Lily started out on her plan simply. She started by ingratiating herself into the higher cliques in Gryffindor – the pretty girls, the gossips, the popular kids. It was the easiest way to find out what was happening around the school and her dormmates were such a help in that.

"I'm glad you finally came to your senses, Lily," Mary MacDonald said, leaning against the back of the chair carelessly. "He wasn't exactly the politest person, you know?"

Lily shrugged, sadly. "He was my first friend."

Marlene McKinnon crashed into the couch beside Mary. "And now you're making better friends."

Lily grit her teeth and didn't say anything. They were all very judgemental, and she wasn't sure if she liked that about them, but they did give her the best opportunity to get into the social circles of the Wizarding World. And that was something she needed.

"Do we have to talk about it?" She asked, lowering her head in sadness. She hated talking about herself, and it would do no good if she lost her temper. And she would lose her temper if they continued picking on someone who wasn't even there to defend themselves.

Marlene watched her carefully for all of a second, before waving her hand at someone else. "Ellie! Come here!"

Lily looked up curiously, to see who Marlene was calling. She noticed a pretty blonde girl, with a wicked smile turn towards them. When she caught sight of Marlene's waving, she excused herself from the group she was talking to and skipped across the common room.

"Heya, Marly, what's up?"

Lily couldn't place her accent, nor the way she spoke. Ellie was short and lithe, but she looked like an athlete and a prankster. Marlene moved to sit up and patted the seat beside her. Ellie sat down.

"Ellie, that's Lily Evans, our fifth-year prefect and my dormmate," Marlene introduced, pointing her out. Lily knew that pointing at someone was rude, but Marlene had never cared about being polite. "Lily, this is my cousin, Eleanor McKinnon, seventh year. Ellie, you've to teach me the trick you promised."

Eleanor smiled at Lily, cursory and careless as Marlene, before turning back to her. "I told you that I'm not teaching you that until you can prove you completed the previous task."

"But I did prove it to you!" Marlene protested.

Lily had to stifle a smile as their bickering devolved into an argument. Marlene was very distracted a lot of the time, attention wavering from one thing to another at a rapid pace.

"They are usually not this entertaining," Mary whispered, leaning closer to Lily to say it. "Marlene doesn't have the concentration to argue a point, and Ellie is great a tricking people."

"Tricking people?" Lily asked, interest piqued. She had barely spent twenty minutes with her dormmates, and they were already introducing her to the interesting people. "What do you mean by that?"

Mary sent her a conspiratorial grin. "Ellie's like a con woman. You're a muggleborn right? She's like one of those con artists in the movies. She convinces people of anything and everything, and sometimes, she scams them."

Lily's eyes widened. "Really?" She breathed out in awe. "That's amazing!"

"Isn't it? She even managed to trick one of those Slytherins into believing they were wrong and apologizing to the Hufflepuff."

Mary looked very proud of that fact, and Lily smiled along. If Ellie was that good, all Lily had to do was convince Ellie to teach her. It would be difficult, she couldn't explain her task after all, but Ellie could teach her the interesting stuff, like how to manipulate someone. And that's what Lily needed. Best part, Ellie was a Gryffindor, which meant no social suicide.

But that brought up other questions, like how Ellie had managed to get into Gryffindor.

"How come she's in Gryffindor?" Lily asked Mary, who regarded her carefully. "Isn't cunning and manipulation a Slytherin trait?"

Mary shrugged, as if she couldn't care. "Does it matter much now? Ellie is one of the best people we know, and she's a half-blood. That's probably why she's a Gryffindor."

"Huh."

Marlene turned back to them then, ignoring Ellie in a huff. "I'm going to the kitchens. Mary?"

"I'll come with," Mary said, unfolding herself from her place. She was one of the tallest girls in the house, and the most graceful. "Lily?"

Lily shook her head with a grimace. "I don't want to walk all the way down today. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow."

Ellie laughed, draping herself across the rest of the unoccupied couch. "Go on Marly, I'll keep your new friend company. She won't be harassed by any of your more distasteful friends."

Marlene scoffed, but stalked off, and Mary followed her with a long-suffering eye roll. The crash of the Fat Lady's portrait echoed through the room, and despite the noise from others in the room, Lily could hear it.

"She's so dramatic, that one," Ellie said, shaking her head fondly. And then she turned to Lily, eyes sharp and cutting. "So, you're the fifth-year prefect who is the goody-two-shoes."

Lily tried not to be offended by that. "And you're the random seventh year that no one has heard of before."

Ellie laughed slightly, and it was realistic enough that Lily was almost fooled. But Petunia laughed like that at jokes she hated. "You run in the wrong social circles if you've never heard of me. Everyone has heard of you though, as a prissy little upstart. Not such a good reputation for a young muggleborn."

"Are you offering to help me fix it?"

"Do you want my help?" Ellie asked, sitting up and putting her legs off the sofa. She leaned forward slightly. "What are you willing to offer me if I agree to help you?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't need your help."

It was a blatant lie, but Ellie didn't have to know that. "You think you can change your reputation by yourself?"

"I think I don't need help from someone who is desperately offering their help for something in return. For all I know, what I'm giving you in return would be more precious that what you will be giving me." Lily replied, crossing her legs and leaning back. She tried not to seem like she wanted Ellie's help to learn. As far as anyone knew, she was completely content, and she didn't need a teacher at all!

Ellie's eyes narrowed so very slightly, and Lily might not have caught it if she hadn't been staring at Ellie the whole time. "You are interesting. I think I'll stick around for a bit before making my decision. I might even refine your talent."

Lily frowned at that for a second, almost asking what she meant. But Ellie wouldn't answer, she knew that much already, and whatever Ellie had already decided might be the best she would get out of this situation.

She nodded. "Okay, I guess I'll see you around."

She left the common room, going to her dorm where she could ignore all the bizarre happenings going on. Thoughts buzzing through her head, she tried to fall asleep. Why had she never seen Ellie before? And would Ellie's training help her get inside the Marauders' little circle?

Ellie sat down beside Lily in the common room almost a week later, brows drawn together consideringly. She didn't say anything, but Lily was content to try and wait her out. Lily knew that she was too impatient to wait forever, but she certainly could try. It was good for her to be testing out her self-control, which so far had been non-existent.

Although, in the last week she had spent a lot of time stopping herself from cursing Potter, pummeling Black or rolling her eyes at Pettigrew's lame excuses for jokes. She had even ignored Potter when he tried to ask her out, instead of violently disagreeing. Sure, it might give him false hope but at least it might be more likely for him to tell her about the letter if he liked her.

"You are doing pretty good, I must say," Ellie said, breaking the silence before Lily. Mentally cheering at that, Lily smiled politely at Ellie. It might have ended up with more teeth than necessary, but she didn't let that get her spirits down.

"I told you I would." She sounded too smug, so she toned it down. "Made your decision on refining my skills yet?"

Ellie shrugged and leaned back. "I'm not completely unreasonable, Evans. But I do need something in return, or it would be an utter waste of time for me."

Of course, it would be a waste of time for her. Lily knew her concerns, and she couldn't say anything against Ellie's decision. Ellie was in her NEWT year, Lily had her OWLs, she was a rich half-blood, Lily was muggleborn. What could Lily offer her that she didn't know or have already?

"What do you want?" Lily asked, carefully.

Ellie seemed to take pity on her though, because she said, "Any one piece that you think is valuable per month that I work with you."

It wasn't unreasonable, but Lily frowned at the wording. She had done some reading beforehand and she knew from her mother that deals could be disastrous if the wording was off. Lily thought it through, word by word, trying to find the catch. It hit her about halfway through the fourth time. There was going to be a war in the future, Ellie might end up working with her then. And if Lily agreed to this, she might have to pay Ellie even then, when Lily would get nothing in return.

"Any one piece I find valuable for every month you train me," Lily returned. Counter-offers were supposed to increase the stakes, and she could see that happening when Ellie's calculating look appeared. She seemed to be considering it and for a moment, Lily wondered what else she would add to the terms.

But finally, she spoke, "Deal."

Lily was taken aback by how easily she agreed. But she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and she held her hand out. Ellie grabbed her hand and shook, smiling cheerily. Lily had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't like Ellie's next sentence.

"Either one of us can call it off, and the payment must be made beforehand." She whispered, pulling back and waving as she left. "Come to me when you're ready to start, Evans! I'm sure we'll have some fun!"

Lily stared dumbfounded, as Ellie bounded from the room, ruffling hair and giving hi-fives as she moved. She felt the determination settle itself over her, burning slowly, so like anger but foreign. She was going to be the best version of herself.