Chapter Eleven: Can't We All Just Be Friends?
This was not how things were supposed to be. Lily Evans was the top student. She was a prefect. She was on the fast track to becoming Head Girl.
And this is what she had been reduced to.
"Evans!" A voice bellowed. "You forgot this one."
Lily groaned and turned obediently toward James, a leaning tower of parchment and scrolls tottering in her arms. "Yes, James?"
"Now, now, Evans." James sauntered over and delicately placed the last scroll atop the pile which was teetering dangerously to the left. "What did I say about calling me James?"
Lily immediately flushed and hung her head. She mumbled something into the stack.
"Sorry?" He leaned in closer, a hand to his ear. "Didn't catch that."
Lily looked him straight in the eye. "Yes…" she narrowed her eyes and sighed, "Master Potter."
James grinned delightedly and ruffled her hair. She frowned as her perfect ponytail was torn to shreds.
"Make sure these are finished by the end of the week. I can't have all this work hanging over my head with Quidditch season starting."
Ah, yes. Quidditch season. Damn it all. Lily grumbled and caught a stray paper with her teeth just before it fluttered away. "Ja'se," she pleaded through her clenched jaw, "I haf my oown wor oo ge' one."
"What?" James looked up from his now empty book bag and wrenched the parchment from her mouth. "Lily, speak English, please."
Lily narrowed her eyes. "James, how do you expect me to- oof-!" a couple scrolls tumbled to the ground, "How do you expect me to finish all of this and my work?"
James shrugged and loosened his collar. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you burned down the library."
Several more of the scrolls went flying off the stack as Lily whirled around wildly to see if anyone had overheard. "James!" She hissed.
He leaned down and picked up the scrolls and crammed them into the crook of Lily's arm. "Calm down. No one heard."
Lily hoped he was right. The corridor was empty, but could he really blame her for being paranoid? One slip of his big mouth would lead to her being expelled. Now the only way to keep it shut was to do his bidding. She sighed and peered out the window.
Orange and rust coloured leaved littered the courtyard. It was a beautiful autumn day. No doubt James would take advantage of it for Quidditch practice, seeing as the new season was starting in about a week. She wished she could be so carefree with her time.
The last time she'd seen a day like this, she and Petunia were at the park with their mother, waiting for her father to show up for a picnic. By the time he got there, all the food was cold and mushy, but they ate it anyway since their mother insisted they wait. That was one thing about Lily's mother…everything had to be done properly. Even running outside and jumping in the leaf piles had to be done in an orderly fashion. Petunia would jump, scrape the pile back up, and then it was Lily's turn.
Of course Petunia would do everything to avoid getting her hands dirty. Thinking she was so clever, she'd act as though she were through, wait for Lily to scrape the mess of dried leaves Petunia had left, and then run and leap into it just as Lily was turning around to take her turn. The little brat.
"Coming?"
Lily snapped back to reality, and turned to find James watching her impatiently. She'd been staring absentmindedly, and he was already several paces ahead. "Oh…sorry."
She scurried to catch up with him, juggling the scrolls and her book bag. They kept dropping and she'd have to reach down to pick them up, and lose several more in the process. "Shoot…"
James sighed audibly and rolled his eyes.
"Sorry…sorry…" she grumbled. She was reaching to pick up the last one when James snatched it up before she could even wrap a finger around it.
"I- er-"
Without a word, James took the scrolls from her, and snagged her book bag nimbly from her shoulder, and tossed it carelessly over his.
"Oh…" Lily stared blankly at the few lightweight sheets of parchment she was left with. "Er…"
"Has anyone ever told you you're clumsy?"
Lily furrowed her brow. "Yes, thank you. It's been briefly mentioned."
James was walking faster, and she was trying to keep up with his long, slender legs. "Just because I'm carrying these doesn't mean you're off the hook from doing them."
"I know that," she said quickly. James had a funny look on his face, but Lily couldn't quite place it. Mostly he just looked grumpy. Man, that boy was moody.
"Er…" She hesitated. "Would you mind if I put these off until tonight. I wanted to go to the Great Hall and help Madame Pince with restoring all those books."
James laughed. "What's wrong? Feeling guilty, are we?"
Lily frowned. "Of course I feel guilty! This is probably the least I could do…"
"You could always confess. But I'd much rather you be my personal slave," his eyes glittered.
"Trust me," she grumbled. "The thought has crossed my mind."
They approached the portrait of the Fat Lady and she eyed them curiously. "Password?" she said primly.
"Marmite," he said dismissively and started toward the portrait hole, but skidded to a halt when he realized it was still shut.
The Fat Lady peered down at him through an ostentatious eye-glass. "Wrong."
"Oh. Right. What I meant to say was 'marmot.'"
Lily smirked.
"No."
James blinked. He shifted uneasily, glancing peripherally at Lily. "Erm…marmoset?"
"No."
James glared. He could feel Lily's laughing eyes on him. There was no way he was going to ask her. "Marmie."
"That's not a word." The Fat Lady yawned and examined a nail.
"Well you aren't making this easy for me-" he hissed, grinding his teeth. He heaved a sigh and tried again. "Marmaduke?"
The Fat Lady furrowed her brow. "Who's Marmaduke?"
James looked about ready to explode.
Lily let a giggle escape and he whirled around, nearly pouncing on her. "Funny, is it?"
"Actually…" she stared at him wide-eyed. "…yes. It is." And burst into laughter.
"Oh, ha ha ha!" he waved his hands in the air. "James can't remember the password. Hilarious. Really."
"Would you like me to just tell-"
"No!" He roared. "I'll figure it out."
Lily and the Fat Lady exchanged glances and shrugged. "He's a man, darling." The Lady took a sip of her champagne.
A man? Well, Lily wasn't sure about that. She watched James fuming and stomping back and forth in front of the portrait, spewing nonsensical words. A boy, perhaps. Still a boy.
"Marmosa!" he cried, with a victorious finger in the air.
"It's mimosa, dear," the Lady sighed and swished her glass, taking another sip. "And I don't believe you're of age yet."
Lily checked her watch. She could hang around here while James attempted to be manly and stubborn, or she could dash over to the Great Hall to help with the books. She glanced at James, pacing and flustered, then snatched her book bag and hurried off to the Great Hall.
---
Madame Pince scanned the small crowd of students, mostly Ravenclaw, with her hawk eyes and hovered scarily close to Lily as she carefully rebound a copy of Hogwarts, A History. She swore she could feel Pince's breath on the back of her neck, and it was making her quite uncomfortable. This effort to help the school had turned into a sort of slave-driven assembly line thanks to the obsessive librarian. But Lily deserved worse. Much, much worse, especially considering it was she who had inflicted all this damage to the books.
Each one had to be carefully stripped, and each page restored by siphoning off the ash and repairing the ink of the text. Lily sighed in relief as Madame Pince scurried off to the end of the table where a second-year Ravenclaw was sending loose pages flying every-which-way.
Lily glanced to her left. A familiar blonde haired Ravenclaw was seated primly next to her. The girl lifted her gaze momentarily from her work and caught Lily's stare with her crystal blue eyes. She shot Lily a piercing glare and then went back to work. Lily blushed deeply.
She was also a prefect, Lily remembered, but she didn't know her name. What kept Lily from asking her, however, was the fact that those crystal blue eyes were the same that had given her that very look outside the robe shop in Hogsmeade. This was the girl whose twenty-some-odd robes she'd carelessly ruined.
Remembering the incident suddenly brought a flood of memories and worries back. The debt…Lily Evans was officially in debt. How could she have imagined this would ever happen to her? It seemed to be just one thing in a series of disastrous events all caused by her clumsiness these past two months. Well, she had to start fixing it somewhere, and if she couldn't quite do it in Galleons, then…
"Hi," Lily smiled to the blonde.
The blonde girl made no sign that she'd heard or cared.
Lily cleared her throat and tried again, this time laying down the book. "Erm…hi. I'm Lily," she held out her hand.
The girl stared straight ahead and continued flicking her wand over each page of the book, siphoning off the ash.
"Er…maybe you don't remember m-"
"IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO WORK, THEN GET OUT!" Madame Pince's sharp voice cut through the shuffling of pages from the opposite end of the long table.
Lily blushed and went immediately back to work. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the blonde girl smirking.
A small fire caught in the pit of Lily's stomach. "Funny, is it? Me being humiliated?" She spoke before she could stop herself. Everyone seemed to find Lily's embarrassing moments hilarious these past weeks.
The girl turned to face her icily, as had a few other curious girls around them. "Not at all."
"Look," Lily said angrily, trying to multi-task with the book in her hand, but it was shaking slightly. She was a bit stressed at the moment, and she didn't need any attitude from a fellow prefect. Lily was just trying to be nice. "I just wanted to apologize for the robe mishap in Hogsmeade the other day-"
The girl laughed in Lily's face. "You are quite full of yourself."
"…what?" Lily furrowed her brow and set down the book she'd been working on.
The girl continued to flick her wand, her back straight as a board. "That's not why I don't like you."
"But…do you even know who I am?"
The girl scoffed. "Of course I know who you are. You're Lily Evans. But do you know who I am?"
Lily hesitated.
"Of course not. Because when you aren't walking around with a book shoved so far up your bum you can read every word, you're traipsing around the school ordering every living creature at Hogwarts to be as stuck-up and goody-goody as you." The girl was fuming. "And my name is Mila, by the way. Mila Lofgren, if you care."
And with that, she dropped the book she'd finished repairing unceremoniously on the table (followed by a scandalized gasp from Madame Pince), and stomped out of the Great Hall, her curtain of icy blonde hair swinging behind her.
Lily was frozen in shock. She never…she never thought…Well, Lily knew she wasn't everyone's favourite person, but she didn't know anyone simply…hated her…
Her stomach flopped and she stood up and walked slowly out of the Hall, carried by the murmurs of the other girls.
The rest of the walk back to the dormitories was a bit of a blur. She was lost in her thoughts, and her stomach was churning with anger and guilt and confusion. It wasn't until she felt the sharp tug at the hem of her robes that she awakened from her tizzy.
"Lily. Please." James Potter was actually on his hands and knees. He clutched her robes desperately. "Not a single Gryffindor has passed through these halls in the past four hours. Not. One."
"You know," she stared down at him sceptically. "You could have just found someone."
He stood up in a flash. "And sully my reputation? I think not!"
Lily rolled her eyes. "What reputation? You're a marauder."
"Exactly." James nodded fervently. "Marauders don't forget superfluous things like passwords."
Lily pushed past him. She wasn't in the mood for this. "Marmalade."
"Enter," the Fat Lady smiled.
James gaped. "Marmalade? I knew that! Damn it."
Lily wandered in to find Rue perched happily on one of the red velvet armchairs, warming himself by the fire. "Rue!" she exclaimed, with a sudden burst of cheer and dashed over to him. There were two letters attached to his leg. He held it out expectantly and she untied them. Grateful to be free of his load, he hooted and buzzed off, squeezing through a cracked open window.
She excitedly tore open the first one. It was an envelope. It had to be…
Dearest Lily,
Heavens, do we miss you! I hope you haven't forgotten your dreary old family up in that school of yours. I expect your grades are tip-top! We all know how hard of a worker you are. Your father misses you dearly. He sends his love. And so does Petunia, though she's not exactly here at the moment…In fact, she's likely on the phone with her new boyfriend, if you can believe it. Heavens that girl is growing up fast…
Lily smiled. Her heart suddenly ached for home. The one place in the world she could go to forget her problems, and where everyone actually liked her…
Be certain to clear your schedule for next weekend, darling. Your father, Petunia and I will be paying that quaint little town Hogsmeade for a visit! That lovely Minerva said it could be easily arranged so that we can see you! She's even offered a tour of the school! Petunia's a bit nervous about it, but she'll be fine, I'm sure! Your father is completely ecstatic about seeing-
Lily stopped reading at the word visit. Okay, her heart didn't ache that badly. Her family was coming here? Her parents were coming here? Petunia was coming here? No, no, no. Not. Good.
There had to be a way out of this.
She crumpled up the letter and shoved it in her pocket, then spun around to find James' head ridiculously close to hers.
"So, your family is coming for a visit? Fancy a turn around Hogsmeade, do they?" James asked amiably, but Lily quickly saw through his little act, catching the faintest smirk flit across his features.
"That's none of your business."
James laughed and shook his head. He looped his arm over Lily's shoulder. "On the contrary, Lilykins. It's very much my business. After all, my servant's family is my family."
"Is that so?" Lily peeled his arm off of her and slipped out of his reach. "How thoughtful of you."
"I thought so. I think it will be quite fun."
"What will be?" Lily muttered deadpan.
James collapsed into one of the velvet chairs by the fireplace. "Meeting your family of course."
Lily flung her head back, laughing. "You? Meet my family? Ha! I think not, Potter."
James raised an eyebrow. "Ahem."
Lily glared. "Master Potter."
"Much better." He leapt up so quickly, Lily barely had a chance to blink. "Now what's this one say?"
It took Lily a moment to realize he was unravelling her other letter. "Hey!" she cried, snatching it from him. "Private!"
He shrugged and collapsed back into the chair. "What's it say?"
Lily didn't respond. She had quickly turned a sickly shade of off-white.
James frowned. "C'mon then. Spit it out. Lily?"
Of course. She should have expected this sooner or later…
Dear Madame Evans,
It has been brought to our attention that we have not yet received the reimbursement for the 27 designer fashion gowns you damaged. Please enclose the amount due in the provided scroll and return to this address. Your current balance is:
Lily nearly passed out. She didn't even know anyone with that kind of money! How was she going to pay all of this back?
As the terms of Wonderful Wizard Credit state, your account will be terminated and collateral will be promptly collected if the aforementioned amount is not paid by the deadline.
Collateral…why was that word chilling her bones? Oh yes, she remembered now. Because collateral in the Wizarding World apparently meant the removal of limbs! Lily began hyperventilating.
James jumped up immediately. "Lily, are you all right?"
Lily held her breath and plastered a grin on her face. "Yes!" she squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Erm…yes. Yes, I'm fine! Well, gosh, look at the time. I'd better get started on those scrolls for you…"
"What did that letter say?" he wasn't going to let her go that easily.
With the quickest flick of her wrist, Lily tapped the parchment with her wand and it burst into flames, obliterated. "What letter?"
James growled. "Subtle. What's wrong? You don't look so well."
"James, really, I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle."
Something in James' gaze flickered. "Well you didn't look alright a minute ago." He was blocking her way to the dormitory.
Honestly? Since when had he been so concerned with her welfare? "James, please move. I'm excellent. Tip-top." She repeated her mother's cheery phrase. "Really." She added for good measure, looking him in the eye.
James grunted. He didn't seem satisfied but moved away anyhow. "Just don't let whatever it is interfere with my homework." And with that he strolled up to the boy's dormitories.
Lily heaved a sigh and rubbed her temples. No matter. She'd solve this. She'd…think of…something…