Be Here Now
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter, or else I'd be writing a whole series about the Marauder era.
A/N: Hey everybody! How are you all? As I said before, this is a detailed chapter, which is long!
peacock33: I agree.
Eclare LJ and Percabeeth: Well, about the twenty chapter part, I'm actually not sure yet. I might write more, since I want to cover the whole year and it's only November. Unless, of course, you all want me to write a sequel… I'll join you. And maybe we should invite Lily, Hilary, Marlene, Alice, and the other three Marauders… Ha-ha!
Ally Manuso: Get back together? :D More like actually get together. Ha-ha! Thanks for reviewing!
And now… chapter sixteen!
x.o.x.o.x.
"Lily! Rise and shine!"
Lily grumbles, rising from a deep, comfortable sleep and is armed with a pillow. "Hilary Potter," she growls.
Hilary throws up her hands. "I'm sorry!"
Lily sighs, climbing out of her bed. "You don't need to act falsely cheery, Hils. I already know that my 'gossip' will be all over Hogwarts by the end of today." She draws air quotes as she says gossip.
Hilary also sighs, watching her friend go to her closet. "I can't believe James ratted you out to Maya!"
Lily purses her lips before disappearing into her closet. From inside, she replies, "I can."
x.o.x.o.x.
As Lily walks into the Great Hall beside Hilary, giggles spread across the otherwise silent room. Lily closes her eyes briefly before reopening them. Holding her head high, she sits regally on her seat at the Gryffindor table bench. Marlene hesitates, watching for the others' nods.
"Lily," she addresses the Head Girl with a stutter.
Lily turns questioning eyes on her best friend. "Yes, Marlene?"
"The back of your jumper…" Marlene trails off.
Lily's eyes narrow. "What?" she demands.
"It- it says 'FAT, ORPHANED BITCH' in gigantic gold letters," Sirius answers hesitantly.
Lily freaks out, tearing the Great Hall apart. Just kidding. She sits there stonily. "Maya," she says under her breath. Standing, she stomps over to the Hufflepuff table, where the bad girls of Hufflepuff are sitting and giggling as she approaches. A few of her Hufflepuff friends, including Dorcas Meadows, smile sympathetically at her. "Maya Santiago," she snarls, coming to a complete stop before the 'Golden Girl' as some students had deemed her.
Maya raises cool eyes to Lily's blazing green ones. "Lily Evans," she replies coldly.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lily screeches, but is careful to keep her voice down so that no teachers can hear.
"Lower your pitch a bit, Evans, you sound like a witch," Maya suggests lazily.
"At least I'm not a witch with a capital B!" snaps Lily, deciding on the spot what to do. She stalks to the front of the Great Hall, generating even more murmurings as she flashes the back of her jumper. As she turns to face the entire Hogwarts population, the teachers gasp in horror at the words scrawled across her back. "Yes, I am an orphan," she declares in a strong, confident, loud voice that rings around the hall. "So what? In these dark times, even more young children are becoming orphaned, and personally, I think it stereotypical to insult every orphan. An orphan could be any age from a second old to two hundred years old. Would you seriously go up to an elderly woman who has lost her parents to Mother Nature and scrawl this across her back? No! Every human is the same. Why can't we just accept that? Seeing as that will never happen, I don't care. Yes, the worlds would be better places without being racist and stereotypical and judgmental, but that's life. I tried. And yes, I am an orphan. Is that truly wrong?"
McGonagall stands from her chair and walks over to Lily. "Miss Evans, who charmed that across your back?" she whispers.
"Maya Santiago," Lily declares in a full voice.
McGonagall nods briskly and strides over to the Hufflepuff table where a terrified Maya is trying to escape. Satisfied, Lily walks back to the Gryffindor table in complete silence.
x.o.x.o.x.
"Lily, m'dear, could you stay for a bit after class?" Professor Slughorn asks as he passes by her cauldron.
"Of course, Professor," replies Lily, giving her potion the last stir.
Slughorn peers in and smiles in satisfaction. "Perfect as always, Miss Evans. Take an O for the day and wait at my desk until I finish checking Mr. Snape and Mr. Potter's potions."
Lily nods, consenting, and walks to the professor's desk, giving a quick nod to Hilary to assure her that it is alright.
Once the dungeon cleared out, Slughorn joins Lily at his desk. "Miss Evans, I have noticed some potion ingredients disappearing from my storage cupboard. I know perfectly well that you did not take them, but they are in the most curious combinations. Perhaps you will be able to figure out which potion the thief is making?"
"Professor, if an expert potioneer like yourself could not figure it out, I doubt that I would, but I will certainly try," Lily says, accepting a scroll of parchment from the professor.
Slughorn beams at Lily. "Thank you, m'dear. Now get off to your next class."
x.o.x.o.x.
"I've got it!"
Simultaneous gasps ring around the Head Girl's dorm as Lily makes her declaration. After hurrying from the dungeon, Lily had hurriedly whispered the story to her friends. Now, after dinner, they were assembled in Lily's room, reading over the ingredients while Lily flipped through many books and delved into the deep corners of her potion mind.
"What is it?" Hilary asks excitedly.
"First of all, it isn't a recorded or legal potion," begins Lily.
"So Maya is using an illegal potion?" gasps Alice.
Lily nods. "I'm pretty sure. It was discovered years ago and brought to the Ministry, where, upon hearing of its use, the potion was automatically outlawed."
"Well?" Marlene prompts the Head Girl impatiently.
"It is kind of like the Imperious Curse, but with no side effects. It also must be taken regularly, or else the potion will slacken its hold on the drinker's brain. Whoever administrates the potion can control the drinker's actions and even thoughts. There are no side effects, as I mentioned before, such as cloudy eyes or delirious speaking. It is a wonder we were able to detect it. Though, of course, Slughorn did unknowingly assist," finishes Lily, closing the last book with a smack.
"Is there an antidote?" demands Marlene.
"Tell us, Lily!" cries Alice.
Hilary just sits in complete shock.
"Only certain members of the Wizarding community know the antidote," Lily responds. "And I am willing to bet that Dumbledore is one of those select few."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Marlene cries, jumping up from her spot.
x.o.x.o.x.
"Are you quite sure, ladies? This is quite a big accusation," Dumbledore says hesitantly after listening to the girls' story.
"Professor, we are 100% sure," Lily replies confidently.
Taking a moment to x-ray Lily and the others with his piercing blue eyes, Dumbledore nods in the end. "I believe you. And yes, I do happen to know the antidote. I will make one immediately. And I shall summon Miss Santiago into my office for a confrontation. Thank you."
The girls take this as a dismissal and depart.
x.o.x.o.x.
The next day, Lily accepts the vial of antidote from the headmaster with Hilary by her side. They hurry back to the Head Common Room, when they hear voices from inside an empty classroom. Glancing at each other, they pause.
"The Dark Lord is very happy with you right now, Maya," a silky voice says.
Lily gasps softly. Lucius Malfoy!
"T-thank y-you, Mr. M-Malfoy," stammers Maya. Clearly, the great Maya Santiago is actually fazed.
"However, he would like more of that potion," continues Lucius.
"I have worn out the storage cabinet!" squeaks Maya, her voice filled with fear.
"But you have only given him little?" His voice is skeptical.
"I-I…" stutters Maya.
"Exactly. Obey his orders, Maya. Goodbye."
x.o.x.o.x.
The two explain the run-in to Marlene and Alice in Lily's dorm. Marlene and Alice are amazed.
"Does that mean Maya is a Death Eater?" questions Alice.
"It looks like it," Hilary responds. She often thought like an Auror, probably because of her parents being the most successful Aurors to pass through Ministry doors.
"And she wore out the storage cabinet by making the potion for Potter. I'm guessing she'll give the remainder of the potion to Voldemort, because she is such a coward. But I'm not complaining," Lily says. "And before we give the antidote to Potter, I want to tell you something."
Marlene leans forward in anticipation. "What?"
"Nicholas Dwyer asked me out today!" squeals Lily. She had had a crush on Nicholas Dwyer, a Ravenclaw seventh year, since fourth year.
Alice and Marlene squeal with her. "That's fantastic, Lily! When?" Alice cries, very excited for her friend.
"Next Hogsmeade weekend," answers Lily. "Which should be the week before the Christmas holidays begin."
"So far?" Marlene questions.
Lily nods. "They just want to make sure it will be safe, after the last one," she answers.
"This is terrific!" shrieks Alice, hugging Lily. Marlene joins in, and as they separate, they laugh in harmony.
"Hilary?" Lily asks, realizing that her almost-sister hadn't said a word since she broke the news.
Hilary bites her lip. "Whatever makes you happy, Lils," she responds, though her voice betrays a feeling of disbelief in not only her words, but Lily's news.
Lily, being so excited at finally telling her friends, doesn't notice. She smiles blissfully and conjures a goblet and a jug of water from thin air. Handing the vial to Marlene, she pours water into the goblet.
"How much?" Marlene asks.
"Five drops, right, Lily?" Hilary addresses her best friend.
Lily nods, clarifying the statement.
Marlene also nods, and carefully drips five precise drops into the water, where it automatically dissolves. Lily lifts the goblet carefully by the stem and exits her room. The other girls watch anxiously from the doorway.
x.o.x.o.x.
"Hello Potter," she greets the Head Boy as he enters the Head Common Room.
James Potter sneers at Lily Evans. "Evans."
"You look like you could use a glass of water," remarks Lily. "Here," she offers, holding out the goblet.
James flips her off. "Bugger off, Evans."
"You could get dehydrated," Lily comments dryly. "Very easily."
James pauses, looking skeptically at the goblet.
Lily rolls her eyes. "I haven't poisoned it or anything."
From inside her room, she can practically feel her three best friends smirking.
James shrugs and accepts the goblet. He drains it.
x.o.x.o.x.
A/N: Well? I hope you liked it! I know I said twenty chapters before, but I'm pretty sure I'm extending it, since I want to chronicle the whole seventh year. Let me know what you think! I get off school tomorrow at 11:15 A.M. and then I have Friday off and the whole week after that, so I probably will be updating pretty consistently for the next week or so. But I've also started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with my seven-year-old brother (age difference by seven years) so that could affect my updating. Sorry for rambling, just thought you'd like to know. Hope you all have a fantastic day and coming week! Until chapter seventeen…
~TrueLoveIs4ever