Chapter 30: Gilmore's Gossiper
I own nothing XD
"And then he said that 'love was meant to take time and that true love is rare." Dorcas was telling Lily as they made their way towards the Great Hall that morning. "Isn't he sweet, Lily?"
"Yes I'm sure Myriad is just lovely." Lily rolled her eyes eyeing Severus as she passed the Slytherin table. "I'll make sure to let everyone in the school know that he's taken by you."
"Lily! Dorc!" Mary laughed waving them over where had saved a seat at the table. "She's not talking about Myriad again, is she?" Mary asked looking at Lily stifling a laugh. "We already told her not to worry. Marlene and I are personally making sure no one claims him before her."
"And honestly," Marlene added after hearing her name being uttered. She put down her Forever magazine and looked at them seriously. "I was telling Mary earlier to just make sure Sora is millions of feet away from him..."
Dorcas grinned and the three of them continued talking about how Sora Makino was going to have to stay at least 15 feet away from Myriad if Dorcas wanted a chance with him. According to Marlene she was a notorious flirt. She watched as Dorcas grinned and Mary laughed high-fiving Marlene. Lily hadn't seen Mary look so happy in a while and it honestly made Lily so happy. Mary had at first not even wanted to leave the common room, but now the girl who couldn't stop crying was looking livelier than ever.
"Oh look cranberry-blueberry muffins!" Mary squealed pointing out to Lily and Dorcas, the two nearest to them, to quickly claim them. "They're my favorite!"
"Michale WAIT!" Mary screamed scaring Micheal Duke causing him to pause, his hand only inches away from the last muffin on the tray.
"You don't really want that muffin do you?" Dorcas asked scrunching her nose and pointing to the muffin like it was contaminated.
"Uhh..." Micheal Duke looked at the three of them confused. He had obviously just woken up and clambered down to snag a bit of breakfast before classes started, as evident by his noticeable bed head.
"I heard the blueberries aren't really blueberries but cornish pixie wings." Lily added looking at her nails. "In fact I'm doing an expose on it next week."
"Just imagine the pimples that you'll get if you too just one bite. You haven't had one yet, right?" Marlene finished blinking up at Micheal Duke, innocently.
Micheal Duke looked conflicted and quickly pulled his hand away. "You know what I'm not really hungry today."
Lily, Dorcas, and Mary burst out laughing as Micheal walked away clutching his stomach, no doubt worrying about how cornish pixie wings affected his stomach.
Mary grinned grabbing the muffin and taking her seat, while the other three settled down and grabbed some breakfast of their own. "You know I actually did hear a rumor that there are cornish pixie wings in that singing tonic that you got Dorcas and Annie, Mars."
Dorcas clutched her throat. "Really?"
"It's just a silly rumor, Dorc." Marlene continued. "I asked the Ravenclaw who got it for me- he said it had some beetle legs but nothing else..."
"Beetle legs?" Dorcas cried swallowing her eggs, hard.
"Wait a second," Mary grinned at Marlene, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I thought you said it was boomslang skin?"
Marlene's eyes widened, as she understood where Mary was going. "Oh you're right. That's what it was." she nodded and went back to her breakfast hiding a smile. "Boomslang skin."
"Boomslang Skin!" Dorcas said barely a whisper. She looked like she was going to puke as the many scenarios of what her singing tonic consisted of ran through her head.
"Of course it's only a rumor..." Mary continued, grinning with Marlene who both promptly burst out laughing and giggling.
"Dorc , they're only pulling your leg." Lily realized feeling a little left out. Dorcas groaned and covered her face thoroughly embarrassed. "Merlin, you guys are the worst!"
"You know you love us." Marlene laughed. "I doubt that tonic has anything like that in it. Maybe tree germ but nothing else."
Mary nodded. "Leave it to The Howler to publish rubbish like that all the time-"
"'Rubbish?" Lily cried looking Mary. "Mary, the Owler has facts which is more than I can say for Forever-"
"Don't get me started this early Lily." Marlene added putting a hand to her forehead. "Forever is a beauty magazine therefore it has all the facts on beautifying and enhancing products unlike the Owler that talks about animals and Merlin knows what else-"
"YOUR ARTICLE IS STUPID!"
The girls attention, as well as the others in the Great Hall, drifted towards the space between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw table where a crowd had formed around a furious Damion Skeeter and an equally angry Lucinda Gilmore.
"JUST BECAUSE YOU GOT A PICTURE DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER!" Damion retorted cooly, although his expression betrayed him.
"OH YEAH!" Lucinda retorted loudly.
"YOUR WRITING SUCKS SISTER!" Damion said walking away towards the Slytherin table.
"TELL THAT TO YOUR PICTURE-LESS STORY BROTHER!" Lucinda finished flipping her and walking towards her waiting Ravenclaw friends.
"I would never have guessed that they were related by the way they act." Mary pointed out. Lily nodded. It had only been a week since Lucinda's dad had married Damion's mom after his first wife had mysteriously died. Lucinda Gilmore and Damion Skeeter had been enemies ever since Lucinda had joined The Holy Grail last year so to say they weren't on good terms was an understatement.
Lily shrugged and smiled at her toast. "This is why I always say The Owler is the best."
"Lil-" Marlene started rolling her eyes.
"Their parents write for the Prophet." Dorcas added quickly sensing a fight. "So let's leave the Owler and Forever out of this- shall we?"
"Fine." Marlene folded her arms, still glaring at Lily.
"Fine." Lily said doing the same.
"Fine." Mary said. Marlene and Lily both looked at her curiously. "-ally." Mary finished taking a huge bite of her muffin and looking at the ceiling casually.
"Hey Evans."
James Potter would have been a welcome distraction anytime except the fact that it was James Potter. Lily ignored James and looked towards Dorcas instead. After the stunt he had pulled on Severus and just ran away without any sort of apology Lily had decided she didn't want anything to do with him. "You know I was thinking about doing an article on the chorus next week-"
"Evans."
"-And maybe you and Annie could give me an interview-" Lily continued determinedly blocking him out.
"Evans."
Dorcas looked between Lily and James nervously and nodded her head smiling. "Hey James."
"Dorcas." He greeted her. When Lily didn't respond he walked away taking a seat with Sirius Remus and Peter up ahead. Lily sighed and continued her conversation with Dorcas ignoring the snickers from Sirius. When the gong rang clearly across the Great Hall the girls stood up readying themselves for their double potions period. Mary began panicking at once about how she hadn't studied the potion well or read the text while Dorcas assured her that she did and would partner up with her today.
Marlene was silent as they walked, engulfed in her magazine.
It was clear during the class that Slughorn was not aware of the animosity between Lily, James and Snape as he had paired them up today along with Ruby Lyons who looked as if she very well wanted to switch with someone else.
"Bur Professor," she insisted tying back her brown hair "I always partner up with Eric-"
"Ms. Lyons I am trying to promote house unity here because Minerva insists that I don't try hard enough so you will be patterned with somebody different for every potion-now I'm afraid you only have an hour and a half left so I suggest you four get started." He gave Lily a kind smile "Besides you forget Miss Evans is in your group."
Ruby sighed and turned back to them. "I can't believe this."
"You and me both," Lily muttered staring darkly at James who was mouthing something to Sirius in the back. Sirius had been paired with Remus, who unfortunately wasn't doing a good job of keeping him on task.
"Okay," Lily cleared her throat taking order "I've got all the ingredients here. Sev and I can chop while Ruby stirs and-" she let out a deep sigh "James can monitor us."
"Wait why do I have to monitor?" James asked, "You and I can cut and Snivellus can monitor."
"It's Severus, Potter." Severus told him curtly.
"His name is Severus." Lily growled. "And it's because I said so- besides it's the only way we'll finish in time."
"I don't know," Ruby interjected looking dismayed at the role assignment "why we have to follow you. Just because you're Slughorns favorite."
"She didn't choose to be the favorite, she earned it." Severus told Ruby who looked as if she wanted to challenge him back.
"Fine you can assign roles then Ruby. I don't mind." Lily told her quickly trying to settle the growing tension.
"I'll monitor, Severus stirs and you and James will chop." Ruby said quickly. "Now we have all the ingredients here but I think we forgot the-"
"What?" Lily shook her head, "No way, I can't work with James!"
"And why's that?" James asked looking offended. "I can fit perfectly fine- I have an E in the class, you know."
"I-" Unable to find a reason Lily sighed and shifted towards James. Severus didn't say much and took his place in front of the cauldron.
The potion wasn't easy and James surprisingly was adept at cutting as he boasted to her proudly during the duration of it.
"And you see how I cut the beans this way, it's so the skin comes off in one piece but doesn't damage the inside- just a little trick of mine. I could teach you if you wanted."
"No thanks." Lily told him continuing to chop her beans the way Severus has taught her.
She tolerated James and for a while it seemed like everything was going well until they reached a disagreement on the transfer.
"No we can't do that!" Severus was the first to say "It's not supposed to have more than four seconds of contact with the outside air!"
"That's why I said we use the funnel!" James let out his hand on the funnel.
"We don't need that, Potter," Severus told him "We can simply pour it in the way the book says."
"It'll spill-" Ruby was saying "Look, there goes half of their potion," she was referring to Merlin Dunphy's group where half the potions had spilled immediately solidifying on the ground in seconds.
"Alright Severus let's just transfer it, I'll hold it while you pour-"
"Hey! You're not the one giving the orders here, Lily. We're using the funnel, it's faster and we won't spill it." Ruby told her.
"But-"
"Will you just trust me on this?" James looked at Lily angrily "It's not always Snivellus who has to be right."
"It's Severus."
"Potter I'm warning you-" Severus began as James shifted to the side. He wasn't listening and had set the funnel in position while Ruby tipped over the cauldron slightly.
"It's going to spill!" Severus shouted pulling the cauldron back from a surprised Ruby. "HEY!"
"Sev, maybe we should-"
"It's not going to work, Lily." Severus told her. "I know it isn't."
"Yes IT is." James pulled the cauldron forward while his left hand stayed on the funnel.
"no ITS not." Severus huffed pulling the cauldron back again. That's when the cauldron tilted back and teetered at the edge of the table. Lily Made a grab at it but it fell down, the potion splattering a little onto them before solidifying and falling into crumbs that tip toed off her robes.
She stood there, motionless waiting for it all to be a mistake. This was their last project before the finals-
"See what you did Potter!" Severus shouted, furious examining the damaged potion on the ground.
"What I did?" Potter countered "I was trying to do the right thing and if you hadn't interrupted-"
"STOP IT!" Lily shouted glaring at him "You should have let Severus do what he was doing James! Now we have no potion and I'm-"
"Miss Evans," Professor Slughorn himself had come to inspect the damage and she could see the disappointment in his eyes. "What happened?"
"-and we need to make sure any anonymous sources are stopped immediately." Irma finished. "The latest article on whether or not the Headmaster has a secret room in the castle was an absolute piece of rubbish and we can't let anyone believe that's it's associated with us."
She glared towards Lucinda who rolled her eyes. Irma had no evidence to prove that Lily and Lucinda were the ones writing the anonymous articles that had become popular over night and thus she could do nothing but send them indirect messages to stop. This however had the opposite reaction she expected as Lily and Lucinda instead published more and more.
"I agree." Damion Skeeter spoke, smirking. "The articles are a complete waste of space and whoever is writing them should leave the job to the people who can actually do it."
Lucinda glare at him. Lily narrowed his eyes.
"I liked the Marauder article." Lucas grinned not concerned with everyone else's opinions. "That one description of the ring leader is like music to my ears."
Lily struggled to keep her smile hidden and winked towards Lucinda who let out a smile.
"Aloyde, send me the drafts for the article you and Damion were working on by tonight," Irma ordered clearing her throat. She turned to the newbies where Lily was sitting. "Lily and Zach I'm assigning you guys as partners this week just to try something new. That means Danny you'll be working with Mary."
"We'll meet next week, same time." Irma finished, dismissing everyone.
"See you later, Lily!" Mary whispered urgently practically running out. Danny sighed and ran to catch up to her so they could start working no doubt. Zach disappeared, and Lily didn't have to look far to see him bolt out the door. Damion and Alyode snickered as they left with Irma who was in deep discussion with Lucas.
"Bye Red." He called before shutting the door behind him. Lily once again struggled to hide her blush.
"I can't stand him!" Lucinda cried as soon as the door shut. "He thinks he's so great, and now that we're practically family- how am I supposed to deal with him every summer? Lily?"
Lily looked up quickly. "Yes, yes I think that's a good idea."
Lucinda rolled her eyes. "You weren't listening, were you?"
Lily shook her head. "Sorry. I was just distracted."
"It's okay." Lucinda sat down on the nearest chair and rested her face in her hands. "I just wish I could do something to show him that I am perfectly capable of writing on my own- and that I can write well without him."
Lily nodded. "I know how you feel. Maybe we can do another anonymous article showcasing your work-"
"But it won't be anonymous then." Lucinda realized. "And the Holy Grail doesn't let me do anything I want so that's not an option either."
Lily's mind clicked suddenly. "What if you made your own Holy Grail?"
"My own Holy Grail?" Lucinda laughed "Like have my own paper?"
Lily stood up. "Exactly." She walked up towards the board. "You said you wanted to have a gossip column and write the juicy stories that everyone usually believes is a waste of time right? What better way than having your own Holy Grail?"
"My own Holy Grail?" Lucinda pondered the idea. "My own Holy Grail?"
"Of course you can call it whatever you want." Lily added seriously. "But it would be entirely devoted to gossip and whatever you feel like the people want to hear."
"My own Holy Grail..."
"Yes." Lily nodded. "And I can help too with adding gossip from the Gryffindor common room- actually Mary would probably be better at that. She seems to know everything before everyone else..."
"-And I could do whatever I want." Lucinda was talking to herself now. She had stood up and was pacing around the empty room. "And no one would be able to tell me no."
Lily nodded continuing her talk. "And you're right Mary could be a source for gossip that I could pass on to you, you would of course do the Ravenclaws...we would just need to find someone to pass the latest news from Slytherin and Hufflepuff-"
"We could call it Gilmore's Gossiper!" Lucinda said suddenly.
Lily nodded letting the letters roll off her tongue. "Gilmore's Gossiper. I take it we're not anonymous anymore?"
"Nope." Lucinda grinned. "This is exactly what we need. I would need to ask professor Flitwick and the Headmaster of course and then we can start planning. And you're right I can see Mary MacDonald being our source and Addison always has the best scoop in Ravenclaw..."
Lily grinned at Lucinda and they both nodded in unison. "Gilmore's Gossiper."