This chapter is for Brit (and all my other faithful reviewers), whom I kept waiting far too long. Sorry!
(I am counting down the minutes, as I am sure all of you are, until the release TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT of HPHBP! This chapter is in honour of the oh-so-glorious release!)
Chapter Seven: Someone's Plotting
A soft breeze rattled the window in Lily's dorm. She reached over from her desk and latched it unconsciously with a quick wave of her wand. She was quite absorbed in chapter seventeen of Detoxify, De-stress, etc. entitled "Tossing the Garden Nome: A Theory of Anger Management."
Lily was halfway through the fourth paragraph when the door creaked open and Madeline slunk inside, carrying an armful of scrolls. Lily wouldn't have noticed, but she heard a slight sniffling and set down her book.
"Hello, Madeline," Lily said without hesitation. Lily wasn't going to let the poetry book incident get in the way of any possible friendship. Besides, Melinda…er, Miss Moonshine, recommended in her book that she be open to as many new people as possible. Not only would it boost her self-esteem, but theirs as well.
Plus, she'd do just about anything to get Charlotte's knickers in a twist.
Madeline sort of froze, eyes wide and glowing behind the pile of scrolls as if not entirely sure what to do…or rather like a deer caught in the headlights.
"I have a spell for that, if you need some help," Lily offered, motioning toward the scrolls.
Madeline still said nothing. It then occurred to Lily what an awkward position she was putting Madeline in. Charlotte had probably forbidden her to speak to Lily. Well, that snob wasn't going to control Madeline like that if Lily had anything to say about it-
"Er…that would be nice, thank you," Madeline said, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes.
Lily hesitated, shocked that she'd agreed so quickly, but then a smile crept slowly across her features. She waved her wand and the scrolls drifted from Madeline's hands into a neat stack on her desk.
"You sure have a lot of work there. Is that for Advanced Potions? I wouldn't be surprised…" Lily trailed off, realising that Madeline wasn't listening. Instead, her eyes had travelled over Lily's shoulder and widened considerably at what she saw.
Lily turned, following her gaze and immediately flushed. Madeline was staring at the broom Lily had confiscated.
"Oh, er…heh heh," she laughed nervously sliding over to it and tucking it quickly behind her desk. "I was just, erm, well, I confiscated it, you see…I mean, I don't really fly or anything…" Rats. How embarrassing. Lily was meaning to turn that in…but it would just be thrown into the broom closet and get no use and, well, she really didn't see any point in that…
But Madeline had apparently been staring at something else. Her eyes seemed even larger behind those giant lenses of hers. "What…what is that?"
"Erm…" Lily stepped aside as Madeline rushed past her, snatching something from Lily's tidy desk. "Oh, that," Lily waved her hand. "I pulled it out of the rubbish. Really, I mean, that Charlotte needs to-"
Lily froze when she saw Madeline's face. There were a few tears sparkling in her eyes as she clutched the book of poetry Charlotte had carelessly thrown away tightly to her chest.
"I-well-it was a bit presumptuous of me I suppose, but it seemed important to you, so I-"
Madeline flushed with embarrassment and wiped the tears quickly from her eyes. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I thought I'd lost it."
A warm grin spread across Lily's features. "Sure. We just won't mention it to Charlotte, will we?"
Madeline chuckled softly and stashed the book beneath her pillow. "I'm…I'm sorry for the way Charlotte treats you, Lily," she said bashfully. "She's not a very…nice person."
"Not particularly, no."
The two girls fell into a fit of giggles at the understatement, but were soon interrupted by the dormitory door bursting open. Lily was still smiling, but Madeline became quite stony-faced and scuttled over to her bed, pretending to have been working on a scroll.
Charlotte strode into the room, tossing her book bag languorously behind her where a disgruntled-looking Helen caught it just in time. Florence trailed in, letting the door slam behind her.
Lily couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She was too happy that she had just, maybe-maybe, made a friend. However, she must have looked particularly goofy grinning ear to ear for no apparent reason, for Charlotte stopped abruptly in front of her and grimaced. "What are you so happy about, Evans?"
The up-close view of Charlotte's thickly layered eye makeup and pursed glossy lips were an effective means of destroying her smile. Lily just sighed and turned away. "No reason."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed. With a huff, she whirled around and spotted Madeline, scribbling madly on some parchment. "Madeline!"
Madeline peered up fearfully. "Er…yes?"
Charlotte plopped down upon her bed and curled up with a magazine. "Be a dear and fetch me a book from the library. I need research for the Astronomy paper due Monday."
Madeline nodded obediently and began to gather her things to go.
"I'll help you," Lily piped up, snatching her own book bag.
Charlotte dropped her magazine. "What?"
"I'll go with Madeline," Lily smiled affably, pulling on a sweater over her thin shirt. "I was heading there anyway."
"Er…on second thought," Charlotte sat up and flicked her curls primly. "I think I'd rather you just stay here. And help me write an outline for it."
Madeline obediently set down her things and went back to writing, but kept a curious eye on Lily.
"Well then, I'll just stay here and help you!" Lily plopped down beside Madeline.
A bit flustered, Charlotte leapt out of her bed and snatched Madeline's arm, dragging her away from Lily. "I changed my mind. I want you to get me a pumpkin pastie. Low fat. From the kitchens."
"Excellent!" Lily cried. "I'm starving! I'll just get my cloak, shall I-"
"I thought you had to get to the library?" Charlotte hissed, running out of patience. Madeline hung helplessly from Charlotte's grasp, and there was something of fear mingled with awe in her expression.
"Well, it's not that important, I could-"
"She doesn't need your help!" Charlotte finally burst. "Right, Madeline?"
Madeline hesitated, eyes darting between Lily's smiling face, and Charlotte's snarling one.
"Tell her, Madeline." Charlotte shook her arm slightly.
Madeline's head sunk down to her chest and she mumbled, "I…I don't need help. Thanks anyway, Lily."
Lily's smile faltered, and her insides twisted in anger. Why did Charlotte have such a powerful hold on the girl anyway? "Oh, well…all right. But if you need anything," she added brightly, "don't hesitate to ask!"
"She won't," Charlotte snapped.
Despite Lily's burst of adrenaline from standing up to Charlotte, she figured it was best to leave now, lest she get Madeline into more trouble than she probably already had. Upon the door's latch clicking shut, she heard the hissing and scolding of Charlotte from within.
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
Strangely, it had been about three days since the incident with James, and Lily had not seen him once. He had not even come to class. In fact, she was even beginning to worry.
However, she had also become somewhat of a legend around school. She was the first prefect ever to have captured James Potter. This way, he was able to serve out every single detention he owed the prefects. So naturally, all of them loved her, but the majority of the student body considered her insane, because, as Remus had pointed out in secret, it was only a matter of time before James figured a way out and lashed back. She knew she should be concerned, and she was!
But only a little.
Lily trotted down the corridor and popped jauntily into Charms class where she found a seat conveniently next to Remus.
She grinned at him, but he only smiled hesitantly back, as if she were a bit crazy.
But she paid no mind, and instead turned her attention to the front of class where Professor Flitwick was pacing. Ah, excellent, no James once again. The grin remained steady on her face.
At least, for a moment it did. Lily's brow furrowed slightly as she noticed the pacing Flitwick wringing his little hands. Frowning quite visibly, he climbed atop his pile of books.
"Right…right…" he said, fidgeting beneath his oversized cloak. "Right. Good morning, class- oh I really hate this!" he groaned suddenly, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Blast it…Class, something quite unfortunate has happened that was recently brought to my attention."
A soft chorus of muttering flooded the room. Lily blanched and looked at Remus who as well looked taken aback and fearful. Had something…could it be? Did something happen to James? Suddenly his lack of attendance was not so pleasing. Lily's palms began to sweat with anticipation and her stomach was twisting into knots. Please let James be all right, she felt herself thinking urgently, please…
Remus had scooted to the edge of his desk along with the other students, now tortured by Flitwick's dramatic pause.
"It seems," he took a wavering breath, "that something very important to this school, to me, has gone missing…"
Oh Merlin. Lily clutched the stitch of her chest. James had gone missing! He really was important to the school; he brought life and excitement, didn't he? And he was a star Quidditch player! Though…she never knew Flitwick thought so highly of him…
Flitwick sniffled. "…his worn appearance, his depth of knowledge, his sturdy binding…"
Sturdy binding?
Remus raised an eyebrow and the rest of the class sunk back into their seats. What on earth was he talking about?
"Unfortunately, I have narrowed down my search of the culprit to this class," Flitwick said determinedly and with a touch of drama. "Someone in this classroom has stolen my beloved heirloom, my favorite possession, my first edition of Crime and Punishment: An Advanced Theory of Charms in Law Enforcement."
Lily blushed furiously, then quickly hid her face in case anyone noticed. Damn.
The class began to chuckle softly.
"He's off his bloody rocker," she heard Charlotte mutter to her friends.
"Now, now!" he squeaked. "This is no laughing matter! I do not wish to punish the culprit, but if they would simply step forward honestly…I would really, really like my book back."
Ouch. Lily clutched her chest. He was tugging on her heartstrings…or perhaps her guilt. Double damn.
"Who would steal a bloody book?" Sirius muttered to Peter.
Ashamedly, she peered over at Remus who was staring straight ahead with mild concern. She couldn't…she just couldn't stand up here. Not now, with Remus watching! No…but she must return it. Yes…she could…she'd sneak into the library and place it in Madame Pince's office as if nothing ever happened! Ha-HA! What a brilliant scheme.
But somehow, she didn't feel too brilliant as she sat through the rest of the lecture, watching the normally bouncy Flitwick moping dejectedly about and nervously knocking over stacks of parchment and books while her classmates snickered derisively.
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
Two more days and still no sign of James. Indeed, it had been a full week in which no one seemed to know where he went. Some claimed they'd seen him on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, while some even fuelled rumours that he'd shrivelled up and died in the cage in Filch's office, warranting the occasional foul glare at Lily.
And though Lily knew he was serving out detentions, it didn't explain his absences from class. Hogwarts' star Chaser appeared to have completely vanished. However, Lily had a feeling the Marauders weren't telling her something. Remus wouldn't look her in the eye, Sirius just shrugged nonchalantly when asked, and Peter cowered and made up some lame excuse before scurrying off round a corner.
So when Hogsmeade weekend arrived and James still had not, Lily had, needless to say, a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was definitely up. But as far as she was concerned, James wasn't allowed to step foot in Hogsmeade until his punishment was up, even if it killed her. So she vowed to stay on the lookout.
"All aboard!" the conductor bellowed as steam began billowing and whistling from beneath the wheels of the engine.
Lily gazed out the window of her compartment, feeling a rush of déjà vu. Once again, she was stuck in the only compartment left, with Kenneth Kaufman drooling over chocolate frogs by her side. She sighed and reached inside her pack to pull out Detoxify, De-Stress, etc., but her hand fumbled over Crime and Punishment, causing it to slip sideways out onto the floor.
Lily's insides froze, an obvious look of anguish now plastered on her face as she gawked at the book lying quite blatantly on the ground before Kenneth.
His mouth fell agape, bits of chocolate dusting his chin. "Lily…"
She couldn't speak. Kenneth had seen! No! He'd turn her in and she'd be humiliated in front of everyone on the train! Sure, Flitwick said he would refrain from punishment…but if he found out it was a prefect who took it, who knew? A prefect who'd stolen it! She'd lose all the respect of the students- that is, if she didn't lose her place as prefect first.
"Well…" Kenneth continued gaping at her. "You don't expect me to pick that up for you?"
Lily frowned. "What?"
Kenneth swallowed and huffed. "I said I'm not picking that up. Got me a bad back."
"A bad…" Lily trailed off, her insides unwinding…How oblivious can you be?
Thank Merlin for that, Lily sighed, leaning over quickly to pick it up before-
SHHHOOK! The compartment door flew open.
"Madeline? Madeline- oh. It's you." Charlotte Vain cringed at the sight of Lily. Florence and Helen filed in obediently and lined up behind her. "Where is she?"
For a moment, Lily forgot about the book, her attention focused primarily on what Charlotte had just said. "What about her?"
Charlotte scoffed. "You obviously know nothing. Come on, girls." She spun around and waved Helen and Florence on.
"Wait!" Lily stood up, flushing. "What do you mean? You can't find her? Where did she go?"
"Well, if I knew that I wouldn't be here, would I?" Charlotte grimaced. The girls giggled in response and began filing out.
"She probably offed herself when you weren't looking. It's a worse fate taking orders from you," Lily mumbled under her breath.
Kenneth nearly spit out his food in his sudden burst of laughter. Oops. Lily hadn't meant to say that so loudly.
Charlotte whirled around and stomped over to her-
Crunch!
Charlotte hesitated and looked down.
Lily blanched.
Charlotte cautiously lifted her foot to reveal Crime and Punishment lying blatantly in the open With wonder, she leaned down and picked it up, delicately dusting off the cover.
Lily was too paralysed with fear to move.
"What…" And suddenly, with the wave of realization, a broad grin spread over Charlotte's fair features. "Why…isn't this the beloved tome dear Professor Flitwick has been desperately searching for?"
Lily could feel her insides once again tighten into hefty knots. She was done for now. "Charlotte, please, it's not what you-"
But Charlotte wasn't listening. She whirled around and shoved it in Kenneth's face. "Did you take this from Flitwick?"
"Erm…" Kenneth frowned. "I don't recall-"
"Well," Charlotte leaned back with her arms folded and the book dangling delicately from her fingers. "I'll be. I never thought you had it in you. Wouldn't Flitwick be pleased to know you had it?" The snake-like flicker had returned to her eyes.
Lily watched Kenneth staring dumbly at Charlotte. This was her way out. She'd just let Charlotte blame Kenneth and…Oh, she couldn't! No matter how obnoxious or oblivious he was, he was still her friend. And she could never really do that to anyone. She had to fess up, even if it would give Charlotte an early Christmas.
"Charlotte, you've got it wrong," Lily said firmly. "It was-"
"So obviously I wouldn't tell him!" Charlotte continued, oblivious, "I mean, what a brilliant move! I can't stand that little midget!"
Both Lily and Kenneth gaped.
"Well," Charlotte flung the text back down on top of Lily's overflowing bag. "I guess you're cooler than I'd thought."
With that, the three of them marched out. Just as the door was sliding shut, Charlotte poked her head back in, shooting Lily a fowl glare. "If you're hiding Madeline, I'll have your arse."
Bam!
Lily flopped back down onto the seat with eternal relief. That was too bloody close. She had to get that book back into the library tonight after Hogsmeade and that was the end of it. The only question was…how?
Kenneth licked the chocolate from his lips and puffed up his chest. "Well then. Didja hear that, Lily? I'm cool."