October was quickly coming to a close, the school grounds almost entirely devoid of signs of life. Or, at least, that was what Lily assumed; she hadn't gone outside in what felt like ages. She made Hagrid come inside for tea the last time he asked; they used an empty classroom up on the first floor. It was now far too cold to do anything outside, and she'd yet to find a charm that worked comfortably.

The best she could do was Caliosus, which she found in an old library book called Charms for the Winter. It was almost perfect; it left the target feeling very warm. Unfortunately, and unlike the Cooling Charm she'd already found, it didn't actually change the temperature, it just made the user incapable of feeling cold.

Thus, Lily found herself in the Hospital Wing on a Friday night, the day before Halloween, being treated for a nasty cough after spending way too long outside on a particularly cold day.

"You'll need to stay here for the night," Madame Pomfrey said after forcing a cup of Pepperup Potion down Lily's throat. "Have to make sure you get a good night's sleep, and I don't trust you to stay in bed if I let you go."

"I'd stay," Lily said thickly. Her throat was still very sore, but the potion at least cleared up her sinuses. Her head still felt foggy, although that could just be the steam pouring from her ears.

"I highly doubt that," Madame Pomfrey said, pouring another potion. "30 years at Hogwarts, and not a single student has stayed in bed when told to do so. Merlin, the professors don't follow that instruction, either. Everybody has too many things to do, better get to work instead of healing properly."

"What's that?" Lily said, sniffling while she pointed a shaky finger at the cup. Her nose was already running again, something that Madame Pomfrey clearly noticed if her frown was anything to go off of.

"Sleeping Draught," Madame Pomfrey said. "You're lucky you came in when you did. You must have gotten a nasty head cold out there."

"Can I still go to Quidditch practice tomorrow?" Lily asked optimistically; she was hoping for an excuse to skip.

"I'd certainly advise against it, although I can't forbid it," Pomfrey answered. "You'll be cured by the time you wake up."

That wouldn't do her any good; practice always started at 8 sharp. She'd barely have time to run up to the common room and change into her Quidditch robes, depending on how long she slept for.

Lily woke up with a jolt of pain coursing through her forehead. She jerked upright, hand covering her blazing scar. That only made it worse, and she leaned back into her pillow, trying to take a deep breath. She was covered in sweat, and she almost felt like she could throw up at any moment. She tried to speak out, but that only caused her chest to heave in a coughing fit.

Kill, kill, hungry, so hungry, smell blood, so hungry.

"Pomfrey," she said in a croak. Her throat was extremely dry, her voice barely a whisper. She tried again, but no sound came out. There was water near her, sitting on the tabletop nearby. She couldn't quite reach it, and she hurt too much to move. Her shaky fingers barely slid against the cool glass.

Kill, not yet, must go, kill, soon, kill, must tell Master, the voice said, getting further away, heading below where Lily currently was.

"Help," she managed to spit out. She could barely recognize her own voice. She tried to breath in, but found that she couldn't. She didn't know what was happening, her scar hadn't hurt this much since-

Don't think about it, Lily thought to herself, closing her eyes tight to force it out of her head. She placed her hands over them, and the cool sensation of her fingertips felt nice on her scorching forehead.

And then just like that, the pain was gone. Lily gulped in the cold air desperately. She felt a smile on her face as a feeling of immense relief washed over her body.

She grasped at the water now that she could move and downed the entire thing. The cold water quickly cooled down the rest of her body, but she threw her blanket off anyway. The sweat was too much, and she desperately needed the air. She coughed again as the cup was emptied, her lungs rattling with each exhale. She wondered if she just dreamed the whole thing; maybe it was all just a vivid nightmare. She desperately wanted to believe it wasn't real.

There were noises in the hallway. Madame Pomfrey threw the doors to the Hospital Wing open from the outside, which only served to confuse Lily more. The old woman was still in her pyjamas, and she looked like a nervous mess, which was absolutely not something Lily ever expected to see from the usually calm witch.

"In here, first bed, set him down," Pomfrey said as she frantically gestured to the nearest open bed.

Following closely behind, Filch and Lockhart entered the room, placing some large, immobile object onto the available mattress. Lily tried to squint at it, but it was too dark in the room to get a good view, even with the lantern they'd brought in with them. Lockhart looked like he'd just been woken up from a very deep sleep and somehow still had the time to fix his hair.

Dumbledore swept in soon after, followed almost immediately after by McGonagall, Flitwick, and Snape, all dressed in their own pyjamas and each looking equally nervous. Dumbledore was the one exception; he gave off an aura of calm, even while his staff shuffled around nervously.

"What happened, Albus?" Madame Pomfrey asked as she placed a hand on whatever it was in the bed.

"Found him on the sixth floor, carrying a bundle of grapes wrapped in a handkerchief," Filch said in his harsh voice. "Frozen stiff, just like Mrs. Norris."

"Should we be talking about this in here?" McGonagall asked, glancing down at Lily's side of the room. Lily shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep. This was clearly something she wasn't supposed to be witnessing, and she could picture McGonagall assigning her a punishment for eavesdropping, even when it was physically impossible to not hear their conversation.

"Potter will be out until the morning, so long as we don't touch her," Madame Pomfrey said. "The Sleeping Draught I gave her will make certain of that, I promise you."

Lily did her best to hold in the urge to cough.

"The whole school will be finding out soon enough," Lockhart said. "If only I had been there when it happened, I could have caught the culprit red-handed and countered their curse."

"Yes, Lockhart, I'm sure we all would have loved to see it," Snape said dryly. "Be that as it may, is it not possible that this child managed to capture a picture of his attacker?"

Lily opened her eyes briefly, just to make sure nobody was looking at her anymore. She could see Dumbledore walk forward. There was a sound, and then a noxious, black smoke rose into the air. She was far away, and she could still smell the deadly fumes. It was enough to make her break into a silent series of coughs and sputters. She was very thankful the attention of the professors was held elsewhere.

"What does it mean, Albus?" McGonagall asked, voice full of fear.

"It means, Minerva, that it is indeed as we feared," Dumbledore said calmly. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened once again."

"We should not talk here, Headmaster," Snape said, glancing down towards Lily on his own. She snapped her eyes closed again.

"Yes, Severus, you are quite right," Dumbledore said. "Argus, cordone off the scene and comb it for evidence. Filius will assist you. Lockhart, head to the library and wake Madame Pince. Assist her with removing all tomes referring to the chamber before the students wake. Instruct her to keep tabs on any inquisitive minds. Severus, you shall come with me. Minerva, fetch the Prefects, and have them patrol the castle for out of bed students before you meet us in my office."

"Should I tell them what happened, Headmaster?" McGonagall asked. Her voice sounded far more confident now that orders were given out.

"Not yet," Dumbledore said. "The students will all find out in due time, but we shall give them a brief reprieve for now. I will make an announcement after the feast. Tell the Prefects, in the meantime, only that a student was caught of bed, and we need additional patrols around the castle."

As they left, Madame Pomfrey went to the storeroom, allowing Lily a brief glance at the frozen form of Colin Creevey. His hands were stuck in the air, as if he was still trying to take that picture. His camera was laying at a bedside table, back laying open to reveal the film inside. She could still see a trail of smoke coming from it.

Lily didn't sleep another wink that night. She dressed and slipped out early in the morning, way before Pomfrey could even check on her, and went straight up to Gryffindor Tower. She wanted to check on Colin, first, but his curtains were drawn short, and Lily couldn't move them no matter how hard she tried. She muttered a brief, silent apology to him before she left, wishing she'd been a bit nicer to the boy.

"Dungleworm," Lily said once she reached the Fat Lady, snoring away in her portrait.

"Who-" the Fat Lady started, waking up with a jolt. She narrowed her eyes sleepily, as if adjusting to the light filling the corridor.

"Dungleworm," Lily repeated, feeling anxious. The castle around her was freezing cold, and she was worried the voice could come back at any moment, now that she knew for sure that she was not imagining it. She could still hear it planning to kill in her mind.

"Very well," the portrait said, swinging open. Lily hurried into the warm common room as it swung closed behind her. She passed through the empty sitting area, fire crackling away from the chimney, climbing straight up the boy's staircase.

She stopped outside the second year's quarters, then pushed the door open carefully. She could see Ron snoring away in the furthest bed, while Neville was laying at the closest. She crept in quietly, tiptoeing over towards Neville. The chubby boy was laying on his back, with both his legs poking out from the covers.

"Neville," she whispered as she shook him. Neville awoke with a start, just like the Fat Lady, and Lily clamped a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't scream.

Neville's eyes went wide, but he stopped struggling once he saw who was standing over him. Lily released her grip, letting the boy speak.

"What are you doing in here?" Neville whispered.

"Wake up Ron and meet me downstairs," Lily replied before turning around and heading out of the room. She didn't want to explain twice, especially not in a room where Seamus and Dean could wake up at any time.

Lily sat down on the couch nearest the fireplace, trying to warm up her frigid body while she waited for the others to arrive. They did so five minutes later, Neville looking tired but worried and Ron looking incredibly grumpy. He had Scabbers tucked in the pocket of his shirt; she could see the bulge where he was sleeping.

"You couldn't wait a few hours?" Ron complained. "The sun isn't even up yet, you could have-"

"There's been another attack," Lily interrupted as her head turned back to stare at the flames.

"A what?" Ron said sleepily.

"An attack," Lily repeated. "Colin's been petrified. He's in the Hospital Wing right now."

"Bloody hell," Ron said as he sat down next to Lily, all fatigue gone from his voice. Neville took a seat next to him, face pale as he, too, stared into the fireplace.

"I heard the voice again, too," Lily whispered. "I woke up with my scar throbbing, and I couldn't move, I thought I was going to be sick and- and-"

"Why was it worse this time?" Neville asked.

"I dunno," Lily said, biting her lip. "You do think it's Q-Quirrell, do you?"

"Maybe," Neville mumbled.

Lily fell back into silence. She wanted to pull her legs to her chest and retreat into the recesses of her mind, just like she used to, but she was supposed to be brave now.

"It's my fault," Ron muttered, looking pale.

"What is?" Neville asked.

"The attack," Ron whispered.

Lily looked over nervously at Neville, who exchanged the same look of tension with her.

"Ron how could you-" Neville began.

"I told him to go," Ron interrupted. "I told Colin to go visit Lily. I thought it would be funny."

Lily started chewing her lip again.

"I should have told them about the voice," she said. She wasn't sure anybody could hear her.

"I should go tell McGonagall," Ron said, standing up. Lily and Neville watched him leave the common room without so much as a word.

"What do we do now?" Lily asked after far too long.

"Go grab the map," Neville said, "we can check to see if anybody else is out of bed."

Lily hopped up, just happy to have something to act on, to distract her worried brain. She was far less quiet about entering the girl's dorm; she knew Lavender and Parvati wouldn't wake up, and Hermione probably already was up.

To her surprise, she was wrong; all three girls were still sound asleep. Hermione was still in her robes, collapsed onto her bed with her shoes still on. It wasn't the first time, but it did bring a smile to Lily's face anyway. She thought it was cute, and it did a lot to brighten her mood.

Lily threw her trunk open, snatched up the map, and then hurried back downstairs to where Neville was waiting.

"Got it," she said, holding the parchment up. "Let's get out of here, I don't want anyone coming down."

"All right," Neville said. "Where should we go?"

"We'll find a classroom," Lily said as she swept by him, tucking the map into her robes.

"We'll try down here," Lily said as they turned down on the fourth floor. They walked for a couple of minutes, trying locked door after locked door and grumbling to themselves. Neither was willing to a try a spell. They'd rather not get caught.

"It's freezing in the morning," Neville said, breathing into his hands to warm them.

"It's freezing all the time," Lily said, her teeth chattering. Lily put a hand on another door, testing the knob, and felt it move.

"Ladies first," Neville said politely.

Lily shook her head at the boy and then pushed the door open, turning her head just in time to see quite the sight.

Percy and Penelope were both in the room, which confused Lily at first, since there really shouldn't have been anybody in here, and they weren't at all the type of people to sneak around.

What are they doing in here? Lily thought first.

Then she noticed Penelope was sitting on a desk, robe cast aside, shirt open, with Percy running a hand up her legs. Lily's eyes locked onto Penelope's bare chest, and both of the fifth-year Prefects were too enthralled in their kisses and delight to notice anything else Only when Penelope's eyes flickered open, and she hurried to cover herself with her loosened brazier, did Lily's brain start working again.

Oh!

Lily yelped, then quickly shut the door. She ran for it, feeling her face flush, back down the hallway. Neville called after her, but she didn't stop to wait for him. There really wasn't any time.

Lily ran down the stairs, heading straight for the ground floor, Neville running after her. She decided it'd be better to have a chat somewhere outside, even if she did freeze to death from it. She didn't think the Prefects would look for her out there.

"Wait, Lily," he called out once more.
"No," Lily shouted, hopping down two steps at a time. She could feel her robe flapping against the back of her legs as she ran. She also noticed that she no longer felt cold and was, in fact, quite warm.

"Miss Potter," McGonagall's sharp voice called out as she attempted to pass by her open office door.

Lily continued on two steps, realized she shouldn't ignore her Head of House, then reversed course. Neville followed shortly behind, slowing to catch his breath.

"Yes, Professor?" Lily asked, face still flush from embarrassment. She noticed Ron sitting in a chair in front of her desk, looking dejected, and then the warmth left her body. She forgot all about Ron's plight.

"Come in and have a seat," she said, sweeping her hand towards an empty seat.

"I was just-"
"Your friends will be out soon, Mr. Longbottom," McGonagall said to the lingering Neville. "You may return to your common room."

"Yes, Professor," Neville said. The door closed on its own, allowing them a bit of privacy.

"Mr. Weasley tells me he is aware of an attack that has not yet been made public, Potter," McGonagall said sternly. "How, pray tell, do you think he learned of this?"

"I told him, Professor," Lily admitted. It was best to get it over with.

"So, you were awake after all, then?" McGonagall asked. Lily could see Ron shaking his head vigorously.

"Yes, Professor," Lily admitted once more. "I- I had a- a nightmare and woke up with a headache."

McGonagall frowned. "And what was this nightmare about?"

"I don't know," Lily answered. "I never remember my dreams, Professor, nightmare or not."

"Interesting," McGonagall said, not actually sounding interested. "And did you happen to hear anything after you were woken up?"

"Yes, Professor, I heard you-"

"Other than us, Miss Potter," McGonagall interrupted. Ron shook his head even harder, but that only grabbed the professor's attention, judging by the way McGonagall's eyes snapped towards him.

"No, Professor," Lily lied. "I didn't know anything was going on until Colin came into the Hospital Wing."

McGonagall nodded. "I have given Mr. Weasley a detention and deducted 25 points for his stupid decision. I will deduct another two for your eavesdropping."

"But-"

"No arguments, Potter," McGonagall interrupted once more. "If the two of you will keep our secret for the day, I will consider reversing a few of them."

"Why is it a secret, Professor?" Lily dared to ask. "If there's something attacking us, we should know!"

McGonagall looked sternly at Lily, then leaned back into her chair. She looked like she'd had a long, long night.

"I agree with you, Potter," McGonagall admitted, "but I'm afraid I must listen to the Headmaster's orders. The students will be notified tonight, after the feast has concluded. In the meantime, Prefects are on high alert to look for any signs of suspicious activity. They will be notified of the circumstances shortly, once the Headmaster settles on our course of action."

At the mention of Prefects, Lily could feel her face flush again, images of Penelope flashing before her eyes. She fidgeted slightly in her seat, an action that surely did not go unnoticed.

"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" McGonagall asked.

"No, Professor," Lily lied. She managed to stay completely still as she said it, maintaining eye contact. She didn't know if that was more suspicious, but she was still proud of herself.

"Then the two of you are dismissed," McGonagall ordered. "I believe your practice starts in an hour. You should go grab your robes."

"Yes, Professor," Ron and Lily said together, standing up as a unit. Lily threw the door open, and Ron closed it behind them.

"How did it go?" Neville asked nervously, rising from the ground. "Are you in trouble?"

"Ron's got detention," Lily said quickly. "And we lost 27 points."

Neville let out a sigh of relief. "That puts us in third place, we can still catch up."

"I deserved more," Ron said glumly, hands tucked into his pockets.

"You couldn't have known, Ron," Lily said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Mum's gonna lose it," Ron muttered, staring back at the ground.

"Ron, why did you keep shaking your head in there?" Lily asked.

"Didn't want you mentioning the voice," he answered. "Hearing things isn't a good sign, Lily, especially for a witch or wizard. Don't tell anyone, you could get into some serious trouble."

"Really?" Lily asked, looking over to Neville. The other boy nodded, and they continued their trek up to the seventh floor in silence for the moment. Ron lagged a bit behind the other two for the first time. Lily lost herself in her thoughts again, wishing she was just normal. She could hear Petunia calling her a freak, and it made her head pound in rhythm with her scar.

"Lily, what did you see in the classroom?" Neville asked to break the silence.

"Classroom?" Ron asked.

"We were trying to find an empty room to check the map in," Neville said.

"You could have just checked the map in the common room first."

"That's what I said."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time," Lily snapped as they approached the fourth floor. Lily was very thankful Percy and Penelope didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.

"What did you see, then?" Neville repeated.

"Nothing," Lily said a little too quickly. She was sure her face must be a bright red; she could feel it burning.

"Well, that's not obvious at all," Ron said.

"I see you're recovering quickly," Lily said to change the subject.

"There's nothing I can do to fix it now," Ron grumbled, spirits falling again at the reminder.

"Should we check the map now?" Neville asked, trying to get them back on task.

Lily considered it for a moment, then dug the map out, tucking it into Neville's robes for him. The boy looked confused, but he offered no resistance.

"Go check it," Lily said. "Ron and I have practice. We'll meet up with you after, you can give us your full report."

"But-"

"Better go," Ron interrupted, "I think I see Penelope up ahead."

"Penelope?" Lily squeaked as Neville pulled away down a different hallway. Lily froze in place, locking eyes with the curly-haired prefect. Penelope turned a shade that Lily was quite sure matched her own, but she approached the second years anyway.

"Lily," Penelope began with a voice crack. She cleared her throat and then tried again.

"Lily," she said, eyes flickering briefly towards Ron, "I was wondering if-"

"I didn't tell anybody," Lily blurted out, eyes flickering briefly down to Penelope's chest before shooting straight back up. "Neville didn't see and Ron wasn't with us and I would never say anything in fact I'm not even sure I saw-"

"That's good," Penelope interrupted with another voice crack. She pulled her robe closed, likely to hide her shame. "But, err- I- I was just wondering if- well- so long as you don't tell anyone, I suppose it's fine."

"What's going on here?" Ron asked, utterly confused.

"Nothing," both girls said at once. Lily chose to stare at the floor so that her face couldn't give anything else away.

"I'll see you Thursday, Lily," Penelope said as she pushed past the two of them. She sounded like she never wanted to see Lily again, and she felt like she couldn't blame her too much for that one. Lily did not turn to watch her go, and instead started up the staircases, doing her best to not look at Ron.

"What in Merlin's name was that?" Ron asked curiously.

"Nothing," Lily said again.

"That was clearly something," Ron pointed out. "You both turned as red as my hair. Hell, red as your hair."

"She was- I- she was just wondering if I'd- if I'd shown anybody what we've been practicing, that's all," Lily said. She felt like that was the best save she'd be able to come up with right now.

"That- that makes no sense!" Ron stammered out. "Merlin's staff, Lily, there's clearly-"

"That was it, Ron," Lily interrupted. "We've been working on stunners, and she wasn't supposed to teach me, but then-"

"Stunners?" Ron interrupted, looking genuinely interested. "You've been practicing stunners?"

Lily paused mid word, mouth caught open in surprise. She didn't expect that to work.

"Yes," she said with confidence. It wasn't even a lie, not really. Penelope was enthusiastic during practice, sure, but she'd been extremely reluctant to even consider it. It took Lily an hour to convince her.

"Bloody hell, Lily, that's fifth year material," Ron said, shaking his head.

Lily shook her own head. "It's not hard at all, I can teach you. Flitwick said they just wait until fifth year so we don't hurt each other."

Ron smiled at the offer, and Lily wasn't sure if she'd messed up by making it. "When do we start?"

"Later," Lily said, relieved that she got away with it. "McGonagall wants to assign a project next week and Snape's been hinting at a research paper."

Ron groaned. "We could do it today, after practice."

Lily shook her head as they rounded the corner on the seventh floor, passing by a swearing suit of armour. "I need some sleep before the feast. I was up all night."

Ron furrowed his brow. "What were you up all night for?"

Lily opened her mouth to answer, but stopped herself. She didn't want to throw Ron back into his foul mood now that he'd gotten out of it.

"Dungleworm," she said instead.

"Very well," the Fat Lady said, yawning and stretching as the portrait swung open. Lily was about to say more as they entered the common room, but she could hear yelling ahead.

"We said she isn't up here," Lavender shouted, "So why don't you just leave us alone? We're trying to sleep!"

"Lily!" Percy shouted, face glowing red as he stared up at Lavender and Parvati standing sleepily at the balcony. "Get down here this instant!"

"I'm over here," Lily, frozen in place at the entryway.

"Lily, there you are," Percy said, trying to grab her by the arm and pull her aside.

"Let go, Percy," Lily said, shaking him off. "I haven't told anyone and I won't be telling anyone, I already ran into Penelope. Why are you shouting at everybody?"

Percy's face turned a brighter shade, this time from embarrassment. "The Head Boy needed you immediately, and seeing as how we can't go up the steps ourselves-"

"He's been shouting for 10 minutes," Lavender complained. Parvati was gone. "Tell them to sod off, Lily." Lavender turned at that, heading back upstairs.

"I really do need to talk to you," Percy said, trying to pull Lily off to the side again.

"Sod off, Percy," Ron butt in, pulling at Lily's other arm.

"Really, now, it's very important," Percy insisted.

Lily sighed. "It's fine, Ron, I'll be right back. Go ahead and change your robes, I'll meet you downstairs."

"If you say so," Ron relented. He let go of her arm, and Percy pulled her to a quiet corner of the common room. Other students were starting to mill about, having been rudely awakened by the Prefect boy.

"About what you saw," Percy whispered once they were alone.

Lily blushed again, thinking about Penelope's chest. "I-"

"She was just changing her clothes, that's all," Percy cut her off. "We had to patrol the corridors, see, and Peeves pelted her with some dung bombs."

"What were you doing, then?" Lily asked. "You were-"

"I was helping her get off some residue," Percy said, offering a smile. He seemed embarrassed, and yet also completely sure that he'd be able to convince Lily.

"Right," Lily said, not buying it one bit. "Don't worry about it, Percy, really, I already told Penelope I wouldn't-"

"There's really nothing to mention at all," Percy said, "It was just-"

Lily was getting fed up now. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I told McGonagall about it, then?"

Percy stopped midsentence, face frozen in fright. "I- Pardon?"

Lily stood up. "I'm not going to tell anyone, Percy, just leave me alone."

"I can do that," Percy managed as Lily walked away from the conversation. She was relieved, to be honest. She didn't think she could take much more of that discussion. She almost felt like it was worse for her than it was for them. She just couldn't get Penelope out of her mind. It felt like it was burned into her retinas.

Lily met Ron down in the Entrance Hall as promised, carrying her Nimbus 2001 and wearing her bright red Quidditch robes. They ate a hurried breakfast together, then stomped off into the grounds, where it was beginning to rain.

"Just great," Lily grumbled as the water soaked through her robes. She could already feel another chill coming on.

"Why's Wood got us practicing on a holiday, anyway?" Ron grumbled in agreement. "Everybody else is inside, sitting around the fire and playing Exploding Snap or chess or- or whatever, but we have to be out here in the cold and the mud."

"Could be worse," Lily mumbled. "Could be Colin."

"What was that?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Lily said. "Bad joke."

They met the rest of the team on the field, and they all looked just as miserable as Lily felt. The rain wasn't letting up at all, and by this point she'd completely forgotten what warmth even felt like.

"Alright, team," Oliver said, all smiles, "Long practice today, so let's get to it."

"Long practice?" Fred groaned. "Oliver, come on, we have to-"

"We have to work on our team maneuvers and-"

"Oliver," Katie Bell interrupted (Bless her, Lily thought), "If you think for a second that we're spending all day out here-"

"Not all day," Oliver threw in hastily, "Just until-"

"If you say 'Just until the feast,' Oliver, I'm going to curse you," Angelina tossed in.

Oliver looked put out. He ran a hand through his soaking wet, short hair, and he looked absolutely puzzled at the response from his mutinous crew. Lily sneezed as a shiver went down her body.

"Sorry, all, but I've booked the field for the whole day, nobody else wanted it," he said.

"Wonder why?" George muttered, looking like he already had several fine ideas for how to get revenge on their captain.

"We only have a few short weeks until the first game," Oliver pleaded, "and we need all the practice we can get, with the brooms the Slytherins have."

"I'll catch the snitch, Oliver," Lily said in a thick voice, sniffing and shivering, "Can I go home now?"

Oliver shook his head. "Fraid not, Lily, you need more practice in the rain. We have no idea what the weather will be later in the year."

Lily coughed, trying to rub her arms against her chest for warmth. It was much harder to do when they felt entirely like liquid. She wished Oliver had at least done his speech somewhere drier.

"She's dying, Oliver," Fred pointed out, officially making him Lily's favourite Weasley of the day.

"She'll make it a while longer," Oliver replied, officially making him Lily's least favourite Wood of the day.

Lily certainly didn't feel like she was going to make it, even hours later. She was shivering so violently that her broom couldn't fly straight, and she felt a rumble in her lungs every time she breathed in. Her forehead would occasionally twitch in agony, but she wasn't sure if that was her current circumstances or if her scar was trying to act up again.

She seemed to be getting the worst of it, which she didn't think was very fair. Fred and George kept loudly complaining, but they were still able to laugh and make jokes at the expense of others. Ron, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, and the rest of the reserves (one for all of them but her) spent most of their time in silence, passing the Quaffle back and forth between each other. They were all playing badly today, their fingers too frozen and stiff to properly handle the ball.

But for some inane reason, Oliver absolutely refused to call it. He kept flying over, giving everybody pointers and trying to buoy spirits. Lily threatened to blast him if he came around her again, but failed to make good on the promise; her hands were far too shaky, and she was worried she'd accidentally hit somebody else.

The sun was setting now, and Lily was sure the feast was almost ready. She was also sure she wouldn't be attending. Her head was splitting open, and she was quite certain she was going to die before they left the Quidditch pitch. This would, unfortunately, be the second Halloween feast she'd miss.

Better luck next year, she thought to herself as the pounding in her head got worse.

"You alright, Lily?" Katie asked, pulling up nearby with her Comet. Lily tried to give her a smile, but she could barely raise her lips.

"No," she admitted in a thick voice. She sputtered a bit, breaking into a chest-rattling cough.

"Oliver!" Katie shouted, waving over at their captain. He flew right over, putting a hand on Lily's back as he came to a stop.

"You all right, Lily?" he asked.

"No," Lily repeated, still coughing.

"Look at her, Oliver," Katie said rudely. "We have to get her to the Hospital Wing, she can barely stay on her broom."

"I can-" Lily started, breaking into another series of coughs. She could feel herself start to slide, but Katie put her arms around her, and she felt far more secure for it.

"Angelina!" Oliver called out. The dark-skinned girl flew over immediately, looking similarly worried.

"You al-" she started.

"Take Lily up to the castle," Oliver interrupted. "She's had enough for today."

"I think we all have, Oliver," Angelina threw out.

"Yeah, Oliver, the feast is starting soon," Katie whined.

Oliver glanced up at the dark sky, squinting to try and find the sun. Katie rolled her eyes at him, then threw Lily a reassuring smile. Lily tried to return it, but it was ruined by a rack of pain convulsing through her forehead. She nearly slipped off her broom again, but Katie held her tighter.

"You two go on ahead," Oliver relented, "We'll all be in shortly. I'll just give a quick pep talk first."

"Right," Angelina said, herding Lily and her broom slowly toward the ground. "Lucked out there, didn't we? Almost had to spend another hour out here."

Lily answered with another series of heaving coughs as they landed on the field. She could barely stand on her shaky legs, and Angelina had to support her with both arms.

"Merlin, the storm really did a number on you, didn't it?"

Lily sniffed for confirmation, appreciative of the little bit of warmth the extra body was giving her. She wished it was Katie holding her instead, but that thought confused her and she pushed it away. She was soon herded off the Quidditch pitch, and they were making their way towards the castle.

"I've been meaning to ask something, if you don't mind," Angelina said. Lily got the sense she didn't want to spend the journey in silence, even though she would have quite liked it herself.

"Go ah-" Lily sputtered again, slowing her pace with her new coughs.

"What's with the ponytail?" Angelina asked. "You wore your hair down last year, but you've had it up ever since the train."

"I like it," she said awkwardly. She held more tightly onto Angelina as another twinge of pain went through her head.

"Blimey, that's some fever," Angelina said, placing a hand on Lily's forehead. "Can practically see the steam coming off of you."

Lily certainly didn't feel warm. Her cold, wet robes were still clinging to her, and it felt like she was completely submerged in ice. Angelina hurried their pace towards the castle, not resuming the conversation until they were inside and heading up the stairs. Lily could see the students gathering into the Great Hall for the upcoming feast, but she felt no need to join them.

"How'd you get sick so quickly?" Angelina asked, staring longingly behind them at where most of the student body was gathered.

"I was sick yesterday, too," Lily said with yet another sniff. She wished she had something to blow her nose on; she didn't like it dripping down her chin.

"You should have said something," Angelina suggested far too late. "Wood would have let you off easy. He let Katie skip a few sessions last year when she came down with a flu. Pomfrey couldn't figure out how it kept coming back."

"How did it?" Lily asked. They passed a few more students as they proceeded upwards, but the stream was quickly thinning out into nothingness.

Angelina smiled. "She came to the sessions anyway. Kept making her sick. But, still, he did offer."

"I probably would have come, too," Lily admitted. They were on the second floor, now, and Lily's head was really starting to ache, and she noticed that it definitely seemed to be centered behind her scar. She didn't take that as a good sign, but she was in no shape to hurry their pace. Angelina was already breathing hard from the effort of lugging her sorry body up the stairs.

"Hello there," a friendly voice announced as it passed through the wall. Lily almost lost her balance from being startled, but Angelina managed to catch her just in time.

"Hello, Nick," Angelina returned with a grunt as she shifted Lily's weight. "Can't stay to talk right now, I need to get Lily up to the Hospital Wing."

"Ah, but it's her I was coming to see," Nick said, following along with them anyway.

Lily coughed again, but turned to face the ghost.

"I thought you didn't like me," she said.

Nick looked aghast, the ruffle on his puffy shirt billowing as his head nearly lost its place on his neck.

"I like all the Gryffindors," he said haughtily.

"But-" Lily stammered, interrupted by another series of coughs. She had to lean on the railing for support, even with Angelina still clinging to her.

"If you're worried about the Peeves comment from last year, you shouldn't be," Nick said reassuringly, "I forgot about it ages ago."

Lily didn't comment on that as Angelina continued pulling her along.

"What's your question, Nick?" Angelina said rudely as they got to the third floor. "We're in a hurry here."

Nick raised his nose as if he was offended. "I was simply looking to inquire if you knew where Miss Granger has gotten to."

"How would I know?" Lily answered, raising a shaky foot to take the next step.

"I believe I remember the two of you being quite inseparable," Nick continued. "She was attending my Deathday Feast, when-"

"Deathday Feast?" Angelina interrupted. "What's that?"

"Like a birthday, but for our death," Nick explained in a hurry, "But she was there, only-"
"Why would you want to celebrate the day you died?" Angelina interrupted again. Lily was sure that was a rude question to ask, and she was extremely pleased that somebody else asked it before she could.

Nick did look quite offended, shaking his ruffled collar in defiance, but he continued on as if the question had not been asked.

"Miss Granger attended, but she left before I could give my speech. She was the star, you see, as living beings almost never attend the celebrations. It made me look quite the fool, I admit, but some of my guests saw her leave the party looking completely miserable. I just wanted to make sure she was all right. I never wanted to offend her."

"Did you check the tower?" Lily asked as they approached the fourth floor. Only one more to go. She stepped onto the landing, feet heading towards the last set of stairs.

"Of course I did," Nick answered, "First place I checked. I also-"

Lily let out a shout, falling to her knees as her hand shot up towards her scar. She shut her eyes, trying to block out the pain.

"Lily?" Angelina asked, leaning down next to the second-year girl.

Kill, Lily heard from below. Master calls to us, Time to feed, Kill, Kill.

"We have to hurry," Lily said, getting up onto her unsteady feet. Angelina looked worried, but she helped her up the stairs anyway. Nick followed behind, looking increasingly nervous.

"Come on, let's get you to Pomfrey's," Angelina said nervously as she picked up the pace.

Kill, Must kill, Hungry, Kill, the voice said, significantly louder than before.

"Do you hear that?" Lily asked gravely. Her vision was starting to get blurry, the pain in her head fogging over everything else. "It's- It's coming from below, I think."

"Hear what?" Angelina responded. "Don't worry, we're almost-"

"I say, what is that noise?" Nick interrupted. Lily could hear something big moving up the stairs behind them.

KILL, KILL, KILL.

"What-" Angelina said.

Lily collapsed onto the ground. She could feel vomit coming up her esophagus, and she tried to force it down. Angelina leaned down, hovering protectively over Lily.

KILL.