Her ankle ached worse in the morning, which fed into her headache, which was likely the result of the lack of sleep. Lily regretted not going to the hospital wing the night before, if anything, for a sleeping potion.

Whether it was the jitters from the first day of classes, adrenaline leftover from the game, or the endless worry about the four interlopers she had run into, sleep had evaded her.

"I can't get up," she groaned.

"Is your ankle that bad?"

"No, I'm too tired."

Marlene scoffed. "Come on, get up. I'm starving. Forget about going only for the schedules, I could go for a whole five course meal for breakfast."

It was slow going. From getting out of bed, to showering, Lily took her time shuffling around and getting ready for the day. While warm water helped her shake off a little more of her sleepy state, she was sorely tempted to fall back into bed.

"Want me to spell your hair dry? Mum showed me this new spell with this hair potion we picked up from Diagon." Marlene was already dressed, laying on her bed and idly playing her wand. She pointed at the glass bottle on her stand. "Or at least let me fix your busted lip. It looks way worse this morning."

"Oh," Lily said, pressing a fingertip to the tender skin. "I had forgotten about that. Sure, I'd appreciate it."

Marlene jumped up with much more energy Lily could have mustered, and skipped over to where she was pulling on her school uniform. It was leftover from last year and seemed to fit just a bit more snuggly, falling just above her knees.

"Malkin let you get away with that?" Marlene said with a snicker. "I'm surprised she let you buy that. Or did you hem it yourself?"

Lily laughed dryly. "No, I told mum I didn't mind reusing my uniform from last year. It's still in fine condition." She plucked at the hem. "I guess I didn't want to go to Diagon Alley with mum if we didn't need to. You know?"

"Yeah," Marlene said somberly.

There was the topic the two, and nearly everyone else since they'd arrived at the train station) avoided as best as they could. The attacks that had been happening more and more. The 'less than safe' circumstances that currently cloaked the Wizarding World.

"I'm really glad they re-started their delivery service. Not that Petunia was happy to see that many owls arrive at the house."

Marlene snorted, motioning for Lily to step closer and reaching forward to pull some hair away from her face. "I'm sure she loved that. She still dating that big bloke? The one from last summer?"

"Yes," Lily said glumly. "He was around a lot this summer, too. I can't quite see what –"

"Episkey!"

"Ow!" she snapped, pressing a finger against her lip to massage it. "You could've warned me first. You turned your wand too quick."

"Don't they say to cast it when the injured is distracted?"

"I think that's in extreme cases – or when the patient is flighty," Lily murmured as she turned to the small mirror they had hung on the wall, studying the knitted skin. "It'll be bruised, but it looks good."

Marlene looked pleased. "I'll take the compliment! Thank you, Healer Evans. Want me to do your hair next?"

Lily reached up and tested the weight of her damp hair. It had grown longer over the summer, now reaching the middle of her back. "You know what? Sure. Let's try."

She turned and sat on the edge of her bed, scooting forward so Marlene could sit just behind her.

"Okay," Marlene said softly, as if she were talking to herself. She felt her part her hair in sections, starting at the back.

Lily let her eyes closed as her friend worked, humming in content. "I'm guessing Alice already went down to meet Frank in the common room?"

"Yep," Marlene confirmed. "Had to meet her lover before breakfast."

Lily snuffed out a laugh through her nose, falling quiet as she let Marlene work. She began to fidget, twisting her hands in her lap. "About that. 'Healer Evans'. I've been thinking…"

"Hmhm," Marlene replied, focused on her wand movements.

"I'm switching my classes. I mean, you know, keeping Potions still. Charms, of course. Dropping Divination to pick up History of Magic."

Marlene snorted, laying a chunk of Lily's hair down. "You could teach History yourself." Lily caught sight of it out of the corner of her eye and reached up to touch it, mildly impressed at the smoothness.

"Why'd you switch to that?" Marlene asked distractedly.

"Because I want to become an Auror."

"What?"

Lily turned slightly so she could see Marlene's expression; confusion bleeding into her friend's features.

Marlene blinked hard as her features smoothed. "I thought you wanted to be a healer."

"I did… but..." She released a long sigh. "I kept an eye on the Prophet this summer. And saw all those new articles. The attacks. The obits."

Marlene remained silent, her expression unreadable.

"I know being a Healer can help people, but… I think I can do more. I want to do more than just using my potion skills. And the Game… the Game just makes me want to try harder."

"They won't accept you," Marlene said bluntly.

She recoiled as if she had been hit.

There were many factors Lily had considered before she had sent her letter to McGonagall, asking to switch her class schedule in order to focus on the classes that would meet the requisites of the Auror Academy. Three of which were:

1. She was a witch. She was already at a disadvantage in getting a job at the Ministry of Magic.

2. She was only showing interest in becoming an Auror now, her sixth year. In all her research, the Academy looked to those who had been interested much sooner.

3. She was a muggle-born. Which really had two facets; she didn't come from a magic background (and nepotism ran rampant in the Wizarding World) and… all the targeted attacks seemed to involve muggles or muggle-borns.

And while she knew there were many other issues working against her, Lily hadn't expected her best friend to be one of them.

It felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her.

"What?" she croaked.

"Lily." Marlene sighed heavily and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Her heart clenched as she reflexively leaned away.

Her friend squeezed tighter. "Lily. You are… literally a magnet for trouble. Like, you're not even near the pitch and a bludger will find you to give you a concussion. Hooch has had to call too many games because you're just there."

Lily smiled weakly, realizing Marlene wasn't as serious as she had thought.

"Merlin. Of course you should become an Auror! Have you seen your quick wandwork? Your grades in Defense? Have you not noticed the way you take care of the younger students?"

"That's part of my job as Prefect."

"Exactly!" Marlene insisted. "And yet you still manage to make it look easy and fun. Now – this whole masochist thing you have going on, you'll have to hide from them. That won't look very good on your resume. It's probably why they won't accept you."

"Mar," Lily scolded, but was unable to hide her smile. "I am not a masochist."

Her blonde friend gave her an unconvinced look.

"I don't like to hold back when playing the game! Of course I'll get a little hurt."

Marlene glanced down at her bruised ankle, her scraped knees, and still-healing lip. "Uh-huh."

Lily reached forward and grabbed a pillow, throwing it into her friend's face.

Marlene guffawed and raised it threateningly. "Is this how you plan on getting the bad guys?"

"Yes," she said promptly. "And jelly-jinxes."

"Oh, right, of course. Maybe a bubble charm to distract them."

Lily nodded solemnly. "That's a good one. I'll have to remember that during the aptitude tests."

Marlene laughed loudly as she chucked the pillow back at her, who wasn't prepared for the strike. It hit her square in the face. "You'll definitely have to work on your defense."

"I guess I'll need to," she agreed, tucking the pillow between her arms.

"You're welcome to join me at practice," Marlene offered, moving to stand. "I could chuck a few quaffles your way in the bleachers."

"I'm good. I've had enough quidditch balls in my life to last ten lifetimes. I'll find other ways to improve my skills."

"And listen, if they let my brother in and he passed, you're in, absolutely."

Lily shrugged bashfully. "I still feel a little mad going for it, you know?"

Marlene scoffed. "Of course you're mad. But what else would you be? It'd be a dull time to become a healer and take care of old geezers and loopy witches." She double-checked the time. "Speaking of healer, we should probably head out if you still wanted to swing by the Hospital Wing for a pain potion."

"I'm sure Pomfrey would appreciate the visit. Did you need to finish my hair?"

Marlene shook her head, jumping off the bed and grabbing her book bag. "It's all done. It looks pretty good. More wavy than normal. You'll have to get some of that potion."

"Nah, I'll just have to have you work on it everyday." Lily pulled her own bag over her shoulder.

"Ha," Marlene said deadpanned, holding the door open for her. "Not unless you agree to share your notes with me this year."

"Like hell," she shot back, treading down the steps carefully. "We both know your lazy arse could out-do my notes if you wanted."

Marlene scoffed. "Yeah, that's the point. If I wanted. I don't. Careful on the slip-step."

If pressed on just so, the slip-step would trigger the slide that prevented any of the school boys from advancing up the staircase. It was nearly a right of passage, forgetting the step and causing a landslide of girls to skid down the stairs. Dorcas was a top champion among the older girls, Lily following shortly behind.

In the present moment, she hummed in acknowledgement, skipping over it.

The Common Room was surprisingly busy, filled with more students than Lily would have expected, knowing that breakfast was already well underway.

Granted, the train arrived on September 1st, as normal, but more unusual – a Friday. And so the school year 'started' on a weekend, with classes not being held until Monday. The novelty of a Hogwarts' breakfast, while an experience, was already wearing off for many of the students.

"I don't see Alice with Frank. Or Dorcas and Emmeline. Think they're already down in the Hall?"

Lily recognized some of the 1st Years she had helped herd the first night standing near the portrait hole. A large group of 4th and 5th Years crowded around the hearth, taking up the most popular spot in the room.

"Hey, Evans!" one of them called – Richie, a 4th year she had tutored in Charms two years prior. A chorus of greetings rose from the group, and Lily waved back, pleased they thought to say hello.

"Alright, leave the fan club behind," Marlene teased, guiding Lily around the sofa and study table. "You'll have time to chat later."

"Shut it," Lily warned with a smile. "You'll find if you're pleasant to people, they'll be nice back."

"I'm plenty nice! The younger ones are just too nervous for my tastes. Can never get to the point."

"Have you ever considered that you make them nervous?"

"I do not," the blonde complained, pushing the portrait door open and waving Lily through, waiting if she needed assistance. "They're too squeamish."

"You're not wrong," Lily acquiesced, ducking through and turning to wait for Marlene to exit the doorway patiently. The two walked the familiar hallways towards the staircases, greeting the other students who milled about lazily.

She suddenly laughed in recollection. "One of the first years retched all over their boats Friday night apparently. Hagrid had to clean it up – she must've eaten at least a dozen chocolate frogs from the train trolley."

Marlene shuddered. "Eugh," she bleated. "Don't talk about vomit when I have an empty stomach. It makes me nauseous."

"Sorry."

"No you're not."

"I'm not," she grinned, beginning to descend the steps carefully. "Just about anything sets you off."

"Don't make me shove you."

"You wouldn't," the redhead replied assuredly. "You'd do me harm other ways. Less dangerous and more nuisanced."

"You're right. Maybe a Cesso to the head next Game."

"Oi," she admonished, glancing around surreptitiously. "Keep it down, will you?"

Marlene raised a brow at her, turning to look behind them and then in front – clear of any students. "Oh right, don't want to let anyone hear about the Game."

Lily rolled her eyes and resumed her climb down the stairs. "We've gone years without getting caught. Let's keep that winning streak, yeah?"

"Speaking of getting caught… " Marlene skipped ahead a few steps, leaning over the railing to stare down to the next flight of stairs. "Do you think those blokes reported us? They didn't recognize you, did they?"

"No. It was definitely dark. They were too worried about themselves, I think. Did you know that hidden doorway was there?"

"Never thought to try," Marlene mused. "Now I feel like I should test every portrait or tapestry we come across."

Lily smiled humorously, nodding in agreement. "Think what that could do for the Game…"

"Did you recognize them?"

She shook her head, scrutinizing all that she could remember. "There were four of them; your spell hit one of them and he must've bowled over. They were nearly rabid when they found out I was a part of it. They thought I was being attacked at first, ready to jump into a fight."

"A damsel in distress," Marlene snorted.

"Then they thought I was a Slytherin," she recalled with a wry chuckle. "As if a Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or 'Claw are too good to be traipsing about after curfew."

"We did attack them, technically. Not too far off from what a Slytherin has done in the past."

Lily didn't disagree, but did give her a sharp look, choosing to ignore the comment. "I'm positive they were an upper year. Too tall to be young."

"I thought you said you couldn't see?"

"They came pretty close. One of them threatened me with his wand." She gestured vaguely in the air above her face. "His voice was around here."

Marlene hummed. "Would you recognize his voice if you heard it?"

"I'm not sure. I feel pretty positive that I would, maybe."

Marlene waited as Lily shuffled across the next staircase's landing, lowering her voice suggestively as if a man's. "Was it a sexy voice? Do you think they were fit?"

She cackled in amusement. "I wasn't really thinking of it that way in the moment. You know, being accosted and all."

"But it was," said Marlene smugly, skipping ahead a few steps again. "Hopefully it was one of my groupies. Maybe we should have all the wizards from 5th Year and higher queue up and whisper in your ear."

She snorted, clutching to the handrail to adjust her balance. "Like some sort of demented Cinderella?"

Marlene gave her a strange look. "Cinder-what?"

"You know, Cinderella. Fairy godmother, glass shoe… pumpkin-turned-carriage?"

"What do those Muggle schools teach you?"

Lily huffed as she resumed her steps. "Seriously? You think that's strange? With your Soap Blizzards and Uric the Oddball? A wizard who fell off his broom in 1652 and landed in a village full of natives who thought he was a god."

Marlene looked back up at Lily and shrugged.

"The Ministry of Magic had to rescue him when they were going to sacrifice him."

"We can't all be perfect, clearly."

"Clearly," Lily responded deadpanned, wincing as she stepped down on her tender ankle. "Anyways, I think they'd find it a bit weird if we asked all the boys to read from a text book or something. I'm not sure it'd be worth the effort, unless they'd gone to a professor."

"I bet it was that 7th year Ravenclaw with the dark hair. He and his friends always hang around out late. Abernathy!"

Lily shook her head. "His voice is too high. This one was much deeper."

"How would you know?"

Her eyes rolled. "His girlfriend – Avery. The head girl from Hufflepuff? He usually waits in the corridor after our meetings."

"Cute," Marlene commented in a tone that sounded as if she did not, in fact, find it cute.

Lily snorted again, amused.

Marlene gasped excitedly. "Oh! What about that other tall Ravenclaw? Oh, Merlin, what's his name! He was in the hospital wing that one time you broke your finger? He is fit."

Again, confident, she shook her head in the negative. "Wasn't him."

Marlene scoffed. "I thought you said you didn't recognize his voice."

"I don't," she assured, a bit self-conscious. "I just know it didn't sound like him."

"Lily," Marlene said thoughtfully, still a few steps ahead. "You don't think that it was –"

The heel of Lily's weak ankle caught on the step.

Her knee buckled and for a second time in 24 hours – not even 12 – Lily found herself pitching forward down the stone staircase.

She did her best to tuck her arms in, to at least protect her face from the rough steps as she rolled over and over, until she landed hard at the bottom.

"Lily!"

"Evans!"

Her responding groan was more from embarrassment than pain, as she heaved herself into a seated position to assess and catalogue the current state of her body. "Nothing broken," she sighed in relief, running her hands over her arms, legs. She touched her face and felt even more relieved when nothing felt tender or wounded.

"Bloody hell, Lily!" Marlene hissed, collapsing to her knees beside her. "Did you learn nothing from last night?"

Over her friend's panicked exclamation, "You alright, Evans?"

Half in a daze, Lily raised her gaze upwards. And then even further.

It took her dizzy brain a moment to process that it was James Potter hovering above her, leaning forward over his knees as he stared down at her with concern.

"Evans?" he repeated. He was holding out a hand as if to help her.

It was only the second time she'd seen him since they'd all returned to Hogwarts.

The first had been at the Welcoming Feast, when the students had been filing in and taking their places at the Gryffindor table. Not that she'd taken notice, but it had been as if he was purposely avoiding her since their arrival on the train (she'd seen him board with Black), as the last time they'd been face to face had been that time at the lake.

When he'd ruined the longest friendship she had ever had.

Lily suspected Remus – kind and solemn Remus – had likely told his friend to leave her alone. While she'd only spent patrol time with Remus (which, really, did give them plenty of time to talk), she was grateful he seemed to understand what she needed.

And so when Potter had accidentally bumped into her in the Great Hall two nights ago in order to join his friends further down the table, Lily didn't know what to expect.

"Oh, excuse me," she had said, not yet realizing it was him her elbow had swung into. His hand had briefly touched her arm as he maneuvered around her and she had glanced up in curiosity. "Oh."

"Sorry," he had replied instinctively, then did a double take when he caught sight of her. He had paused, staring at her a moment longer than perhaps normal.

Despite him being politely mannered, seeing him set off the trigger of emotions that Lily had felt that day by the lake. "What?" she had practically snarled.

His eyes had been flickering across her features, reading the flow of anger, hurt.

"I'm sorry," he had said, entirely too sincere to be referring to his knocking into her.

"Right," she sneered in response, gaze turning into a glare.

"Right," he had murmured, quickly resuming his trek towards his friends.

In the present moment, his hand was still stretched out for her to take. His confidence was faltering as he stared down at her, his hand dipping a little.

Maybe it was the manners her father had instilled in her before he had passed three years prior – or maybe she was still dizzy from her tumble – but Lily reached up and took his hand begrudgingly, allowing him to help her into a standing position.

Marlene watched the exchange silently.

"Thanks," Lily muttered at him, releasing his hand as quickly as possible.

He reached out to steady her by the elbow when she wobbled on uneasy legs. "That was quite the trip."

"Right?" Marlene exclaimed. "You didn't quite stick the landing." Lily felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment and turned to glare out of the corner of her eye. She could tell Potter was trying not to laugh.

"Thanks," she repeated to him, in a more clipped tone. You can go now.

He released her arm gently and stepped away from the two of them in a reserved manner. She watched as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and he nodded in understanding of her silent ask: back up.

"Practice tomorrow at six, Mckinnon," he said, already ascending the steps back up the way they had come. "Tryouts next Saturday."

"Aye, captain!" Marlene called back, letting Lily hold onto her arm as they resumed their own steps. "He grew some over the hols," she commented. "I'm sure that makes him real chuffed."

"I didn't notice," Lily remarked idly, hobbling along.

Marlene snorted. "He was nearly a head taller than you. Oi, did you grow some over the summer, too? You feel taller."

"Maybe."

Her friend studied her features closely, sensing Lily didn't feel much in the social mood at the moment. The two fell silent as they walked the rest of the way to the hospital wing.

"Miss Evans!" Pomfrey greeted with delight, then frowned as Marlene helped Lily through the doorway. "I see this isn't a social visit."

"Afraid not, Madam Pomfrey," Lily said sheepishly. "Sprained my ankle last night."

"Haven't brewed any Wound-healing potions yet?" Pomfrey asked slyly, already heading towards the tall cabinet at the back of the large room.

"Not yet," she confirmed bashfully. She hopped onto an empty bed and Marlene jumped to sit beside her, leaning back into the pillows as she swung her legs onto Lily's lap, who promptly shoved them off.

They listened to the sounds of Pomfrey searching through the cupboard, bottles clinking and echoing in the empty room.

Lily studied the empty beds around them and released a low sigh.

"What's up?" Marlene asked, poking at her hip with her shoe.

"It's hard to imagine that we only have two years left. No 'quick visit to the infirmary' for a quick pepper-up or papercut. We'll be kicked out on our own with no easy access to the Hospital Wing…"

"Way to kill the vibe," Marlene teased, but glanced about them with new eyes as she hummed in thought. "Pomfrey's pain potions do wonders for cramps. I'll have to have her stockpile them for me. Or hell, have her teach you."

Lily chuckled. "I'll have to learn for myself. I'll sell you one, a galleon per bottle."

"I'd take it," Marlene insisted seriously.

"Here we go!" Pomfrey called, adjusting her askew healer's cap. "One wound-healing potion to-go."

"Thanks so much, Madam," Lily replied sincerely, accepting the glass potion. "I'm sure I'll be back for more soon."

"It's alright, dear. I was going to have you come by sooner than later; Professor Sprout had some Yew Marigold harvest successfully over the summer. They've got quite the healing properties, you know."

"I'd love to help," she said genuinely. "I think I read about them last year – in Herb or Deturb, wasn't it?"

"Yes!" Pomfrey said pleased. "I leant it to Mr. Snape last year. You must've read it with him. I haven't seen him yet this term, actually. Was he going to stop by?"

"Oh," Lily said, mouth suddenly dry. She could feel Marlene's eyes on her, waiting for her response. "I haven't talked to him much. I'm sure he'll be by to help with some potions."

"I am hoping! You two are my lifesavers. Now, I'm sure you know this; but knock this back –" she pointed to the bottle in Lily's hand – "and then get up to the Great Hall for breakfast quickly. This'll make you nauseous on an empty stomach."

"Right."

"And then come back by lunch if the sprain is still bothering you."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, but will stop by if it's still aching."

"Of course, Miss Evans," Pomfrey smiled. "But I always appreciate the visit." She turned and left the girls alone, leaving to go wash up the utensils she had used to pour the individual potion.

"You okay?" Marlene asked quietly.

"Fine," she said in an even tone and then quickly knocked back the potion. "Ergh, I forget how much this tastes like lemon."

"Fresh," Marlene commented, sniffing at the content's left over in the bottle. "A little zesty."

"Not my favorite. Shall we go get some breakfast?"

Marlene looked as if she wanted to say something, but shrugged instead. "Let's go. This has made me even more hungry."

When they got there, Emmeline waved them over as soon as they entered through the Great Hall doors.

"McGonagall hasn't passed out the schedules yet," she announced as the two 6th years took a seat opposite her.

"Where's Dorcas?"

"At the Ravenclaw table," Emmeline responded with a sly smile.

Lily and Marlene looked over simultaneously to catch sight of their friend sitting beside another 7th year girl, a pretty brunette who was currently laughing at one of Dorcas's jokes.

"Olivia? Really?" Marlene looked disappointed. "Didn't she break her heart last year?"

"I think it was mutual," Lily answered, smiling as she watched Dorcas flirt, hard. "Olivia was good for her."

"Until she wasn't," Emmeline countered, focusing on gathering food onto her plate. "I think it ended because Olivia ended up going out with that Slytherin bloke?"

Lily thought back, memories shuffling through the chaos of times outside of studying for O.W.L.S.. "Oh, that's right!" she sighed. Disheartened, she turned her back and reached for a cup of juice and a slice of toast. "I just remember Dorcas being really happy when they first got together."

Emmeline nodded empathetically. "She was, absolutely. Oh here, she's coming back."

"Hello, morning," the 7th Year blonde greeted with a wide smile, sliding into the open seat beside Lily. "How's the ankle?"

"Great," she declared, stretching it and rolling it without any difficulty. "Pomfrey's potions are ace, per usual."

"How's Olivia?" Marlene chimed in with an impish smile.

Dorcas's smile was unwavering. "Great. Her and her family took a trip to Italy this summer. She's got a gorgeous tan. Couldn't wait to show it off to everyone. Pass the muffins?"

Emmeline passed them over as Lily took a moment to survey the rest of the Gryffindor table while the others continued to chat.

It was depressing seeing it less full than the previous year. When she had taken her seat at the Welcome Feast, she'd assumed nearly half the students had been left behind at the Hogsmeade platform.

Dumbledore had even addressed it in his speech. ("Though there may be fewer souls here," he had acknowledged, "you shall never truly be alone at Hogwarts.")

The students who hadn't noticed the lower volume of students certainly did then. The Hufflepuff table seemed to have the least amount of witches and wizards, followed by Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and then Slytherin.

It hadn't been noticeable on the train in such close quarters, but Lily now knew why their fellow two dormmates, (Marie and Helen, also Muggle-born) couldn't be found in any of the compartments. Alice, Lily and Marlene were the only girls left in the 6th year class, while the four boys remained (Remus, Pettigrew, Black, and Potter). Only Emmeline and Dorcas were the two girls left in the 7th Year Gryffindors, along with four 7th Year boys (one of which was Frank).

There were even fewer 1st Years to be sorted. And while everyone was happy to return, it took nearly to dessert for the tension among the tables to lessen.

"Here comes McGonagall," Marlene murmured, catching Lily's attention as the professor moved closer, passing out schedules as she walked between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

"Ladies," the older woman greeted, waving her wand to distribute the girls' respective schedules. "Will Miss Prewitt be joining you soon?"

Lily glanced down the table where Alice occasionally joined Frank with the other 7th Year boys, but didn't see her. She checked the Hufflepuff table, where she knew Frank had some friends, as well.

"Alice must be coming down soon," she answered the professor, glancing towards the doors as if she were going to appear. "I could pass along her schedule if you'd like, Professor?"

"That would be greatly appreciated, Miss Evans," the older woman said with a rare smile. "I look forward to seeing you in Transfiguration."

She accepted the parchment with Alice's name printed on top, returning the smile. "Likewise, Professor."

The four watched as McGonagall continued further down the table, her wand flicking in the air soundlessly.

"Funny. She mentioned she'd be willing to grab my schedule last night."

"Think her and Frank are still on their walk?" Marlene mused.

"I'm sure they are," Dorcas replied with an implicating tone, then groaned as she skimmed her printed schedule. "Divination, Monday and Wednesday mornings at half past seven. Why'd I pick that?"

"Because it was an easy elective," Emmeline replied unsympathetically.

"Right. What've you got this morning?"

"Advanced Placement Charms," Emmeline smiled, showing her schedule. "Potions right after."

"I've got AP Charms this morning, too," Lily said excitedly.

"Flitwick let you accelerate?" Marlene asked curiously.

"I had asked him at the end of last year, but I didn't think he'd let me…"

"This is brilliant!" Emmeline said excitedly as she laid out her schedule in front of her. "I'll have a study partner this year."

Dorcas scoffed. "What was I last year?"

"Unhelpful."

Marlene whined. "Who will be my study partner?"

"Alice has the same block for charms. Says here. Maybe she'll take pity on you," Lily teased.

"Speak of the devil," Emmeline sang. They all looked towards the Great Hall's doors to see Frank and Alice enter together, holding hands. It was a bit obvious Alice's short hair had been a little mussed. Her cheeks were pink.

"Some walk," Dorcas said wryly in a quiet murmur as they came closer.

"Good morning," Frank greeted, releasing Alice's hand and helping her into her seat on the bench.

"Hello, Frank," Lily replied with a warm smile. "Lovely morning, isn't it?"

"It is," he said with a happy smile with only the smallest tinge of embarrassment at Lily's teasing tone. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Alice's cheek. "I'm going to go sit with Danvers," he said as a way of departure. "He wanted to tell me about his summer holiday."

"You might want to check with McGonagall, she's already passed out schedules," Lily told him. "Alice, here's yours."

"Thanks, Lily. Al, I'll see you at lunch? Maybe we'll have a class together?"

"Fingers crossed," Alice quipped. "See you later, babe."

Marlene waited till Frank was out of hearing range. "Babe? I think I may absolutely retch."

"Shut it," Alice warned, studiously scanning her schedule. "Herbology this morning, then Defense. Not bad! What're your guys' schedules this year? Anything good?"

The group spent a few moments swapping and reading each other's schedules.

"Oof, your Mondays look brutal, Lily," Alice sympathized. "We've got Defense second, then you've got Runes. You've got a lot of Advanced classes here…"

She shrugged noncommittally. "I'm not envious of your Wednesday/Friday schedule. Two hour Arithmancy and then History? Your brain might implode."

"We'll I'm pleased. Lily, Alice and I have History, Defense, and Care of Magical Creatures together. Em, Dorcas; do you have anything together?"

Dorcas pulled Emmeline's schedule back towards her and traced the blocks. "7th year Runes, Herbology, Transfiguration and Potions!"

"It seems like we're all pretty happy this year, yeah?" Marlene declared smugly. "So now that we have that out of the way…"

"…when's the next Game?" Dorcas finished with a sly smile. "I'm free tonight."

The rest of the girls scoffed.

"I'm going to pass out right after dinner," Alice insisted. "We've already tried two games in a row and it nearly killed us. Remember when Marlene fell asleep in her potion during class?"

Lily snorted into her hand. "Your face was stained orange for weeks."

Marlene groaned in memory. "James nearly kicked me off the team – I looked like I was a groupie for the Cannons. And Peeves! He chucked a tangerine at me every time he saw me. Where the bloody hell do you even get a tangerine around here?"

Dorcas laughed so hard she was near crying. "Oh, Merlin, I forgot about that. That was amazing!"

Marlene grumbled, glaring at the older blonde. "Let's get serious… how about Thursday?"

"In," Alice said immediately.

"In," Dorcas and Emmeline chimed in.

"I've got patrols," Lily said cautiously, wincing at the rise of groans. "Sh, sh! But I'm in. You know I'm in."

"Brilliant!" Marlene sang, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"Thursday at midnight, then," she confirmed.

"On that amazingly happy note, I'm going to head up and grab my bag and books," Alice announced. "I'll see you guys at lunch?"

"Here, I'll join you," Emmeline said, standing with her. "Dorcas, want me to grab you books for you?"

"Nah, I'll go, too."

Marlene and Lily waved as the three departed, Marlene surreptitiously glancing around them before leaning in. "So… you don't think we should worry about those blokes?"

"Probably should," Lily said honestly. "But really, what are the chances of running into them a second time?"

"Right?" Marlene nodded. "Like, it's never happened before. I'm not going to worry."

"We shouldn't," she agreed, plucking another piece of toast up to chew on. "And we would've heard an announcement from McGonagall by now, if they had told on us."

"Exactly."

"Anyways, you've been practicing Obliviate, right?"

"Lily," Marlene guffawed in shock. "Is that a joke this early in the morning?"

She grinned, shrugged nonchalantly. "It's been known to happen."

Her attention was pulled away involuntarily by a burst of rambunctious laughter further down the table.

At the center of it, Sirius Black appeared to be re-telling a dramatic story, gesturing wildly about to emphasize the (she's sure) chaotic happenings within the tale. Her eyes followed his moments, taking in his mannerisms as he enunciated the words of his story, simultaneously confident and unconcerned with disturbing those around him.

Lily had always favored herself as an observer of those around her. Cognizant of others' emotions and reactions.

Black had always been someone she was wary of since she had met him in 1st Year, right before the sorting ceremony. He'd been trying to use a levitating spell to hover a spider over Marie Costenau's head, dangling the arachnid inches above the witch's hat. Lily had been impressed (she'd seen very little magic before that moment) but then James Potter had stumbled into him. The two boys laughed when the spider instead flew into Marie's face.

And so Lily had done her best to avoid the two of them and learned very quickly that Sirius was not to be truffled with. He constantly came across as someone who appeared not to care about others' thoughts or judgment – a characteristic Lily felt could make someone dangerous.

There had always been a subtle meanness to him, she thought, as if he could be quick to anger when and if necessary. Not that she had witnessed it often (or ever, really), especially when he was near his friends.

Especially when Remus, her fellow Prefect, was seated beside him, just as he was now, listening attentively with a tired interest. Not necessarily tired of Black, she knew, but just as if he was ready to fall asleep at any moment's time. Something she noticed quite often during their patrols together.

Peter Pettigrew sat on the other side of Remus, hanging onto every word.

Her eyes were automatically drawn to Potter's figure as Black pulled him into sharing his side of the story, heavily slapping a hand onto the other's shoulder. She would've expected Potter to bowl under the weight, but his broad shoulders barely shifted.

Potter had similar mannerisms to Black, she noticed. As if they were brothers who spent too much time together.

She'd heard the rumors, of course, that Black had spent the summers at the Potters' due to family issues, but wasn't that what friends did anyways? Lily couldn't count how many times Marlene had spent weekends at her house the past summers.

The two boys even looked somewhat similar; both of them had grown their hair out longer over the summer, Black's sweeping and gossamer, while Potter's messy curls hung low over his eyes.

Black asked Potter a question and she watched as his smile suddenly turned genuine – something he was wont to do often.

Marlene's baseline, for example, defaulted to humor – often – as a response to many situations, whether they were difficult or not. She tried her best to never take anything too seriously. Dorcas was similar, in that respect. A heavy flirt with a light heart. Sometimes a bit dodgy.

Emmeline was a natural loner; having three younger sisters (two in 3rd Year, the other two at home) but her reactions were always honest. She didn't spend much time with them as a group, but when she did, it was because she wanted to.

Alice was stubborn – sweet, but stubborn. Second Year, when Lily had been bullied by a Slytherin (a year above them), Alice took it upon herself to escort Lily to all of her classes and glare as appropriate whenever the bully came into view. Alice still glared at Talia, to this day.

Lily's observational skills are what made her a great Prefect, she was sure. It was easy to spot a struggling student – whether the cause was schoolwork or personal, she didn't mind digging deeper to help.

Which is why Potter had always caught her interest – he never seemed to have issues with anything.

Schoolwork, friendships, anything.

Even when he jokingly asked her out and she turned him down – harshly sometimes, when his smile would turn a bit too teasing, an obvious show for the crowd around them. Even when she called out him for his useless pranks and jokes on other students that he played with his mates.

The genuine smile on his face at the current moment was almost always there – and it struck her then, how striking it truly seemed at just that moment, evoked by being surrounded by his friends. Him, at the center of attention with Black, in his element.

Lips curved so wide, nearly his whole front row of his teeth were showing.

It was always a bitter realization whenever she noticed he had never seemed to direct it towards her. Beyond the cocky smirks and looks.

Not that it bothered her directly, Lily thought briskly. Just an observation.

Barring the whole tragic occurrence after The O.W.L.s last year, her interactions with him barely went beyond any forced partnered school work or conversations based on being the messenger ('Can you tell McKinnon we have practice tonight?' Or a 'Will you tell Remus to meet me for patrols at the portrait?')

Or worse, him acting out in order to get everyone's attention. How many times had she needed to take points because of a jinx or rogue hex on a younger student? He rarely seemed to understand - or worse, not notice - the psychological damage his bully words or actions would do.

Which is why it was easy to turn him down, or ward off his random advances – because it felt obvious he had felt no genuine warmth towards her. And maybe, just like her, he enjoyed the chase of the game.

As if sensing her gaze, Potter's head swung towards her, catching her eye.

She quickly let her gaze drop to the contents of her plate, working to appear indifferent, as if she'd only been looking around the Great Hall and he happened to look up at the same time.

Right. Exactly.

"Lily?" Marlene's voice cut through her thoughts. "Hello. Are you there? We need to get going."

She jerked, catching sight of her friend's exasperated look. "Oh, right, yes," she fumbled, moving to stand from her seat.

Chancing a glance back towards the 6th year boys, her eyes caught Potter's again disconcertingly. He did not smirk, as she expected, but he didn't quite react either.

"Come on," Marlene said impatiently.

Unsettled, Lily was the one to again break eye contact. She followed after her friends and refused to look back again.

Filing into the Charms classroom was a bit like walking into your home; it felt wonderfully comforting. Lily hugged her book tight to her chest as she took her place beside Emmeline.

"I'm very excited for this class," she admitted, laying out the rest of her things on the table. "I'm still surprised Flitwick added me to the roster."

"Please," Emmeline snorted. "As if you don't just create charm spells on your own?"

"Think what I could do learning more charm theory, eh?" she smirked in response.

"Got plans for the Game?" Emmeline asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Maybe," she teased, opening her notebook to a clean page. It was nearly full; but she liked to keep her notebooks till they were crammed, categorized by subject. This particular notebook went as far back as the end of 4th year.

And it wasn't that Lily was a very diligent student (her grades in Divination had been horrid, Astronomy not any better – Transfiguration was nearly a lost cause, which is why she still wasn't sure about Advanced Transfiguration), it was that she thrived in this environment.

The magic (literally and figuratively) of Hogwarts had yet to fade.

She could make her shoes dance by themselves. She could change the color of her hair with a swipe of her wand. She could make a flower grow exponentially fast by twisting her wand in a special way. Sometimes even without.

Whether it was her enthusiasm for charms themselves, or if she was just a natural for wand casting, it certainly was never hard to do the work in class.

"Good morning, class!" Flitwick cajoled.

The classroom responded in various levels of enthusiasm.

"I hope you're all excited for this year's curriculum – and hopefully you've had a chance to read over the syllabus."

The students grabbed their own parchments obediently.

"We'll begin by reviewing variations of the summoning and disillusionment charm, as the two have the same core vernacular terminology – and be prepared for nonverbal practice, students!"

"Is summoning your opponent allowed in the Game?" Emmeline asked under her breath.

Lily snorted, failing to cover the sound with her hand in time.

"Miss Evans?"

"Sorry, sir. Had to clear my throat."

"No questions?"

"No, sir," she assured.

He turned back to the board and raised his wand to charm-write on it, continuing the lesson. Lily turned to glare at Emmeline, before the two girls dissolved into silent giggles.

Flitwick remained none the wiser.

Yes. Charms was definitely one of her favorite classes.

When he released them at the end of class before the trill that signaled the end, he clapped his hands together once to gather everyone's attention.

"Look forward to the rest of the year! And start thinking of your end of year project!" He hobbled off of his stand, moving to get the few students who approached his desk with questions

"Any ideas on that?" Emmeline asked as she collected her things.

"If only we could present the Game as our project," Lily said slyly. "I'm sure we'd get an O."

Her friend smirked. "If only."

"I'll see you at lunch? I've got to get across the floor to Defense."

"Definitely. Good luck!"

Lily took off at a brisk walk, because despite the charms classroom being on the third floor, Defense Against the Dark Arts was situated in a classroom on the other side of the castle.

When she came to the threshold of the classroom, it seemed she was nearly one of the last students to arrive. She caught sight of Marlene at a table with an empty seat near the windows.

"This for me?" she asked, out of breath.

"Nope," Marlene replied without looking up from her book. "It's saved for a certain gobby redhead. You haven't seen her, have you?"

"Nope. Guess I'll just take her seat." She slid into the chair, careful to make sure to jostle the table to annoy Marlene.

"Oi," she complained, turning to faux glare. "Don't make me kick you out of that spot."

"Sorry," Lily said, not sounding apologetic as she caught her breath.

"Did you run here?"

"Nearly," she huffed, pulling her book and notebook out of her bag. "I don't think I've ever had Charms and Defense in the same day."

She glanced about, taking in the full seats of the classroom. "Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. That's lucky."

Alice was sitting a few tables behind her and Marlene's spot, while the four other Gryffindor boys sat in the opposite corner. Among the tables, she spotted Abbott and Gregors, two of her fellow Prefects.

"Yeah it is. Imagine another year with Slytherin."

She did not, in fact, want to imagine that. Instead, she asked, "How was…?"

"Muggle Studies," Marlene supplied. "And not a good class to have on a Monday morning after a late night."

"Ouch," she sympathized. "Not sure why you still take that class…"

"... when I have you? I know, I know," Marlene chuckled. "The same reason Dorcas takes divination. Easy credit."

"Of course. So what do we know about this new professor?"

Marlene shrugged. "Not much. A lot of rumors. Apparently he studied with Moody, the Auror who visited the 7th Years last year?"

"Yikes. Did you say 'with'? He must've been an Auror for some years then, right?"

"The only other thing I heard was that Dumbledore actually offered Moody the position first, but he turned it down. Someone from the ministry suggested this bloke. 'Suggested', a loose term. Dumbledore didn't have much of a choice. Donaghy, right?"

"Donahue," Lily corrected. "Clearly you were distracted during the Welcome Feast."

The class fell silent as the door to the professor's office slammed open to reveal the wizard himself. While she had seen him at the professor's table that first night they returned, it wasn't close enough to get a good look.

Maybe mid-forties, she guessed. Close cropped hair with a beard much shorter than Dumbledore's. Unremarkable in looks, nondescript overall. Probably an advantage as an Auror.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said, voice gruff. As he descended the stairs and moved closer to the students, Lily noticed his face and neck was riddled with scars. He glanced down at the parchment in his hand. "6th Years."

"Oof," Marlene said under her breath.

Lily was still studying him, catching his mannerisms. Nervous, obviously. His jaw clenched in time with his blinks. He cleared his throat.

"It took quite some time to go through all of your past year's curriculums. It's very obvious your previous professors have stuck to the school board approved syllabi, which, while sensible, is safe..."

Marlene and Lily caught each other's eye, brows raised in intrigue.

"And while theory is important to understand spellwork and casting, Constant Vigilance, as my previous coworker would stress, is vital in your survival as a wizard." He set the parchment onto the desk at the front of the room. "Can anyone tell me the strongest defense spell you learned last year?"

There was the sound of rustling as the students turned to look at each other, waiting to see who would answer. It was Pettigrew who was surprisingly the one to raise his hand.

"Salvio Hexia," he answered. "Sir."

"The deflection spell. A good one to have in your arsenal. And the strongest offensive spell?"

Peter shrugged after struggling a moment, unable to answer.

The Professor hummed. "I guess this is called Defense Against the Dark Arts. Can you tell me what ensures a strong spell?"

Hunter, the Hufflepuff who sat beside Alice, raised her hand this time. "The wand movement, sir."

Donahue was nodding in response. "Acceptable answer. What else?"

"Pronunciation," Black called from the back, tone derisive. "Pronunciation is key."

When Lily glanced towards him where he sat beside Potter, he was wearing an impudently confident smirk.

"Is that so," Donahue looked down at the paper. "Mr…?

"Black," Black answered blaise.

"A Black," the professor said with interest. "Related to Pollux?"

Black's face turned sour quickly. "Grandfather, sir."

"Noted," Donahue said in a tone that sounded pleased. He looked at the rest of the class. "What else can guarantee a strong spell?"

More awkward glances as the students remained silent. And maybe more out of the need to ease the uncomfortable silence, Lily raised her own hand.

"Yes, Miss…?"

"Evans," she supplied.

"Evans… any relation to Thorne?"

"No, sir."

"Deirdre?"

"No, sir," she said, the corners of her mouth pulling down.

He obviously seemed to track familial connections, not unlike Slughorn himself. It wasn't necessarily an issue… Maybe he'd collect the 'star students' just as the potions master did.

"I'm muggle-born, Professor," she answered before he asked.

Opposite of Slughorn's reaction, Donahue's expression revealed a hint of displeasure before quickly smoothing over to a neutral look.

Lily's own expression, in a manner similar to Black, turned sour.

"And your answer to the question, Miss Evans?"

"The caster's intent, sir."

Almost begrudgingly, he looked pleased with the answer. "Correct."

He swooped towards the rolling chalkboard and with his wand, cast to write on the board.

Movement

Pronunciation

Intention

He circled the word 'Intention' twice.

"As 6th Years, you are not required to take this course. And so it is your intention that needs to be focused here. If you're intending to go into a career that relies on Defense magic, your attention must remain a priority. As intention, or lack thereof, can result in a catastrophic result, I will not tolerate neglectful or unreadied behaviors."

Black's hand raised from the back, expression now solemn. "But sir, I actually wanted to work in the Hogsmeade shoppes. I think you need plenty of skill to ward off any pinchers."

"If you'd like to sit in the corridor, you are more than welcome to, Mr. Black. I will not tolerate anything but a serious attitude."

"But Professor," Potter cut in a sincere tone, which had Lily's eyes already rolling. "He's always serious. Do you know the crime rate in Hogsmeade? Very distressing."

Potter, she had noticed many times before, carried the incredible ability to say absolutely anything with a stoic and sincere expression, even when it was obviously a joke. This skill had always invoked a feeling of envy within her, something she would never say out loud willingly.

"Jesus," Lily murmured under her breath, catching Marlene's eye. The two girls fought to hide their smiles.

The older man eyed the two guardedly. Admirably, both boys' expressions remained passive, not giving way to the laughter Lily knew they were holding back.

Donahue's look soon morphed into a glare, unable to break the two. "Evidently, you all need more discipline. Turn your books to page one and begin reading. I want notes on the first five chapters."

"Sir," Potter said. "Page one is the book's index. Would you prefer more of an outline style or an essay approach for our notes?"

Lily could hear Remus groan under his breath from the nearby table.

Donahue raised his wand and nonverbally spelled all of the students' books to slam open to page one. "Essay," he snarled. "Work in silence."

Impressed by the concentration needed to cast a spell to have all of their books to the right page, but concerned by the man's quick-temper, Lily caught Marlene's eye. They both shared a disconcerted look, but grabbed their inkwells and quills, doing as told to avoid further upsetting the Professor.

With her head down, Lily risked a glance every so often to catch sight of the professors' scowl before she returned her gaze back to the pages in front of her.

Only once did she peek over at the boys' tables, and as expected, they looked particularly pleased with themselves. She almost couldn't blame them.

So far, Donahue was not making a good impression.

Initially, after hearing he had been an Auror, she had been intrigued. Disappointedly, he did not seem the role model she had been looking forward to. He certainly left a bad taste in her mouth as she re-examined their first interaction with him.

"Twenty-two pages of bloody notes!" Marlene fumed later, shaking her hand out.

Donahue had sat in silence the rest of the class, watching the students with a dour expression on his face. When the end-of-class trill sounded, he jumped up and retreated to his office without a word.

Marlene was angrily shoving her things into her bookbag. "If he's going to do that every class because of a few barbs from students, I'm going to Dumbledore myself."

Lily snorted, less aggressively putting her things away. "I'll go with you. Did he seem a bit…"

"Racist? Yeah, he did," Marlene affirmed. "I mean, he could have just been asking – but did you see his face after you said you were Muggle-born? Like, what the fuck is that."

Unhappily, Lily shouldered her bag, shoving her chair in with less care she would have normally. She waved to Alice as the girl left the room with her other friend. "I guess we'll have to see how the rest of the term goes."

"I swear, if I have to sit another hour wasting time writing notes…"

"You just hate taking notes, period."

"I do," Marlene grunted, leading them out of the classroom. "They're bloody useless."

"They are, the way you write them."

"Don't be a slag."

"Just being honest," she teased. "Haven't we already talked about this?"

"You could just write them for me."

Lily snorted. "Yeah, right. You didn't say the magic word."

"Right. Please help me with notes?"

"No."

"I'll do your clothing washing for the next month."

"The house elves already do that."

"I'll get you a galleon's worth of chocolate."

"Is that a bribe?"

"Come on, Lily, be a lass."

"Come on, Marlene, be a lass."

"Bet. 50 points. You have to share your notes."

Lily's steps faltered. "What?"

"If I beat you by fifty points, I get to copy your notes."

She scoffed. "As if!"

"What, scared you'll lose?"

"No. As if you'd get fifty points ahead of me," she said as the girls arrived at the set of main staircases. "I don't think you've ever achieved that."

The landing they had come upon had no accessible staircase at the moment. It was currently swinging itself catty-corner from their landing, slowly making its way back around.

"Now you're just bragging," Marlene said snippily. "If you're too afraid I'd get the lead on you, it's fine. I'll suffer having to write notes."

"Yes, you will," Lily agreed, brushing off the jab as she leaned against the railing. She checked her nails, glancing at Marlene from the corner of her eye.

Marlene broke first in the tense silence. "Ugh, come on! At least every other class. Please?"

Lily laughed. "I cannot, under good conscience, let you copy my notes as a result of defiling the point system. Do you know how hard I worked on that?"

"Defile?" Marlene laughed. "What're you, born in the 17th century?"

"Better than –"

"Who's defiling what now?"

The girls jumped, only just then noticing the four boys behind them as they, too, waited for the staircase to connect with the landing.

It was Potter that had spoken, staring down at the two girls with an amused, curious expression.

Black leaned against the railing opposite of Lily, smirk firmly in place. "If there's defilement happening, I should be aware."

For a brief moment, Lily felt pure panic rush through her – the boys heard them talking about the Game – and by looking at Marlene's face, knew her friend felt the same.

There was an awkward moment as their male counterparts looked at the frozen expressions of the two girls. Lily felt her face flush.

"I didn't think you took the point system that seriously, Lily," Remus cut in over Potter's shoulder, trying to break the tense silence. "Or I would've been more careful taking points from this lot for doing dumb stuff."

"Oh, my God," she blurted. Her gaze swung back to Marlene's. "Right. Points. From Houses. For breaking rules."

Marlene let out a garbled laugh. "Yes, yeah, Lily, because you take your job seriously. About rule breaking."

"Right. Totally. Yes, those points."

"Yes…" Remus enunciated slowly.

"You lot gunna go?" Peter asked, pointing behind them towards the staircase that had finally arrived.

"Yes." She stumbled, pulling Marlene down the steps beside her. The boys followed close behind.

"So what do you guys think about Donahue?" Black carried on, loud enough to show an obvious invite to the conversation for the girls.

"Unimpressed," Marlene said immediately, the first of the two girls to recover.

"I heard he's from the Rowle family, one of the old ones? But he seems a bit of a tosser," Peter replied definitively.

"Well said, Pete," Black laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I decline to comment," Remus said. "But I have to say I'm not looking forward to next class."

"Me neither," Lily murmured.

"Not sure where Dumbledore found this bloke," Potter said. "Bit of a purist, wasn't he?"

Marlene glanced over her shoulder. "Heard he was an applicant endorsed by the ministry."

"Surprise, surprise," Black said loftily, skipping a step to land at the bottom of the stairs with a loud thump. "Come on, chaps, let's get lunch."

She watched as the four moved ahead of them, watching with mild curiosity as Potter's steps slowed. Curious, Lily observed as he stopped and turned, seeming to struggle for a moment to figure out what to say.

"Yes?" she asked, more short than she had intended.

His hand went to his hair to sweep his fingers through the curls. "I wondered if –"

"No," she said tiredly, interrupting him before he could finish.

Surprisingly, his brow furrowed, as if offended, before his features smoothed over into a neutral expression.

"I wondered if your ankle ended up being alright this morning," he clarified in a cool tone.

"Oh," Lily said, flushing immediately. "It's – I'm fine. Thank you."

He nodded tightly, once, and then turned on his heel to rejoin his friends who had been waiting for him.

"Ouch," Marlene noted once the boys had continued on.

"Shut it," she said shamefully

"Kind of harsh there, weren't you?"

"Mar," she sighed half heartedly. "Let's just go get lunch."

And the two became quiet as Lily made sure they fell much further behind the boys on the way to the Great Hall.

Call it a post-traumatic response from their last fallout; Was it truly her fault she'd had nightmares of the fiasco that had occurred under the willow tree by the lake?

Emmeline and Dorcas were seated in the normal spots, plates full.

"Salad?" Dorcas offered, holding it out once Lily had taken the seat beside her.

"Sure," she answered, accepting it and dishing out some onto her plate. "Pass the poultry?"

"How was Defense? Did you make it on time?" Emmeline asked.

"Barely," Lily smiled weakly.

"Donahue's a wanker," Marlene said plainly. "A total purist."

The girls gasped.

"What?" Emmeline asked, shocked. "How so?"

"He asked a few of us about relatives, I said I was a muggle-born."

"And he got this tetchy look on his face," Marlene added.

"What the hell?" Dorcas demanded. "Why would Dumbledore hire someone like that?"

"It's hard to avoid," Lily shrugged, and though the idea of someone discriminatory in power angered her, she was used to it at this point, having been in the Wizarding world for a few years.

"Bollocks," Dorcas spat.

"He hasn't actually done anything yet."

"Yeah, we'll see," Marlene grumbled, chewing around her sandwich.

Lily sighed, focusing on her salad and reached to grab a piece of bread. "At least Charms was good."

Dorcas began to tell them of her classes this morning – Theresa Howell, from Ravenclaw, in Divination had a 'vision' that foretold a great horror in the coming years. When pressed on specifics, the girl 'fainted' from the exhaustion.

"Like, hello? Aren't we already aware of the attacks occurring?" Dorcas said derisively. "She just wants the extra credit."

Lily tuned out, knowing how long winded Dorcas could be when retelling her experiences, and took another bite of her salad despite not feeling very hungry. As per her customary habit, she looked up to scan the tables to watch the students chat and eat.

Involuntarily, her eyes met the eyes of the one person she had been doing her best to avoid.

Severus.

He was sitting alone, at the end of the Slytherin table nearest to the door, placed there to escape quickly if he needed to. She had known of this habit since before they had come to Hogwarts, and was made even more aware of it once they started taking classes together. He'd always managed to be one of the first out of classrooms.

He seemed startled to have met her gaze, as if he hadn't expected her to return it. This did not surprise her.

He had made several attempts to speak to her over the summer, all failed. She knew he wanted to apologize and mend their broken friendship, most likely out of desperation for a friend, but she refused.

Even her mum (the amazing woman she was) turned him away whenever he came to the door, sharply telling him Lily didn't want to speak to him.

Stomach now soured, she dropped her gaze quickly back onto her plate, stabbing into the crunchy greens, but unable to bring them to her lips.

"You okay?" Marlene asked quietly, having witnessed the sharp jab against the plate (it also made quite a loud noise).

"Yes," Lily responded tiredly. "I think the late night is just hitting me. Maybe I'll head up to the dormitory for a quick kip."

"Sure. Find me after your next class?"

"I will," she promised. She collected her bag and left from the Great Hall.