"Being grounded sucks," Lily said, sitting upside-down on the couch, her hair dangling down to the floor.
"Yes, well," Maraktis said, "I did warn you this could happen. Was it worth it?"
"Absolutely," Lily said, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Your relationship is going well, then?"
"Probably the best one I've had yet, actually," Lily said, twisting to sit properly. "Course- I guess I've only really had the two." She was exchanging almost hourly letters with Mandy, at this point; the girl was writing to her between classes whenever she could. Sometimes, she'd even sneak out of a class just to respond to Lily's.
It felt nice to be wanted again.
"Not to mention your first one only lasted a few weeks," Maraktis said with a quite chuckle.
"Well- yeah," Lily admitted, her face burning a bit, "but- I reckon it'd still be going on if Skeeter and her parents hadn't mucked it all up."
"Speaking of Miss Bell," Maraktis said, "have you heard anything from her since your incident from Crouch?"
"No," Lily said a little awkwardly. "I- err- I was avoiding her, up until I left Hogwarts."
"I see. I'll need to check in with her once the next term starts up, make sure everything's going well."
Lily was starting to feel bad about not checking up on her herself. Now that there was a lot of distance between then and now, she was starting to think she'd made a big mistake allowing Katie to wallow in her misery. Ah, well, Lily thought. Nothing to be done about it now. Maybe she'd write her over the summer, see if she wanted to go flying or something and catch up. Purely platonic, of course- she was currently taken, and that thought was bringing a smile back to her face. She'd need to invite Mandy to do something over the summer, too- assuming she could get the girl to agree to an actual date, rather than a chain of increasingly flirtatious writings.
Lily suggested sneaking out again to visit her in the castle, but Mandy seemed horrified at the idea of it. Every letter just made the urge stronger; she was dying to get another snog or two. Maybe today, if she was lucky, she'd get the chance to sneak off with her somewhere for a bit of privacy- if she could get her alone to even suggest it, anyway. Mandy turned it down over writing, but Lily felt she could be persuasive enough in person. She just needed the opportunity, and then-
"So," Maraktis said, crossing his legs and snapping her out of her musings. "Sirius tells me he recently found you taking apart the 'telly.' Care to tell me why?"
"Didn't mention the hole in the wall, then?" Lily said, scratching at her nose as if that would help her cool down any.
"Oh, no, he most certainly did," Maraktis said. "But I had to start somewhere."
"I'm trying to figure out how Dobby got everything working," Lily said, gesturing to the lights above them, "because, no matter what I do, I can't get my Walkman to play anything in here."
"And the 'telly' had to die because?"
"It didn't die," Lily protested. "I put it back together when he asked. I was just- so, everything is supposed to be running off of electricity, right?"
"Right," Maraktis said. Lily knew full well he still had no idea what electricity even was.
"It's how Muggles get along without magic," Lily said with a sigh, wishing Hermione was here to explain it more properly. "It's like- well, it's rather like magic, actually." She was starting to realize she didn't really know how it worked, either. "You plug things into the wall, and then it works."
"I see."
"Well, anyway, that's why I made the hole in the wall," Lily said. "I did that first. I just wanted to see the wiring behind the outlet- thought that would give me a breakthrough." Plus, she was very interested in tinkering with the stuff. She even bought very thick gloves from a local hardware store (along with a whole bunch of tools) before remembering the gloves she used for Potions would have done just fine.
"Did it?"
"No!" Lily said exasperatedly. "There wasn't any. The outlet was just there! There was nothing attached to it!"
"Is there supposed to be?"
"Yes!" Lily said, pulling at her hair. "Merlin, yes! So, that was quite the discovery- and I took the telly apart because, if there wasn't actually any electricity, then how on earth is anything running in this house?"
"And what did you find?"
"I have no idea, to be honest," Lily said, sighing and placing her hands back in her lap. "I actually have no idea what's even supposed to be in a telly- but I'm pretty sure it isn't runes carved into everything."
"Well, how else would it work?" Maraktis asked.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, her brow furrowing.
"That's how the Wireless does. The runes store the right charms- don't ask me what, I'm just a Healer, not an Artificer- and it picks up the songs and what not."
"They're Muggles," Lily said simply. "They don't use runes."
"Well, you aren't a Muggle," Maraktis said in the same tone. "You can't expect to just mix magic and Muggle stuff together with no problems."
"I wasn't!" Lily protested. "That was the whole point of taking the telly apart- I just wanted to see how Dobby did it!"
"You know," Maraktis said, "you could just ask him."
Lily pursed her lips. "That would be-"
"Cheating, yes," Maraktis said. "You've said so before."
"Looks like I'm going to need to take our Wireless apart," she said with a sigh. She wasn't looking forward to having to explain that to Sirius.
"Better save it for after the task," Maraktis said. "I'd hate for you to get into further trouble."
"Well, I've got to do something to entertain myself!" Lily said. "It's been two months, and Sirius still won't let me paint in my room anymore because I might sneak out again, and doing it in front of him just means that he wins."
"Family isn't a competition, Hazel."
"Well, it sure feels like one," Lily said, crossing her arms and glancing at the clock on the wall. "Can't read nothing, either, because I'm all out of stuff that isn't nonfiction."
"It's a genre, Hazel, not a swear."
"Says you," Lily said, sniffing. "It'd be one thing if Sirius at least had something on creatures or monsters or something- all he's got is history." She twisted her face into a sneer. "Listen- we should probably wrap this up. I'm supposed to be at the school by noon."
"Very well," Maraktis said, hesitating before tearing a sheet from his journal. "Here."
"What's this?" Lily asked, glancing at the empty sheet, accepting the pen he handed her right after.
"Write down a few books you'd like to read," Maraktis said. "I'll pick them up for you while you're at Hogwarts and drop them off tomorrow. You should at least have fresh material to read."
"Bless you," Lily said, scribbling away.
A few minutes later, Lily was downstairs, wand holstered back to her forearm (her other arm had all of the watches they'd made strapped to it) and wearing her Champion uniform- a green shirt with the Hogwarts crest emblazoned on the back and a pair of running shorts (with the crest on her left thigh) in the same colour (both had silver trimming on the ends, too). Rathermore Muggle than she expected, to be honest, but she didn't mind; the last thing she wanted was to run around the Forbidden Forest in a thick and heavy robe.
Well, the second to last thing. Currently, the last thing was standing here, listening to Ashley go on and on about her hair.
"It's fine," Lily said, nostrils flaring. "There's nothing wrong with it."
"It's three colours!" Ashley said, waving a hand at her head.
"I want it to be!"
"Just leave it, Ash," Sirius said, sounding sick of the conversation. "She's just doing it because she knows it bothers you."
"Am not," Lily said, crossing her arms. "I'm the Hogwarts Champion, aren't I?"
"What's that got to do with it?" Ashley asked, mimicking Lily's posture.
"Yellow for Hufflepuff," Lily said, tapping the leftmost side of her head and moving right. "Blue for Ravenclaw. Red for Gryffindor." Lily pat chest and then thigh. "Green for Slytherin."
"You look like a rainbow!"
"Well- maybe I want to!" Lily said, her face burning again. "It's my hair! I can do what I want with it!"
Ashley opened her mouth to argue further and then quickly shut it, looking a bit ashamed of herself. "Merlin, I'm turning into my mother- Lily, love, you do whatever you want with it."
"I don't need your permission," Lily grumbled. That almost restarted the whole thing, but then Sirius had an arm around her shoulders and was moving her towards the fireplace.
"Go on, Lily," he said, handing her the brown bag of Floo Powder. "You're already running late as it is- I'm sure Hermione is already worried sick about where you could possibly be. I'll see you before the Task."
"Oh, I wish I could see you," Ashley said, pulling her into a firm hug before she could step away. "Good luck, Lily- show them all what you're made of."
She didn't ask for it, but now that they were hugging, Lily didn't really want to let go. Still, though- Ashley needed to leave; she was attending Lucius's wedding alongside Madam Bones. Lily sighed and grabbed a pinch from the bag, wondering how long it'd take before she was at least trusted to use the Floo without permission; Sirius kept the Powder locked up in his room whenever somebody didn't need it. She arrived in McGonagall's office- an altogether too familiar sight of the older witch sitting at her desk, grading papers without bothering to see who just popped into her chimney.
"Hello, Miss Potter," she said casually.
"Hello, Professor," Lily returned, stepping out of the flames.
"I trust you've enjoyed your time away from Hogwarts?"
"For the most part," Lily said. She didn't mention she'd been here just two months ago. She was sure the woman already knew, but she didn't want to get scolded by another person for it. She'd gotten enough of that from Sirius, Ashley, and the Weasleys. The only person who seemed to be on her side was Maraktis.
"Excellent," McGonagall said, looking up and doing a doubletake, her lips pursing. "Miss Potter. The Hogwarts code of conduct clearly states that students may wear natural hair colours only."
"So, expel me," Lily said, shrugging. "I'm just showing a bit of school spirit."
Lily expected McGonagall to press the issue, but she was more than willing to push right back. What was the point of having the ability to change how you looked at will if she wasn't allowed to use them?
"Very well, if you insist," McGonagall said instead, her face lifting a bit.
"Really?" Lily said, the wind knocked out of her sails.
"Really," McGonagall said, nodding. "I can hardly punish a bit of 'school spirit', can I? You may go, Miss Potter. And good luck tonight- we are all praying for a Hogwarts victory."
Huh, Lily thought as she turned towards the door. I really thought that would be a harder sell. Perhaps she should take it as a good sign of how the rest of the day would go.
She waved to a few people as they moved through the hallways, but only stopped to speak with a few people. Ginny and her friends were the first she ran into, and while the offer to go play Gobstones with the three (Sae and Luna making up the other two) was awful tempting, she already had plans. Fred and George were next, along with their friend Lee Jordan, and they dragged her off to a quiet part of hallway where they could discuss the possibilities of a toffee that changes someone's hair colour as they chewed- something they came up with the instant they saw her hair. That conversation took up more time than she would have liked, and by the time it was done, they had three pages of notes to work on at a future time. Next was Malfoy, his usual two goons, and Pansy Parkinson. She expected the group of them to taunt her, but they actually said nothing at all as she passed. They didn't even snigger- she had no earthly idea what was wrong with them, especially when one of them finally did speak.
"Good luck, Potter," Pansy said, looking at her in an oddly stiff manner.
"We'll be celebrating in Slytherin, afterwards," Malfoy added, sounding like hoping she'd win was causing him physical pain. He also was pointedly looking anywhere but at her.
"Is that an invitation, Malfoy?" Lily asked cheekily. "No offense, but I'd rather go with Pansy- she's more my type."
"I'll you what, Potter," Pansy said when Malfoy didn't speak further (although she looked embarrassed to be speaking at all). "I'll give a dance- just one- so long as you win tonight."
"Oh, believe me," Lily said, winking at the girl and turning to continue downstairs. "I plan on doing exactly that." Of course, as fun as dancing with Pansy would be, she had other plans for tonight- and none of them involved spending time with people who would turn on her the instant it became popular again.
She found Mandy coming out of a classroom with a few other Ravenclaw girls, discussing whatever exam they'd just been taking. Lily followed behind them, but not a one of them so much as gave her a glance- in fact, she was fairly certain they were completely oblivious to her presence.
"-oh, no," Sue Li said, hands wringing together. "Are you sure that was the answer?"
"Positive," Lisa Turpin said.
"I'm not," Padma Patil said. "I'm fairly certain the pattern was shash, jarn, laurel, and pin. That's what I put down, anyway."
Ah, Lily thought. Ancient Runes, then. As she passed by the open door, she glanced in. Hermione was still bent over her own exam paper- honestly, Lily was surprised she hadn't finished first. That meant she would have failed the thing for sure- if it was giving the smartest person she knew trouble, then she'd stand no chance. Deciding her presence wouldn't be welcome in classroom, she caught back up to the Ravenclaw girls.
"Wait," Mandy said, raising a thumb to her mouth to chew on the nail. "What's the shash rune look like, then?"
"Like a crooked little 'r'," Lily said, "Only, you've got to put a 'v' over it after- the order is very important."
The three girls turned to look at her, but Mandy nearly jumped out of her skin at the mere site of her. Lily noticed Mandy's eyes linger on her bare legs before wandering upwards and sticking briefly at something else, her face turning just a bit pink when she noticed Lily smiling at her.
"What's with the watches?" Lisa Turpin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not enough pockets for them," Lily said as if it was obvious.
"Hullo, Lily," Padma Patil said, waving happily. "Sorry we missed you- dad said you went to the restaurant a few weeks ago."
"Hullo, Padma," Lily said, waving back. "Nearly killed, me, too, but it was worth it."
"Well- he did warn you not to order the phaal," Padma said cautiously. "You really should stick to what you can handle, you know."
"I'll get there eventually," Lily said, looking at her girlfriend, who was currently attempting to sneak away unnoticed. "Mandy, you mind if we have a quick word?"
"Me?" Mandy squeaked.
"You," Lily said, quickly skipping over and grabbing her by the arm. "Don't worry, girls- I'll bring her back in a sec, safe and sound."
"Hullo, Lily," Mandy said in a quiet voice, glancing over to her friends who were still standing a dozen feet away.
"Listen," Lily said, getting right to business, "I was doing some thinking after your last letter- after the Task, we're having a little party at my place. Want to come?"
"I don't know," Mandy said, her glance more anxious this time.
"No one will find out," Lily said, sensing what was on her mind. "I'll make a big show of leaving with Sirius afterwards, and you can just pretend to go to the Slytherin common room- they're having a party of their own, I hear."
"But what if they-"
"It'll be fine!" Lily said, reaching out and grabbing her by the shoulder. "I'll come grab you by the gates to the grounds, and we'll apparate right from there- and I'll bring you back tomorrow morning, I promise. No one will be any the wiser!"
"I'm pretty sure my roommates will be, Lily," Mandy said, dropping her voice even lower. "They'd notice if I was gone all night. I'm sorry- I can't take the risk."
"But-"
"I'm sorry, Lily, I really am, but I've got to go," Mandy said, hesitating before giving her a quick squeeze on the arm. "I'll- I'll write you tonight, alright?"
"Alright," Lily said, feeling a pit of anger and shame in her stomach as Mandy rejoined her friends.
She knew Mandy just didn't want people knowing she was dating a girl- and she should have been able to sympathize- but, still, she couldn't stop the little voice in the back of her mind that was trying to convince her she was a monster. After all, she shouldn't have to hide what she was doing if she was in the right, should she? She took a deep breath, shook her head to try and rid herself of it, and then resumed her walk back downstairs. She'd just have to convince Mandy to come out- but she wasn't going to force her out, like she'd been. She knew that wasn't fair to anybody.
She walked straight past the Great Hall and out the gate, not skipping a single step until she reached a familiar tree at the edge of the Lake, a large boulder sitting next to it. There were two boys sitting under it, enjoying the cool shade from the scorching sun over their heads. It was the best spot to sit during the last weeks of term- the breeze coming off the Lake felt absolutely wonderful. Nobody else ever did, though- they knew it was their spot. The rest would have to settle for lesser spots, and she could see quite a few trying to relax or get some last minute cramming in. Lily broke into a happy little jog the nearer she got, not slowing until Ron looked up once he heard her approach.
"Shouldn't you two be studying?" Lily said, placing her hands on her hips in a pose that was strikingly similar to a stern Hermione.
"Shouldn't you be locked in your room?" Ron countered.
"Well- that seems like a bit of an overreaction, doesn't it?" Lily said, pouting.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you'd put in as much time studying as we've been," Ron said. "So, we needed a break. Sue me."
"Hullo, Lily," Neville said, waving to her from Ron's side. "You're looking colourful."
"Thank you!" Lily said, happily running a hand through her hair. "It's about time someone fed me a compliment!"
"Colourful is more of a description than a compliment, mate. And what's with all the watches? Trying to make a fashion statement?"
"Shut up, Ron," Lily said, taking a seat at his other side and leaning against the cool wood of the tree. "They're for later. So- how was Divination?"
"How was your nap?" Ron countered, voice completely filled with jealousy.
"Which one?" Lily said with a wink. Perhaps she'd manage to squeeze one in before the task. The breeze coming off the Lake was just so nice today. How could she not take full advantage of it?
"Divination went alright enough," Neville said when Ron sank back into sullenness. "It's a bit of a joke, to be honest. There was one section where we had to come up with our own prophecies after gazing into a crystal ball, and- well- Ron had a bit of an incident."
"What happened?" Lily asked, sitting up and looking at the boy.
"Nothing," Ron said, crossing his arms.
"Trelawney really liked his prophecy," Neville said. "Went on and on about how she thinks he truly has the gift. Only- err-"
"Right," Lily said, her brain catching up. "He made it all up."
"Well, that's what he told her, anyway, but that's what confuses me," Neville said.
"Wait," Lily said, her brow furrowing. "Ron- you told her you made it all up? Why?"
"Does it matter?" Ron said, looking away.
"What was your prophecy?"
"Something about skulls and dancing and a dark lord rising," Neville said, his face twisting as he tried to remember. "Trelawney loves anything morbid, see, so, normally, we just talk about how we're destined to die painfully and miserably."
Lily squinted at her friend. "Didn't you say something about skulls after the holidays? When I came back from home?"
"No," Ron said too slowly.
"Ron."
"Alright, but it's nothing!" Ron said. "It was just- while you were at Beauxbatons, I heard Trelawney give a stupid prophecy, alright?"
"You did?"
"But it didn't come true!" Ron said. "We made it past the end of the year, so what does it matter? Blimey- we're halfway through this one!"
"What did the prophecy say?" Lily insisted.
"It doesn't matter," Ron said, waving it off. "Ninety percent of all prophecies are full of it, anyway, even Trelawney admits that much. Say, you ready? We should get to Potions."
"Charms is first," Neville reminded him. "And Transfiguration is before it, too."
"Boy, I do not miss exams," Lily said, leaning back again and putting her hands behind her head. "Schedule's real packed today, isn't it?"
"You don't know the half of it," Ron said, groaning and burying his head in his hands.
"There you are!"
Lily hardly had half a second to react before Hermione Granger was on top of her, squeezing her in a tight hug.
"Hullo," Lily said, awkwardly tapping her thigh since that was all she could reach.
"You look wonderful!" Hermione thought, briefly pulling back so she could glance up and down Lily's body. Lily thought Hermione's eyes lingered a bit too long on her legs, but she must have imagined it. She definitely didn't imagine the look Hermione gave the colours in her hair, though- it was the same, strange look Lily got every time she changed it around the girl, and she still had no idea what it meant.
"Thanks!" Lily said, running a hand through her hair again to show off. Hermione hesitantly raised her own hand, gently rubbing her hair.
"Really, you look brilliant," she said, sounding odd again. Lily had no idea what to do with the sudden look of determination etched on Hermione's face.
"Oi, Hermione," Ron said, interrupting their silent little moment. "Tell her about the thing."
"Oh, yes!" Hermione said, pulling free and sitting right next to Lily (and close enough so that their bodies were touching). Lily noticed her cheeks were a bit pink, but she said nothing. "I've been speaking with Ronald and Neville, and we thought-"
"You've been talking?" Lily interrupted, glancing between the three. "Since when?"
"Since you left," Ron said, shrugging. "Blimey, mate, she walks around all forlorn and lonely when you aren't here, and we couldn't stand it anymore. I've been making her come to Chess Club with me, and she's been spending a lot of time with Gin and her friends, too."
"Anyway," Hermione said, looking abashed again, "err- so, I've been talking with- with Ronald and Neville, and-"
"Blimey, just call me Ron already, would you?" Ron said.
"And we thought," Hermione continued, "that it might be fun for you to take an exam for each of us."
"Pardon?" Lily said, glancing between the three of them.
"You see," Hermione said eagerly, "I've been thinking about it- and it just seems so silly that Champions aren't required to take exams- I mean, for most candidates, this would be their NEWT year!"
"Fun?" Lily said, her mind starting to catch up.
"Each exam is only an hour and a half this year, you see," Hermione continued, "which is why we have so many in one day."
"Wait-"
"They have to do it this way in order to be able to observe exams, since there are so many students in the castle."
"Hold on-"
"So!" Hermione said, happily clapping her hands together, "we figured you'd do Potions for Neville, Transfiguration for Ron, and Charms for me."
"Stop!" Lily said, laughing a bit. "Merlin, you're having me on, right?"
"No?" Hermione said, exchanging a confused look with Ron and Neville.
"I told you she wouldn't go for it, mate," Ron said with a shrug.
"How am I even supposed to?" Lily asked. "And- Merlin, Hermione, you're alright with cheating on an exam?"
"It's not cheating!" Hermione said, her face turning very red. "It's- we're helping you prepare a proper benchmark for your education!"
"Excuse me?"
"You have no way of knowing what you need to work on in the next year for our OWLs," Hermione continued. "But we will- once we get back our exam results! So- if you take one for each of us, that's at least three classes!"
"Alright, first of all," Lily said, sitting up again, "even if I was willing to sit exams- I don't need Charms. We all know I'm going to get an 'O.'"
"Yes, well," Hermione said, blushing a bit, "that is- I- it- err-"
"It's the only one she was willing to let you take," Ron finished for her. "Course, it was all her idea, but when it came down to it, little perfect Prefect isn't willing to really cheat."
"It's not cheating!" Hermione said in a shrill voice. "It's-"
"Second of all," Lily continued. "You're all forgetting one little thing- I don't look like any of you."
"Well, that's easy enough, isn't it?" Ron said. "You just use your Metamorphmagus rubbish and-"
"Hang on," Lily said, turning to face Hermione. "You told them?"
"No, I didn't!" Hermione said, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. "I swear!"
"She really didn't, mate," Ron said before she could really get going. "Honest- we've had it figured for ages."
"Come again?" Lily asked.
"Well, blimey, Lily," Ron said. "Don't you remember when we were talking about why Belby might've killed her husband?"
"No?"
"I joked about Maxime being a vampire that wanted to drink your Metamorphmagus blood?"
"Oh!" Lily squeaked. "But- but I thought that was just because of the Quibbler article!"
"Nah, mate," Ron said, waving it off. "We knew by that point. Blimey- we're not stupid. Did you really expect to keep showing up to class every day as a different person for a month and not have us catch on?"
Lily suddenly felt like she owed the two boys a very sincere apology.
"Honestly," Ron continued, "it's a miracle the rest of the school hasn't figured it out- we didn't tell you, because we knew you'd get upset, but the rest of the school was going mad with theories."
"We reckon the only reason everyone else didn't guess the right one was because of the Quibbler," Neville added.
"Hard to believe it when Loony Lovegood won't shut up about it," Ron said with a snort.
"Right," Lily said, "well- well it still doesn't cover the biggest problem: I can copy a lot of things, but I can't change my handwriting, and mine looks nothing like any of yours."
"Not a problem," Ron said dismissively. "Hermione already thought of that."
"You'll just be doing the practical portions," she said, taking over. "We can handle the written portions. We'll ask for a brief break to use the loo, and then we'll make the swap- no one will be any the wiser."
"Right," Lily said, really dragging out the syllable while she narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Well- well, if I'm doing this, I'm going to need two things from each of you."
"Go on," Neville said, looking like he was very relieved to hear her agree.
"A spare uniform," Lily said, holding up one finger. "And your wands."
"Come again?" Ron said.
"Well, I can't bloody well go and use my own for the practicals, can I?" Lily said. "That'd give the game up. Nev, I don't need yours- just your Potions equipment."
"I told you she'd agree," Hermione said, looking smug.
"Sure, sure," Ron said.
"Come on," Hermione said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up to her feet. "We've got to get going if we're going to make Charms- that one's up first!"
"And what's the real reason we're doing this, then?" Lily asked as they neared the castle, pulling her hand free of Hermione's. "I know you'd never cheat, no matter what you say- you won't even let me copy your homework."
"Neville," Hermione said, looking a bit disappointed. "Slughorn has to leave partway through the practical portion- which means Snape has to take over."
"What's the Slug leaving for?"
"Haven't the slightest," Hermione said, "but he announced it weeks ago, and Neville's been freaking since. So- so, Ron and I came up with this, and to make him feel better about it, we- we figured we should probably let you do one for us, too, because Ron thought he'd refuse if it was just him. And if Ron just happened to tell him I came up with it because I was worried about your marks, then, well-"
"Right," Lily said. "And, why, exactly, does it matter if Snape has to take over? Everybody hates him."
"You don't get it," Hermione said slowly. "You weren't there, last year. Snape is his boggart, Lily- and if Neville has to take another exam with him, he'll fail, and his Gran is threatening to pull him from Hogwarts if he fails it again."
"She's just bluffing, she'd never take him out- not when his dad came here," Lily said, still feeling a bit bad. "It's nothing to worry about it."
"Your parents came here, too," Hermione said. "And she was going to do it to you."
"Where'd you hear that from?"
"Ron," Hermione said. "Honestly, Lily, your little row with her in second year didn't exactly go unnoticed."
Lily tucked her hands into her pockets, grumbling as they went up the steps.
"Fine," she said. "I'll do it. But you're going to have to hold my watches for me. Keep them safe, would you?"
"You're doing it today, then?" Hermione asked, giving her that strange look again.
Lily nodded, ignoring the nerves in her belly.
Hermione was the easy part; aside from all of the practice hours Lily put in, Flitwick wasn't exactly the most observant person in the world. It was expected that Hermione would do just as well as Lily in her practical exam, albeit without silent casting, and Hermione happened to be Lily's best impression. She managed every single spell Flitwick asked of her: summoning, banishing, bringing a suit of armour to life, making the armour do a tap dance, bringing to life a second suit of armour and forcing the two to wrestle, and then, just for fun, having the two sing a duet. Flitwick congratulated her for showing remarkable skill and improvement, promised she most certainly would receive top marks, and then sent her on her way.
"You made them do what?" Hermione asked, her face growing pale when Lily recounted the story.
"Ballet," Lily said, removing Hermione's tie from her neck. "See, I was watching Swan Lake with Ashley, right, and I thought it would be fun to-"
"Lily," Hermione said, voice timid and squeaky, "what am I supposed to do if he asks me to do it again?"
The real task came during the next exam, when Ron came to the boy's loo looking worried, right after Lily had finished changing into his spare uniform (which was currently sitting very loosely on her body).
"This isn't going to work," he said, face a little pale. "Honestly- what was I thinking, letting you take my Transfiguration exam- of all people!"
"It'll be fine," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "I'm the bad one- Ronald Weasley is perfectly capable of performing adequately." She had to go cross-eyed to change her body- it was much harder to do than just her hair or face, and if she didn't focus enough, she tended to end up a bit lopsided.
"That's not- blimey, that's unnatural, that is."
"What's the problem?" Lily said, squinting into the mirror as she worked on making herself some freckles. Satisfied with her hair and face, she turned back to face Ron.
"You're not tall enough," he said, giving her a once over. "And you need your shoulders wider."
"I can't be as tall as you," Lily said, at least turning back to the mirror to correct her shoulders. "I can only go up three and a half inches from my natural height, and you're above that."
"We sure this'll work, then?" Ron said, sounding nervous again.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Does McGonagall ever pay attention to you?" Lily thought for a moment. "Outside of class, I mean. She sees you sitting down all the time during."
"Err- no. But-"
"Then it should work," Lily said, making her nose bigger and longer and adding some freckles to it, too. "It doesn't matter if anybody else notices you've lost a couple of inches, so long as she doesn't."
"It's more than a couple."
"Which is why I also prepared these," Lily said, tapping a pair of boots she kept on the ground as she widened her shoulders. "Sole and heel are bigger to add another couple. Can't risk any more than that, though, because then it'll be too noticeable."
"Blimey," Ron said as she put on her finishing touches. "This is just-"
"Amazing?" Lily said, batting Ron's own eyelashes at him.
"Creepy," Ron said with a grimace.
"Just for that, I'm only earning you an 'E'," Lily said, sticking her tongue out at him as she left and headed for the classroom, ignoring that an 'E' would mean an almost perfect performance coming from her track record of Transfiguration exams; she'd actually managed to earn a 'D' on the last one, but not even Hermione knew that terrible secret.
"Feeling better, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall asked upon her entry.
"Yes," Lily said as quietly as possible. It was hard to make her voice deep, so she had to substitute for volume and hope that McGonagall would confuse it for nerves.
"Good," McGonagall said, steepling her hands together and staring at her expectantly. Lily started shuffling her feet uncomfortably, wondering if the jig was up, when she spoke again. "Do you need the instructions again, or do you recall them?"
"Err-" Lily let the rest of her question fade off, cursing Ron for not mentioning anything prior to her setting off.
McGonagall gestured to the floor before her. "Create a garden, Mr. Weasley. The variety of plants is entirely up to you, but I require at least one tree. Wood type is also up to you."
Lily nodded, Ron's wand slick between her fingers. It felt wrong, completely unlike how Hermione's felt just a couple hours earlier, and she was starting to wonder if this actually was an entirely terrible idea. She was also wondering how she was supposed to create a garden out of stone floor without giving herself away; making or shaping stone, she was good at. Turning it into something else entirely, all under an immense amount of pressure?
Not so much.
It took three tries to get the spell to work, muttering the incantation under her breath so that McGonagall wouldn't hear any trademarks of Lily's Transfiguration Frustration. The dirt patch she created was only large enough for a fir sapling and a bunch of pretty posies, but, honestly, that was as good as it was going to get, considering everything going on.
"Acceptable," McGonagall said, frowning at the little tree. "After the progress you made in the previous year, I must admit- I was hoping for something a bit more. If I may, I suggest you consider taking tutoring lessons over the summer- an 'Acceptable' on your OWLs will not be good enough to get into the NEWT level course, I'm afraid."
Lily nodded, still sweating and feeling flustered and absolutely positive McGonagall would figure it out any second now.
"I will write to your mother on the subject," McGonagall said, writing herself a note. "With a bit more application and practice, I fully believe you are capable of earning an 'O' on your OWLs- I had a glance at your written portion, and, I'll admit, I was impressed. You've clearly worked hard. We just need to bring your practical up to the same standard. You are dismissed, Mr. Weasley. Have a wonderful summer."
Lily nodded again and turned sharply on her heel. Her hand was on the door when McGonagall spoke again.
"Oh," she said, not looking up from her paper. "And tell Miss Potter that her work is 'Acceptable,' as well."
"She definitely knows," Ron said, sweating buckets once she told him.
"I know," Lily said, burying her head in her hands. "This was a bad idea. Merlin, what were we thinking? I should just-"
"Just nothing!" Ron said, grabbing on to her when she tried to leave. "Neville needs that 'O,' Lily. You can't just give up now."
Thankfully, Lily was pretty sure her own nerves would help sell the Neville charade. When Snape failed to show up at the promised ten minute mark, she even thought that they entirely wasted their time; Slughorn never even once looked her way when she was supposed to be Neville Longbottom. The first bit of brewing went spectacularly. Lily breezed through all of her ingredient prep and was just starting to add the stewed lizard eggs to her boiling goat's milk when a certain greasy haired professor finally came in through the classroom door.
"Ah, Severus!" Slughorn said congenially as he approached the desk. "Finally come to observe the budding talent, eh?"
"From this lot?" Snape said with a derisive snort. "I'd expect more talent from the drunkards at the Leaky Cauldron than this lot. But, yes- worry not, Horace. I will ensure that nobody cheats in this classroom. McGonagall has warned me to be extra wary today."
"Oh, I doubt any of these fine individuals would stoop so low as that," Slughorn said with a genial laugh.
"Yes," Snape said, his beady eyes sweeping the classroom and landing directly on her. "After all: Potter isn't here."
It was hard to keep her nerves after that, especially since Snape kept a closer look on her than anybody else, but Lily actually managed to perform spectacularly despite it all. Her Poison and Venom Curative Superlative was the best she'd ever brewed, and she almost betrayed her current identity on the way to turn it in, replacing her confident strut with Neville's downcast shuffle right before Snape's eyes turned on her.
Lily just placed her vial down, pretended to quiver in fear, and then turned to head back to her desk.
"Longbottom."
Lily jumped out of fright, but couldn't decide whether or not it was pretend or genuine. When she turned, she found Snape inspecting her vial, holding it up to the light, before setting it down, perching his hands together, and staring at her. Some of the students around them started to snigger, the Slytherins most of all, no doubt expecting Neville to get a dressing down. Lily, for one, actually was starting to feel a bit afraid. The jelly-like feeling in her legs was definitely not something she was capable of faking.
Finally, he spoke.
"Your practice has finally paid off, it seems," he said, and nothing more. "No doubt, you have Potter to thank for it."
Lily couldn't believe her ears. She could tell he knew- she could see it in his eyes. Why was he letting her get away with it? Why was McGonagall? They were the two strictest professors in the school- and Snape hated her! She opened her mouth to protest, unable to stop the compulsion from her idiot brain, and-
"You are dismissed," Snape said, turning to watch another student approach with their own completed potion. Lily didn't push the issue, no matter how much she wanted to, and certainly not with both Hermione and Ron rapidly shaking their heads at her.
She turned and left the room, shaking off the Neville guise as soon as she was alone. She returned the spare uniform to the lad, put her Task one back on, returned her hair back to its previous length and relative rainbow colour, and then walked with him, letting him know exactly what techniques she employed, just in case he was questioned later (Neville even furiously scribbled it all down, just to help him remember). Her intention was to wait for her two friends in the Entrance Hall, right near the stairs to the dungeons. Her mind was quickly changed when, upon emerging from the dank and dark, she found Sirius waiting for her. And not just him either, no.
The entire Weasley flock had come to see her perform in the Third Task, as she found out when Mrs. Weasley had her in a tight hug within seconds.
"What are you all doing here?" Lily asked, pretending to be surprised.
"Family is allowed to come see the Task, free of charge," Mrs. Weasley said, pinching Lily fondly on the cheek.
"As you can imagine, we had quite a few extra tickets," Sirius said nonchalantly, muscling his way to the front. "Well, go on, Lily. Castle's a lot bigger for you than it was for us; why don't you give us a tour?"
"There's not that much new," Lily said sheepishly. "It's- it's just a lot more halls and classrooms, really."
Still, though, at their prodding, she was more than happy to do just that. They only had a couple of hours before the task began, but she could think of far worse ways to spend it than answering questions and chatting with people who loved to have her around. She showed them the Art Club room (currently sitting empty for exams), their favourite place by the Lake, Hagrid's Hut (she was trying to show them the Skrewts, but Hagrid said they were gone and refused to elaborate further), and the kitchens (since nobody but Sirius and the twins had ever actually been inside). She even showed them where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was, although they all adamantly refused to actually let her open the thing. The only place she didn't show them was the Secret Chamber; the last thing she wanted was for the Order to find out about it and then forbid her from using it.
Hermione, Ron, and Neville came out to join them, eventually, once the former two finished their own Potions exam. Hermione left early on, though, to go meet with her boyfriend.
"There's just something I need to do, I've decided," she said, promising to meet up with Lily once the Task was over. She did hand over the watches first, though, even though it earned quite a few questions from the Weasleys about what they were even for.
Eventually, they started working their way downstairs and outside, as the time for the Task rapidly approached. Lily was starting to feel nervous, but not at all about what dangers lurked ahead of her. No, she had something else on her mind at that particular moment.
"Wait," Lily said, when they were getting ready to split up. "I've- err- got to do something, real quick."
"You'll be late, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, the whole gang watching Lily fumble with one of the watches on her arm.
"Here," Lily said, producing the first watch and handing it to the Matriarch first, watching her face carefully. "I've- err- got one for each of you."
"What's this?" Mrs. Weasley said, her voice oddly high.
"It's- err- a watch?"
"Lily?" Mr. Weasley said, looking at her in awe as he accepted his own watch. "This is- how did you manage this?"
"Well, it was a lot of work, actually," Lily said, awkwardly rubbing her head before handing the next pairs to Ginny and Ron. "Err- Bill helped me with some it," she added, handing him his watch as she said his name. "I thought I wouldn't get them done in time, but- well- Hermione helped me get them finished up, and with the testing and all."
"Lily," Mrs. Weasley said, sounding choked up and still staring at her watch. "This is- this is wonderful."
"Completely brilliant, mate," Ron said. Even he was looking completely satisfied as he strapped his to his wrist.
"Thanks," Lily said, feeling very warm as she handed the last two out to Fred and George.
"Look, we match!" they said at the same time.
"This one is Charlie's," Lily said, handing the spare to the mum after she finally put her own on. "You can send it to him or wait for- oh!"
Mrs. Weasley pulled Lily into a tight hug, and then, very quickly, they were all joining in, squashing her solidly in the middle.
"Thanks, Lily," Ginny said. Lily could hear her sniff.
"Oh, it's just wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley said, crying from her happiness.
Lily managed to pull herself free during all the excitement, watching with a smile on her face as the Weasleys talked amongst each other animatedly, their watches strapped to their wrists. Mrs. Weasley gave out a shout of excitement when she clicked a button on the side and found a new utility, and then Mr. Weasley was pulling them all towards her so they could see what it did (you could swap focus in on one family member in particular, expanding the options and locations it could show- something that took her and Hermione many sleepless nights to get working properly).
"You did well, kid," Sirius said, throwing an arm around her shoulder.
"Thanks," Lily said, feeling exceptionally pleased. "They were supposed to be Christmas gifts, but- well- I couldn't finish them in time, with the tournament and all, and- and now just seemed like a good time."
"Why's that?"
"Err-"
"Couldn't help but notice you aren't wearing one," Sirius said, pointing at her wrist. "I'm sure they wouldn't have minded, Lily."
"No, you're right," Lily said, taking a deep breath and turning to meet Sirius's eyes. "I just didn't want one of theirs."
"Theirs?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I know the Weasleys like me," Lily said, watching them again and wishing, with all her heart, that she what she was about to say wasn't true. "But- but no matter what they say, I'm not family. Not really."
"Lily, don't be stupid."
"It's fine," Lily said, swallowing down the lump in her throat. "I'm fine with it. I've got- well-"
Lily took a deep breath and then took out the two watches she'd been keeping in her pockets. When she pulled them out, she couldn't bring herself to look at Sirius, and she just placed them both in his hands (hers were noticeably shaking, and that only became worse when Sirius removed his arm from around her).
"I've got you," she finished quietly.
Sirius held them both in one hand, inspecting the watches without a single change on his face.
"They're different," Lily said first (and very quickly). "I thought it'd be silly to have it the same since there's only two hands, so- so if you click the button, it'll change to normal- you can read the time, I mean- but if you keep it that way it- it shows me a-and you."
"Lily," Sirius said quietly, running a thumb over the face of the clock.
"I thought about putting Ashley on there, too," Lily said, continuing to talk very fast, "but, I dunno, it just felt- I might add her later,but- I- I just wanted it to be us for now." She'd add Hermione's to her own, too, later on.
"Us?" Sirius asked, still staring at his watch.
"Yeah," Lily said, rubbing one arm nervously. "I was- I mean- I know that I- I haven't exactly been pleasant, lately, but- but I was thinking that I'd- I'd like to stay with you, if that's alright. At Grimmauld Place, I mean. If- if you'll have me." Lily took another deep breath, her face burning hot with what she was about to say. Currently, they were stuck in her throat- she just couldn't get them to come out.
Sirius didn't hesitate for a moment. He threw both arms around her, one of them clutched to the back of her head, pressing it to the side of his, the other around her back and drawing her as close as physically possible. Lily threw her own around him on instinct, burying her face into the base of his neck to hide her suddenly-wet cheeks.
"Of course you can stay, you knob," Sirius said, his own voice thick with emotion. "You're family, Lily."
"Thanks," Lily squeaked.
"I'm sorry," Sirius said, squeezing a bit tighter. "I haven't been at my best, either."
"It's alright."
"No, it's not," Sirius said. "I promised myself I would never become my parents, if I ever had a kid of my own, but- but, well-" Sirius let out a breath. "Sod it- you don't have to be grounded anymore, Lily, and I never should have taken your wand or Cloak away. Just- just promise me you'll at least tell me when you're going to sneak out, yeah? All I want- all I've ever wanted- was to know you're safe."
Lily squeezed tighter, his words ringing in her head. Before she realized it, they'd shaken free what she wanted to tell him.
"Happy Father's Day."
She worried that it'd be a bit too much, but Sirius laughed warmly, and she could have sworn she heard him sniff.
"I love you," Sirius said.
"I love you, too," Lily said with a choke of laughter. She could feel herself shaking, but Sirius just gave her a pat on the back and kept right on holding her.
"You alright, Lily?" Ron asked from nearby.
"You lot go on ahead," Sirius said for her. "We'll catch up."
"Task starts soon, Lily!" Ginny added.
"I know!" Lily managed to cry out.
"Come on, give them some space," Mr. Weasley said, the rest of their protests getting quieter as they moved further away. Lily kept her grip tight around Sirius, not at all willing to let go. She heard a click around his wrist as he fastened his watch around it, and then a soft chuckle.
"I see you're back on mortal peril," he said.
"Have been all day," Lily admitted. She let out a choked laugh again, squeezing just a bit harder. "Merlin, I can't wait for this all to be over."
"Me, too," Sirius said, stroking the back of her head again. "Ease up on the grip, will you? It's getting hard to breathe, here."
"No," Lily said, squeezing harder again.
"Ah, well," Sirius said, settling back into it. "This is nicer than living, anyway."