And just like that, it was Thursday.
"It's Game Day," Marlene sang as she woke, startling Lily as she slipped into her shoes after showering. Marlene tore off the covers of her bed and ran into the bathroom.
And it was, Lily realized with a start, her stomach filled with a tense hum of excitement. This felt like the distraction she needed.
While Alice and she waited patiently for Marlene to get ready, Alice came over to sit beside her on her bed. "Everything okay?"
Lily nodded. "Just a long series of days, you know?"
Alice nodded in understanding. "It's still mad to think about how we're 6th Years. With everything going on…"
"It is mad," she agreed.
"Alright! Enough gabbing. Let's grab breakfast. We need our strength for the day!" Marlene called, slamming open the door, dressed and ready for the day. The three left for breakfast together, skipping down the stairs in excitement as they went, drawing attention at their enthusiastic whispering and laughter.
The Great Hall was near empty as they entered, but Lily spotted Emmeline and Dorcas sitting at their normal spots, who waved them over excitedly.
"Are you ready for tonight?" asked Marlene, excessively eager as she jumped into her spot at the bench.
"For that study session for Potions, you mean?" Lily inserted hastily, smiling pointedly at a passing (suspiciously curious) Hufflepuff, watching him until he was out of ear shot. She grinned widely. "Abso-bloody-lutely."
"I studied all year for it," Dorcas teased, passing Emmeline a piece of toast. "Is it midnight yet?"
"Not quite," Alice answered, taking a large bite out of a biscuit. "We've got about sixteen hours to go."
The girls groaned collectively. Marlene dropped a piece of bacon bitterly. "Thanks for the reminder."
Lily chuckled. "Quit it, you gits. The day will pass quickly."
"Sure it will."
She ate fast, hoping to meet Slughorn early before class to discuss the apprenticeship program she had failed to ask him about previously.
Which brought her to the doorway of the dungeons, suddenly not quite feeling up to Potions this morning. She'd caught sight of Slughorn easily, but found the classroom was nearly empty, save for one seat at the front of the class.
Severus.
Professor Slughorn was speaking to him in a low voice, piquing Lily's curiosity. But she abstained, not wanting to be rude and knocked on the doorframe to announce her presence.
"Miss Evans!" said Slughorn happily, immediately motioning her forward.
Snape's back stiffened.
She strode forward at Slughorn's insistence. "Professor, I was hoping to talk to you in private."
"Of course, my dear. Follow me, then," he said, leading her towards his office.
"I wanted to inquire about the apprenticeship program, sir," Lily said, once she'd closed the door shut behind her. "I was hoping there was still a place open?"
Slughorn looked mighty pleased, settling into his seat. "There is," he acknowledged conspiratorially. "The due date for submission is September 30th."
She smiled in relief, glad to hear that the due date had not yet passed. "I would like to submit my name, sir. Is there anything additional that I need to do to prepare?"
He chuckled. "Of course, I knew you'd wish to enlist for the position. I've already put together the paperwork to submit your information, Lily. You just need to include a proposal with an essay. It'll be the project you'll work on concurrently with the apprenticeship."
"That's brilliant," she replied sincerely.
He shuffled around to pull the paperwork from a desk drawer, revealing a rather thick stack of parchment. He laid it out in front of her for her to collect, smile dimming as he cleared his throat. "Yes, brilliant, Miss Evan, it is."
"Sir?" she asked, carefully putting the packet into her bag. "Is there something else?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "In the spirit of transparency, I need to let you know that there is only one spot open per year. And that someone –"
She was unsurprised. "Severus submitted his name, as well."
Slughorn nodded empathically, but was quick to smooth the situation. "He provided his paperwork earlier this past week, but as you know, the program's requisites are changing every day. You never know what will happen or who they might be interested in."
"Of course," she said. "Thank you, sir. I'll fill out the required information and provide it as soon as possible."
"Thank you, my dear," he said, opening the door for her back into the classroom.
Slughorn shepherded her to the same spot as before, the empty seat beside Severus and returned to his desk at the front, fiddling with ingredients and his cauldron.
Severus, surprisingly, was smart enough not to speak.
It was at least ten minutes of awkward silence before the classroom was full.
"Draught of Living Death," Slughorn began, once they'd all sat down.
Lily kept her head down, diligently taking notes and writing down the properties of each ingredient and their functions. Though they were to work as partners, she adamantly ignored Snape, working out of her own cauldron to brew the potion, completing the mixture as quickly as possible.
She turned the vial into the professor in record time, smiling politely as he beamed down at her, using her as an example to show that yes, diligence, hard work, and passion are all key to success.
She took comfort in knowing she would receive a higher score than Snape.
To avoid her assigned seat, she employed herself to organize the ingredients closet at the back of the room, ordering them by property first, alphabetizing them one by one.
With no great surprise, Slughorn released the class early (Lily had taken it upon herself to offer advice to students as they came back to retrieve ingredients. A lone Hufflepuff, who had signed up for the AP class, nearly hugged her with relief. Black and Potter's cauldron had almost exploded if she had not intervened).
Her luck had even continued on into Defense Against the Dark Arts, as class had been cut short when a Hufflepuff's spell backfired, sending the boy across the room into the wall. Professor Donahue had escorted him to the infirmary himself, levitating the unconscious student out of the classroom.
Marlene and Lily left the room quickly, returning to the Gryffindor common room in a hush of excited whispers. Dinner was an uneventful affair, the girls too tense and anxious to have a proper chat.
"I think I'm going to go have a chat with Olivia," Dorcas said slyly, having caught the girl's eye across the other tables. "Blow some steam, you know? Alice has the right idea."
"Ergh. Just go snog and wear yourself out. Don't tell us about it," Marlene complained.
"I'll be back in time for our study session," she assured, already standing from the table.
"Have fun at your other study session," Lily teased.
Then it was just Emmeline, Marlene, and herself walking back to the Gryffindor tower. Knowing she had patrols and the Game, Lily took advantage of the free time and chose to take a quick catnap in the dormitory, wanting to feel refreshed and alert for the night.
Later, after she had woken disorientated and dazed, it took quite a few moments to collect herself before heading back to the common room, where she found Marlene, Alice, and Emmeline sitting in their usual spot.
Lily plopped onto the empty seat beside Em to bury her nose into Spellman's Syllabary.
"Good nap?" Emmeline asked.
"Too good," she replied, rubbing at her eyes when they wouldn't focus on the text in front of her. "The kind where you have dreams but can't remember them?"
"The worst kind of good sleep," Em agreed, settling back into her homework.
"I can't concentrate," Marlene complained moments later, throwing down her quill.
"Only three more hours," Lily placated lazily, not looking up from her book.
"Three bloody hours!" she cried, burying her face into her hands.
"Game of Gobstones, anyone?" Alice asked, already pulling out the box. Emmeline agreed immediately, and while less enthusiastic, Marlene joined too. Lily declined, claiming she was still waking up from her nap, too slow to react appropriately for a favorable result in Gobstones.
Still awake enough to dodge the foul liquid, though, having to repel the stuff whenever it shot in her direction.
At five til nine o'clock, Remus greeted the group. "Ready to head out, Lily?"
"Yes," she said, stuffing her book into her book bag. "Could you bring this up to my bed when you head up, Alice?"
She nodded absentmindedly and Lily smiled her thanks, joining Remus's side as they departed the common room.
"You seem jittery. Excited to take some points?" he asked wryly, referring to the odd conversation he and the other boys had caught her and Marlene in.
Lily laughed a bit awkwardly as she recalled her and Marlene's slip up earlier in the week. "Oh yes, absolutely."
"Want to split up?" he asked, confirming they would still follow their old patrol routine from last year.
"Sure," she said. "You take floors one to three and I'll take four to seven?"
"Sounds like a plan," he agreed.
And luckily, patrols were easy. Lily smiled contently, finding no signs of stray students – not even running into any professors or the caretaker. It felt like it bode good tidings for the Game. The patrol hours passed quickly and she met with Remus back at the common room entrance at the end of her walk.
"Any problems?" he asked.
"None. You?"
"Not a kneazle," he reported happily. He held the door open for her to enter.
She glanced at the clock as she made her way toward the girls' staircase. Half past eleven.
"Hey," someone to her left spoke, startling her. She made a quick vow to pay attention to her surroundings more when it seemed unimportant.
Potter lounging on the worn couch in the alcove between the two staircases, languid and relaxed. He was already moving to stand when he met her gaze.
He waved to Remus, who returned the gesture before ascending the staircase towards the boys dormitory.
With a quick nod of acknowledgement towards Potter, she bolted up the staircase, mindful of the slipstep, and dashed into her dormitory. It was empty, so she suspected Alice and Marlene had joined the 7th Year dormitory for the evening.
She searched her overfilled bag, pulled out the desired book, and skipped back down the steps to the common room.
He was still standing in the same spot, frowning at the ground.
Given the opportunity, she studied him for a quick moment, tracing the lines of his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes unfocused as he watched the floor. He looked – downcast. Disappointed, maybe. She couldn't quite place the exact expression on his face.
Pushing her curiosity aside, she thrust the book under his nose.
He jerked back in surprise and she watched as his eyes flitted searchingly over her face. "I thought –"
"The pages that might work best for you are bookmarked," she told him, dropping the book into his open hand. "For class."
"For –"
She spun on her toe to turn back towards the staircases. "Hope it helps!" she called over her shoulder as she skipped up the stairs and ignored his attempts to call her back, taking the two steps at a time.
The Game was to start soon. She grinned to herself in glee.
Twenty minutes later, after having changed into her dark clothes and tied her hair back, the other girls snuck back into the 6th Year dormitory. Em and Dorcas were close behind, already dressed in uniform.
"Let's go," Dorcas whispered impatiently, waving her on. Lily sprang forward, allowing herself to be shoved down first to lead the way down the girl's staircase.
"Sh!" she snapped back at the chittering group, the effectiveness of her glare lessened by the low lighting. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Lily peered out into the Common Room to check for unwanted company.
The fire in the hearth had died completely, the Common Room favorably empty and dark.
Marlene nudged her forward with a hand impatiently, whispering a not-so-quiet, "Would you move already?"
Feeling irked, she did as asked, stepping out into the darkened room to lead the way to the portrait, feeling Marlene's hand on her back the entire way. About mid-way through, she stopped abruptly, knocking her shin into a low table.
"Shite!" she cried out, bending at the waste to rub the aching spot vigorously.
The girls all promptly shushed her, Marlene reaching forward to attempt to cover Lily's mouth.
Her aim was off in the darkened room, accidentally cuffing Lily in the ear. "Get off," she complained, slapping Marlene's hand away.
"Sorry," Marlene replied sheepishly in the dark. "But you run into that damned thing every time!"
"Someone keeps moving it," she retorted darkly, massaging the sore spot.
Emmeline stooped down to help her up and Lily could tell the girl was valiantly trying to hold back laughter.
"Come on, let's go," Dorcas encouraged, pushing at Alice impatiently. Marlene grabbed Lily's wand arm, pulling her the rest of the way through the Common Room.
The rest of their journey to the Entrance Hall came with no incident, the girls speedily making their way down to the game's 'base'. They stood in a circle as tradition, expectantly impatient as they waited.
Lily smiled excitedly at each of her friends. "Alright, you lot know the rules. Game ends at two, so you must be back at base before time is up or you're disqualified. Everyone ready?"
In a monotonous fashion, the four others nodded their heads towards Lily. She nodded back. "Okay, Marlene first. Hurry now," she said, watching as her blonde friend stepped up to her while rolling up her sleeve.
Lily pressed the tip of her wand onto her friend's tan skin and held it there. "Reor et praesto tessera," she murmured, watching as letters and numbers bloomed across the bare flesh in her own handwriting, the characters burning a low, golden color.
"Tingly," Marlene grinned, flexing her arm. "I missed this." She moved back to allow Dorcas to step forward.
Lily repeated the spell once more, the letter's emerging on Dorcas's tanned skin. Alice and Emmeline followed suit, before Lily performed the handmade spell on herself.
She watched as her own scrawling appeared on her skin, the lettering strangely warm on her flesh. She had never quite gotten used to the feeling, the sensation akin to the start of a sunburn. Lily rolled her sleeve back down, the glowing character's effectively hidden by the fabric.
"I've still got it spelled – so no shooting any spells until the five minute hold releases. 'Else it won't count."
"We should be serious this time," Alice interrupted. "I mean, I know we've talked about it, but…" She worked to find the right words. "What Donahue's been teaching us, what we've been hearing in the newspapers… With everything that's been going on with that... wizard… Let's be serious."
Lily began to smile in earnest, pleased that she was on the same page as Alice. Her eagerness faltered when she noticed the look on her friends' faces – they were looking at her with awkward empathy.
She felt stung for a moment, realizing they were all pointing out her flaw – her blood status.
"I agree with Alice," she said before anyone could offer any consoling remarks. "I know we already take this game seriously... but we can definitely push it. I'm not going to hold back."
"Bring it, Evans," Marlene grinned. "I'll be waiting for those Defense notes, you sadist."
"Masochist," Dorcas corrected with an eyeroll.
"Let's do this," Emmeline chimed in, speaking over Dorcas. "Before we start wasting time."
"Alright," Lily grinned, rolling up her sleeve to start the countdown. She pressed her wand to the glowing chart, beginning the countdown.
"10..." she read aloud to them.
9.. 8.. 7.. 6..
She turned her back on them, staying in her place, keeping her voice quiet, but loud enough for them to hear her.
5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1..
"Go!" she whisper-shouted, bolting down the 1st floor corridor that led towards the kitchens and listening intently as their footsteps took them in opposite directions. While she knew the five minute hold was in place before the game really started, she wanted to get as far as possible.
She turned a hard left, footsteps leading her further down into the castle, towards the Hufflepuff dormitories past the kitchens. Adrenaline was already spreading through her veins.
Her forearm where the spell was placed heated briefly, signaling the five minute hold was up.
It had started.
By this time of the night, many of the torches along the walls had been extinguished, leaving Lily to wait for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She kept herself moving, unwilling to be a sitting target, pausing as she came upon a fork in the corridor. It took her only a second to make her decision, veering left again to avoid the dungeons below.
The pathway led her to a corridor filled with various rooms, one of which she knew housed a staircase that led back towards the Great Hall. She cautiously made her way down the corridor, entering into the largest of the room, jogging lightly to the bookshelf that hid the staircase from view.
She bit her lip hard, wincing as the bookshelf squeaked in protest at the movement, leaving enough room for her to squeeze through the small opening. She took the steps two at a time before stopping at the top, pressing her ear against the wooden doorway that led into a closet just off of the Entrance Hall.
Hearing nothing, she pressed the wooden doorway open to reveal an empty closet, filled with unused cleaning supplies. She shut the door silently behind herself, tiptoeing forward to press her ear to the door that led to the Entrance Hall.
Where she knew by instinct someone would be waiting to ambush the unsuspected.
She turned the doorknob slightly, slowly opening the door to reveal an empty Entrance Hall. She glanced around cautiously, double checking dark corners and possible hiding places before stepping out fully.
"Cesso!" she heard from above her.
The spell hit her – hard – in the chest and she stood frozen, a sliver of annoyance slicing through her at being hit so soon in the game.
Emmeline stepped into her eyesight, grinning happily as she fluttered her fingers in greeting, blowing Lily a kiss before dashing off.
Lily counted down the seconds until she unfroze, releasing an angry growl when freed, darting towards the castle doors and sliding out into the open air. She kept close to the castle's exterior wall, circling around to the silent courtyard, making sure to check behind her for any enemies.
Wanting to be stealthy, she snuck up to the courtyard, choosing not to enter by the entrance, but instead a small opening of one of the pillars. She crouched first, surveying the open courtyard for any movements.
She grinned widely, catching sight of Marlene's blonde hair just on the other side of the courtyard. Taking aim from her hidden spot, Lily pointed her wand towards her friend and whispered the spell.
Her aim struck true, the spell hitting Marlene square in the back, effectively freezing the girl.
Lily made her move, jumping over the railing and rushed back into the castle, narrowly avoiding the clock tower's swinging pendulum. She picked up her pace, filled with a renewed amount of determination.
She chose to cover the second floor next, knowing she'd find someone near the girl's bathroom as she always did. The ascent up the staircases was easy; the stairs appeared to be fortunately on her side this evening, as she made her way to the second floor's main corridor.
The corridor itself was empty, as she moved along, keeping her back against the wall as she approached another turn.
She moved to crouch low, cautiously peeking around the corner for any movement. Her eyes widened dramatically as her vision was blocked by a pair of legs. Lily gasped simultaneously with Alice, both falling back in surprise.
Their eyes connected in shock.
"Cesso!" she shouted in panic, the spell hitting her friend in the stomach.
Alice magically froze, the look of surprise captured on her face. Lily scrambled awkwardly on her hands and feet, twisting to stand and retreat back the way she came.
As she came back to the staircases, she made the quick decision to go up, bounding up the steps with hurried movement. She stumbled as the staircase below her shuddered, causing her to lose her footing as the stairs proceeded to relocate themselves.
Lily cursed, holding onto the railing as the stone below her shifted.
"No, no, no," she groaned, anxiety rising.
Alice would surely have been unfrozen by now, tracking her to extract revenge.
Lily moved to the very top of the staircase, looking out below her as they continued to move painfully slow.
"Come on, come on," she urged, willing the staircase to speed up. She glanced behind her towards the base of the staircase, spotting Alice as she appeared from the corridor.
She caught sight of Lily easily, trapped at the top of the staircase with nowhere to go. She smiled triumphantly as Lily groaned pitifully, unhappy with her current predicament.
"Cesso!" Alice shot out from the bottom and Lily ducked awkwardly, clutching to a stone baluster to avoid the oncoming spell. She cursed, realizing she was only halfway to the next landing.
She glanced back towards Alice, who had already begun to make her way up the staircase in a taunting manner.
Lily took a deep breath, centering herself. No holding back, right?
Steeling, she – literally and figuratively – took a leap of faith. Bracing herself with her hands on the railing, Lily reeled back and pushed herself forward, jumping and aiming for the landing just below her.
Her heart slid into her throat as she fell freely for countless seconds, her feet touching the ground before she could have a second thought. She tried to duck and roll, to ease the landing, but failed; her knees slammed into the ground and she slid sideways, scraping her hip along the cold stone.
She looked up dazedly, catching sight of Alice hanging over the side of the staircase she had just been on, the staircase itself sliding into position finally. Lily let out a slightly hysterical laugh, realizing then how tall the jump had been.
Alice was staring down at her, wide-eyed, mouth open in shock.
Lily shakily rose to stand on her two feet, then fell back in surprise as bright blue sparks exploded at her feet.
Her friend had recovered, smiling down at her innocently, waving her wand in warning.
Lily scrambled to a standing position, dodging another spell cast from her friend, her back slamming into the archway of the corridor. She turned quickly and darted down the hallway, her movements jerky from the pain.
For the next hour, she spent her time moving around the castle with sluggish movements, trying to nurse her knees back to their full potential. She ended up having a run in with Dorcas, but managed to freeze her in the last possible moment, barely avoiding the onslaught of spells herself.
Only a few paces later, she had squared off with Emmeline in one of the third floor corridors, Em successfully overtaking Lily as she caught her with the spell.
During this point of the Game, Lily chose to stay on the move, despite her knees' and hip's protestation, never staying in the same spot for longer than a moment's breath. She hadn't had another run in with Marlene and had not seen Alice since the staircases, which began to make her feel nervous and paranoid.
Time was passing quickly and she felt the need to redeem herself still.
Out of breath and with a stitch in her side, she chose to take a small break on the sixth floor, hiding in the crook of the Ancient Runes' classroom entrance. She leaned back against the cool wall as she massaged her knees, quickly checking the score stats and time.
There was only half an hour left on the timer.
It took her a moment to coax herself back up, hoping not to get caught taking a break. She pushed herself away from the wall and headed towards the 7th floor, as it offered the safety of many hallways, including the one that led back to the Gryffindor Common room. Which is why Marlene often tried to 'camp' there.
Lily journeyed the corridor that wrapped around the floor, recalling that it forked back towards the main staircases. With some luck, she could use this route to make it back to the Entrance Hall, hoping to have some spare time.
Her steps faltered when she heard a sound echo from behind her and she slid around the corner fully, pressing herself against the wall as she waited.
There was nothing.
Curious, she peeked around the corner to search for any movement and gasped loudly, meeting eyes with Marlene almost instantly. Lily pulled herself back and took off, Marlene taking the chase.
She had a good head start, but could hear both of their footsteps echo off the walls, calculating that Marlene wasn't too far behind. She couldn't help but begin to panic.
Bloody hell. Bloody. Hell.
The word sounded in her mind each time she took a step, her knees aching worse than ever; but she would not let Marlene catch her.
"Cesso!" she cast blindly behind her. She shot off two more.
"Give up!" Marlene called and Lily felt relief as she noticed it echoed; Marlene further behind her than she had originally thought.
"Never!" she exclaimed, pushing herself harder as she made a sharp turn down a different hallway.
She glanced backwards, feeling elated as she counted the seconds she could not see or hear Marlene's approach. She repressed letting out a victorious sound, letting her feet carry her back towards the staircases.
"Oof!"
All thought ceased as she slammed into a wall.
Not a wall, she realized dazedly. A body.
She gasped, horrified, feeling her heart stutter inside of her ribcage. A wave of deja vu dizzied her.
"What the hell?"
Numbly, she looked up into a pair of hazel eyes behind a set of familiar glasses.
Oh, shite.
The air was sucked out of her lungs a second time as her knees gave out.
Potter grasped at her arms, holding her to him as she collapsed. "Evans? Are you hurt? Why were you running? Merlin, Evans, breathe!"
He shook her. She was still looking at him, frozen.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God...
She was caught. They were caught. James Potter, of all people, found her.
Oh, God, oh God.
He reached up, swiped against her chin, and she winced, glancing down at the blood smeared across the skin of his thumb when he pulled it away. She must've scraped her chin when she jumped from the landing.
Distantly, she could hear Marlene's footsteps echoing down the hallway.
In a terror stricken trance, she suddenly latched onto Potter's arm with fervor. Her nails dug into the skin beneath the wool of his jumper. Oh, God. Oh, God. She could tell she was scaring him. Her feet had somehow found their strength.
"Lily?" he asked, his voice full of panic now. "Tell me what's happening. If someone's chasing you –"
She cut him off as she abruptly began to pull him behind her, leading him further down the hall. She tried to move faster, but he was resisting, protesting all the way. Throwing open a familiar tapestry, she shoved him in front of her, pushing him into the small alcove.
"What are you –" he questioned in an alarmed tone, having to stoop to avoid hitting his head. "What is going on?"
"Shut it!" she snapped, clapping a hand over his mouth to silence him. She used her free hand to throw the tapestry closed.
She waited. She listened.
Oh, God. Oh, God.
Lily let her forehead drop onto Potter as she silently prayed. She swore her heart was thundering so loudly he could probably hear it.
Like clockwork, Marlene's footsteps ran past them at full speed, following the way that Lily would have gone. If she hadn't been caught.
And by some miracle of God, Potter didn't try to speak.
In a painful stretch of time, Marlene's footsteps finally began to fade, until they could no longer be heard. It took her a moment to begin to breathe normally, inhaling a shaky breath. Was that pine she smelled?
Lily jerked back in shock when Potter cleared his throat, just then realizing how close they stood, nearly flush against each other.
Her back hit the wall of the small alcove, the back of her skull thwacking against the stone wall. She was already in a daze, she thought humorously, as she rubbed the tender skin; a concussion wouldn't hurt worse.
Potter was staring at her in uneasy consternation. Had she said that outloud?
"I can – I can explain," she said hopelessly.
He towered over her in the alcove, even as he slightly crouched to accommodate his tall height.
"Bloody right, you better explain," he demanded.
"Well, ah, you see, I uh... It was like this..."
"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on," he cut her off, gripping her elbow tightly as if to make sure she was really there. "That was you?"
"What?" she croaked. "Who was me?"
He laughed incredulously, raking his other hand through his hair with enough force he nearly ripped it out. "I can't believe it. That was you."
Lily was staring at him in confusion when the spell on her arm rapidly heated; a warning that her time was almost up – it overrode all rational thought.
"Bloody unbelievable!" she gasped, throwing open the tapestry to expose them to the night air. Her knees, weakened from her crouched position, nearly buckled when she made to take a step.
Potter grabbed her arm, steadying her. She glared at him as he chuckled to himself, his grip firm on her arm. "I can't believe it," he repeated, staring down at her with an inexplicable amount of astonishment.
"I have to go," she told him roughly, shaking off his hand, but he held tighter, using his other hand to grab hers.
"Who are you running from?" he asked, returning to a concerned demeanor, pulling her closer.
"I have to go!" she insisted wildly, pulling at his grip.
He released her, unwilling to fight against her, and set free, she bolted away from him, taking off at full sprint down the corridor.
Oh, God. Oh, God.
How would she explain this?
Lily made it to the Entrance Hall in record time, massaging a stitch in her side. Her heart was racing, stuttering in her chest painfully. She had to have been dreaming. That couldn't have just happened. She did not just run into James Potter.
She hadn't.
"Alright there, Lily?" Emmeline asked.
"Oh, yes. I'm fine. Quite fine. All good. I made it in time, right?" she said, once she managed to speak.
Marlene gave her a strange look, but she avoided her friend's eyes, opportunely distracted as the spell on their arms glowed and burned simultaneously, signaling the end of the night's game.
In a dream-like manner, Lily watched herself as she cast the spell to show the results.
"Yes!" Dorcas exclaimed, pulling Marlene's attention away from her. "I won!"
"Second," Emmeline noted with a smile. "It's been a while for me to be that highly ranked!"
"Third," Lily breathed, finally looking at the stats on the materialized chart. She nodded, satisfied. Considering.
"'Least I beat McKinnon," said Alice, sticking her tongue out childishly at the girl.
"Oh, shut it," Marlene groused, looking unhappy. "If Lily hadn't sent me out on a wild goose chase, I would've been able to get more done."
"Don't be a sore loser," Emmeline admonished, but couldn't keep the victorious grin from her lips.
"Prats," Marlene murmured, crossing her arms over her chest. "Alright, yes, yes, I lost. Now let's just head up to the dormitories and forget this night."
Dorcas looked about ready to protest, but the rest of the group was already agreeing with Marlene, wanting to head up to the Gryffindor tower quickly.
"Awfully quiet, Lily. Any horrific spills to share?" Emmeline asked, as they began to ascend the stairs.
Lily remained silent, tongue stuck at the roof of her mouth.
... How could she properly explain she had been caught? And by James Potter, for Merlin's sake.
"I can't believe you jumped from the staircase," Alice admonished, glancing at her with slight admiration. "You're bloody mad."
That suddenly felt like eons ago. Had she only just been pressed against Potter in alcove, hiding him from Marlene? Surely she hit her head when she'd jumped.
"Oh, right, yeah," she laughed disjointedly instead. She stooped to inspect her knees, thankful to have a moment to try and collect her thoughts.
The fabric of her leggings had been torn, the unveiled skin covered in small cuts and forming bruises. Alice hissed in sympathy for her and then turned to ask Dorcas a question.
Before she got too far, Lily reached out to grab Marlene's elbow, digging her nails in.
"Ow!" Marlene cried, immediately stopping and causing Lily to run into her. "What the bloody hell was that for?"
"Mar," she hushed her as the rest of the group turned to see the commotion. She dropped to kneel, improvising playing with her laces.
"Sorry! I just – shoelaces were untied. Tripped into Mar," she smiled sheepishly and – having no reason not to believe her – they continued on as she was left behind to tie her shoes.
"Mar," she hissed, panicking as her friend also turned to leave. Desperate, she reached out and grabbed her ankle, causing the tall brunette to stumble and almost fall.
"Lily! What the hell?"
"Mar, hang back a minute!"
Marlene huffed, annoyed. "Seriously? Did you stop me just to gloat that you beat me and I won't be able to copy your notes?"
She jumped up, running a hand over her face, anxious. "No."
"Well, what is it, then?"
"Potter caught me," she blurted. "I ran into him when I was running from you, and I pushed him into an alcove and hid with him, and I panicked, and I –"
Marlene grabbed onto Lily's hands before they clawed at her face. "Lily, Lily, calm down. Breathe," she demanded. "Potter caught us?"
She nodded jerkily.
"It's fine. Okay. Okay, we'll figure it out. It'll be okay. He won't turn us in."
"He only recognized me. He didn't see you," Lily said, running her hands through her wild hair. "But he thought I was being attacked and –"
Marlene guffawed in a pleased manner. "Well, that's good!" she said cheerfully. "He'll just use you running around in the middle of the night like a maniac as blackmail."
Lily responded by giving her a dark look.
"I was only joking," Marlene said defensively, before turning wry. "So you pushed him into an alcove? That one up on the 7th floor?"
"Marlene," she warned.
"Really, all you have to do is go talk to him... and just say… I don't know. You were doing patrols, or something?"
"He's mates with Remus. Another Prefect. You think he wouldn't just ask him if I were telling the truth?"
"Oh, right. Well, say you were out for a snog. He wouldn't question that. Hell, he'd probably hate to hear that."
Lily frowned. "I can't tell him that." She was very resistant to that idea for an inexplicable reason. "He saw my bleeding chin. He knew I was being chased. That's not a normal snog, is it?"
Marlene rolled her eyes. "Well, then – just ask him what he was doing out this late. He's not a Prefect, is he? You could tell him you'd go to McGonagall if he tries to tattle on you."
Lily mulled it over. "Like, I blackmail him?"
"I mean, it could work," Marlene shrugged, not sounding completely convinced herself. "He can't use it against you if you use it against him first. Or you could just maybe, I dunno, have a mutual agreement not to say anything about it to anyone and leave it be?"
Lily looked at her as if she were mad.
"Yeah, you're right," Marlene agreed and the two carried on alone towards their dormitory.
