"Why is she sitting with them?" Lily asked, glaring at them as she tore hard at the dead rat's fur.
"Does it matter, mate?" Ron said. "It's not like you've been talking much. Easy, Lily, we're not supposed to damage the spleens."
"You'd know, wouldn't you?" Lily asked. "Just give me the knife, Ron, I'll get them."
"Why does this poison need fresh rat spleens?" Neville asked, looking green and queasy.
"Just be thankful Snape let us be in groups of three, mate," Ron said. "Otherwise, you'd have to get them out, because I sure as hell wouldn't."
"It's just a rat," Lily said, rolling her eyes and cutting gently at the dead rat's bare belly.
"You didn't have one as a beloved pet for years."
"Neither did you."
"Don't remind me. Merlin, have some mercy on the guy, would you?"
"Ron, I have no idea where the spleens even are. I've got to dig around for them."
"Why is Snape even here today?" Neville asked. "What happened to Professor Belby?"
"Who knows?" Lily asked, grimacing a little when some rat juices sprayed out onto her glove. "The real question is 'why is Hermione sitting with them?'"
"Just go ask her, mate," Ron said, sighing deeply.
Lily glared at him, and then turned her attention and focus back to Hermione Granger, who was currently sitting and working with Anthony Goldstein and Mandy Brocklehurst of Ravenclaw fame. She seemed to be having a right good time, too, laughing at everything Anthony was saying, smiling and giggling with Mandy in friendly little huddles, touching the bastard's arm between stirring the liquid in their cauldron. It was almost enough to make her sick.
"Lily, you've squashed the spleens."
"Did not," Lily said, turning her gaze back down to the rat's innards. "Oh. I did. Sorry."
"I'll get another rat," Ron said, sighing and tucking his hands in his pockets. "Merlin, I hope Snape takes this well."
Lily sighed and looked a held up her gloved hands. They were currently covered in rat goo, and her wand, which she needed to vanish and dispose of the rat, was sitting in her sleeve, right against her bare skin. Still holding her hands in the air, she looked over to Neville pleadingly.
"What?" Neville asked, suddenly looking nervous.
"Fancy learning how to vanish something?" Lily said sweetly.
"Err- I don't know if- err- Snape's right over there, you know."
Lily understood; Neville didn't want to attempt any magic in a room where Snivellus Snape could see him and comment on it.
"Then I'll need you to pull my glove off for me so I can do it," Lily said, holding her right hand out to him, as if she was a royal waiting for him to kiss it. Instead, Neville grimaced and reach out to her wrist so he could pull off a leather glove that stank of rat flesh.
"What do you think they're talking about, anyway?" Lily asked, eyes wandering back over to Hermione and her new friends.
"Why does it bother you?" Neville said, a shudder running down his spine as he dropped Lily's slightly-dripping glove on to the stone tabletop.
I don't know, Lily thought, her stomach turning when Hermione laughed at something again. She thought Hermione might have been laying it on a little thick; there was no way Anthony Goldstein was that funny.
"Say," Lily said, pulling her wand from her sleeve with her now bare hand and turning her attention back to Neville, "I don't suppose you could do me a favour?"
"I already got you the Gillyweed, Lily."
"Not that," Lily said, waving her wand in a circle over the rat carcass. "I was wondering- err- well, I've been doing some thinking, see, and- I was wondering if I could take you up on your offer."
"My- what are you on about?"
"Katie," Lily said, eyes glancing over at Hermione again, and then back down to the now-bare counter where the rat had been. "You said you'd ask her to meet with me, if- if I wanted."
"Oh, right," Neville said.
"Don't touch your face, Nev. That's the hand you used on my glove."
"Sorry," Neville said, quickly lowering his hand away. "Err- I'll try. She's been mostly staying in the girl's dorms, though, and I can't get up there."
"So, she's not talking to you either, then?" Lily asked, quietly, wishing Hermione would stop laughing. Why wasn't Snape stopping them? He hated happiness.
"She's not talking to anybody," Neville said. "From what I've heard, she's been skipping classes, too."
Now Lily's stomach was turning for a different reason.
"What's the common room password?" Lily asked.
"Lily, you know I can't tell you that."
"You just don't remember it."
"I do, too. It's because you're not part of the House."
"Oh, come on. I'm a Gryffindor right now!"
"No, you're not. You're wearing a Hufflepuff tie."
"Oh," Lily said, glancing down at her robes. They were, indeed, lined with yellow today. "Must have gotten off schedule." At least it explained why she kept getting some upset looks from the actual Hufflepuffs.
She was also, currently, a brunette, standing at the shortest she could possibly go, face and body a bit plumper than she was used to. Honestly, the looks might just be confusion and unrecognition; everyday, one of the four houses suddenly had a face they did not recognize amidst their number. Lily was pretty sure they had to know, though; the Potter girl was the only person missing when these people appeared, and the new person always happened to be sitting with her miscreant friends.
Nobody was confronting her yet, though, so she was going to keep doing it.
"It's 'Capricornia,'" Neville said at last, sighing in defeat.
"Thanks, Nev," Lily said.
"Just wait a bit, will you?" Neville said. "At least until after the task."
"Fine," Lily said. "But she better not-"
"Miss Potter," a cold drawl said from behind her.
"Pardon?" Lily said, putting her voice into a false falsetto and turning around to face Professor Snape. "I'm not-"
"Fooling anybody, yes," Snape finished for her. Lily noticed Ron standing behind him, staring at his feet. "And who, exactly, are you supposed to be today?"
"Abigail Anniversary."
"I am not surprised that's the best you could come up with."
"Yeah, well," Lily said, crossing her arms. "I'd like to see you come up with a new persona every day." Most of the time, nobody even bothered asking.
"Weasley tells me you've ruined your rat spleen," Snape said, ignoring her completely.
"I didn't ruin them," Lily lied.
"Then where, may I ask, is your rat?"
"I- err- alright, fine, we need a new one."
"Unfortunately," Snape said, sounding like he was delighted to say it, "I'm afraid we are fresh out of rats."
"But-"
"You will have to make do without a spleen," Snape said, smiling cruelly. "Do take care, Potter; I'm sure I do not need to tell you what a Toxication Concentration will do without one."
Lily clenched her jaw when Snape walked away without another word.
"I hate that git," Ron said, taking up his old position at Lily's side.
"That was almost a compliment, coming from him," Lily said with a scoff.
"What will happen without a spleen?"
"We'll make Mustard Gas."
"Mustard- we can breathe mustard?"
"No," Lily said. "No, we cannot." Lily paused and thought for a moment. "Well, actually, it probably wouldn't affect wizards nearly as bad, and Snape could probably vanish it all in a second anyway, but he knows I won't take the risk. He just wants us to take a 'zero' for the day. I'll have to clear our cauldron if we can't get a spleen."
"Well, nobody else is going to give us one."
"I don't need to take one," Lily said, looking around the room at the other workstations. "I can clone one if somebody's willing to just let me borrow one."
"I-" Ron blinked at her slowly. "You can clone a rat spleen?"
Lily nodded, eyes locking on to one group in particular. "Of course I can, don't be silly. That's how all Potioneers practice. You clone your good ingredients so you can practice the brewing method. Things don't tend to blow up as badly when they're less powerful."
"Why am I not surprised?" Ron said.
Lily tore her eyes off the group to look for Snape, thankful, for once, that their classrooms were now so full of foreign students; if she was caught trying to clone a spleen, Snape wouldn't let her use it. She waited until he went towards the back of the room, where Professor Moody was waiting to speak with him. As curious as she was about that, this was clearly her chance, and she needed to move.
"Be right back," she said, hurrying towards the front of the room.
Lily strode right up to the table of three, and then cleared her throat when the annoying giggling failed to stop at her presence.
"Hermione," she said. "I need to borrow your rat spleen for a second."
"Oh, hello, Abigail," Hermione said coyly. "Lost your own, then?"
"Something like that."
"Wait," Brocklehurst said. "I don't remember there being an Abigail in our year."
"It's Potter, Mandy," Goldstein said knowingly. "She's been walking around as other people for a week now. Even tried to sleep in the Hufflepuff form a couple days ago, from what I hear."
"Those are unsubstantiated rumours," Lily lied. As a matter of fact, she succeeded at it perfectly, sleeping out on a couch in front of a cosy fireplace. It was very comfortable. Almost made her wish Helga Hufflepuff had been the one to make a secret blood-supremacy dungeon, preferably with a giant badger contained within instead of a venomous snake that could kill with a single look.
"Potter?" Brocklehurst said, giving Lily a onceover from head to toe. "Wow. This is great work, Hazel. How'd you manage it?"
Lily blinked slowly. This certainly was not a reaction she expected to receive.
"Lily's always been good at human Transsfiguration," Hermione said for her. That was good, because Lily's brain suddenly wasn't working.
"You really did all that yourself?" Brocklehurst asked. "Didn't ask an older student to do it for you?"
"I'm- err-" Lily stammered. "Very good. So, about that-"
"Do you mind if I have a look at your notes?" Brocklehurst asked. "Perhaps over some tea? I'd very much like to see it. I mean, magic like this, done so casually- you've got to be good!"
Lily blinked slowly again, giving Mandy a better look. She had long, wavy brown hair that curled up around her shoulders, with bangs covering her forehead and ending just above her lovely blue eyes. Her nose was a bit long, but it fit her face well, Lily thought, and her lips were nice and-
No, no, no, Lily thought, shaking the oncoming crush away. Now is not the time.
"Maybe later," Lily said. "So, about that-"
"I'm holding you to that!" Mandy said. "I'll get back to you later on the date."
Lily knew she didn't mean the word in that way, but just the mere mention of a 'date' got her heart thumping wildly, and her brain once again went blank.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Mandy," Hermione said in an odd tone, arms crossed. "But Lily's notes are almost unintelligible."
"So, I'll just show her how I do it, then," Lily snapped.
"Will you?" Hermione said, raising an eyebrow. "You're sure you can replicate it without issue, then?"
"I did this morning, didn't I?"
"Err- Hemione, I'm not sure this is-"
"You know full well what I mean," Hermione said, ignoring Goldstein entirely. "Mandy, if you want notes, I'd be more than happy to lend you mine. You'll get far more use out of them."
"Sure, if you don't mind reading an encyclopedia to manage one spell," Lily said. "If you really want to learn how, I'll show you."
"Err-" Mandy said, looking nervously between the two girls. "I don't- err-"
"Oh, you think you just know everything, don't you?" Hermione said, hands now balled up in little fists at her side, her cheeks puffed up with hot air.
"That's rich coming from Queen Know-it-all herself," Lily said. "Don't you have a dictionary to be reading?"
"At least I am capable of reading more than picture books!"
"Here, Potter," Goldstein said quickly, sliding over a nice rat spleen for her.
"At least I can cast more advanced spells than a Levitation Charm," Lily shouted back. "Who is it that's teaching lessons for S.P.E.W., while you're just sitting back and doing nothing?"
"I am not doing nothing!" Hermione said shrilly. "I'm organizing and- and- you know how busy I've been!"
"Busy with what, exactly?" Lily said. "All you ever do is sit at your desk, but I've yet to actually see you produce anything."
"Oh, like you're Miss Productivity!" Hermione said. "Some of us have more important things to do than play Quidditch or ogle girls."
"I have not been-"
"Oi, Potter!" Malfoy's voice called from nearby. "As brilliant as this is, why don't the two of you-"
"You stay out of this!" Hermione and Lily shouted together, both reaching for the same object.
"Potter," Snape growled when both girls were sitting in front of him, seated in front of his office desk, moments later. "Granger. Would the two of you like to explain to me why you started an inter-school brawl during your Potions lesson?"
"She started it!" both girls said, pointing to the other.
"I care not whose boneheaded idea it was," Snape said, looking straight at Lily. "I asked why, in your combined pool of 'infinite' wisdom, did you decide throwing a rat spleen at another student was acceptable?"
"I threw it," Lily said, crossing her arms and legs and pointedly looking away from Hermione, who was holding the exact same pose. Hopefully, Hermione would keep her stupid mouth shut, so she wouldn't get in trouble, too.
"Detention, Potter," Snape said with a small sigh. "And, yes, you will appear as your normal self. Your pathetic little facades are fooling nobody."
"Fooled Brocklehurst," Lily muttered, crossing her arms and legs.
"Now, please," Snape continued, "do us both a favour and try to stay out of trouble, would you? I despise these little tete-a-tetes just as much as you do, believe me. Now, both of you, get out of my sight."
"Don't give me that look," Lily told the smug looking Hermione as they left.
"You deserved every bit of it," Hermione said, tone matching her face. "If you act like a child, you should expect to be treated like one."
"Oh, and you weren't?"
"I seem to recall you getting a detention, while I wasn't mentioned at all."
"Because I covered for you!"
"You did not. I didn't do anything worth punishing in the first place. And, yet, you got a detention."
"Because Snape has it out for me!" Lily said. " And I seem to remember you pulling out a fist full of Emma's hair."
"It wasn't a fist! It was a spell! Some of us witches know how to act like a civilized duelist rather than an uncouth barbarian."
"You're just a hypocrite! 'Oh, Lily, you can't just use magic against Malfoy when he's being a terrorist, no, you should just tell a professor!' Well, you sure don't much seem to care about the rules when it's convenient for you, do you?"
"Oh, like you ever pay attention to the rules!"
"At least I'm not pretending, walking around the school masquerading as some goody-two-shoes when I'm actually the world's single largest, talking cu-"
"Potter!" Snape shouted, wrenching his office door open. "Granger! Shut up, both of you,and get to class! And detentions for the both of you!"
Neither girl said a single word to each other as they stormed upstairs to their Charms lesson. As soon as they arrived, they moved to opposite sides of the greenhouse, and Lily didn't so much as look in her general direction for the duration of the lesson. She also didn't pay any attention to the lesson, nor say a single word to Ron and Neville, as she was far too busy stewing in her righteous fury. Lily didn't return to the dorm that night, either; she didn't much fancy Hermione continuing the argument in their private quarters. Plus, she had a complicated potion she needed to be near at all times to make sure nothing went wrong. She had to sleep on the floor of the Secret Chamber in an old sleeping bag she found in the Room of Lost Items.
They also didn't say a single word in the next morning's Transfiguration class, although that was just because McGonagall had a very strong word with the both of them when they wouldn't stop bickering over breakfast (which Lily blamed partially on herself; she emerged as her normal looking self today, since she didn't expect to receive any grief from anyone). McGonagall was not normally a fan of assigned seating, but she enforced it just this once and sat them as far apart from each other as she could.
"Whatever it is the two of you are arguing about needs to come to an end," she told them after class. "I am assigning the two of you as partners for our upcoming project, and you will get along by the end of it, or I will fail the both of you. Is that understood?"
"Yes," Lily and Hermione both said through clenched teeth.
"This is all your fault," Hermione said as soon as the office door was closed behind them. "If you weren't so stupid and just let me eat in peace, we wouldn't have-"
"Oh, like you're so innocent," Lily said, attempting to storm away only to have Hermione following in her footsteps. "In case you didn't notice, I was sitting there first. You're the one who decided to make such a big deal out of my eating some eggs when you never have before!"
"It's slave labour!" Hermione hissed, a bit of her spit hitting Lily's cheek.
"That didn't stop you from eating any of it!" Lily said, stopping in the intersection to get some nice, quality shouting in again.
"All of my food came from Dobby! He's being paid for it!"
"What are you doing going to him for? He's my employee, not yours!"
"I paid him with my own money, thank you! And it was way more than you ever give him!"
"Oh, shut up! Like you care so much about the elves! I seem to remember you giving them up as a lost cause!"
"I did not! I told you, we're just reorganizing our strategy, we'll get back to them later!"
"Oh, way to stick to your principles, Hermione! I'm sure the elves will really appreciate being an afterthought when you write your autobiography! Figure out a name, yet? Personally, I'm a fan of 'World's Biggest-'"
"Stop it!" Cedric said, pulling the two of them apart by the scruffs of their robes, Prefect badge shimmering on his chest. "Merlin, we can hear you all the down in the Great Hall!"
"She started it!" Both girls immediately said. Cedric had to move to keeping them apart by physically placing hands on their chests.
"Look," Cedric said calmly. "I've got to take points off for screaming in the halls, you both know that. What's this about, anyway?"
"None of your business," both girls said, both turning away from the other and crossing their arms.
"Err- This isn't going to affect S.P.E.W., is it?"
"No," both girls said grumpily.
"Like she cares if it would, anyway," Hermione added.
"Just because you-"
"Oh, stop it!" Cedric said, shoving the two of them apart again. "Ten points from Slytherin. Don't make me take more. Get to class."
Unfortunately, neither girl could sit away from the other during Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lily thought she'd at least get a reprieve from speaking to Hermione, given Moody's no-nonsense control over his classroom, but then he had them form up in pairs before also forming a queue.
"The point of this exercise is simple," Moody said, voice carrying through the room. "I am going to Imperius one of the pair. Both of them will try to convince the rest of you that they are not under the curse. It is up to the rest of you to figure out which one is lying, utilising every trick and tip we've learned over these last few weeks. Whoever gets the most guesses correct by the end of the class gets a special reward. Manage to fight off the curse completely if I choose you, and I'll give you points, and a lot at that."
Lily heavily considered sitting out, like most of Beauxbatons still was, but since Hermione made no move to do so, she felt like she couldn't without making a fool of herself. She was still debating at least trying to switch partners when they reached the front of the classroom and she realized she hadn't paid an ounce of attention to what any of the other participants were trying.
She couldn't, because the two girls spent the entire time bickering about which one of them would get to be Imperiused. Lily felt very smug when Moody chose her, and that feeling only intensified when he actually did it. Being Imperiused was just as strange as it was the last time; her vision became blurred and unfocused, shrouded in a mist of light blue, and she felt like she didn't care at all about anything.
Moody led them out of his office, where he was choosing his volunteer in secret, and then stood them in front of the class. Lily had no idea what she was doing, but she could hear somebody talking nearby, even if her brain was too hazy to make anything out. Up until she heard Moody's voice in her head, anyway.
Just repeat whatever I say, Potter.
"Just repeat whatever I say, Potter."
Lily could hear the chorus of laughter from around the room, including Moody right behind her and Hermione at her side.
"I'm not under the Imperius," Hermione said smugly. "Professor, I think it counts as cheating when you choose someone like Lily."
"Oh, and you're just so smart?" Lily snapped. "What makes you think I wasn't just saying that to throw everybody off?"
"You realize the point of the game is to fool everybody into thinking it isn't you?"
"The point is to correctly guess. If they guess me, and it isn't, then they've messed up!"
"Oh, yes, another genius stratagem from the mountain girl."
"Knock it off, the both of you."
"Do you ever use your brain?" Hermione said. "Or is it all just empty space in there?"
"I- you-"
"Really showing off your brainpower now, aren't you? Having trouble forming a proper sentence, are we?"
"I'll show you a-"
"That's enough!" Moody growled, grabbing them both by the back of their robes and hauling them towards the door. "Fifty points for breaking out of the Imperius, Potter. Five for being a nuisance. Each. Now, both of you, get out of my classroom and don't come back until you learn how to behave yourselves."
"She started it!"
"Learn to take responsibility for your actions while you're at it, Granger" Moody said, tossing them both out the door. "Go see Snape. He'll sort you out."
"Oh, now look what you've done!" Hermione screamed at her as soon as the door was closed.
"Me?" Lily said with a scoff. "I was just playing the game until you made it personal!"
"I can't help that you mess everything up so badly! I mean, you couldn't even make it past the first order!"
"Oh, just shut up!" Lily said, turning to storm off down the stairs. "Merlin, I'm so sick of hearing you talk!"
"And I'm sick of you continuously making an ass out of yourself!" Hermione said, following closely at her heels.
"Nobody asked, and nobody cares, Hermione. Why don't you try just keeping your opinions to yourself for a change?"
"Every time you do something stupid, it looks bad on S.P.E.W.!"
"Oh, shut up about S.P.E.W.!" Lily said. "Would it kill you to focus on something else for a change?"
"You're a founding member!" Hermione said, pulling at her hair. "Everything you do reflects on the organization as a whole!"
"Is that all you care about?" Lily asked. "That I'm making S.P.E.W. look bad?"
"Well, I certainly can't stop you from looking stupid," Hermione said. "I mean, it's only your nature, but if you're going to keep doing it, at least disavow yourself from us!"
"Are you asking me to leave?" Lily asked, freezing in the middle of the hallway and turning to face the other girl.
"No," Hermione said after a reluctant pause. "But- but you should think of how your actions look on others, Lily."
"I seem to remember Moody saying that to you."
"Clearly he was mistaken," Hermione said, following after her renewed pace. "You're a public figure, Lily, whether you like it or not. Maybe you should lay low for a while and stop making such a spectacle of yourself."
"Why should I?" Lily asked. "As a matter of fact, I think I'll take out an ad in the prophet, just plaster my stupid face everywhere."
"You wouldn't."
"Why not? They're already doing it for free, might as well get something out of it."
"Oh, you are just- just once can't you think of anybody but yourself?"
"Sorry, Hermione, but I'm just sticking to my nature. Why don't you try- Katie!"
"Katie?" Hermione asked, eyes tracing Lily as she skipped forward and towards the Entrance Hall.
Lily didn't slow her pace even slightly, even though Neville was right; Katie did look terrible. Her uniform was a bit unkempt, her hair wild and untamed, with heavy, dark bags under her once wonderfully bright eyes. Her skin was also hanging loose on her face, which meant she wasn't eating very well, and all of that hurt Lily's heart. Even so, she put on a brave smile and kept walking forward eagerly, taking the fact that Katie didn't turn tail and run as a good sign.
"You're looking great," Lily lied, holding her hands clasped together behind her back.
"Thanks," Katie said quietly. She still wasn't running, and Lily even noticed her raise her hands slightly when she got close, as if expecting a hug, only to pull them back down right after. Lily took that as a very good sign.
"Capricornia," Lily said with a hum.
"Come again?" Katie asked, blinking slowly.
"That's the Gryffindor password," Lily said. "I was going to come pull you out of there if you didn't come out soon."
"Oh," Katie said, rubbing at her left arm with her right hand. "Sorry."
"Say," Lily said. "I've got a burning urge to go flying. Want to take a spin on my Firebolt?"
"I don't know," Katie said reluctantly. "I know you've been busy. I don't want to be a bother."
"Come on," Lily said, gently grabbing her arm. "It'll be great, and I really need the break. It's nice and sunny out for the first time in-"
"We can't!" Hermione said, reminding Lily she still existed and was nearby. "We're supposed to go see Snape!"
"You go," Lily said, squeezing Katie's shoulder a little harder on the way to the gate. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"You can't just skip out on a punishment!" Hermione said, stubbornly following them outside. "Moody will have alerted him by now!"
"Oh, back to mothering me now, are you?" Lily asked, whirling back to face her and letting Katie go.
"Hardly." Hermione crossed her arms, trying to kill Lily with a glare. "I just don't fancy explaining to Snape why you think you're too important to ignore direct orders."
"Why don't you go baby somebody who actually cares?" Lily asked, pointing towards where some Durmstrang students were sitting under a nearby cluster of trees. "Oh, look, Krum's chewing his own food! Can't have that, can we? No, can't have somebody taking care of themselves!"
"What's going on here?" Katie asked.
"Nothing," both girls snapped.
"Piss off, Hermione," Lily said, dragging Katie towards the stadium again.
"Fine!" Hermione shouted after them. "But don't blame me when the consequences come for you! You'll have to learn something eventually!"
Lily shot a rude gesture towards Hermione, and then, as they kept realizing, realized she'd slipped her hand into Katie's without even noticing. And that, most importantly, Katie wasn't pulling away.
"Should I ask?" Katie asked.
"No," Lily said far more gently.
"Well- err- listen," Katie said, warily threading their fingers together. "I- I really do want to fly with you, but- err-"
"You don't have your broom anymore," Lily said, enjoying that this encounter went much better than expected. "Ron told me."
"Sorry," Katie said quietly, squeezing her hand. "That's why I didn't go with you over the Holidays. I just- you gave it to me, so I- I thought you'd be mad."
"I'm not mad," Lily said. "And if I was, it wouldn't be at you."
"I just don't get it," Katie said, eyes locked on the ground as they walked on the cold grounds.
"Get what?" Lily asked. They weren't heading towards the stadium anymore, but that was alright. She didn't even have her broom on her, and just walking with Katie was nice.
Katie was quiet for a long time before she finally answered the question, around when they hit the edge of the Forbidden Forest and began circling around back towards Hagrid's Hut.
"I knew they wouldn't like it," Katie said, squeezing her hand again. "I mean, they made that clear enough the first time I tried to tell them. But, I- I don't know. I thought they'd come around. I thought that- that they'd be proud of me." Lily noticed Katie's voice broke on the last little part, as well as that she needed to pause to swallow down a sudden thickness in her voice. "And now- now I don't have anywhere else to go."
"What about the Weasleys?" Lily asked.
Katie shook her head. "That was only for the Holidays. They told me after- after-" Katie cleared her throat. "Besides, I- I just want to go home."
"You can't, Katie," Lily said.
"I know," Katie said. "I know I shouldn't, but- they have to be under the Imperius, or- or something. They haven't been perfect, but they're not Death Eaters. They can't be. They wouldn't just- just kick me out."
"Katie-"
"Sorry," Katie said again, wiping at her face with her free hand. "I know I'm being stupid, but- I'm just so confused. I'll figure something out."
"You can come stay with me," Lily said, squeezing her hand again. "Sirius has space, and he'd-"
Katie shook her head. "Can't. He tried to do that when I was- anyway, Dumbledore wouldn't allow it."
"Dumbledore?"
"Said it was too dangerous," Katie said with a shrug. "I don't know. I wasn't really listening. I was more focused on- on everything else."
Lily thought she knew, at least; Katie's parents were Death Eaters, and they had days of private access to their daughter, who was in a relationship with Voldemort's prime target. Who knew what things they could have planted in her head, all without her knowing?"
Lily didn't care, though. She was willing to take the risk.
"There's a Hogsmeade weekend after the Task," Lily said, bringing some pep back into her voice. "Want to go with me? We can shop around, get you a new broom."
"You don't have to do that," Katie said, smiling at her sadly.
"I want to. The first one was a gift, anyway. Your parents had no right taking it from you."
"Lily-"
"Come on," Lily said, pulling her closer so their shoulders were touching. "It'll be fun."
"Okay," Katie said reluctantly, brushing some hair out of her tired eyes. "I'll go. But- I just- I'm not ready for much more. Not yet. I just- I need some more time, alright?"
"Alright," Lily said, satisfied with the agreement as it was. They spent the rest of their little talk in silence, not letting go of the other girl's hand until they were both well inside of the castle an hour later.
The rest of Lily's week was incredibly miserable. She was tired of arguing with Hermione and continuously tried to avoid the girl, but Hermione didn't seem to feel the same, and nagged her every step of the way, even when Lily wasn't snapping back. As a consequence, none of her friends were willing to be around them, as the constant bickering was just completely unbearable. Both girls were routinely being removed from classes because they just couldn't bring themselves to stop, and Lily couldn't even go complaining to her girlfriend about any of it because she wasn't yet sure if she had a girlfriend again. She now, occasionally, saw Katie around the castle, but their conversations were always subdued and a tad awkward, and Lily wasn't willing to risk their tenuous comeback by talking about a different girl.
By the time Lily woke up early on the morning of 11th February, laying in her sleeping bag in the chill air of the Secret Chamber, she was feeling a mixture of 'extremely excited' and 'completely through with it all.' She was starving, but she knew heading down to breakfast would just result in further arguments with Hermione, and as today was a very important day, she really needed to focus.
First, though, she needed to bottle her very important potions.
She found herself jogging around the Lake soon after, the site of her impending demise, doing her best to calm herself down, the freezing air stinging her lungs. When she was done, she sat down next to her favourite tree, back pressed against it, not feeling any better about her chances, and wondering where her confidence from the last few weeks had gone, now that she could really use it.
She was also wondering whose bright idea it was to host the swimming event while there was literal snow on the ground. Just when it seemed like the grounds would be thawed out enough for this to be almost bearable, the Hogwarts weather decided it needed one last flurry of snow at the last possible second, and the Lake shore was mostly covered in a thin lair of ice. At the very least, they were provided with swimming gear with the same Warming Runes on them from before (made in their House/school colours, with their names emblazoned on their backs); she just wasn't very sure how effective they'd be while in the water.
There were stands erected over the Lake, almost completely spoiling the surprise at this point, but Lily was pretty sure every Champion had known for months now, at this point. There was also a long dock erected from nearer to the castle that stretched all the way out to the center of the Lake, where the stands were floating gently in the center, slowly rotating about a single point.
She sat there for a long time, spinning the vial of bright blue potion between her fingers, doing her best to figure out a general plan for finding the merpeople village. Hagrid reckoned they were deep in the center, but by his own admission, he'd never gotten to meet them before ("Can' swim. Sink right like a stone."), so, realistically, they could be anywhere. What she knew for sure was they likely weren't anywhere near the Slytherin common room; she would have seen them swimming above their glass dome by now if they were.
To be honest, at this moment, she was really wishing Hermione was still her friend. She'd probably have some sort of advice.
"Here," Sirius said, startling Lily out of her thoughts as he sat next to her and handed her a warm bundle wrapped in paper. "You've got to eat something. You've got to spend an hour in there."
"When did you get in?" Lily asked, staring at the wrapped sandwich from their favourite little place in London.
"You didn't think I'd miss your Task, did you?" Sirius said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Thanks," Lily said, unwrapping the thing. She meant it even more when she bit into the thing, filled with wonderful egg, sausage, and potato. Lily had to stop herself from getting incredibly emotional over a sandwich, of all things, but based on the way Sirius pulled her closer, she was pretty sure he noticed.
"You'll do fine," he said. "This is what we practiced for."
Lily just nodded along and took another bite. She wasn't sure how to explain that she wasn't even worried about dying in this one. What she was more worried about was the ending of the most important friendship she'd ever had, but she didn't know how to explain that to Sirius without being told that she was being an immense ass that just needed to get over herself and apologize. She took another bite of her sandwich, instead.
"What's in the vial?" Sirius asked, pointing at the thing Lily was holding.
"This one is Fearlessness Potion," Lily said, holding it up between two fingers. "That way I won't have a panic attack while I'm under the water. I've got another one for Waterbreathing, but it only lasts an hour, so I can't take it yet."
"Why would you have a panic attack?" Sirius asked, raising am eyebrow.
"For reasons," Lily said awkwardly, popping the last bit of sandwich into her mouth.
"Not going to tell me, then?"
"No."
They both went silent for a bit, before Sirius pointed at the vial of potion again.
"You're cutting that timing a bit close, don't you think?"
"What do you mean? The Fearlessness lasts 8 hours. I just don't fancy embarrassing myself for any longer than I have to."
"Lily. You know exactly which one I was referring to."
"I have to," Lily said. "Waterbreathing Potion makes it so I can't breath air. So, I need it to wear off when I come to the surface."
"You know you could have just eaten Gillyweed, right?" Sirius said.
"Of course I do, Sirius," Lily said. "But I can't, because Gillyweed has negative effects when mixed with the Fearlessness Potion unless it is in a concentrated substance itself."
"Where did you even get it? I don't remember any Gillyweed in the Hogwarts stores when I was here."
"It wasn't," Lily muttered. "Neville had to pull a few favours with Sprout to get me some."
"So, your plan is all set, then? Got all your potions?"
"More or less," Lily said with a shrug. "Waterbreathing is the backup, an hour was just as short as I could get it. My main plan is to use the Bubblehead Charm, but if that gets popped, well- I've got to have a backup or I just die, depending on how deep I am when it happens."
"Wait, where are you planning on keeping the vial, then?" Sirius asked. "Your suit doesn't have pockets, does it?"
Lily just pat her chest and smiled.
"I shouldn't have asked," Sirius said, shaking his head and staring out towards the Lake. "Couldn't have just taken the Gillyweed and made things easier, no, you had to make things awkward for me."
"I could have, sure," she said. "That's what Nev suggested, anyway, but I can't speak with that one. That's why Bubblehead is the go-to."
"Why would you need to speak? You're supposed to be stealing something."
"Well," Lily said, slowly rotating her vial between her fingers. "If I get caught, I'd prefer trying to convince them to just let me go than having to fight them in their own element."
"Forget the part about 'avoid our stern gaze,' then?"
"Course not," Lily said, standing and stretching. "But when does anything ever go right for me?"
"Fair enough," Sirius said, standing with her. "So- think you'll embarrass yourself, then?"
"With this?" Lily asked, holding up the Fearlessness. "Don't see how I don't. Gets rid of all my inhibitions and nerves."
"I- what?"
"I had to mix it with some Elation Fixation, because the Fearlessness Potion tends to enhance whatever emotions the drinker is currently feeling, and, well- I tend to feel bad. I've got an antidote, here, too," Lily said, patting her chest again, "or I will, anyway, but until I take it who knows what I'll do."
"Lily," Sirius said seriously. "You can't go messing around with your emotions. This stuff isn't meant for this, it's supposed to be short and for fun and wear off after a few minutes. Going this long with your brain chemistry altered for prolonged periods of time, especially this young, could cause all sorts of problems. You know that."
"Yeah, Maraktis tried to talk me out of it, too," Lily said, moving her hand away when Sirius tried to take the vial. "But it's too late, now."
"Lily-"
"I have to," Lily said, taking a deep breath and launching into her prepared speech. "Krum and Fleur and much better than me, Sirius. I'm already at a huge disadvantage, just talking practically about our abilities, and I only just learned to swim. I have to dive in a huge body of water, in freezing temperatures, mind you, and find a merpeople village, find some sort of valuable treasure, steal it, and then swim back to the surface, all without getting caught and within a time limit of an hour."
"Alright, but-"
"And while water freaks me out," Lily said, hoping it wouldn't come to this. "Because, when I was four, Petunia got guilt-tripped by a neighbour into bringing me to swimming lessons, and Dudley pushed me in the pool when nobody was looking, so I almost drowned. I hate my face being underwater. I could handle it when we were practicing, but it took everything I had. And I have to do it for an hour, with the entire world watching me and judging me. I'm taking the potion. I need it."
"Alright, Lily," Sirius said after studying her for a long time. "You be safe, won't you? Don't let your potion make you do anything too stupid."
"Merlin, I hope not," Lily said, staring up at the cloudy sky and noticing some flying carriages. Her face was burning from her sudden admission, but she did feel a bit better for it. "I've got to get going. If the crowd's arriving, that means the Champions have to gather, soon."
"You know where you can find me," Sirius said, pulling her into a tight and much-needed hug. "Good luck."
As soon as Sirius was walking towards the dock and stands, along with a stream of students from the castle, Lily downed her Fearlessness Potion, hopped in place a little bit just to warm herself up, and then set off at a brisk pace towards the tents where the Champions would wait as a comfortable warmth filled her skull and settled over her brain.
She entered her private tent feeling extraordinarily confident about her chances. The presence of Rita Skeeter sitting in her chair didn't do anything to diminish it. Lily walked right over to the changing curtain and pulled it shut to grant herself some privacy before beginning to undress.
"You've been causing quite a commotion, lately," Skeeter said from the other side.
"You've been doing that," Lily said, tossing her robe to a corner. "I've just been living my life."
"And giving interviews," Skeeter said. "Dull ones, too. Don't know why you'd go to Bartleby. What dreadful storytelling."
"She wasn't telling a story," Lily said. "She was telling the truth."
"If you'd like to stretch the definition of 'truth,' I suppose."
"I assume you got my message, then?" Lily asked, pulling her shirt off and over her head. "I was wondering when you'd show up."
"Hardly," Skeeter said with a scoff. "Your little lawsuit doesn't stand a chance, girl. The press has a little thing we like to call-"
"Oh, not that," Lily said, dropping her skirt, next. "We both know that was just a little trick to get a certain little insect here."
Lily heartily enjoyed the subsequent silence, and she finished changing into her swimsuit without another word, basking in how much Skeeter must be sweating on the other side of the curtain. When she emerged out of it, she didn't even look at her. She walked straight over to the mirror and began fixing up her face with some waterproof charms as if Skeeter didn't concern her in the slightest. She didn't need them, of course, since her makeup couldn't run if it wasn't even real, but it served her well to keep up appearances.
"What do you want?" Skeeter asked.
"Well, first, I was just going to keep you sweating for a bit," Lily said, tapping her wand to her lips and pretending to cast a spell. "Freak you out, assure you I wasn't going to say a thing when you finally came to talk, and then reveal it all once you got a bit cocky. But then I decided that was boring. Plus, I got some good advice."
"What are you-"
Let your heart pick the destination. Let your brain pick the path.
"So, first," Lily said, holding up a single finger with her free hand, moving her wand up to her eyes. "I want an apology. I want it public, and I want it good. Print it as an interview- your choice of publication- and you can even take the money earned from it as a little gift."
"What else?" Skeeter said, not-at-all sounding happy.
"Second," Lily said, raising another finger. "I don't want to see printing something about me, or anybody close to me, ever again. Not without my permission, anyway."
"Is that all?"
"Third," Lily said, holding up another finger. "I've got a job for you. Two, in fact, but we'll wait and see how the first turns out."
"You really think I'd do anything for you? When you're blackmailing me?"
Lily tapped her wand to her lips and changed the shade of them to a nice, bright pink.
"I seem to remember you resorting to blackmail first," Lily said. "And you only get the job if that apology is good."
"Why should I?" Skeeter said.
"Because, if you don't, I'll leak it all to the papers," Lily said.
Skeeter laughed. "The Ministry won't open any investigations based off an unsubstantiated gossip column."
"No," Lily said, pulling her back into a tail so it wouldn't be in her face when underwater. "But I don't need the Ministry to do anything."
"What are you on about?" Skeeter said, her face wrinkled in confusion when Lily finally turned around to face her.
"See," Lily said, leaning back onto the counter, arms crossed confidently in front of her, "I don't really have to do anything other than let a bit of information slip. Everybody wants to know how you can keep leaking confidential information without getting caught. Even if most people find the idea preposterous, you don't think everybody would be a lot more aware of a tiny, ugly little beetle crawling around on them, listening in on their private conversations?"
"You're mad."
"They'll probably realise the same thing I did," Lily said, inspecting her nails. "That every time something terrible about them was released, there just happened to be a familiar beetle around them. All it would take, once that information is out there, is one just deciding to lightly and gently-" Lily pressed down with her thumb onto the countertop behind her- "squash it."
Skeeter said nothing, and kept staring at her.
"The way I figure it," Lily said, "is you've got three options. You can either agree to my terms, and we can have a lucrative relationship with each other, you can admit to it all and get time in Azkaban just to spite me back, or you can enjoy the sound of the noose tightening around your neck. Your choice. You've got a month, or it all gets leaked."
Lily left the tent without waiting for a response, secret packages securely tucked under her suit, feeling very smug about herself. She'd know which avenue Skeeter would choose soon enough. She joined the other two Champions in front of Bagman and Umbridge, humming her favourite song to herself and earning a glare from Umbridge. Lily gave her a superior little look and then moved closer to Fleur, knowing full well it'd bother her.
"Right," Bagman said, clapping his hands together. "Well, if you haven't figured your egg out by now, you're right out of luck, I'm afraid, but surely, with the suits provided, you've at least figured out the location."
"Yep!" Lily said happily, the other two contestants just nodding along.
"Now," Bagman continued, "when we begin, you'll all be diving in immediately above the village. We won't tell you what you're doing; that part is up to you. If you've solved your egg, then you'll know! Once you're underwater, we'll be informing the audience exactly what it is you're up to."
"How vill they be able to vatch us undervater?" Krum asked.
"Excellent question, my boy!" Bagman said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You'll see when we're on the platform! Now, everybody ready to go?"
"Hem hem," Umbridge said, raising her hand to her lips as she cleared her throat. Then, she lowered it, pointing straight at Lily's brace. "I believe we had this conversation last time, Hazel."
"Don't call me that," Lily said sweetly. "I don't like you."
"Well," Umbridge said, seeming putout. "Be that as it may, I'm afraid your feelings on the matter have little to do with the rules, and the rules state-"
"That during the second task, we're allowed to bring anything we'd like, so long as it helps us finish the task," Lily said happily. "My brace keeps my leg strong, and seeing as how I'm about to do a lot of swimming, I think it's quite necessary. Don't you agree?"
"Well," Umbridge said, now seeming utterly confused. "I must say, this is highly unprecedented."
"Oh, let her have it, Dolores," Bagman said with a barking laugh. "She's at enough of a disadvantage as it is, don't you think?"
"Very well," Umbridge said, her tone indicating that she very much did not agree. "I will allow Hazel her brace in this particular instance."
"Potter," Lily corrected. "Not even my friends call me 'Hazel,' and you are definitely not one of those."
"Pardon me?" Umbridge said, blinking her eyes in way that Lily assumed was supposed to be endearing.
"You're a vile and cruel woman," Lily said simply, nodding her enthusiasm. "If not for what you did to me, then for not allowing Hermione to attend the funeral of her grandparents."
"Well," Umbridge said, all hint of friendliness now completely gone. "I simply have no idea what you mean."
"Yes, you do," Lily said. "You're not a very good liar."
"Well, I never!"
"Now, now, Hazel," Bagman said, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Mind your manners, dear!"
"Don't touch me," Lily said, smiling his way, now, and gently prying his arm off her shoulders. "You never gave me my winnings and you robbed the twins out of theirs. I don't much like you either."
Now it was Bagman's turn to sputter and stare, but Lily just went right back to humming to herself, hands held behind her back.
"Right," Bagman said slowly, all his energy gone. "Well, let's- let's get a move on, shall we?" Bagman flicked his wand on the circular, wooden platform they were all standing on, and it rose into the air. Fleur and Umbridge both briefly stumbled, as if not ready for the sudden movement, but every single Quidditch player (both former and current) stood steady as a rock.
"Are you alright, Lily?" Fleur whispered, coming next to her as their platform flew towards the Lake. "That didn't seem like you."
Lily shrugged. "Never felt better!"
Fleur blinked slowly.
"Oh. I see."
"Say, when we get back, want to do some more swimming lessons?" Lily asked, brushing her hand lightly across Fleur's.
Fleur narrowed her eyes.
Lily shrugged again. "Just ignore me. It's the potion. You normally scare me, too."
"I-what?"
"Oh!" Lily said, raising a hand to her lips. "I almost forgot! I wanted to ask that, if this whole 'Katie' thing goes south, do you want to go out with me after?"
"Come again?" Fleur asked. Her next question was completely drowned out by the sound of cheering and whistling from below.
Lily happily leaned out and over the side of their floating platform, allowing Fleur to grab on to her other arm so she wouldn't fall, and waved to the crowd below. The stands were massive, filled benches floating right over the center of the Lake, a raised platform leading from the nearby beach and spreading to each section like a spiderweb. A few people were still milling about, looking for seats, but, for the most part, the crowd was standing, whistling, screaming, and chanting for the Champions they were rooting for.
Lily eagerly waved to the Hogwarts sections, floating on the sound of her name reaching the skies.
"LILY! LILY! BEAT THEM SILLY! LILY! LILY!"
"Oh, I love that one!" Lily said, laughing along. This was something she could get used to.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Bagman said, his voice magically enhanced, their platform stopping as it reached the dead center of the Lake. "If I may have your attention, please; it is time for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament!"
"LILY! LILY!"
"FLEUR! FLEUR!"
"KRUM! KRUM!"
"Well, that's not fair," Lily said, crossing her arms and pouting. "Why are yours louder than mine?"
"Probably because I am winning," Fleur said haughtily, flicking some hair back behind her neck.
"For now," Lily said quietly.
"Now, if you will turn your attention to the sky!" Bagman continued, turning around, raising both hands, the rest of the judges following the same action.
From each of the judges' wands flew a stream of silver, flowing and merging together in the center of their circular platform, filling and molding into a great bubble. Once it towered far above them all, they all flicked again, together, twice more, and the bubble split into three.
"Headmasters!" Bagman said, "please, gather your Champions!"
"If you would follow me, Lily," Dumbledore said, appearing at her side and offering her his arm.
"It would be my pleasure," Lily said, giving him a little curtsy and then happily linking their arms together. Lily could hear the crowd laughing, and she turned back to face them, blowing them a little kiss and giving them a wave.
"You have been mixing potions," Dumbledore said as they rounded the platform.
"Maybe!" Lily said, still happily waving to her adoring fans.
"Be careful while you are down there, Lily," Dumbledore said sternly. "The merfolk know not to inflict any lasting harm on the three of you, but that does not preclude an accident from occurring. Keep it short; grab something, and get out."
"Oh, that's no fun!" Lily said, pouting again. "How am I supposed to win if I don't grab something good?"
"It is not about victory, dear girl," Dumbledore said, looking at her with his glasses perched at the tip of his nose. "You, above all others, I do not wish to see harmed. Be careful."
"Careful is my middle name," Careful Potter said with a wink.
"I will leave you to it," Dumbledore said, unlinking their arms and taking a few steps away. "Whatever you plan to allow yourself to breath, I suggest you do it now." Lily turned back to the crowd, standing right at the edge of the platform, and raised both her arms to wave at them all. Then, she took her wand from the holster on her left arm, tapped it to her head, and thought the word Ebublio before tucking it right back into safety in one, overexaggerated flourish.
"Now!" Bagman said, "Headmasters! Please, link your Champions!"
"Link?" Lily said, turning around and raising an eyebrow.
Dumbledore raised his wand at the bubble nearest to them. Again, the silver stream burst from the tip of his wand, connecting to the large orb floating above them. This time, Dumbledore moved his wand towards Lily and, with a casual flick, the thread left his wand and then connected with her forehead, the thread disappearing.
Instantly, the orb above filled with images. Or, well- it was the image of the orb itself, but with the sky framed behind it. Lily let out a little amused sound, only to hear the same noise repeated from the orb as if emitted through the speakers on Hermione's telly. Lily laughed and raised a hand in front of her vision, only to see a blown up version of her hand appear on the orb.
Lily supposed that made sense. How else was the crowd going to watch an underwater task from above the surface?
"Now!" Bagman said. "Champions, prepare to dive! At the count of three!"
Lily turned back to the crowd, raising both hands in a broad wave, and walked quickly over to the far edge of the platform.
"One!"
Lily turned around, facing the center and the telly orbs.
"Two!"
Lily raised both hands again, spread apart and unmoving, and stood on her toes. She linked eyes with Fleur on the other side of the platform, just able to see that Fleur was doing the same reflected in her own orb above.
"Three!"
Lily winked, blew a kiss to Fleur, and then fell backwards at the same moment the crowd roared. She lifted her arms (or lowered, depending on one's point of view) into a sharp point above her head, spinning in midair just to give it a bit of dramatic effect. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, all on instinct, right before hitting the water.
Her first thought was Dear God, that is cold! Her second thought was to immediately take another deep breath, and her third was to open her eyes so her audience could see anything.
Her head was now surrounded by a transparent, wonderful bubble. And, now that she could breathe freely, the warming runes were finally starting to kick in, making her feel as if she wasn't actively freezing to death. That didn't really do much for the visibility issue, however; the Lake was just as murky when you were in it as when you were out of it.
Lily tapped her temple with her wand, now exceedingly happy she didn't try to hold it during her dive (as the cold water definitely would have made her drop it), and cast a silent Aterlumen. She blinked as the layer of magic settled over her eyes, and when she opened them again, everything was a clear, if green, sight. She just needed to make sure she remembered to lift the charm before coming back to the surface; she'd blind herself, and likely everybody watching her point of view, if she didn't.
A quick glance in all directions showed her that Fleur and Krum were already rapidly descending towards the bottom of the Lake. Lily knew she didn't have much hope of catching up to them the fair way, but, luckily for herself, she was quite the clever little cheater. She pointed her wand straight down, towards the center of the Earth, and cast Descendo. Immediately, her body shot downwards, as if the water itself was pulling her into the abyss. Lily was sure that there would have been enough to send her into a terrible panic… if it weren't for the whole cheating thing having solved the issue entirely.
Lily came down a lot faster than she expected. She shot straight past the depths Krum and Fleur had reached and continued plummeting until she reached a thick, tall forest of kelp. She cringed just a little bit as the cold, slimy material brushed past her skin, but she hardly had the time to focus on it before she hit the soft, sludgy bottom, mud and dirt puffing out all around her and obscuring her vision further. A casual wave of her wand created a current strong enough to clear that all up.
Being underwater was a very strange experience. She was trying to just stand there, but her body involuntarily floated upwards, and she had to awkwardly swing her arms and legs just to maintain her position. She was also listing just slightly to the left, and it took her a bit to figure out how to counter that without moving further to the right. She supposed she should have asked the Secret Chamber to account for tides in the movement of its pool, but how was she supposed to ever think of that?
It also didn't help that all of her movements were just so slow. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to it, let alone like the sensation, but she definitely did not like being this deep; there was a constant, heavy pressure constantly pressing on the entirety of her body. Already, her neck was strained, and her shoulders were burning just from the effort necessary to keep her moving. It occurred to her, as she slowly swam her way through the disgusting thicket plants, that she didn't even know if she was going in the correct direction.
She thanked her lucky stars when she reached the edge of the forest, coming out to towering buildings of mud, stone, and sand, shells and starfish and all sorts of things embedded within them. There were no walls around the city proper, which made sense, considering the merfolk lived in a three-dimensional environment, and far, far above, she could just make out the hazy, bright form of the surface sky. There were tall posts scattered around the buildings, inside of which were kept bright, glowing balls of algae. Lily's analytical brain immediately wanted to identify it, the stupid part wondered what it would taste like, and the smart part told the others to shut up and pay attention. She needed a safe path, and she couldn't afford the distractions right now. Every merfolk city had a palace at the center, where the chief would live, and that is where she'd find her treasure.
Lily stayed hidden behind all the kelp as she observed. There weren't that many merpeople out and about, but what was there were clearly armed guards.
Stay away from our stern gaze, Lily thought, followed immediately by wait, can you lot hear my thoughts, too, or is it just what I say? Come to think of it, everything sounded so strange, too, as if it was all muffled and distant. Another thing she didn't take into account when she chose to use the Bubblehead Charm.
Lily shook her head to keep herself focused and then took a deep breath. Then, she grabbed on to two of the long kelp stalks to keep herself in place without expending so much energy. She'd need that for the next part.
She waited until a pair of guards passed on patrol, one looking out towards the forest, passing right over where she was without noticing, the other looking up to the sky. They paused, briefly, and Lily wondered how Krum and Fleur were doing. Then, as soon as they passed around a corner and vanished from sight, Lily let go of the kelp, drew her wand, and pointed it at the nearest pole of algae light, casting relashio. The bright rope moved far faster than she could, tying itself around the lamp, and then, with a mighty yank, sent Lily flying across the open space and towards the nearest building.
Thankfully, merfolk weren't a very big fan of doors. Unthankfully, Lily didn't quite aim it correctly, having not taken the current into account, and she ended up hitting the wall next to the opening instead of sailing straight inside as intended.
"Way to cock it up, Potter," Lily whispered to herself as she pulled herself around and into the dark entrance. She could practically hear the crowd laughing at her way above. She swam her way awkwardly and slowly along the wall until she could peek into the merbuilding; the hallway was mostly dark, but there was an occasionally a lantern embedded on the way filled with more glowing algae.
There wasn't anybody out in the hallway, but it twisted out of sight, and Lily couldn't figure out where it came out to. All she could do was follow it and hope it was at least close to the right direction. She pushed her away around the corner and inside, swinging her arms and legs in the proper motions as fast as she possibly could, muttering swears and grunting in effort as her limbs burned. As she passed more open doorways, several of which had music or laughter or other noises coming out of them, she realized she was in a block of flats.
"Wonder how much they pay in rent," Lily said, swimming as quickly as she could through the relatively tight space. At least there wasn't any current in here.
The hallway took a hard left, and Lily thanked the powers above for at least giving her a little bit of luck. She cursed her luck when, upon nearing the exit, she had to quickly duck back inside before a whole squad of armed guards could spot her. She was leaning against the wall, head pressed to the ceiling, counting silently to herself and wondering at what point she could risk it, when she noticed a tiny face peering at her from the nearest entryway.
The little mermaid was holding a large shell, clutched to her chest, and staring at her with wide, blue eyes. She wasn't old enough for her scales to colour and darken from the food and environment around them, so they were still a pale white, her long, pale green hair floating above her head.
Lily smiled at her and raised a finger to her lips. The girl giggled and waved at her with her free hand. Lily pointed at the shell and then held out her hand.
"Want to see something neat?" she asked.
"What?" the girl asked, clutching it tighter and with both hands.
"I happen to be very good at magic," she said with a wink.
"Magic?" the girl repeated. "Is that why you look so funny?"
"Err- yes?"
"What happened?"
"Got caught by a grindylow," Lily said, growling a little and scratching at the air, mimicking the creature's long, raking fingers. "Peeled off all my scales and ate them one by one."
"Gross!" the girl said, her face twisting (but Lily could detect a trademark hint of amusement).
"What's your name?" Lily asked, risking a glance outside. The guards were still floating above, but she didn't think they could see her from outside.
"Lida!" the girl said happily. "Spelled L-I-D-A!"
"Clever girl," Lily said, smiling at her again. "I'm Lily."
"Like the flower?"
"Yup!" Lily said, matching the girl's energy.
"You don't look like a flower," Lida said suspiciously. "Van has a book of surface plants that dad bought for him. I've seen them!"
"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret," Lily said, peeking out again and quickly ducking back inside. "I didn't actually get my scales eaten. Never had any. I'm a human. We just like naming ourselves after plants."
"How come you're not drowning? Is that why you've got that funny little bubble?"
"It's a spell," Lily said, winking at the girl again. "I'm a witch."
"Wow!" Lida said. "I've never met a witch! Mum says we aren't allowed to go look at them, even though Van has because we live right near you."
"Well, I can't say that-"
"Do you live under the water?" Lida asked, cutting her off in her excitement.
"Keep it down just a tad," Lily said, squeezing her fingers together and taking a nervous glance outside.
"Sorry. Do you live under the water?"
"I can't breathe water."
"No, but Van says he's seen a whole bunch of witches and wizards sleeping down here, even though he can't touch none of them."
"Oh," Lily said, laughing. "That's the Slytherin dorms. There's a bunch of glass keeping the water out so we don't drown while we sleep."
"Van says he's seen a whole bunch of magic," Lida continued on. "But he said it's all so boring because you all just keep doing the same tricks."
"Well, we're studying. It's a school."
"I hate studying," Lida said, her face twisting again. "It's so boring."
"I can show you something fun, if you'd like," Lily offered, taking another glance outside. The guards were moving on, and that meant she needed to, as well. She almost swam away immediately, but the girl was still staring at her, and she just couldn't bring herself to disappoint her.
"It's not a bug, is it?" Lida asked, clutching the shell to her chest again. "Last time Van showed me something fun he put one in my hair."
"It's not," Lily said, smiling at her own fond memories as she swam over, taking the shell gently from the girl's hands, and then touching her wand to it. "I promise this will be much better than a bug."
"I don't have anything to pay you with," the girl said, wringing her now empty hands together while Lily started working her magic.
"Why would you need to pay me?" Lily asked, face screwing up in concentration. Why did Transfiguration still have to be so difficult? She was doing it just fine when her life was in danger.
"Mum says magic stuff is expensive! Van has a stick that turns into a fish, but I don't have nothing, even though she promised she'd find one for me!"
"Well, this one is free of charge," Lily said, nodding satisfactorily and handing the little girl back the completed doll. If it happened to look like an exact copy of herself, well, Lily would chalk that up to coincidence.
"Wow!" the girl said, showing off a toothy grin.
"Pull her arm," Lily said, tapping the tiny little thing.
"Why?" Lida asked, crinkling again.
"So you can see the magic."
"It's magic?"
"Well, what's the point if it's just a normal doll?" Lily said, laughing. "I'm certainly not a normal witch. Go on, give it a pull."
Lida did just that, and give a little squeal of excitement as the doll Lily's hair changed from red to blue. She gave another squeal when she looked up, only to find real Lily's hair was now the same colour.
"Don't tell nobody!" Lily said, smiling again and raising another finger to her lips. "It's our little secret."
"I won't!" Lida said happily. She pulled the arm again, changing the hair from blue to green, and Lily rolled her eyes and did the same thing to her own hair. The girl laughed again, and Lily couldn't help but laugh along.
"I've got to go, now," Lily said, winking and rubbing the girl's head. "Don't tell anybody you saw me for at least an hour, alright? Strictly speaking, I'm not supposed to be here."
"I won't tell anybody!" the girl said, clutching the doll to her chest.
"Promise?"
"Promise!"
"Good girl," Lily said, rubbing her head again. Then, with a final wink, she swam around the corner and back out into the open. It occurred to her as she ducked inside the next building, to stay hidden as she moved, that she probably could have immediately stolen the doll and claimed it as the treasure, since it certainly seemed to mean so much to Lida. She just shook her head and laughed that idea out of her brain; she'd never be able to do something so cruel.
She managed not to run into anybody else by the time she made it to the palace in the center of the city (a magnificent building of spiring shell towers and clumpy, awkward formations that reminded her a lot of the Burrow). It took her far longer than she would have liked, and she was increasingly aware of her ticking clock (and her aching limbs). If only she had one on her, she'd be able to tell just how much time she had left. As it was, Lily was starting to feel like she didn't have any seconds to spare.
So it was especially depressing when she found the palace absolutely surrounded by guards. Forget watching the patrols and slipping through gaps; there were no gaps. The guards were all stationary, placed all over, and not letting a single blind spot go unwatched. It was almost enough for Lily to give up on the palace idea entirely.
Almost.
Hidden in the little alcove of the closest building (which was still a good ways away, as a lot of the approaching ground was clear and uncluttered), Lily aimed carefully, floating as far back in the darkness as she could while still maintaining visibility. One by one, she cast a confundus on the guards, hitting all of the ones she could see. One by one, the guards would shake their heads, or scratch at their scales, generally forgetting what they were supposed to be doing. It wouldn't be foolproof, but it would, hopefully, be enough.
Taking a deep breath, Lily went for it. She pointed her upwards at an angle, towards the highest open window she could find, and then cast ascendio.
She could see a few of the confused guards staring at her with befuddled expressions as she sailed through the water, although most were just staring into space. She could also hear a few alarmed shouts from the guards that were too far away to be confunded. Most importantly, though, they were also too far away to stop her, and she sailed straight through the window without a single thing impeding her progress.
She spun gracefully in the air, stopping herself on the ceiling and turning back towards the open window. Then, she flicked her wand downwards, using her little stone wall trick to seal the small entrance completely. It wouldn't keep people from getting inside and after her, but it would at least slow them down as they worked to find a different path. She turned as quickly as she came, ignoring the things in the bedroom around her, and swam towards the exit. She'd open a few holes in the floor, make her way down, find the vault, and then-
"Who are you?" a frightened voice said from near the far wall. Lily spun in place, wand raised, only to find a frightened mermaid wearing an exquisite dress made from what was, no doubt, only the finest seaweed. She was floating in front of a large mirror and was now holding a hairbrush protectively in front of her as if it was a knife.
"What do you need to brush your hair for?" Lily asked, wand lowering slightly. "It just floats."
"It still gets tangled," the mermaid said with an outraged scoff.
"Well, sure, but that's because you have all those shells tied in it."
"Why, I- how rude!" the mermaid said. "These aren't just shells! They're- why am I even bothering to tell you? Leave, immediately, or I'll call for the guards."
"Right," Lily said, narrowing her eyes. "Who are you, then?"
"I am Thulahi An," the mermaid said pompously, chin raised in an aura of self-importance. "Daughter of Jadrend An, and you are trespassing in my home."
"Right," Lily said, it all clicking in her brain, just as shouts rang out from the hallway outside. "You're a princess, then."
"Yes, I suppose you could say that," Thulahi said with a an airy, obnoxious giggle. "And I will not tolerate an uncouth barbarian wandering in through the- what are you doing? Put me down immediately!"
"Sorry, princess," Lily said, holding the cold, scaly body tighter to her shoulder, and flicking away the wall blocking her route of exit, "but I think I've just found my treasure. Might want to cover your ears, by the way."
"What?" the princess said, sounding a bit frightened but following Lily's advice.
Lily fully expected guards to be waiting immediately outside the window, so as soon as she saw light, she sent out a Concussive Curse, thanking Flitwick for the idea. Her Bubblehead Charm protected her from most of it, although she did still feel a strong pressure in her head, as well as a rattling in her bones, as the large sound wave burst from a spot just a dozen feet in front of her. The guards got the worst of it, their hands going to cover their ears and dropping their weapons, and Lily seized her chance. First, she tapped her wand to her temple, dissolving the Night Vision Charm from her eyes and submerging her back into the murky, unclear darkness, lit only by the algae from the lanterns lining the walls all around them. Then, she kicked hard off the stone of the windowsill, rolled in midair, rearranged the Princess's weight on her shoulder, aimed her wand to the sky, and then cast another ascendio.
"Put me down!" the princess said, weakly hitting Lily's back as they soared through the lake water. Lily just laughed and held to her tighter, her other shoulder threatening to pop free from its socket as their speed increased. Her main thought was that it was a good thing wizards didn't have to deal with the bends, by some strange quirk of magical biology, or she'd be thoroughly screwed.
They broke the surface, Lily's bubble immediately popping and letting in fresh air, to a resounding roar from the crowd above them.
"POTTER HAS DONE IT!" Bagman's magically enhanced voice shouted. "SHE'S FINISHED FIRST AGAIN, WITH A TIME OF 52 MINUTES AND 58 SECONDS!"
"LILY! LILY! BEAT THEM SILLY! LILY!"
Lily brushed some wet hair out of her face, as well as the water from her eyes (left by her popping bubble, of all things) and then, finally, let the mermaid down and off her shoulder. Surprisingly, the woman was no longer putting up even the slightest fight, and was instead waving to the crowd and smiling at her oddly, brushing some damp, pale green hair out of her face. Her scales didn't seem as dark on the surface as they did below, and Lily found the blue almost- cute.
It occurred to Lily at that moment that this was, most likely, the only chance she'd ever have to fulfill a lifelong dream. A small, nagging part of her brain was screaming "Absolutely not!", but Lily wasn't sure why she should listen to that. She'd had enough nagging in her life, thank you very much.
"Fuck it," she said with a shrug. Then, Lily slung one arm around the mermaid and pulled her closer, enjoying the surprised look on the princess's face as she brought their lips together in a passionate embrace.
There was a sudden silence, immediately broken by cheering, whistling, and, above all else, laughing. The princess did not push her away, although Lily was certain that was due more to the sudden shock of the thing than enjoying it, and Lily broke it off just as quickly as it came, smiling and laughing at Thulahi's new expression. She pulled her tighter again, in an awkward sort of hug, and then turned them both to face the still ecstatic crowd.
Perhaps, in different circumstances, another Lily would have been mortified. This Lily just laughed and joined in, raising one of her hands high into the sky and letting out a satisfied, victorious cry of her own.