Hi everyone, a big thank you to everyone reading this story and to Jannice Sace for her review about the last chapter.
Chapter 20:
The following day the Gryffindors made their way down to greenhouse three to care for their mandrakes. Once the boys had watered their plants and gotten rid of any weeds they began messing around. The girls however, were having a quiet conversation about the Gryffindor party. "Lily you have to tell us!" Mary was whispering angrily.
"Tell you what?" Lily asked sweetly.
"What was going on with you and all those third year boys?" Alice asked.
"Oh that. Nothing. Nothing at all."
"That's not true, you lying little…" Marlene whispered.
"We just talked is all…" Lily answered.
"Whatever," Kate laughed, "That's why they were staring at you all through breakfast and they keep talking to you in the corridor."
"And they keep offering to carry your books," Mary added.
"And walk you to class," Alice smiled. "Do they not even have classes of their own?"
"It's absolutely nothing," Lily frowned. "We're just friends."
"You're friends?" Mary asked.
"Yes friends… you know you spend time together, enjoy each other's company, do favours for each other, that sort of friend."
"So not the sticking your tongue down each other's throats, hands going places they shouldn't, sort of friend?" Marlene demanded.
"No! Of course not! We're just friends! What do you think I am? Five boyfriends? I haven't even got one!" Lily squeaked, "although Tom is pretty cute."
"Which one's Tom?" Mary asked.
"The dark haired one, hazel eyes, quite tall, slightly messy hair…" Lily described him.
"Right… Tom…" the girls laughed. "Well are you going to ask him out?"
"What Tom?" Lily frowned, "oh no! I'll wait and see…"
"Oh ok," Alice giggled.
After Herbology the Gryffindors had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. She had demanded that they keep practicing their spells to transform their beetles into buttons because most of the class had yet to succeed. Lily had only managed it once or twice and was struggling immensely. Professor McGonagall was running out of beetles because James was transforming them so quick. "Enough Potter, you've clearly gotten the hang of it. I'm going to teach you an untransfiguration spell so that you can change the button back to a beetle."
Lily watched in envy as James learnt the new spell; it was usually her who was asked to do extra work. James had a pile of buttons on his desk and was making his way through them quickly as he spoke the incantation, "reparifarge." When he had completely untransfirgured all the buttons Professor McGonagall gave him twenty points.
After Transfiguration, they only had one more lesson before lunch; potions. James and Lily sat together in their allocated seating but barely even looked at each other let alone speak to each other. Professor Slughorn had asked them to make notes from their textbooks on ageing potions. Lily thought to herself, perfect! I don't have to speak to him at all. The class seemed to go quickly and Lily and James almost got along except for the occasional elbow war, "would you move your arm?" Lily would demand, "it's in my way."
"Oh, I'm so sorry Princess Lily. I'd hate to cause you any inconvenience!" James spat angrily.
"You're such a jerk!" Lily practically screamed.
James ignored Lily and tried to focus on his notes but the sound of Lily's foot tapping on the leg of the desk was driving insane, "would you quit it!"
"I'm not doing anything," Lily frowned angrily.
"Quit tapping your foot!"
"Oh shut up Potter!" Again they fell quiet. Every noise one of them made would annoy the other. They both sighed in relief when the lesson was over.
"You'll be back after lunch. The first fifteen minutes will be spent preparing a presentation on ageing potions in your pairs," both Lily and James moaned, "and then you will take it in turns to present your presentation to the rest of the class."
Lunch went ridiculously fast and before either of them knew it James and Lily were back in their seats in the potions classroom. They began arguing almost straight away until James said calmly, "look, I know you don't like me and well… to be honest you're not my favourite person either but if we want a good grade in this assignment then we need to work together," Lily opened her mouth to respond but James continued, "without arguing. Truce?"
"I guess so," Lily replied bitterly.
"Very well," James said. "Should we compare notes on ageing potions?"
"That might be a good idea…" Lily replied sarcastically.
When Professor Slughorn called on James and Lily to give their presentation, they both gulped before standing up and making their way to the front of the class. Lily took a deep breath before beginning, "An ageing potion is a potion which causes the drinker to become older."
"It is unclear as to whether the potion merely has an effect on the body or whether it effects the mind as well. Although some individuals have been reported to increase in wisdom upon taking the potion. However, this might just be a natural reaction – a sort of placebo effect." James told the class.
"The effect of the potion is temporary," Lily said.
"So you'll be young again in a few hours," James added, jokingly causing Lily to frown at him.
"The more potion you drink, the older you become."
"So don't drink too much!"
They continued like this for several minutes until their presentation was complete. "Very good," Slughhorn guffed. "Fifty points to Gryffindor for a superbly accurate and incredibly entertaining presentation."
"See! We work quite well together," James whispered.
Lily didn't reply as she picked up her things and headed towards the door. It was time for defence against the dark arts. James sighed, apparently they were back to hating each other again.
"Ghosts are not particularly dark, but it is important that you learn about them. You will of course cover them in greater detail in your sixth year. Today we are just going to cover the basics. A ghost is the disembodied spirit of a once-living witch or wizard. Only magical beings can become ghosts. People become ghosts either because they fear death or they have an extraordinarily strong connection to the locations that they haunt. The ghost that is left behind is a mere imprint of who they used to be, an imprint of their soul. Most people however, choose to pass on and therefore have no possible way of returning."
Bartlet smiled at his pupils, "although I have on my travels heard rumours about a stone that can bring the dead back. Not back to life but back to some sort of ghostly existence. However, that's just a rumour and you shouldn't dwell on it. We do not expect that we will ever be able to reverse death – even magic can't do that. Many have researched it and come up with nothing. There are however, many ways to prevent death – some of which are very dark magic. Corpses can also be reanimated through dark magic – you will learn about that at N.E.W.T level – and it is important not to confuse an inferius for a ghost."
The class were paying their Professor all their attention. There was tension in the air as they barely breathed. "There is a chamber in the Department of Mysteries where witches and wizards study the mysteries of death. In this chamber is the Veil, an ancient stone archway, which is a gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead. People standing around the Veil may hear voices from the other side depending on their level of faith in the afterlife. A person whose body passes through the veil will die."
Sirius shivered at the thought, "You cannot travel freely between the two worlds – it's a one way trip. It is impossible to communicate with those on the other side. Although, when a person approaches the veil, the souls of the dead, recognising a loved one nearby, attempt to communicate. However, it merely sounds like faint whispering. People working in this department of the ministry have to be very careful not to become entranced and mesmerised by the veil or it will be the death of them."
"Sir, how do you know so much about what happens in the department of mysteries?" Alice asked, suspiciously.
"I know a lot of what happens within the ministry…" Bartlet replied, not answering the question. "As for ghosts, they are forever trapped in the world of the living as intangible beings. It can be a very sad existence. A very lonely existence."
"In their paranormal state, they are unable to cause much physical influence. They are visible, and appear as a greyish-silver apparition of their former (living) selves. The cannot usually touch objects – there are a few exceptions; usually when the ghost is feeling particularly strong emotions. Right, homework please!" Bartlet summoned the homework and made a pile of it on his desk. "Your last piece of homework has been marked. Some of you did exceptionally well – whilst others barely scraped through. Ten points will go to Miss Evans, Mr Potter, Mr Lupin and Mr Snape for getting outstanding."
The Gryffindors made their way to dinner talking excitedly about their last class, "he's just so cool." Kate was saying.
"I'm not sure. I don't know if I trust him." Alice said quietly.
"He knew way too much about the department of mysteries for my liking," Marlene replied, "that was top secret information!"
Regulus was waiting at the entrance to the Great Hall for Sirius, "can I talk to you?"
"Sure."
"So…"
"So?"
"Erm, I was just thinking we should spend some time together at the weekend. You're still my brother… maybe go for a fly in the grounds?"
"Sure. Saturday?" Sirius replied.
"Yeah, sounds good."
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Next chapter...
Thursday...
An awkward moment with Lily and James...
More defence against the dark arts...
Lily gets a proposition...