Charms

Chapter Six
Lunch Lessons

Ria, Phaedra, and Lily were only slightly less wet as they entered the Great Hall. Most of the students were already there, so they were lucky to find a few open seats. There were more students that looked like they had met Peeves in the hall, and were just as thrilled to be soaking wet.

"Exaresco!" Lily spun around to see Garret Parse grinning behind her, waving his wand. "I thought you looked a bit damp. Feel better?" Lily nodded, quite happy to be dry again.

"Thank you, I thought I'd be wet forever!" She grinned, playing up the 'disaster' of being wet. Garret, with a flourish of his right arm, bowed deeply.

"Glad to be of service!" They both laughed, Garret dried Ria and Phae, and they all sat down. Lily filed the incantation into memory, feeling like it would come in useful.

Across from her, she noticed, sat the first year who had volunteered in Charms. He had fathomless grey eyes that were trained on her. She looked straight back and raised her eyebrows, which made the boy laugh. His laugh was almost barklike, Lily realized, but made little note of it.

"And you are?" Lily asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Sirius Black. So, you're Professor Flitwick's prodigy? Violet said she was sitting by you and you managed the spell the first time, and the counter-spell."

Lily blushed slightly. "Well, um, I guess. Nice work on the desk, back there."

Sirius laughed again. "You still haven't told me your name! Now, Miss Mysterious, you know the rules, I say my name, which prompts you to say yours, which, in fact, you haven't done yet!"

"I'm Lily." She took her first bite of a sandwich.

"Lily, eh? No last name, just Lily? Or should I make up a last name?" Lily quickly swallowed and took a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"No, no! Evans! Lily Evans!" Sirius grinned, and seconds later he was forcefully pulled out of his chair by two other Gryffindor first years, one was the other black haired boy Sirius had been talking to in Charms, and the other had light brown hair.

"Lily, I'm sorry you have to meet these heavy-handed brutes, James Potter and Remus Lupin, don't know how they escaped, but-" His voice faded as he was dragged out into the corridor.

"Ria, Phae, Lil, come walk outside with us!" Katie was standing behind them with Valerie. Lily glanced at her sandwich, took one more bite, downed it with more pumpkin juice, and stood up with Ria and Phae to join Katie and Val in going outside.

They walked back into the corridor and out the door, into the fresh air. Katie and Ria were already rushing to a tree close by the lake. Phae and Lil raced to catch up with them, but Valerie was still walking placidly.

When Lily got to the tree, she stretched out on her stomach, with her hands propping up her head. They all started talking about their summers, and told Lily more about Hogwarts, before Ria told everyone what happened in the halls.

"So, you've made your first enemy, Lil? Good choice, very good choice. She can't do much to you, and she's always swooning over Malfoy, like he's something special." Val remarked, contemplatively.

"Yeah? But if Malfoy finds out, I'm betting he'll decide to use Lily to try out a new hex or two. Not that that will be a change from last year. He seems to find great pleasure in picking on first years. I think it's the only thing he really can-" Katie paused, stood up, and brushed herself off. "Well, speak of the devil... Or at least his little minion." Katie and Lucius Malfoy took out their wands at the same time. She raised her eyebrows as he sneered at her. "What a... pleasant... surprise! Come to join the party?"

"CRU-" Malfoy started to say, but was interrupted.

"TRIDUUM NOCEO!" A stream of bright orange sparks jumped from Katie's wand to Malfoy's, up his arm, and then spread through every vein, every muscle, of his body. He twitched and crumpled to the ground as Katie looked on disdainfully. "I never want to see you again. What a slimy git. Let's go, girls." She nodded calmly to the group, and they all got up and left.

Ria was the first one to talk after they were all inside the castle. "Good thing we studied those ourselves, Katie. That was amazing."

Lily nodded. "I want to learn. What was that, anyway?" She looked at Katie, but it was Phae that answered.

"Triduum means three days, Noceo means hurt, or inflict pain. He'll be in pain for three days, nothing can help him, but it recedes a dull ache after the first few minutes. I don't think he'd go to the Hospital Wing, not for that, but he won't want to do much, which means he won't be bothering any of us for a few days." She smiled, and continued. "Over Christmas break last year we spent hours with our eyes glued to my dad's books that he sent us. I hope you'll join us this year?" Lily nodded.

"We can work on getting you up to speed during lunch until then." Katie remarked firmly. "Lunch is best, then detentions don't usually get in the way." Ria whistled a merry little tune at this, trying to be the epitome of innocence.

"From what I hear, Lily's a fast learner, so it won't be hard to teach her." Phae remarked.

Lily blushed.