"Lily?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you doing up in that tree?"
Lily glanced down at Ginny standing far below her. Weasley was down on the ground, as well, prancing around the other girl in the snow. He loved the stuff, for some reason. Lily merely tolerated it; her entire body felt frozen stiff, but this was the best place to get any privacy around here.
Or, at least, it was.
"Drawing," she answered. She had all her materials balanced precariously next to her, with her wand at the ready to try and catch it should it slip and fall. She didn't bring the chest with her; just the charcoal and a sketchpad. She wasn't completely stupid.
"Way up there?"
"Yes."
It was actually quite nice up in the tree. She could see really far, since it was slightly taller than the trees around it. And since it had no leaves, it was actually quite comfortable. It could even get warm, if the sun was out.
"Why?"
"It's nice up here."
"How did you even get up there?"
"I climbed."
"Does mum know you're up there?"
"How would I know?"
"Are you coming down?"
"Eventually."
"Aren't you cold?"
"I'm always cold."
"Do you want some cocoa?"
"Are you offering?"
"Mum told me to come get you, she's making some."
"Do you think she'd bring me some?" Lily didn't know where she'd put it in the tree, anyway, but she really didn't want to move. The boys were all flying around the Quidditch pitch (Percy excluded), and she was trying to capture the moment.
"No, she wants everyone inside before we all get sick."
"I'll pass, then, I'm not done yet."
"Are you sure?" Ginny sounded a bit nervous as she asked that.
Lily glanced down, setting her charcoal comfortably on the pad so it wouldn't slide down below. Ginny was holding her hands behind her back and staring up apprehensively. Lily could see her breath puffing out in front of her, and her cheeks were a bright red from the cold. She really should cover those.
"Is something wrong, Gin?"
"That's what I was going to ask you," Ginny muttered.
"I'm fine, Ginny, I'm just drawing." Lily gestured to all the things balanced on her outstretched legs.
"You- forget it, Lily, I'll let mum know," Ginny said and, with that, turned to walk back to the house, with her traitorous cat following behind eagerly. Lily thought about calling out to her, to see what it was she wanted to say, but she decided against it. If Ginny thought she needed to know, she'd find out what it was later.
Lily felt a snowflake fall against her cheek, so she tucked her sketchbook and instruments into her robes to take a well-earned break. She'd finish it up later, colour it, then animate it like she had the rest of her drawings over the break. Hermione's book, turns out, was very useful.
Her hand bumped into where she was keeping Tom, but she decided not to bring him out, either. She was still a bit uneasy around him. She couldn't help but think of all the contradictory things he told her. She wanted to confront him on it, but she also didn't want to offend, since he was trying to be so helpful, what with teaching her a few spells. He even managed to help her hit a breakthrough on Transfiguration, just like he promised. She was sure McGonagall would have no room for complaints.
He seemed to be trying a bit too hard, Lily thought, as if he knew every single thing Lily was worried about before she could tell him. She found something about him off, and she'd written to Flourish & Blotts under the pretense of buying one just like him, just to doublecheck his story. She hadn't heard back yet. She only had Tom on her because she didn't want anybody else finding him. She was pretty sure somebody had been snooping around her room. She found her photo album out of place a few days ago.
She supposed she needed something to do today if she wasn't going to get any more drawing done. She climbed down the tree as carefully she could, settling on a walk through the snowy, winter woods.
She found a frozen creek the other day, which was nice. She'd try another direction today. It wasn't hard to find her way around; she was drawing her own map and using a simple pointing spell Tom told her about to stay on track. All you had to do was say "Point Me" with your wand laying flat on your palm, and it'd spin so the tip was facing north. She wondered if the Weasleys ever noticed her disappearing. She wondered what would happen if she just decided to spend a night out here.
She'd been wondering a lot, lately. It bothered her that the Weasleys only ever approached when they needed or wanted something from her. That was the first time Ginny said anything to her during the entire holiday.
The next morning the whole clan was up bright and early. Lily got up even earlier than Mrs. Weasley, and already had breakfast going by the time the matriarch wandered down the stairs. She thanked Lily with a big hug before heading upstairs to get the other children up and moving; it was only a few hours before they needed to be on the train. Lily didn't get up to make anyone's life easier, but she appreciated the bit of attention. She woke up from another nightmare and couldn't settle down, so she got a fire going and read in the sitting room while everybody else was still sleeping. She even managed to get her shower in first, and was already dressed in her school robes.
Lily didn't get any thanks from any of the Weasleys, other than the adults, but she tried not to mind; there was a big hurry as they all struggled to get ready in time to leave. Lily triple-checked her own trunk to make sure she had everything, and quadruple-checked her robe for Tom; he'd been tucked in there for hours. She wanted to hand him back over to Hermione first chance she got. She was looking forward to the hand-off. Keeping him a secret made her feel like there was a heavy pressure in her chest.
Lily didn't manage to snag the front seat this time around, and she found herself crammed between Fred and George in the back, sitting thoroughly in the middle, while Ginny shared the spacious front seat with her mother. Lily tried not to grumble too much; Ron had it worse, being crammed next to Percy, who was going on and on about how important it was to follow all of the new policies that were being implemented this semester for their safety.
"Remember, they've hired an outside investigator," he said. "So do your best to stay out of his way. He's been given full authority to dole out punishments if you distract him."
They got a few strange looks as they made their way through King's Cross, although Lily didn't know why they were getting singled out. There were quite a few kids making their journey through the station in their Hogwarts robes. Granted, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were wearing far brighter wizard robes, but they were far from the strangest, surely. Lily looked around briefly for Gran's stuffed vulture before remembering and feeling disappointed.
Lily went through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ first, feeling a bit impatient as Fred and George argued with Percy over who had taken his Prefect's badge (it was George, who slipped it into Ginny's pocket when she wasn't paying attention). There were a lot more adults standing at the platform than there were during Lily's previous journey, and they all seemed more serious about it. There was far less laughter and conversation going on than there should be. Lily considered whether she'd be able to find a compartment to herself, but she saw Hermione waving to her from near the front and hurried on her way.
"How was your Christmas?" Lily asked as she lugged her trunk inside. She was already breathing hard from the effort; she packed all her new books into it, and that only ever made it heavier. She would have levitated it, but she didn't know if she was allowed to use magic yet, even if they were technically on school property. There were far too many witnesses around to take the risk. Hermione finally rose to give her a helping hand, and they managed to get it in together.
"It was wonderful," Hermione said happily as she took her seat next to the window. "We visited my grandmother in Gwynedd, haven't seen her in ages. How was yours?"
Lily had no idea where that was, but she smiled and nodded.
"Brilliant," Lily said as she sat down across from her friend. "Did you know it was reported I was a boy when I was born?"
"Pardon?"
"Mr. Weasley framed a newspaper for me from the day I was born," Lily explained eagerly (she'd just been dying to talk about it). "The headline and article both said I was a boy, and that my name was Harry James Potter."
Hermione blinked slowly, then nodded. "I read all about it, of course, but I'm surprised you didn't already know. The books I read never mention why, though, just that it was done for your protection. I don't suppose-"
"I don't know!" Lily said a bit too enthusiastically. "I was wondering that, too! I tried asking Mr. Weasley, but he got cut off, and then I think we both just forgot about it."
"Did you-" Hermione said a bit loudly before leaning in and dropping her voice. "Did you ask Tom?"
"No, but how would he know?" Lily said. She reached into her robe pockets to find the diary, and then handed it over to the proper owner. She felt much better immediately, with it no longer pressing against her.
"Did you ask him about the Chamber?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, but he said it never got opened in the first place," Lily said. "Why did you even send him to me? He didn't know anything about the thing."
"I think he might have gotten it wrong, actually," Hermione said in an excited whisper. "He said the Chamber never got opened, and that the student death was an unrelated accident, but did you ask what killed her?"
"Of course I did," Lily said. "But do you really think it was an Acromantula, Hermione? I mean, really? He wouldn't even tell me who did it, he said you got upset when he told you, and that it'd be better if I found out from you, instead."
"Did he really?"
"I just said so, didn't I?"
"Well, do you want to know?" Hermione seemed far too excited about this.
"Hermione," Lily said in a stern voice. "If I didn't want to know, why would I be asking?"
"It was Hagrid!" Hermione said with a wide smile. "Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets!"
Lily blinked slowly.
"Hermione?"
"No, let me explain first. I don't think he ever meant for it to hurt anybody, but he tried keeping it in a storage room, and it must've gotten out and-"
"Hermione?"
"And it must have bitten a student, so they-"
"Hermione, are you mad?" Lily said finally. "Hagrid, the Heir of Slytherin? Hagrid, kill another student? How could you possibly-"
"I thought so, too, at first, Lily," Hermione explained feverishly fast, "but, like I said, I don't think he ever meant for it to hurt anybody, and you have to admit the man has a fascination with monsters, don't you remember the dragon?"
"Course I do," Lily said as she held up scarred hand. "Bastard bit me, remember?"
"Don't swear, Lily."
"Sorry."
"But, yes, it bit you, and Hagrid refused to admit it was dangerous, remember? We basically had to threaten to tell somebody in order to get him to listen to reason, and even then, it was a struggle. Besides, Hagrid was expelled, remember? Haven't you ever wondered what it was about? You have to do something really bad to get expelled from school."
"I always assumed it was for-"
"For raising a monster?" Hermione finished with a knowing smile. Lily pursed her lips in response.
"Still, though, Hermione, do you even know what House he was in? How could he be the Heir of Slytherin?"
"He was in Hufflepuff, as a matter of fact," Hermione said. "But who says the Heir has to be a Slytherin? And, besides, I think he might have just found it on accident while exploring the school."
"Hermione, how could Hagrid have found something that none of the Professors have?" Lily asked. "I mean, you have to admit-"
"Lily, you've said it yourself, not even Dumbledore knows where every room is," Hermione said. "And, besides, when I asked him what he knew about Chamber, he clammed up and refused to talk about it, and he's been avoiding me ever since."
Lily made a mental note to ask Hagrid as soon as they got back to the castle.
"Looks like he learned since last year, then," Lily said with a fond smile. "I don't know, Hermione, I think Tom thinks he did it, but I don't believe it. Hagrid can't be our guy."
"I didn't believe it at first, either," Hermione admitted. "But somebody has to be behind it, don't they? I couldn't find any record of what Hagrid had done, while most expelled students have a record you can read about. Don't you find that a bit suspicious?"
"Are you suggesting that Dumbledore is covering up the Chamber for Hagrid?" Lily asked.
"Hagrid trusts Dumbledore, don't you think that's-"
"Hermione, you really think Dumbledore wouldn't turn in somebody that he thinks is actively causing harm to his students?"
"I just think you should consider the possibility, Lily," Hermione said with a huff. "Tom said Dumbledore showed favouritism to Hagrid during school, too, and he refused to believe it then even with all the evidence to suggest otherwise."
"And you really think Hagrid is behind it now?" Lily asked. "Really, Hermione, I mean-"
"I don't think he has any control over it anymore," Hermione said satisfactorily. Lily could tell she thought she was being rather convincing, even though Lily didn't believe a word of it.
"Hermione, have any of the petrified students had bite marks on them?" Lily asked.
"I don't know," Hermione admitted. "But do you? They haven't told us anything about how the attacks have occurred, have they?"
Lily paused as she opened her mouth to respond. She had to admit that Hermione was right on that front, at least. Hogwarts was keeping the petrified students safely from their view. She'd barely seen Colin. There was still one problem, though, something that'd been bothering her ever since Tom tried to sell her on it.
"What about Nick, then?" she pointed out. "How do you suppose a spider bit a ghost, Hermione?"
Hermione bit her fingernail and turned to stare out the window. The crowd outside were all waving, now, and there wasn't a kid in sight on the outside.
"We'll talk about it later," Lily said as the train suddenly lurched forward. "I don't want anyone overhearing us."
"Lily, we're alone in here."
"And that could change very quickly," Lily said. "Ron isn't here yet, is he? He should hear it, anyway, and Katie, too, since she's helping us."
"About Katie," Hermione said as she leaned forward. "You're completely sure we can trust her?"
"Hermione," Lily said with a smile of her own, "She's the only girl who was nice to me all year. You're lucky I still trust you."
"Oh," Hermione said sheepishly as she wrung her hands together. "I- I suppose I should apologize again, shouldn't I?"
"It's fine, Hermione," Lily said instead.
"Look, there she is now," Hermione said with a nod towards the door. Lily thought she just messing with her, but she smiled as the door slid open and the familiar face of Katie Bell entered the compartment.
"Ka-" Lily began.
She was interrupted by Katie throwing herself around Lily in the tightest hug she'd ever received. Lily could feed her ribs cracking from the strain, and she found she could hardly breathe.
"Thank you so much, Lily, really! And I didn't even get you anything! When's your birthday? I'll have to get you something really nice!" Katie said all in one, long breath. Her Irish lilt became more pronounced when she was excited. Hermione was giving her a strange look.
"Got her a broom," she managed to choke out.
"How were your Holidays, Lily?" Katie asked as her stupid smile was still stuck on her face. Lily couldn't help but smile, herself.
"They were fine," Lily said. "A bit lonely, actually. It felt weird being with the Weasleys, and I think they thought so too."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know, it was just a bit awkward, is all," Lily said with a sad shrug. "I don't think they knew what to do with me there."
"You can come visit my place next year, if you want," Katie suggested. "We've got our own pitch in the yard, and we've got all sorts of wards up to keep Muggles from finding us."
"Why would Muggles be trying to find you?" Lily asked.
"They wouldn't, they're mostly there just to keep them from wandering in. Can't break the Statute, you know? Most wizard houses have them, you can't see them unless you have magic. Really, though, I think my parents want to meet you, they couldn't believe somebody would get me a broom."
"Why wouldn't they?" Hermione asked.
"I remember you mentioning something about that in your letter," Lily said. "You said they 'couldn't believe somebody actually liked you enough.'"
"Oh, did I actually say that?" Katie blushed a deep red. This was the first time Lily ever saw the other girl get flustered. "Well, I- err- I don't talk about school much at home, I think they thought I didn't have any friends."
"Why don't you talk about school?" Lily asked. "When I first went to the Burrow, they told me Ron couldn't stop talking about school."
"They don't like that I play Quidditch," Katie said nervously. "We had a big fight after my first year when I begged them to buy me a broom, I really liked the flying lessons, but they- err- They thought it was a bit inappropriate."
"Why would it be inappropriate?" Lily asked. She recalled how she felt the first time she flew, as well; as if in the sky was where she truly belonged.
"Well- you have to understand, Lily, you both came from Muggle families- but some wizard families can be a bit- a bit backwards. The Harpies are the only female-only team for a reason, and a lot of teams overseas still won't take any women. Some National teams don't even have a single lady on them, like Bulgaria."
"That's ridiculous," Hermione said. "Half the Quidditch players at Hogwarts are girls!"
"I know that, and they know that, but they think it's weird that- that I'd want to turn it into a career at all," Katie said in a frustrated tone. "They think it's a fine extracurricular subject, but they don't want me to waste my time on it when I should be studying instead. Hence, the fight. I was lucky they bought me one at all, even if it wasn't a very good one."
"I thought the magical community was supposed to be more accepting of- of females in the workplace," Hermione said delicately. "Over half the Ministers have been women, why shouldn't the Quidditch players be, too? I mean, I understand why the Muggle sports have different leagues, but the Harpies even play in the same one, don't they?"
"They do!" Katie said in an excited tone, "I think it's just a bleed over from Muggle culture, I have a Squib cousin that complains about how hard it is to make a living in women's football."
"Is it safe to say they didn't approve of the broom?" Hermione dared to ask. Lily felt her heart sink; she didn't want to get Katie in trouble just because she wanted to get her a gift.
"We shouldn't be talking about this," Katie said to deflect. "I was just trying to thank Lily for the broom, that's all. Do you want to come to my place over the summer, instead? If they see how you fly, too, they might change their mind about the whole thing, you're even better than I am!"
"I don't know about that," Lily disagreed. "I've only played two games, and I almost died in both of them."
"Well, sure, but you play Seeker, don't you?" Katie said cheekily. "Really, though, I don't want you two to go about thinking bad things about wizards, my dad's just a bit stuffy, is all. The Bells are an old Pureblood family, so he can be- well, he can be a bit of a tosser, really."
"But the Harpies were founded in 1203," Lily said. She knew her facts. "They're the second oldest team in the entire fu-"
"Lily!"
"League," she finished.
"I know, like I said, most families don't actually care," Katie said as she shook her hands back in forth in denial. "Really, they don't. But my dad's grandmother was a Malfoy, and they can be a bit weird about it, for sure. Most of the women there don't seek employment at all, they just try to marry into riches."
"Your grandmother is a Malfoy?" Lily said in shock.
"Great-grandmother," Katie corrected. "And don't worry, we've been expunged from the family tree. My dad married a Muggleborn. She's more uptight than he is. Can we talk about anything else? Have you decided what classes you're taking next year?"
"Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Arithmancy," Lily said proudly. She wasn't looking forward to the heavier workload, but she was sure she could manage it. At least she wasn't taking-
"All of them," Hermione said. That certainly shattered Lily's confidence.
"Really? All of them?" Katie said in an impressed tone. "I just took Divination and Muggle Studies. They're the easiest, and since I just want to play Quidditch, I don't need OWLs in anything else."
"What happens if you don't get picked up?" Hermione asked.
"Could always get a job at the Ministry," Katie said after a long pause. She was playing with a lock of her hair as she thought. "They're always hiring, and with Muggle Studies, I could join one of those departments. Plus, I'm pretty good at Defense and Transfiguration, I think I'll get an OWL on those, at least. I'll have options."
"You thought that far ahead?" Lily asked.
"Course I did, my parents have been hounding me since year one," Katie said. "McGonagall will be asking yours, soon enough, once you have your meetings. Do you know what you want to do?"
Lily and Hermione shared a glance that most certainly said that neither of them had the slightest idea of what they wanted to do once they were out of school.
"Quidditch? Lily said sheepishly.
"Do you know what team you want to play for?" Katie asked in excitement, her eyes and smile lighting up. "I want to play for the Harpies, myself, but they can be a bit exclusive. They have 3 reserves for each position, but its highly competitive to get one of those, let alone a starting position. Still, though, Helena and Jasmine are both retiring after this year, and there's a whole group of girls that want to start their own team as soon as they can find a sponsor, they reckon it might be up by the time we're in our sixth year, so it'd be nice to play for them if it's- you know what, I shouldn't get my hopes up, the scouts come to every game but they only pat attention to the seventh years."
"There's scouts at every game?" Lily asked in horror. She hoped she hadn't already ruined her chances by being constantly, horrifically injured.
"There are," Katie said. She placed a hand on Lily's as if she could sense the nervousness. "They won't judge you for your first two years, Lily, really. If anything, you're already on a few of their radars just for getting onto the team as a first year. That never happens."
"But then they are judging me," Lily said. "Question: how bad are injuries in the pro leagues?"
"Worse than Hogwarts," Katie said with a chuckle. "The balls don't move as fast in school leagues. That's why there's so many reserves; in the big leagues, teams are actually allowed to swap out players midgame, whereas you're stuck with what you run at Hogwarts."
"That doesn't make me feel any better about it," Lily said nervously.
"It's fine, you might get hurt more, but you also get fixed up a lot faster, there's a lot of Healers at each game, especially the big ones. Nobody has died in any of the national leagues in centuries, whereas school leagues just had a death two decades ago in Spain."
"How did that happen?"
Katie laughed eagerly.
"Bugger wanted to see what would happen if he jumped off his broom three kilometres up. Nobody saw him fall because he chose the exact instant everybody was watching a Seeker dive at the other end of the field. Just don't be stupid, and you'll be fine, you have to try to die in Quidditch for anything to actually happen."
"My neck just got broken, Katie."
Katie shrugged. "Accidents happen? You're fine, now! And the bludger shouldn't have been moving that fast, anyway, it was even beyond what the real teams use. Hell, Lily, I'm sure that earned you more points with the pros, did you see the way you kept avoiding it? You even weaponized it!"
"Someone did see that!" Lily said excitedly.
"Course I did, I could hardly take my eyes off you!"
"Did you see how I broke Pucey's broom?"
"I did! We're going to win the cup for sure, the way you flew!"
"Who won the last game?"
"Ravenclaw! They're the only real contenders, Slytherin and Hufflepuff both have to win by a lot if they want to take it."
"Are they any good?" Lily asked.
Katie gave a loud scoff. "Captain's rubbish, but that Seeker of theirs might even give you a run for your money. Slytherin doesn't stand a chance, they have to play them next."
"Are they still a man down?"
Katie nodded in enthusiasm. "He still hasn't found a replacement for Pucey, Montague's going to bench him permanently if he doesn't get one soon."
"What, Malfoy doesn't care anymore now that he has his spot on the team? Too busy to have Daddy send another one?"
"I think Malfoy's trying to get him off the team, actually, he's been flying around with one of those goons of his lately, we think he's bought them a broom instead."
"Merlin, I wish that wanker would just-"
"Lily!" Hermione interrupted.
"Hermione!" Lily said in response. She had quite forgotten the other girl was even there; she hadn't made so much as a noise in quite a while. She was giving the two of them a strange look, and Lily followed her gaze down to Katie's hand, which was still resting a top her own. She broke the contact sheepishly, wondering why she suddenly felt embarrassed.
"Lily," Hermione said after an uncomfortably long silence, during which even Katie seemed embarrassed. "Now that Katie's here, don't you think we should tell her about all we know?"
"About what?" Lily said with a voice crack.
"About the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, that," Lily said. She let out a deep breath to relieve a bit of the tension as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Well, we still don't know anything, do we? Did you two see any Slytherins sneaking off?"
"Just Malfoy and his goons flying around," Katie said. "I watched them most of the time, that's how I found that out in the first place."
"I kept an eye on Pansy Parkinson," Hermione said. "She spent most of her time either trying to sit around Malfoy or staying in the common room."
"Did you find the entrance?" Lily asked. She knew where it was based off the map, but the one time she went to go check, she found only a blank wall without so much as a single tapestry.
"It's just a wall," Hermione said. "They whisper a password to it, and then it opens for them. I couldn't get in, though, it closes too quickly, and I couldn't hear the password."
"How did you even get that far without being seen?" Lily asked.
Hermione froze, as if she suddenly realized something very terrible.
"What?" Lily asked as she glanced around the compartment. She was worried Dobby was making another appearance, even if she had no reason to still be scared of the elf. Katie just seemed confused, for her part.
"Nothing," Hermione said a bit quickly. "Just- just had an idea, is all. I'll tell you later, if it pans out. I- I need to do some investigating, first."
"Alright," Lily said. "Just- err- Just let me know when it does. Anyone want any snacks? I can hear the trolley coming down the hallway." Lily jungled the coin pouch in her pocket just to make her point clear.
"I'm- I'm fine," Hermione said sheepishly.
"Do you want to split some jelly slugs?" Katie asked as she stood up first. "It'll be my treat, I have to pay you back for the broom somehow."
Turns out, jelly slugs were simultaneously delicious and disgusting, which was really the best combo possible. Lily expected them to just be like normal gummies, like Muggles eat, but they were far slimier and they also moved as you ate them. It wasn't as bad as the chocolate frogs, though; those tried to escape as you chewed them, whereas these didn't really have the sense to do so. It still felt weird as they slithered down your throat, though, and Lily could have sworn she felt them squirming in her stomach as she sat so closely to Katie.
Hermione, strangely enough, lapsed back into silence as the train bore down its path. She chose to stare out the window, as Lily had a chat with Katie about anything that came to their minds. Lily thought Hermione looked a bit sad, but she was more than welcome to join the conversation. Her few attempts to get her friend involved failed, so she gave it up as a bad job. She was just a bit moody today.
It wasn't until the train was already fully stopped, and Lily was getting off the train with Katie, that she saw Ron getting out of a different compartment and realized he had never shown up at theirs. She almost called out to him for something, but Katie asked if she wanted to share a carriage, and she got distracted again. Hermione was already gone, and Lily had no idea where to, so they shared one by themselves as they enjoyed the afternoon light. Lily wondered how they made it here so much more quickly during the winter than the summer, considering that they left at the same time as they would any other time. Why would the train move faster during the holidays than before and after the year? Katie, of course, didn't have an answer, but Lily couldn't blame her for it. She had read Hogwarts: A History, and she couldn't recall it having anything to say on the matter.
The two of them got roped into a snowball fight with the twins once they arrived back at the castle. Fred tossed one at the back of Katie's head as they were trying to head inside, and George threw one at Lily's. Katie swore at him and dashed off, while Lily returned fire. They ended up by the lake by the time it was over, with the girls facing utter defeat; they were no match for the experience of the twins. They clearly knew their way around a snowball. It was the most fun Lily had ever had out in the snow; she hardly noticed the freezing temperature or the numbness in her fingers and toes. She had a vague feeling that she was forgetting something, but then Fred dropped some snow down the back of her robe, and she forgot all about it.
When they finally returned to the common room, Lily found a sight she never would have expected. Ron was sitting near the fireplace, his Potions book laying open, studying of his own volition. She was so shocked that she didn't even hear Lavender Brown calling for her as she crossed the room, placing herself in the seat across from her friend.
"What?" Ron asked after an uncomfortable minute of Lily staring at him in silence.
"You're studying," she said.
"So?"
"So, you never study!"
"I do, too. I study with you all the time."
"But I didn't ask you, I was having a snowball fight outside."
"And I needed to get some studying done. I did a lot over the break, too, or didn't you notice?"
"I- I was too busy-"
"Sitting in your tree, yeah, I know," Ron said a bit rudely. "You did a lot of that, didn't you?"
"You could have come and talked to me, I would have-"
"Blown me off like you did Ginny?"
"I didn't blow her off!" Lily said. "I was drawing, I had to finish my-"
"You went into the woods right after, you didn't draw a thing," Ron said with a snort. "I was in the air, Lily, we all saw you walk off."
"Why are you being so rude?" Lily asked. Ron looked down at his book sadly.
"You miss Neville, don't you?" she whispered. "I'm sorry, Ron, I didn't even think about how you'd feel with him gone."
"No, you didn't," Ron said. "Its fine, though, he'll- he'll be up before term is over."
"We can talk about it if you want, Ron," Lily offered. She tried to place her hand on his, just like Katie had done for her, but he moved it away as he shook his head.
"Its fine," he said. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm sorry. It's just a bit weird without him, that's all."
"Well, you know where to find me if you need me," Lily said as she stood. She could take the hint; Ron clearly wanted to be alone right now.
"Can't go up there to get you," Ron said as he focused back on his studies. "I'll just shout for you."
"Just don't be too loud, you don't want Lavender mad at you," Lily said as she walked away. Katie was sitting over in the corner with Alicia Spinnet, and Lily didn't feel like talking with the other Chaser right now. She was always so grumpy about something, even before Angelina got petrified.
At dinner that evening, during which Lily sat with the twins (who kept trying to slide food onto Lily's plate whenever she wasn't looking) and Katie, Dumbledore stood to make an announcement, clearing his throat to grab everyone's attention. Only when the chatter came to a stop did he begin to speak.
"A few announcements," he said, "before we return to our studies tomorrow morning. First, starting this Saturday morning, we will officially be reopening the Dueling Club. Attendance for the first session is mandatory for every student, and it will be administrated by each member of the staff, per the suggestion of Professor Lockhart."
Lily groaned as the rest of the hall applauded. Lockhart stood in his baby blue robes, waving and bowing to the ecstatic crowd. At least most of the Gryffindors seemed to be faking it. Lily wondered if that was because of her disappearing spine. Snape glowered in his seat, next to a scarred man that Lily was very certain she recognized. One of his eyes was locked onto her.
"Second," Dumbledore continued, "I would like you all to bid welcome to Alastor Moody."
Dumbledore gestured towards the end of the staff table, where the gnarled, snarling face of Moody stood, leaning awkwardly on one of his legs. He was wearing the same weathered, brown cloak, and he smiled menacingly at the whole lot of them. His real eye scanned the crowd of nervous students in front of him. His magic eye stayed on Lily.
"Is that Mad-Eye Moody?" Fred asked excitedly.
"It is," George confirmed.
"Wicked," they said together.
"Who is Mad-Eye Moody?" Katie asked. The twins looked offended, but they didn't get a chance to explain.
"Alastor is here at my request," Dumbledore explained, "in order to provide additional protection to the school. He will be conducting a full investigation, and I must ask that you do not impede it. He may pull some of you aside as he does so; please, do your best to answer any of his questions to the best of your ability. Should all go well, he will be gone in just one, short month."
Lily felt a bit uncomfortable. She wished Mad-Eye would stop looking at her. She couldn't help but feel that she was being made out as the number one suspect.
"Third, all club meetings, with the exception of the Dueling Club, are hereby cancelled for the rest of term." Dumbledore held his hand up into the air to calm the suddenly mutinous crowd. "I know, I know, I wish it had not come to this, either, but it is for the good of us all. If you wish to attend the Dueling Club after the mandatory beginning, your Head of House will arrive an hour before the meeting time to escort any participants down to the Great Hall. Quidditch teams, do not worry; your Head of House will escort you to each practice session and observe for your protection."
"Fourth, as you may have guessed from the previous one, Hogwarts will be under a tight lockdown henceforth from tomorrow. When you are not in class, you will remain in your common rooms or in the library. Should you need to travel, there is a form on the bulletin board of each common room. Simply remove a tab from it, write your name upon it, and let it go, and it will fly towards the nearest Prefect or staff member, who will come to fetch and escort you."
"Fifth, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the departure of our groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. He is on temporary leave, and will likely not return until after the attacks have ceased."
There were a few grumblings around the hall, mostly just of confusion and some muttering of enthusiasm from the Slytherin table, but Lily was just horrified.
"They took him," she whispered. Katie seemed to notice, but nobody else did. Katie put a hand on her shoulder. That made her feel a bit better, even as she exchanged a look with Hermione, who was sitting far down the table. Hermione quickly glanced back down at her plate. She was sitting alone.
"Lastly, and I believe this is the most important one; the Ministry has approved our delivery of fully grown mandrakes, and so we will not have to wait until the end of term to revive those who have been petrified." The crowd cheered again, this time Lily joining in.
"Unfortunately," Dumbledore continued, "as Britain does not have any native Mandrakes left to it, they have to be imported, so they will not arrive until the end of February. All of our worries will be over at that point, I can assure you."
"Do you think any of them saw who did it?" Lily asked Fred. She maneuvered her fork around the extras the boys gave her; she wasn't sure if they'd done anything to them.
"Surely one of them did," he answered. "Angelina was practically on top of you, wasn't she?"
"How are they going to cure the ghost?" George asked.
