up the parchment that Lily gestured to and rolled his eyes at the sight of Fortescue and Lily rostered to patrol together next Thursday night. James was rostered with Remus on Tuesday, which sucked because he still had to do that Defence essay due on Wednesday and patrolling on Tuesday night would mean he'd need to have it finished by Monday night instead.
James glanced at Lily as he sent the parchment to hang itself on the noticeboard. She read over detention slips, playing with the quill in her hand before either signing the slip or throwing it out. Her hair was up in a messy bun and her skin glowed in the sunlight and James forced himself to look away, which, surprisingly, proved easier when she started to talk to him again.
"I saw you hexing Filch's cat at lunch," she accused and James rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on, Evans, you can't tell me you like that bloody cat?"
This time Lily rolled her eyes. "It's not about the damn cat. It's about the fact that you were hexing it!"
"So?"
Lily put down her quill, boring her eyes into him angrily. "So," she gritted, "You are Head Boy" — "I'm aware" — "And how are we supposed to discipline students when the Head Boy is hexing cats in the corridors? Grow up, Potter."
James couldn't fight her logic. "I'd never thought about it like that," he admitted, "I'm sorry. I'll tone it down."
Lily expected to have a fight with him about it but he actually agreed with her — a rare occurrence. She decided to back track a little, "Look, I'm not saying don't pull your pranks, I'm just saying, be more discreet about it," she told him leniently.
He gasped in mock horror, "Did Lily Evans just approve of my mischievous ways?"
"Look, that is about as much leniency from me that your mischievous ways are ever going to get so, take it or leave it."
They fell into silence as James too started going through the points taken slips and after a half hour of quietly working opposite each other, Lily grabbed her bag and stood up. She was at the door when James said, "Do you always have to patrol with Fortescue?"
Lily looked back at him. He wasn't looking at her, he was staring at the desk, his knuckles white around his quill, his posture tense. "Quite frankly, Potter, it's none of your business," she said, about to step out but she stopped and turned around. "Where did you end up going last night and where were you this morning?" Lily questioned him.
He turned to look at Lily, "Quite frankly, Evans, that's none of your business."