Lily Potter and the Potions Professor

AN: Hello again. Another week, another chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 22: A Potter and The Malfoys

Lily was finding it harder and harder to concentrate on her lessons. Between her father's suspicions and Scorpius' request for her to obtain the Hand of Glory and the Invisibility Cloak she was becoming a nervous wreck. To make matters worse Malfoy had suddenly become very cold towards her and was distancing himself from her which she assumed had something to do with the Extendable Ear incident. All this was plaguing her every thought and to top it off she still had not located her pet toad, Hamlet.

She was finding that the only comfort she had was the company of her new Patronus however even that was becoming harder and harder to muster happy thoughts to conjure it.

In a last attempt to prevent herself from falling into a state of depression she resumed her regular visits to Hagrid's hut. Even this couldn't bring total enjoyment to her because she felt so guilty for not having visited him as often as she should have.

As it was still only February the squid had not yet been released into the lake but Hagrid had expressed his concerns about them being too little to release in a month's time.

"But they've over doubled their size in just two months," Lily observed after Hagrid had voiced his apprehension about their release.

They were observing the beautiful creatures as they swam hypnotically backwards and forwards in a large trough which Hagrid had relocated them to. Their long tentacles breached the surface every now and again causing the water to ripple which subsequently caused a beautiful array of colours to reflect onto the observer's faces, dancing in the weak sunlight.

"I know but I'm gettin' rather attached to 'em," admitted Hagrid.

Lily didn't argue any further, she herself didn't truly want to see them go but she knew they'd be better off in the lake rather than cooped up in a trough that they were becoming dangerously close to out growing.

"How've yer been anyway Lily?" asked Hagrid with a quick sidelong glance at her.

"I'm fine," she replied not looking at him but keeping her eyes glued to the squid in front of her.

"Are yer really?" Hagrid asked before adding; "Because yer've been a bit distant lately."

"Sorry," replied Lily guiltily. "I've just been so busy, you know, with my OWLs coming up." She still couldn't look at him lest her face gave her lies away.

"I wasn't lookin' fer an apology," Hagrid reassured. "I'm just worried about yer. So's yer mum and dad."

Lily realised then that Hagrid had not come up with these questions completely alone. Her father now had him trying to extract information from her. Did he really think that she would divulge her secrets to Hagrid? Or was this one last attempt to go about it in a covert way before going in as the muggles would say guns blazing? She feared that her latter thought was the most likely.

She finally turned to Hagrid, her friend, her constant and forever faithful friend. She looked him in the eye.

"You don't have to worry about me Hagrid," she said sincerely. "I'll be alright."

"That's good to hear," he smiled back.

At that time the clock struck indicating that it was six o'clock.

"Blimey, it's gettin' dark," said Hagrid. "We better get yer back up ter the castle."

So they left the squid which were still glowing brightly and retreated to the castle together, Hagrid smiling and humming as they went and Lily fighting the growing feeling of unease within her.

She managed a smile when they parted ways at the entrance and watched him disappear back into the darkness that had quite suddenly consumed the grounds of Hogwarts. She could hear his heavy footfall long after she could no longer see him.

Not for the first time she turned her back on the doors to the Great Hall and headed for the dungeons.

When Lily arrived at Malfoy's door she stood there for a moment before knocking; she didn't know if she could take him, giving her the cold shoulder again, not after the day she'd had.

"Who is it?" his voice called from within.

"Lily," she whispered.

She knew he wouldn't have heard her and she was just about to say it louder when the door opened.

"Come in," he said in a purposefully bored tone before turning his back on her and retreating back into the dimly lit office.

Lily hung her head and followed, not even really knowing why she was bothering.

"What is it?" he asked in almost a cold tone.

Lily looked up into his eyes and watched as his gaze softened under hers. He said nothing.

"What's the matter?" Lily asked him.

"Nothing, what do you mean?" he replied, looking away.

"You've been acting weird all week," she supplied.

He stared at the wall for a moment as though deciding whether he should tell her or not and then looked down at her.

"What were you doing with Scorpius?" he said suddenly, a hint of jealously in his tone.

"Scorpius?" Lily questioned. "What do you mean with him?"

"I saw you both," said Malfoy and this time his voice really was cold. "Coming out of a broom cupboard."

Lily's mouth hung open. Was he jealous of his son?

"Well?" he demanded.

"Nothing!" said Lily raising her voice. "I wasn't doing anything with him."

Malfoy huffed and crossed his arms in a very immature manner.

"Actually now that you ask he was informing me of the fact that he knows about us," she said, ommiting the true content of their conversation.

"What?" said Malfoy sharply as the coldness disappeared from his voice and the sneer from his face.

"He knows," repeated Lily quietly.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed as he processed the thought.

"He seems ok with it," said Lily to eliminate the sudden silence that was crushing in on her.

"Does he?" asked Malfoy, thinking this over.

"Yeah, well he said he wouldn't tell anyone," said Lily.

Malfoy glanced at her and then began pacing the small office.

Lily watched him, she couldn't help but think that he was kind of cute when he worried like this. The ridiculous timing of her thought astonished her.

"What exactly did he say?" asked Malfoy ceasing his movement.

"Um, I don't remember the exact words," said Lily trying not to reveal the deal that she'd struck with him. "Just that he didn't care and that you could do what you like."

"I think I should talk you him," stated Malfoy looking at Lily for reassurance.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Lily, surprised by the boldness of this decision.

"Don't you think I should?" he asked.

"It's not that I think you shouldn't," she replied. "I'm just surprised that you want to."

"I think I should," he repeated.

"Sure, go ahead," obliged Lily. "I think you should too. You know him better than me; maybe you'll be able to figure out if he really is OK with it."

Malfoy nodded; his mind still ticking over his thoughts rapidly.

"I'll go now," he said abruptly and before Lily could utter another word he had disappeared out the door.

She stood there for a moment taking in what had just happened. It made her a little anxious that Malfoy had wasted no time in getting to Scorpius to 'talk'. He knew far more than he had told her.

Before she could ponder this anymore a sudden thought struck her; she was alone in Malfoy's office and he had left in a hurry. She quickly darted over to the door that led to his bedroom and, hoping with all her might that he had neglected to lock the door in his haste, grabbed the handle. After a short pause she turned it, still willing it to be unlocked and sighed with relief as it opened.

Casting one quick look over her shoulder she swiftly entered the room and closed the door behind her. It was the same as usual; scarce and cold. She gave it one sweeping look before making her way over to the cabinet that harboured the suspiciously Dark-looking objects.

Lily was surprised to see the Hand of Glory displayed on one of the visible shelves. Why had she never, despite her curiosity, taken much notice of the individual artefacts in this cabinet? Dismissing the useless thought she reached up and opened the glass door. Its hinges creaked loudly from infrequent use. She reached out and let her hand hover over the dead looking one which clutched a small waxy candle, before finally touching it. It felt as awful as it looked and she hastily withdrew it and tucked it into the inside of her robes. She didn't know if it was the fact that she was stealing from Malfoy or the feeling of the grotesque hand against her side but she knew she didn't like it, not at all.

She was about to shut the door of the cabinet when she realised just how obvious the gap it left was. She reluctantly pulled the Hand back out.

"Geminio," she said, creating a perfect duplicate which she placed back in the cabinet before closing the door.

She returned the real Hand of Glory to its hiding place in her robes and started heading towards the door. She had no idea how long Malfoy would be occupied with Scorpius and was eager to get rid of the ghastly Hand but she stopped when she'd almost made it to the exit. Something had caught her eye.

It was a small object but one that Lily sensed carried a much larger meaning. A silver photo frame with a moving picture inside; a picture of a beautiful woman. Lily picked it up off the table; she had never seen it there before.

She looked at the woman in the photo, who smiled and laughed, her blue eyes sparkling in the apparent sunlight. Her black hair was long and straight and appeared to sway in a gentle breeze. The face sparked a faint memory at the back of Lily's mind; she was taken back to a time when she had stood on Platform Nine and Three Quarters with her parents. It was Albus' first year at Hogwarts. Two familiar faces had stood a distance from her own family, both with grey eyes and white blonde hair. The woman in the photograph was with them. This was Astoria Malfoy.

Lily's heart rate quickened at her realisation but it wasn't the pleasant quick-paced rhythm that accompanied contact with Draco; it was the dreading, frantic, almost-panicked beat that accompanied a look from Scorpius.

Lily hastily returned the frame to its former place and exited the room. Malfoy still wasn't back. Should she wait for him? She glanced at her watch and realised that it was getting late. If she lingered any longer she'd be caught out of bed after hours or at least that was her excuse for not wanting to face Malfoy. So she left the office taking the Hand of Glory with her. The dungeon corridors were very dark now so she pulled it out and held it in front of her. An eerie glow emanated from it lighting the surrounding area and casting long shadows on the walls. She stared at it in amazement for a few moments. Was it true that only she could see this light?

A tall figure came into view at the far end of the corridor. Lily slipped in behind a nearby statue and held the hand high to cast light on the person's face; it was Scorpius... returning before Malfoy. Had his father found him? If so, why was Scorpius back to the dungeons first?

"Lumos," Scorpius muttered igniting his wand tip.

Lily glanced up and down the corridor; there was no one else around. She took out her own wand and lit it as she approached Scorpius.

He turned around in surprise and seemed to relax slightly at the sight of her.

"Potter," he said as his eyes came to rest on the Hand of Glory which she still clutched. "You work fast."

Lily didn't like the look of delight upon his face. He reached out to take it from her and reluctantly she handed it over.

"I don't see why you couldn't have taken it yourself if you wanted it so much," she said as the light faded and only the two wands glowed.

"Extraordinary," said Scorpius ignoring her comment. "You can't see this?"

"No," she said a little resentfully.

"I'm not your enemy, Potter," he said still examining the hand.

Lily didn't know how to respond. She suddenly felt very guilty for the way she disliked him. But did she dislike him? She couldn't even tell anymore.

"You'd better hide it," she said to avoid the subject he'd brought up. "We don't want to get caught. I have to go now."

With that she turned and started walking quickly up the corridor.

"What about the Invisibility Cloak?" he called after her.

She stopped with her back still to him.

He waited.

She started walking again. It was one thing to steal the Hand from Malfoy but could she steal one of her own father's most prized possessions?

"Remember our deal," Scorpius called before retreating in the opposite direction.

When Lily returned to her dormitory in Gryffindor Tower she was relieved to find that the other occupants were still in the common room. She knelt down beside her bed and pulled her trunk out from under it. She looked at the gold initials L.P. on the top and imagined the P turning into a M. She then opened it with both hands and looked at the contents; school robes, socks, broken quills, toad treats, a chess set and various other items were visible in the chaos. She dug down into the bottom and withdrew a large box which she held in her hands for a long moment before finally opening. Inside was a strange looking piece of woven material which resembled silk but had an almost transparent look about it and several bundles of silky hair. Lily reached in and touched it and let out a sigh. This was her Invisibility Cloak; the one that she had been hand weaving for the last three years. It was almost done, only the occurrence of her OWLs and the arrival of a certain potions master had paused its completion. Why hadn't she just finished it off? Was it because she no longer yearned to be invisible as she once had or was it because she didn't want the fun of creating it to finish? She didn't know but none of it mattered now because she knew what she had to do. What she had to do to protect Malfoy, her father, and herself. She had to complete the task that had taken her years to undertake and she had to give the cloak to Scorpius in place of her father's one and hope that he wouldn't know the difference.

She smiled bitterly as she held her achievement in her hands; all that hard work. She stood up holding the cloak and spread it out on her bed; a few loose threads stuck out here and there and she took out her wand to tidy them up. She then took one of the bundles of Demiguise hair and unravelling a few strands recommenced her work; it would be done by morning and then she'd hand it over to Scorpius Malfoy. What he would do with both it and the Hand of Glory, which he now already possessed, she didn't know and she kept telling herself not to worry about it until she was able to shed herself of all responsibility.

AN: Thanks again for reading. I really appreciate all of your reviews so please keep them coming. :D