After a week at Hogwarts Lily realised it was not the safe haven she thought it was. No one would let her forget for a moment that she was an orphan. There was always someone with a sympathetic look or someone wishing to give her condolences. That combined with juggling her rigorous NEWT level classes and Prefect duties was enough to drive anyone insane.
She woke up at five in the morning in order to get a jump start on a Transfiguration homework that was due in two days time, but she wouldn't have any spare time tonight with a meeting and nightly patrol.
When Lily saw her uniform she cursed herself for throwing it into the pile, it was all wrinkled and she tried to recall a spell to fix it. After fumbling several times her clothes look liked they had just been finished getting ironed by house elfs. Not wanting to waste time she braided her hair in one plate before grabbing her bag and heading to the Common Room.
No surprise it was empty and she spread her things out on the table. As she hurriedly began to complete her Transfiguration homework she realised half-way that she had Potions take-away test to finish. Slughorn assured them it wasn't for a grade and they could access any outside resources, but Lily hadn't barely.
"Evans? What are you doing up?" It was James, he stumbled down the stairs in his pajamas. His hair stuck up every which-way.
"Transfig homework," she mumbled. "Then I remembered I have the Potions pre-test to start."
"Start?" he questioned. "Even Sirius copied Remus' when he wasn't looking, you need help?"
"No," she sighed.
"When did you get up?"
"Five, but then my clothes were wrinkled because I rolled them in a ball instead of folding them." She sighed setting down her quill to put away the Transfiguration homework and reached for her Potions book, the questions and the crumpled piece of parchment.
"Let me help," he said.
"You're not even dressed," she huffed.
"Because I wait until the sun rises to get out of bed." He sat down next to her on the couch. "Are you sure you're alright? You weren't this stressed last year."
"James, I have a full schedule of NEWT level classes and Prefect duties."
"You didn't drop anything?"
"No," she replied. "Why would I?"
"I dropped two electives and History of Magic, I almost dropped Astronomy, but Dad said that it actually does come in handy when you're out on Auror missions," he explained. "Godric, I can't imagine having all this work. I mean, I dropped three classes and I still feel like I'm drowning."
"Your Quidditch Captain, you have the hopes and dreams of our house resting on your shoulders," she replied sarcastically.
"I know! The only thing you do is make sure kids don't shag in the astronomy tower." He laughed and looked down at the worksheet. "Amortentia is the love potion, not liquid luck," he corrected.
"What are you talking about? I put-" She stared at the paper and frowned before mumbling a few words while waving her wand over her paper to make it go away. "Thanks," she mumbled. "Are you going to get dressed?"
James looked down at his watch. It's only six-thirty."
"Breakfast starts at seven, first class is seven-forty five."
"Who says I'm going?" he questioned.
"You did not just tell a prefect you were skipping classes."
"I'll go," he muttered, "but only because you'll tell mum or dad or both." He looked around the Common Room. Lily watched as stopped at the fireplace pulling a tie off the mantle. "I need this, let Peter borrow one, the house elves are getting an ink stain out of the other…"
"Why don't you have a tie?"
"We were playing this game last night. I think Sirius called it strip-chess team version."
"What?" Lily asked.
"Joking, we were throwing around a Quaffle and my tie was getting in the way," he explained. "Lily, are you going to Hogsmeade next weekend?"
"Of course," she replied.
"Do you have someone to go with?"
"Yes."
"Oh, so since you don't- What do you mean yes?" he questioned, and incredulous expression crossing his face.
"Michael," she said. "After we snuck out to the pizza place he promised he'd buy me lunch at Hogsmeade to pay me back since he didn't have muggle money or know the conversion," she explained.
"Will you be with him the whole time?"
"I'm not going to be in the village very long James," she said. "Sorry."
"Lily, remember the train ride?" He walked over from the mantle place and sat beside her once more. "Tell me you didn't like it." James moved closer to her, their knees touching.
"I forgot my badge, I'll see you at breakfast." With that the redhead fled.
Lily didn't try to avoid James, it happened naturally. Her mind was already flying in a million directions at once and she did not want to attempt to unravel the complexities between her and James. Instead she applied herself to classes, willing herself to pay attention and take accurate notes.
By lunch time she wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and not wake up for a week. Instead she pinned a smile on her face, poured a glass of pumpkin juice and reached for a sandwich. She pretended to be engrossed in Marlene's conversation about Divinations, smiling and nodding at all the right spots, but really she couldn't care less.
"Lily, we better get to Potions. Slughorn loves it when we're early," Alice said as she got to her feet. The pair said goodbye to their best friend who soon started in on a rant that 'Potions was near impossible to pass', you needed an 'E' to continue to a NEWT level course and Marlene had barely scraped by with an 'A'. "Lily are you going to tell me why you got up at five?"
"Homework," she replied. "I have patrol tonight."
"What about James? Why was he sitting at the end of the table?"
"I broke his heart again, the usual," she laughed.
"That's not funny," Alice said. "I saw the two of you on the train and at dinner…"
Lily rolled her eyes and hurried to the dungeons. Slughorn had two extra tables set up at the front of the room with small cauldrons with a little placard in front of them with a number. On the chalkboard Identifying Potions was scrawled at the top with bullet points beneath. People trickled in slowly and soon the class of twenty-four waited for Slughorn to begin. By then he had sent up a second station in the back of the classroom similar to the one in the front.
The instructions for the day were easy enough: take out the log that Slughorn had put on the required list and make note of observations about the potion and a Hypothesis for it's use. They were instructed that none of them would kill them per se, but even with that being said they weren't to taste that said he split the classroom in two and turned over an hour glass for the observations and then they would have a discussion.
As she focused on the potions in front of her, she took notes, but one caught her attention in particular. It was the last in the row and had spirals of steam rising it. She noted the mother of pearl sheen and bent ever so slightly over to waft the scent. Tensing slightly she noted the spell and had her suspcisions of what it was.
Slughorn led the discussion of the potions. Revealing a Polyjuice Potion, Felix Felicitis, Shrinking Solution, Hiccoughing solution. "What about Cauldron number five?" he questioned. "I want a few of you to say what it smells like. Miss Evans," he said.
"It was odd as it didn't smell like it had typical potion ingredients. It smelled woodsy, like cedar and fresh air, combined with a warm, slightly spicy scent…" She hoped she wasn't blushing, because she knew exactly where she had smelled it before.
"Interesting, what about you Mr. Potter?"
"I didn't smell that at all. I smelled black tea, citrus and books," he explained.
"Miss Warren?" he turned to Alice.
"New parchment, laundry soap, peppermint and freshly cut grass." Alice smiled. "But how could I have smelled that if James and Lily smelled something different?"
"Mr. Snape, what is your hypothesis?" Slughorn questioned.
"It's a love potion," he explained. "We all smell something different, it's rare for two people to have the same scent." He looked down at his paper.
"Correct, what do you smell?"
Lily could almost feel Snapes' eyes burning a hole in the back of her neck and she turned around. "Well, it was hard to identify…" he paused, eyes flitting everywhere. "Floral perfume, mixed with something sweet…" By the way he spoke Lily knew that he was lying…Why would he lie?
"It looks like we're finished for the day. I need to clean before dinner tonight, you are dismissed." Slughorn turned around and walked back to his desk. "Miss Evans, could you stay for a bit?"
"Marlene and I will wait for you before we leave for dinner," Alice said with a smile before she caught up with one of the Hufflepuff girls.
As much as Lily didn't want to stay any longer after double potions she packed up her things before heading over to the desk.
"Ah, my lovely Lily, I haven't received your RSVP." He slid embossed card across the desk. "The Slug Club is meeting this weekend, I would hate for you to miss it."
"Of course, I apologize Professor, I've been out of it for a while."
"I noticed, and it is only natural. Losing one's parents is a very difficult thing to cope with. My office is open any time if you wish to speak and if you need a bit longer with an assignment, just say the word." The man gave her a smile and pulled a smile candy dish out of his drawer. "Crystallized pineapple? Sweets always help me."
Lily picked a smile piece. "Thank you and I will come, the invitation must have slipped out of my bag."
"I understand and bring a friend. James Potter would be a wonderful pick…"
"Excuse me?" Lily about spat the dried fruit she was chewing out of her mouth.
"Well, I invite him every time, but he always has detention or Quidditch Practice...I also noticed he said the Amortentia smelled like Black tea and I know from the Slug Club you fancy a good cup of tea."
"Professor…"
"What do I know?" he replied with a shrug.
When Lily left the classroom her mind wouldn't quit working. She wasn't thinking about the Charms Lesson from today, the homework that had to be edited from Transfiguration or the Dark Arts essay due next week...She was thinking about James Potter and how as much as she wanted to avoid the topic, she was going to have to address it soon...And she was going to have to reveal to herself how much she cared for the messy-haired boy.