"Blimey, Hermione, you look awful."
"Thanks, Ronald," Hermione muttered as she sat down at the Weasley's breakfast table. "That's just what a girl loves to hear." She fought hard to suppress a yawn, lost, and covered her large front teeth with a hand. One of these days, she really needed to convince her parents to let her shrink them.
"Back to Ronald, then?" Ron muttered between bites of toast.
"Oh, hush," Hermione said, yawning again.
"Have a hard night, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, sliding a plate of bread, beans, and egg in front of her.
"Oh, yes," Hermione said, shaking her head to clear away some of the fog. "I was up for hours reading A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration. It's really quite interesting, but very complex. I wanted to get a thorough understanding of it before classes begin. It is our OWL year, after all."
"Yes, well," Mrs. Weasley said, patting her on the shoulder, "studying hard is all well and good, Hermione, but there's no good in it if you end up falling asleep during your exams."
"But-"
"I'm not trying to lecture you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, sounding as if that was exactly what she was doing. "Just a bit of friendly advice. A good night's sleep is just as important with regards to retaining the information you're learning. Where's Lily?"
"Still sleeping," Hermione grumbled, reluctantly taking a bite of runny egg and adding in a mutter, "I've never had a problem 'retaining information' before, thanks." She'd tried to wake the other girl just this morning, but hadn't heard a single noise through her closed door. She knew better than to try entering uninvited. She only needed to look at the bandage wrapped around Ron's arm to know what that would result in, as whatever hex she'd hit him with still wasn't going away.
I need to talk to her, Hermione thought, biting into her warm bread and chewing slowly. I can help her, I know I can, no matter what Maraktis or mum or anyone thinks.
"At least you're putting in the effort, though," Mrs. Weasley said, dumping some more egg onto Ron's plate. "Some of you could use some more quality time with their nose in a book, if they've got any hope in earning an OWL."
"Oi!" Ron said, his mouth full of egg. He swallowed, and Hermione could see the large lump work down his throat. "I made Prefect, didn't I?"
"Oh, yes, you did," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling and pinching his little cheek. "And we're all very proud of our little Ronnie."
"Mum! Come off it!"
"And where is Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley said, now standing with her hands on her hips. "I got her up myself nearly an hour ago- she always takes the longest to get herself ready."
"She's trying to chase down Lily's cat," Ron said, messing with the Prefect's Badge he was wearing on his chest. No matter what he did with it, it always ended up sitting somewhat crooked. Hermione's own badge was perfectly straight and polished to a delightful sheen (she'd spent half an hour cleaning it before bed, once her studying was done). It was pinned proudly to the purple jumper she was wearing. She would have liked to already be wearing her school robes, but as a Prefect, she needed to set an example for the other students, and it wouldn't do to be stretching the Statute of Secrecy as they passed through King's Cross.
"Weasley?" Hermione asked, buttering some bread. "What for?"
"Ginny put a sweater on him before you got up," Ron said with a shrug. "He's been running around, rubbing himself on anything and everything, trying to get it off."
"That girl," Mrs. Weasley said, shaking her head in disapproval. "Really, you'd think Ginny had better things to focus on than dressing a cat, of all things. FRED! GEORGE! BREAKFAST! Honestly, if they aren't going to go to school, the least they could do is show up on time for-"
Mrs. Weasley hardly had the time to turn around before there were two loud pops, and Fred and George settled into seats on either side of Hermione.
"Morning, mum," George said, sliding Hermione's plate of food inside himself. It was returned a moment later, but only after Mrs. Weasley gave George a sharp swot on the head with the morning paper.
"Eat your own food," Mrs. Weasley said, grabbing two more plates from the counter. "GINNY! BREAKFAST!"
"Morning, mum," Ginny said, skipping in a second later, Lily's cat held in her arms (and still wearing a very gaudy sweater that he did not at all appear happy about).
"Cat goes in the cage before breakfast, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, only sparing her a glance.
"But, Mum, he's-"
"Not yours," Mrs. Weasley said, scooping the cat out of her arms. "I won't have Lily leaving him behind just because you were playing with him. I better go wake her up, too, before we end up missing the train. Food's on the counter, dear, and help yourself to the bread."
"But I love him," Ginny grumbled, shuffling her feet over to the counter and grabbing a plate.
"Oi," Ron whispered when Ginny joined the twins, his body leaning in real close. "You get a chance to tell Lily about the S.P.E.W. thing, yet?"
"No," Hermione said with a sigh. "She'd not letting anyone into her room, Ron, not even me, and not Sirius, either." It took loads of convincing for her parents to let her stay here the last week before term, and the last time she even saw Lily was when she was screaming at the party. The rest of the time, she'd been hiding away and shouting at people to go away whenever they knocked. Mrs. Weasley had been leaving meals outside her door, but nobody was sure if it was actually her that was eating them. Hermione sighed again. "I'll try tonight, once we're settled in the castle. She can't avoid me when we'll be sharing a room."
It was just a shame that they'd have to share with the other Prefects, now, as there was a lot more Hermione wanted to say and do, but she could hardly show off any of the suits she'd packed into her trunk in front of all the other girls. But the Order was absolutely adamant that Lily sleep in the Prefect dorm, even if it was only optional for the rest of them. Slytherin would be too dangerous for her.
"You've just got to get it over with," Ron said. "Do it real quick, like, and then get out of the way before she can curse you."
"She's not going to curse me, Ron," Hermione said with a sniff.
"Speaking as someone with experience, I think she might."
Hermione's eyes darted to the bandage on his arm that he was currently scratching at.
"Lily isn't that violent," Hermione said, slowly moving a stray bean around the edge of her plate. "She's just- she's had a rough couple of months, is all. You'll see. She'll perk right up, once we get to Hogwarts, and she'll be back to normal in no time. She just needs a bit of inti- of normalcy, is all." Hermione very much hoped Ron wouldn't notice the sudden heat on her cheeks, as she was sure they were quite pink.
"I wonder where she is, anyway," Ron said, leaning back very far in his chair so that he could peer into the hallway. "Not like her to miss a meal."
Hermione lifted her fork to her mouth and ate the bean, a chill running down her spine at the sudden thought that popped into her brain.
"You know," she said, chewing very slowly. "I don't recall seeing Lily's trunk with the others, now that I think about it." She wheeled her own down to the sitting room just moments before sitting down to eat. She could still see it where it rested near the hallway. Her owl's cage was resting on top of it, and Hedwig had her head tucked under her head while she got some last minute snoozing.
"Maybe she took it to the car already," Ginny said, poking at her food with her fork. "The Order's arranged for one, haven't they? Wish mum fried a tomato, instead. I hate beans."
"No," Ron said, eyeing Hermione's half-full plate enviously. "It isn't here yet. I've been watching for it for hours. Wanted to get to the front before you could."
"Really?" Ginny said, raising an eyebrow. "You were up for hours?"
Ron shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."
"Imagine that," Fred said. "Our little perfect Prefect had a hard time sleeping."
"Have some nightmares, ickle Ronniekins?" George added.
"Dream that you didn't meet your point deduction quota for the day?"
"Not give out enough detentions?"
"Shut it," Ron said, his ears going red. "Or I'll give you one."
"That'd be hard to do, dear brother, seeing as how we aren't going back to school."
"I'll just hex you, then. I've learned a lot of really good ones these last couple of weeks."
Fred and George both held up their hands and made noises as if they were terribly frightened of their little brother. Ron didn't get a chance to argue any further, though, because at that moment, Mrs. Weasley returned ashen-faced to the room.
"Has anyone seen Lily?" she asked. "She's not in her room, and her trunk and wand are gone."
Lily stifled another yawn as she stared out the window. Her school trunk was stored in the rack above her head, but the compartment was otherwise empty. She'd been here for two hours, now, watching as students slowly filed in, storing their own luggage and claiming the best spots on the Hogwarts Express. Most still lingered on the platform with their families, but some had been dropped off early, so that their parents could head to work. Lily had gotten here just as the sun was beginning to rise. Technically, she wasn't legally allowed to have been, but nobody caught her on her way in. She snuck in under her invisibility cloak through a door typically reserved for maintenance, dragging her trunk close behind her. She'd almost had a near run in with a security guard, but she heard him mutter "bloody ghosts" as he finally moved on.
Lily couldn't help but wonder if anybody had found her note. She'd left it on her desk, explaining precisely where she'd gone. In all honesty, it was a test just to see if anybody would notice her absence at all. She highly doubted they would. Her only regret was that she'd forgotten her cat again. She hadn't been able to find him before leaving, and she'd been in such a hurry that he'd slipped her mind the instant she grabbed her wand. She didn't even realise she didn't have him until she was on the train and went to free him of his prison.
She'd seen a few familiar faces as she waited for the train to leave, but none she had any particular interest in seeing. Luna Lovegood had arrived shortly after the platform officially opened to the public, her father giving her a very long hug before departing. She supposed the short, blonde Ravenclaw was currently sitting in her own empty compartment. Lavender Brown had been the next, dropped off by someone who was most definitely too young to be her mother and, therefore, had to be the sister Violet that Lily had yet to meet. She appeared to be fresh out of school by at least a couple of years, was just as pretty as Lavender was (although her hair was nowhere near as curly and was significantly darker) and she said something that must have seriously hurt Lavender before they parted, as well as giving her a quick pull on the front of her robes, because the Gryffindor girl had boarded the train nearly in tears. Lily had almost gone to her, then, only then she remembered the last time they'd talked, and she changed her mind. Besides, the Patil twins arrived while she was still thinking it over, so Lavender would have plenty of comfort.
Cedric Diggory arrived next, his shiny, Head Boy badge pinned to his chest, with Sae's brother slinking along at his side. She could hardly stand the sight of him. He'd actually come into her compartment to remind of her the mandatory Prefect meeting, but she'd pretended to be asleep (he left her a note and stuck it to the front of her robes). After him, she'd seen Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Greengrass, Smith, Finch-Fletchly, Thomas, Finnigan, Bones, Abbot, and so many, many more. The one that hurt the most, though, was her maybe-or-maybe-not-girlfriend, Mandy Brocklehurst, who'd been looking exceptionally upset and sad. Lily supposed she needed to go see her, too, just to receive her just desserts in person, but she'd put that off as long as she could. Unfortunately, she also had a Prefect badge pinned to her chest, so it'd be sooner rather than later. Lily was just happy she hadn't come looking for an explanation as to why Lily was ignoring all of her letters, because not even she was sure why.
Mostly, though, she watched the large clock along the far wall of the platform, counting down the seconds until, finally, they would be on their way to Hogwarts, and trying to ignore the chatter of students that passed by her compartment as they searched for somewhere to sit.
"Hear what Potter did?"
"You mean aside from the murders?"
"No, not those- besides, Delacour is alive."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah! Haven't you been reading the Quibbler? They ran off and-"
That was the last she'd heard of that particular conversation, but they went on and on.
"Did you hear that Potter's gone loony?"
"I heard that Potter's started gathering an army."
"I heard Potter's dead, and Dumbledore's replaced her." That one, at least, Lily thought was mildly amusing, at least up until she remembered the entire reason she'd snuck out early.
She was almost positive that the other students had only been talking about these things as they passed her compartment specifically because they wanted her to come after them, because she'd definitely caught a few excited faces coming by purely to peer through the window. Shutting the blinds only kept the eyes off, but word was clearly spreading about exactly where she was, because the talking never stopped.
"Did you hear Potter's made Prefect?"
"You having me on?"
"No, Henry saw her earlier, she's got a badge and everything!"
"Whose prick did she have to suck to manage that?"
"She's not into pricks, mate. Besides, she's with-"
"Oh, just shut up!" Lily shouted as she wrenched the compartment door open. The two Hufflepuff fourth years nearly jumped out of their skins.
"We were only-"
"That'll be a detention for the both of you," Lily said, tapping her Prefect badge. "Learn not to spread rumours, yeah? Now, piss off." And she slammed the door shut in their faces before they could dig their graves any further.
Nine minutes were left before the train left when her compartment door slid open. Lily turned to face the newcomer, only to find Katie Bell staring at her curiously. She was another of Lily's ex-girlfriends (assuming the Mandy situation was as unsalvageable as she thought it was), and also happened to be Lily's first one. Her hair was a light brown that she kept tied behind her head, her eyes were a slightly darker green than Lily's own, her nose was smaller, her lips wider, and when she spoke, her Irish lilt always made Lily's heart spin. It did, still, too, when Katie smiled at her and said-
"There's the blushing bride."
And then she was taking a step inside and sliding the door behind her closed while Lily just stared stupidly.
"Bride?" Lily repeated.
"There's my favourite glower," Katie said, sitting across from her. "Those lips were almost made for it. You know what, scratch that one- I can do better."
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear it, then," Lily said, scratching at her scar. "In fact, feel free to leave, and I'll pretend I didn't see you at all." To emphasise her point, she turned back to the window.
"Ouch," Katie said with a little laugh. "That bad, huh?"
"I'd just really like to be alone."
"I suppose I see why," Katie said, playing with something at her ear. Lily caught a speck of gold in her reflection on the window.
"You're still wearing those earrings I got you?" she asked. Katie just smiled wider, still playing with one of her little bells.
"Course I am," she said. "Notice you aren't wearing yours, though. Don't care for the whole lightning theme anymore?"
"Lost them," Lily mumbled. She doubted she'd ever see them again, as a matter of fact. She didn't think the Dark Lord was likely to keep her jewelry, especially if it was a pair that made her feel happy.
"I suppose I'll have to find you a replacement, then," Katie said, winking. "Listen- I wanted to talk to you about Quidditch."
Due to your condition-
"What about it?" Lily asked, turning to back to the window again, her jaw clenched.
"Well, McGonagall went and made me Captain, see," Katie said. Lily checked Katie's chest in her reflection, but if it was true, she'd yet to put on the badge, even though she was wearing her school robes. "And since you're the best Slytherin's got, I figured you'd be theirs, so I wanted to work out what our training schedules are going to be so there won't be any conflicts."
"No need to bother," Lily said. "I'm not Captain. They made me a Prefect, instead." She tapped her badge, and she could see Katie's face fall as she finally read it.
"Oh. Well- well, still, though. You can just pass on what I say to your Captain once you're done with tryouts."
"I'm not playing Quidditch this year," Lily said, breathing hot air out of her nose.
"Come again?" Katie asked as if that was the strangest thing she'd ever heard.
"I'm not playing," Lily repeated.
"But- but why not?"
Due to your condition-
"Who knows?"
"Lily, come on, you have to play Quidditch?"
-you are hereby banned from playing Quidditch this year.
"Why?" Lily snapped, her left hand clenching and unclenching. "So everybody can jeer me again? So Slytherin can blame me every time we lose a game? So the papers can call me worthless again?"
"I- but-"
"It doesn't matter anyway," Lily muttered, burying her chin back into her arms. "They kicked me off last year. Not like they'd let me back on even if I did want to play."
"But you still brought your broom, didn't you?"
"No," Lily said firmly.
"Why wouldn't you-"
"Because I snapped the stupid thing," Lily said, "so just shut up and stop talking to me, would you?"
"You broke your Firebolt?"
"Yeah, that's right," Lily said. "It was mine. I could do what I wanted. That a problem?"
"What are you going to fly instead, then?" Katie said, now sounding utterly confused.
"Nothing. That was the point." They couldn't take anything from her if she didn't have anything.
"But you've got to have a broom!"
"I don't want a bloody-"
"I just had to buy myself a new one," Katie said, her eyes twinkling again. "Worked at the Leaky Cauldron all summer to save up for it. Thought I'd just make it back on the team, but McGonagall went and picked me, so I got something real special!"
"Good for you," Lily muttered, lifting her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and resting her chin on her knees.
"Course, she only did so because Angelina and Alicia both turned it down," Katie said, a bit of her excitement disappearing. "They wanted to focus on their NEWTs, see, and, well- who's going to give one of the twins Prefect powers?"
"Right," Lily said, but only because Katie paused as if expecting something. It occurred to Lily too slowly that she should probably inform Katie that the twins weren't returning to Hogwarts.
"Anyway," Katie said, "it's not a Firebolt or anything, but as soon as I got it in my hands and got to have that first flight, it was like everything was normal and right again, like it was before last year."
Lily stayed quiet when she paused, this time, since she finally got what Katie was getting at. Katie just kept staring at her, a little smile frozen on her face as if that would do anything to change Lily's mind.
"I'm not going flying with you," she said when the silence became unbearable.
"I know you've had a rubbish summer," Katie said, "but that doesn't mean you should just-"
"It's been a bit more than rubbish," Lily said, a bit too loudly.
"Alright, fine, it's been a complete and utter nightmare," Kate allowed. "But you love flying, Lily! You can't just throw it away because people might be mean about it."
"Nobody's going to let a murderer join the Quidditch team," Lily said.
"Oh, please," Katie said, rolling her eyes. "Nobody really believes you murdered Bagman, especially now that the Prophet's started blaming the goblins for it. They just like talking about it, and everybody's much more focused on the new thing, anyway."
"Brilliant," Lily murmured. "And what's that, then?"
"You really don't know?" Katie said, blinking at her slowly.
"Why would I?"
"Well, it's just- it's been everywhere since it broke, and you were already getting the Quibbler, weren't you? You really haven't seen it?"
"The Quibbler?" Lily said, narrowing her eyes. "What're they saying? Fudge finally get my blood and create a race of super vampires?"
"Oh, no," Katie said, laughing. "This one's much more believable, actually, especially since Teen Witch and Magus Monthly corroborated it. The former's where I read it, anyway. Tell you what, if you want to come to my compartment, I can show you, if you'd like to-"
"No, thank you," Lily said dismissively. "Just tell me."
"Well," Katie said, sounding thoroughly disappointed, "it's about you and-"
The compartment door slid open again at that moment, and, this time, a short haired (but very curly), red-faced witch was standing there, panting and wiping some sweat from her forehead and looking utterly disheveled in addition to completely miffed. Her purple jumper had its collar stretched slightly too far, revealing more skin around the neck than it should, and the shirt she was wearing under it was thoroughly untucked.
"I found her!" Hermione said, leaning back outside and shouting down the hallway. "She's here! Tell your mum!"
"Wonderful," Lily said, putting her feet back on the ground. "This is my queue to-"
"Not move a single muscle," Hermione said, and, to Lily's great shock, she drew her wand at her and leveled it at her chest. "Katie, I think you should give us a bit of privacy."
"Sure thing," Katie said, hopping to her feet immediately. "Not right to flirt with a married woman, anyway."
"Married?" Lily repeated, eyes still locked on Hermione's wand.
"First weekend, Potter," Katie said, winking at her and elaborating no more. "You're going to help me with the tryouts, since you're not playing for your team, and I won't take no for an answer."
Fat chance, Lily thought. Hermione's wand was still aimed directly at her, and Lily could feel a bit of cold sweat trickling down her spine.
Your poor memory will reflect just as well on your marks, Black. It seems you're in need of a punishment.
Lily took a deep breath. It was just Hermione. Hermione wasn't going to hurt her. She was fine.
"Can I help you?" she asked, crossing her arms and meeting Hermione's eyes. It was easier to breathe when she wasn't looking directly at the wand, but the stone-like pressure of fear was still firmly settled in her stomach.
"What was my first Patronus?" Hermione asked, holding her chin high.
"An otter?" Lily said, flexing the fingers of her right hand. "What do you mean first?" Don't draw your wand. It's just Hermione. She's not going to hurt you.
"Never mind that," Hermione asked, and, finally, her wand lowered to her side. "Lily, why did you-"
"Read my note, didn't you?" Lily asked, sitting back on her cushioned seat and turning back out the window. Her heart was still beating very quickly, but the movement did a lot to hide the sigh of relief she'd been unable to contain.
"Well- well I want to hear it from you!"
So, they didn't find it, then. Why did she feel so disappointed at the expected result?
"No, thanks," Lily said. "Mind your own business for once."
"That's not how this is going to go," Hermione said sternly. "You're either going to tell me why you ran away in the middle of the night, or I'm going to-"
"I wasn't running away," Lily said. "I just came here early."
"Alone, and in the middle of the night?"
"The sun was rising."
"Lily. Don't."
"What do you want from me, Hermione?" Lily whined, leaning her head back on the seat behind her. "Why can't anyone just leave me alone?"
"You could have been killed, Lily!" Hermione screeched. "What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that the Order wasn't going to just let me go back to Hogwarts," Lily said. "I was thinking that I wasn't going to just let them swap me out for Tonks. I was thinking that I'd rather die than let anyone else tell me what I'm going to do."
"Tonks?" Hermione said, her face crinkled. "What's she got to do with anything?"
"Oh, your little pals in the Order didn't tell you when they brought you down for their little meetings?" Lily said. "I figured you must know more than I do, seeing as how they don't even trust me enough to say 'hello.' Surely, Sirius told you, at least, seeing as how he stole my map."
"Tonks isn't going to replace you, Lily," Hermione said with a sigh. "She's just at the school for extra protection. They haven't even told me if she's being disguised as a student or a teacher. All they gave me is exactly what they gave you. Sirius just wanted your map so you didn't go looking for her, is all."
"Oh, they did tell you all their little plans, then?"
"Just what was relevant," Hermione said. "They only let me into one meeting, Lily, and they only chose me because they were worried you'd-"
"Spill it to the Dark Lord?"
"You're not being fair."
"I don't feel like being fair."
"Well, knock it off," Hermione snapped. "I was going to tell you what they told me, but you wouldn't let me in. S.P.E.W. is supposed to-"
"I don't care," Lily said, crossing both her arms and legs. "Save it for somebody that does."
"Lily, please. I'm trying to be your friend, but you're making it very difficult right now."
There was no mirror in the compartment (and the reflection didn't count, or Lily would have known by now), but she could practically hear what her madness would have told her.
She's better off without us.
"I don't care," Lily said with a shrug. "Haven't you been paying attention?"
Lily could practically hear Hermione grinding her teeth, but, finally, she tucked her wand away into her back pocket.
"Come on," she said, sighing and huffing. "You should get changed. The Prefects have to-"
"Meet, yeah, I know," Lily said, sighing and standing up. "Let's just go get it over with." The train was well and truly moving, now, even if Lily hadn't been aware of it even starting. It took her only a moment to dig out a pair of school robes from her trunk.
"And we're going to talk about this," Hermione said sharply, opening the compartment door once more. "I know you're hurting, Lily, but treating your friends like this isn't going to work."
"Just drop it, Hermione," Lily said.
"Not a chance," Hermione said, holding the bathroom door open so Lily could enter first. "I know exactly what you're trying to do, Lily, and you're not pushing me away, no matter how hard you try. I made a promise."
I promise, Lily, I won't let you be alone this time.
Lily started grinding her teeth as she entered into the bathroom. There were only three stalls, and only two sinks to go with them. Above each one of those was a mirror. Lily half-expected them to start urging her to do terrible things immediately, but they didn't. They remained silent- but one of them did nod at her, despite her real head not moving one bit. Lily's jaw started moving faster, and she slammed one of the stall doors shut behind her. Her sweater came off first, followed by her trousers, and she pulled her undershirt off last. That left her skin mostly bare. She sat on the toilet lid, staring down at the surface of her left arm.
I hate this, she thought, watching the serpent move in and out of the skull's orifices. Why did I have to win that stupid cup? Why couldn't I just- why can't I just be normal? She could hear Hermione changing in the stall next to her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. The movements next door stopped briefly. "I don't want to be this way."
"It's alright," Hermione said just as quietly. "I'll help you through this. I promise. I'm not going anywhere. But you can't keep being this way, Lily. I know you're angry, and I know it's not your fault, but taking it out on people who don't deserve it- it's not fair."
Lily nodded, even though nobody could see her. There was nothing Hermione would be able to do about anything, and she'd probably change her mind on even trying if she knew about the mark, but the sentiment still made Lily feel a bit lighter.
"I suppose I just have to fake it until I make it," she mumbled.
"Lily-"
But whatever words of comfort Hermione might have found, she didn't speak, because more girls were now entering the bathroom. Lily rubbed her dead thumb over her dark mark one more time, took a deep breath, and started to put on her school uniform. She even changed her hair colour entirely to a bright yellow to match the fleeting emotion, since Hermione made a little comment about her glowering so much ("There. Now, don't I look peppy?"). She even tied her hair back into her usual tail to show off her scar, so she'd be fully recognizable. If she was going to pretend everything was alright, she felt she might as well go all the way. Besides- giving her hair unnatural colours always got Hermione to look at her in ways that made her feel incredibly strange, and this was no different. She wasn't sure how she felt about conversations shutting off as they passed on their way to the Prefect car, though, but she did her best to ignore them.
The old us wouldn't curse people just for rumours, she thought, grinding her teeth all the while. She was choosing to willfully ignore all the times she'd done exactly that.
The Prefect car was just like every other one: it had a set of compartments and a small hallway, and the wall was lined with windows that showed off the passing countryside. The only difference was that it was right at the front of the train, and only Prefects and staff were allowed to pass through it (although they did make exceptions for first years). Prefects were allowed to sit there instead of the normal train, but doing so meant you'd have to interact with your fellows, and Lily couldn't think of anything she wanted to do less. It was bad enough that she'd have to deal with the other Gryffindor Prefects once they finally found Ron.
"There you are," Ron said, his face lifting when the two girls pushed their way through the small crowd. "Thought you'd leave me here on my own. You're looking- err-"
"Peppy," Lily said again, nodding her head along. "And normal."
"I was going to go with 'yellow.' What's wrong with your face?"
"It's called a smile, Ron."
"Well, stop it. You're creeping me out."
"How's this, then?"
"Blimey, is this what you felt like when you were staring down that dragon?"
"Hello, Dean," Hermione said, pleasantly nodding at the tall black boy. "I see you're the other Gryffindor Prefect."
"For the boys, yeah," Dean said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "The girls didn't get much of a choice."
"Yes," Hermione said, sighing and glancing over to where Lavender and Parvati were whispering in the corner. "I imagine it's only a matter of time before one of them accidentally leaks our patrol schedules."
Lily wasn't imagining it, this time. Lavender was definitely looking upset. Her bottom lip was quivering while she spoke with Parvati, and her eyes were on the verge of tears. Lily couldn't help herself. Despite everything going on in her life, she found herself taking a step forward, ready to see what was wrong and try to make things better.
"Hello, Hazel," Dean said, and before she could make it a bit further, Hermione had her arm in a vice grip and was pulling her back to the group.
"Hullo," Lily mumbled, still watching Lavender.
"Err- trying out something new, then?"
"Yeah. Do you like it?"
"I do, actually," Dean said, and he certainly didn't sound like he was lying.
"Bit too bright, don't you think?" Ron added.
Lily shrugged and then, after only considering it for a moment, changed it to a dark green.
"How about this, then?" she asked, running a hand through it and giving it a shake to give it some volume, all the while still keeping her eyes on Lavender.
"Lily!" Hermione whispered in a hiss, her grip tightening as she pulled Lily closer to the wall. "What are you-"
"How'd you do that?" Dean asked, sounding more amazed than upset.
"I'm a Metamorphmagus," Lily said casually, finally pulling her eyes away from the Gryffindor Prefect pair. Dean was amazed- but he wasn't the only person watching them. In fact, most people were watching them, now. Some had their mouths hanging open, some were whispering excitedly to each other with eyes occasionally darting towards her, and some- well, some seemed outright hostile. Lily hadn't noticed Draco Malfoy was here before now, let alone that he was wearing a Prefect Badge of his own, nor had she noticed Blaise Zabini standing next to him. Zabini was watching her with a curious look, and Draco- he seemed equal parts terrified and outraged.
"When did that happen?" Dean asked.
"Always," Lily said, and now she finally understood why Hermione was looking so horrified. She raised her voice before adding, "didn't you hear about how Fudge wanted my blood so he could make an immortal army of shapeshifting vampires?"
"That was true?" Dean said, now sounding as horrified as Hermione's face appeared.
"No," Lily said, really playing up her laugh and saying, loud enough so everyone could hear, "you really shouldn't be believing anything you read in the papers."
"Lily?" Hermione said, grasping Lily's arm hard enough to hurt. "Can we talk for a moment?"
"Why?" Lily said sweetly. "I'm catching up with Dean."
"Now." Hermione said through grit teeth.
"Alright, fine," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Ron can tell you, Dean- he's known for ages."
Hermione dragged Lily all the way to the back corner, and then leaned in real close.
"Have you gone mad?" she hissed.
Yes, Lily thought.
"No," Lily said.
"Then what do you think you're-"
"Right, crowd in, then," a voice called from near the front of the carriage. "We don't have much room for all of you, so let's get this over fast, eh?"
Lily didn't move from her spot, but she did at least afford Cedric Diggory her attention. The girl next to him, wearing the Head Girl's badge, was someone she didn't know. She was wearing Ravenclaw colours, and she had long, ginger hair that she kept in an intricate braid that must take ages to arrange every morning (provided she hadn't found a way to do it by spell, anyway).
"My name is Cedric Diggory," Cedric said, running a hand over his head. "I'll be your Head Boy, and I'm in charge of the patrol schedules. This is Amelia Manderly, and she'll be your Head Girl. You'll come to one of us at the end of every day to report your point deductions and detentions. Remember- they won't get processed if we don't hear of them. I know at least one of us has already gotten a head start," and he looked directly at Lily, "but let's hold off on any points until after the Sorting, yeah? We'll be handing out pamphlets shortly that detail what, exactly, you can dole out punishments for, as well as what infractions you'll need to-"
"Why is Potter here?" a seventh year Slytherin girl asked. Lily thought her name was Doris, but she didn't have the slightest idea of a family name. She had short, black hair, though, and a face that might have been cute if she didn't have a constant expression as if somebody was holding a rotten egg directly under her nostrils.
"Because she's a Prefect," Cedric said simply. Lily couldn't help but notice that Amelia Manderly crossed her arms and pointedly looked away from him. "Now, if you'll all just-"
"She's a murderer!" Susan Bones said, and, that, at least, got rid of the good mood that was threatening to creep up on Lily. She'd always liked Susan well enough, if only from afar.
"She was cleared of all charges," Cedric said, adding with a determined glare, "and you should know that, seeing as it was your aunt running the trial."
"Delacour's body was never found!"
"Keep up with the news, Bogart," Cedric said, finally tucking his clipboard at his side. "Right, let's get this over with, then. I've gotten an official order from the Ministry not to talk about this while we're at school, but we're not there yet, are we? Potter didn't kill Ludo Bagman, and Fleur Delacour is alive and well."
"How do you know?"
"An excellent question, Mercut," Cedric said. "I know because I just saw her a couple weeks ago."
"Where was she, then?" Lavender said, her voice low and sad. "Did she really run off with Li- with Hazel?"
"Oh, that's easy," Cedric said. "Nobody ran off with no one. They were both being held hostage by Lord Voldemort."
Well, that got a reaction, Lily thought, that good mood starting to creep back again. Half the room gasped or flinched at the sound of the Dark Lord's name, including their new Head Girl. She didn't even care that Cedric had told everybody where she was.
"Have you lost it?" Anthony Goldstein said.
"No," Cedric said. "As a matter of fact, I got the privilege of fighting with his Death Eaters the same time I saw Fleur."
"He has lost it," Ernie MacMillan muttered, and Lily heard quite a few people murmur their own agreements.
"Listen," Cedric said, his sharp voice cutting through the crowd. "I don't want to undercut Dumbledore, so I'm only going to say this once. Lord Voldemort is back. That is an undeniable fact, and if any of can't bring yourselves to accept it, then you may as well turn in your badges, because I don't want you. Got it?"
"We're just supposed to believe you?" Parvati said. Lily heard Lavender sniff at her side, but she wasn't sure if it was an agreement, disagreement, or just remains of whatever made her sad before. "The Prophet said-"
"That Dumbledore's losing it, and Potter's a madwoman," Cedric said, pulling his clipboard back out. "Personally, I liked the Quibbler's story, more, but it's just as rubbish. The Prophet is lying, and Potter is right. You shouldn't believe what the papers are saying."
"If he's back, we'd know," Mandy Brocklehurst said, and Lily thought she sounded very angry. Perhaps that was because Lily had been completely ignoring every attempt the girl had been making to get her attention.
"We're done with this conversation," Cedric said, flipping the page. "I've got a lot of information to get through, and very little time to do so. If you don't like the truth, the door's behind you. I'll got a lot of options in Ravenclaw that Flitwick would be more than happy to replace you with."
"Look, Diggory," a Slytherin seventh year said. "Just because you used to shag Potter before she changed teams doesn't mean-"
"That'll be a detention, Alhurst," Cedric said without looking up from his papers (although his ears did turn a bit red). "Open your mouth again, and I'll see to it personally that you're removed from the roster. Now, for our first week back, we won't be doing patrols, but we are asking each of our newest Prefects to familiarise themselves with the areas of the castle they aren't typically in- this is our biggest incoming class in over a decade, and Sprout told me that-"
"You can have my badge now," Alhurst said, and he took the silver from his chest and flung it straight at Cedric's forehead. Unfortunately for the Slytherin's political statement, though, Cedric was a trained Seeker, and he just snatched it out of the air.
"Suit yourself," Cedric said, pocketing the badge and glancing over the rest of the crowd. "Anyone else, then?"
Lily watched as Alhurst forced his way out of the compartment. Two more Slytherin Prefects went, too, as well as one Ravenclaw, but the rest of them stayed. Lily honestly would have expected most of them to go, but she supposed they wanted to be a Prefect far more than they wanted to show off that they couldn't stand her guts. The Head Girl looked like she wanted to go, too, but resigning as Head Girl on the very first day likely would have been career suicide for whatever she wanted to do after school.
"Now," Cedric said, finally turning back to his clipboard again. "Patrols will start next week. I'll give out those schedules this weekend, once I've gotten the chance to redo them, but I want all of you patrolling the halls once every thirty minutes while we're still on the train. Check in with any first years you see, make sure they're not too nervous, if you would. When we get to school, make sure you keep everybody at your tables quiet during the sorting and Dumbledore's speech, and once it's all done, our new Prefects are to guide the first years to their common rooms. Note I said new ones: they're the ones the first years will see the longest, so I want them endearing themselves to them. I've got your passwords for your common rooms here, and I'll hand them out when we're done, so make sure you go around to all the members of your house you can find so you can give it to them. For now, we've got a lot of other stuff to cover, so I'd really appreciate if Patil and Brown would stop talking and pay attention."
Lily thought the meeting was never going to end, but, after an hour, it did, and she and Hermione received the new password to the Slytherin common room (which was "united in blood"). Lily was the first one out of the compartment when they were dismissed, and she could hear Ron and Hermione following along behind them. She was determined not to wait for them to catch up, though, because she'd spotted Mandy Brocklehurst slowly working her way nearer to her throughout the entirety of the meeting.
Lily wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she heard it before she saw it. A familiar laugh came out of the nearest compartment, and she pushed her way in without hesitation. Ginny and Sae were inside, along with Luna Lovegood, and each of them were reading an issue of the Quibbler. The strangest part, though, was Neville was with them.
"What are you in here for?" Ron asked before she could, his brow knitted together.
"Oh, how nice," Ginny said, crossing her arms, her magazine hanging limply from one hand. Lily narrowed her eyes at the cover. It was upside down, but it was two women, but wearing white dresses, and they looked remarkably like- "Lily, can I let Weasley out of his cage, now?"
"Yeah, sure," Lily said, only now noticing that her cat was held up above them, next to Ginny's trunk. Lily sat down next to Luna (since nobody else wanted to sit there; apparently, they'd all rather crowd five people on one side rather than spreading out) and leaned her head against the compartment wall.
"Hello, Hazel," Luna said airily. "How is Fleur?"
"Err- dunno. Haven't seen her since-" Lily's mouth suddenly went dry as she remembered the cramped elf quarters they'd been forced to share. "Haven't seen her," she finished lamely, ignoring the looks she was getting.
"What're you doing in here?" Ron tried again, leaning around his sister (who was standing on her seat to release Weasley) so he could look at Neville.
"I invited him," Ginny said. "Weasley, stop biting me, please, I'm trying to- ow!"
"Had to sit somewhere," Neville said with a shrug. "This seemed as nice as anywhere. You lot have a nice summer?"
"Not even remotely," Lily grumbled, closing her eyes.
"Trouble in paradise, then?" Luna asked.
Lily snorted. "If you count hell as a paradise, sure."
"That's a shame. My dad's marriage was quite happy."
"Marriage?" Lily repeated. "Wait-" she leaned forward and opened her eyes again. "Katie said something about that, too. What're you on about?"
"It's the new Quibbler," Ginny said, giggling and holding Weasley tight to her chest as she sat back down. Lily had no idea where the gaudy sweater he was wearing came from, because she'd certainly never bought him one.
"Oh, no," Ron said, and his face went completely white.
It's the one he burned, Lily thought, narrowing her eyes at him. She opened her mouth to start giving him a piece of her mind, only to remember that she was supposed to be pretending to be normal. She closed it and tried to think of happier thoughts, instead, like hexing Malfoy or Hermione wearing that maroon suit.
"It's the fastest selling issue in Quibbler history," Luna said very rapidly, her eyes twinkling as she leaned forward. "Daddy wants to do a follow-up, but he really wants to meet with the couple for an interview, first, so I wanted to ask if you and Fleur would be willing to-"
"Fleur?" Lily asked, and she leaned forward and snatched the issue that Sae was still holding.
"Oi!" Sae said, but Lily ignored her. There were two beautiful women drawn on the front, both wearing extravagant white dresses and holding bouquets, occasionally glancing shyly at each other or even sharing a quick kiss. That wasn't the worst part, though.
The worst part was that one was Fleur, and the other was her. The taglines underneath them didn't help, either.
Meet the Mrs. Delacours: Hazel and Fleur
(See page 17 for more information!)
"You've got to be kidding me," Hermione said as Lily flipped towards the center of the magazine. The headline there was even worse, and Lily let out a little groan as she started to read.
The Triwizard Love Affair
Hazel Lily Potter was once the most beloved girl (and, very briefly, boy) in all of wizarding Britain. Beautiful, courageous, and brilliant, many considered her to be the next Albus Dumbledore. It was a tragedy, what happened. We've all heard what the Ministry and the Daily Prophet purport to be the truth: that, on the eve of the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, Hazel Lily Potter abducted one Fleur Delacour, and later murdered both her and Ludo Bagman.
OR DID SHE?
Startling new evidence has been brought forward that suggests a very different truth. According to one Luna Lillian Lovegood-
"Your middle name is Lillian?" Ron asked Luna sharply.
"Yes!" Luna said happily, her sweet swinging just an inch off the ground (as she was just slightly too short for them to touch, with the odd way she was sitting). "It was my grandmother's name. Do you like it?"
"Oh, sure," Ron said, grinning broadly, and Lily could practically hear all the ways he was planning to use that information to tease her. "Brilliant name, isn't it? Suppose you could be a 'Lily,' too, then- did you know Lily's is short for 'Lilypad?'"
"Really?" Luna said with a ridiculous, barking laugh. "Oh, daddy will love that."
"How come you're in here giving an interview on me?" Lily asked, waving the magazine around before Ron could create a whole new story out of thin air.
"Oh, keep reading!" Luna urged, humming happily and still staring at Ron. "You'll see!"
-of Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, Hazel Potter could never have killed Fleur Delacour, as the two girls were madly in love with each other.
"It was so obvious, in retrospect," Luna tells us. "But I didn't realize it until Skeeter outed her. The two of them are always stealing little glances at each other, and I've had it on good authority that they've been having secret little meetings around the castle well after curfew."
"You did not!" Hermione said, surprising Lily out of her reading. She was standing, her face was a bright, angry red, and her little fists were balled up at her sides.
"Yeah, who'd you hear that from?" Ron said, smiling as if this newest embarrassment of Lily's was his favourite yet.
"I won't be revealing my sources, thanks," Luna said with a dignified sniff.
"Probably Skeeter herself," Lily muttered before continuing to read.
Of course, little schoolhouse rumours are nothing compared to their proven disappearance at the conclusion of the Triwizard Tournament. However, we have no less than two eyewitnesses who saw the happy couple in the days immediately afterwards. Why the Ministry of Magic elected to ignore their reports, we at the Quibbler cannot say why (although we will certainly be looking into it).
Horlattia Snitch saw the pair holding hands while on holiday in Nice, France. She also very clearly saw two elaborate rings on their hands. The next day, a clerk with the French Ministry of Magic, who has chosen to remain anonymous, processed a marriage license between the two-
"This is rubbish!" Hermione snapped, suddenly standing to her feet. "Women can't get married to each other in France, even in the magical world!"
"Oh, and I suppose you'd know better than our source?" Luna asked, her tone airy and cool, her arms crossed and her gray eyes studying Hermione.
"Yes!" Hermione said, pulling at her hair a bit. "I've done loads of research on it!"
"You've done loads of research?" Ginny asked with a barely repressed giggle.
"I- I- yes," Hermione sputtered, her face turning red again. "It was for History of Magic," she added quickly. "We were supposed to research the evolving equal rights movement of foreign countries for an essay at the end of last year, and that was only a small section of mine, as I turned in nearly eight feet. Wizards are hardly more accepting of gay people than the Muggles, and the only places in the magical world that accept marriages between couples of the same sex and gender are Greece, Italy, Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, and here, in the UK, but only if the Minister themselves approves it, and that's only due to a loophole that Minister Marigold exploited to marry her longtime partner, Elladora Kettleridge!" Hermione's gaze swapped quickly between everyone else in the room, all of which were staring at her incredulously as her face turned a bright pink. "Ron and Neville can tell you, too, can't they?" she hurriedly added, looking desperately at the two boys.
"Dunno, mate," Ron said, that stupid grin still on his face. "I seem to recall half your essay was specifically about the historical instances of women marrying each other."
"It- I- it was not!"
"All the men got was a little paragraph towards the end," Neville added. His grin was nowhere near as wide, but it was clear he was also having a lot of fun. "More of an afterthought, really."
"Neville, please, it wasn't-"
"Oh!" Luna said, letting out a long, awkward laugh. "Someone seems a bit eager!"
"I- I am not!" Hermione said, a high pitch whine in her voice.
"So, who's the lucky lady, Hermione?" Ron said, earning another laugh from Luna. "I expect we'll get the invites any day now, yeah?"
"Stop!"
"Can't be who we think, eh?" Ron said, winking at Lily (and seemingly taking her lack of killing him as a sign that she'd forgiven him). "She's already got a wife, doesn't she?"
"Stop it, Ron! I'm warning you!"
"Now, Hermione," Ginny said, putting her hands on her hips in an excellent imitation of her mother. "It isn't right, thirsting after a married woman like some wanton harlot. Really, what would your mum think?"
"Ginny, don't-"
"'Sleeping Beauty' wasn't enough, I guess," Ron said unabatedly. "Don't worry, Hermione, I'm sure Lily could whip up a bit of 'Happily Ever After' for you."
This time, Luna's laugh was joined by others, all except for Lily herself, and that seemed to be too much for her. She sputtered, her face growing brighter and her body trembling from the sheer embarrassment.
"I'm going on patrol!" Hermione said suddenly, and, as she whirled around to leave, Lily spotted the angry tears in her eyes. She even slammed the door so hard that the glass window got a crack in it, but Hermione had her own wand out to fix it before Lily could even reach for hers.
"That was too much," Lily muttered while the rest of the room fought off their giggles.
"Oh, we're just teasing her, Lily," Ginny said, rolling her eyes (and wiping a tear from one). "It's her problem that she still hasn't asked a certain somebody out, or we wouldn't have to."
"I'm going to go look for her," Lily said, rising to her feet and tossing her magazine onto the empty seat.
"Oh, don't bother, mate," Ron said, jumping to his and taking her spot, snatching up the magazine she'd been reading. "Don't you want to see what you and Fleur got up to during your honeymoon?"
"Oh, that's page 19!" Luna said, scootching closer to Ron so that their knees were touching. "They didn't get a very long one, since Bagman caught them before his heart attack, but-"
"I'm sure you can tell me all about it later," Lily said, sliding the door open and going after her 'friend,' who she was currently having a lot of difficulties not picturing in a wedding dress.