For A Candy Cane A Day on the Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry Forum.
Greta and Lily
Greta blinked, trying desperately to refocus her eyes. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus. All she could hear was Lily going on and on about some kind of dark magic threatening the whole of the Wizarding World. A noble topic, she was sure, but not relevant at all to Charms.
"Lily," she snapped. When Lily jumped, Greta softened. She reached out over the library table and wrapped her hands around hers. "Just stop. Please. I'm trying to focus here."
"For what? Your NEWTs?" Lily gaped at her. "Can't you see that there's something bigger going on here? People are disappearing, Greta." She peered over at the textbook that Greta had been pouring over. "Do you really think your command of the Bubble-Head Charm will matter if you're dead?"
Greta frowned. "That's not a very nice thing to say."
"Right."
With that, Greta extracted her hands and went back to her studies. It wasn't that she was unconcerned, per se. She'd heard the same rumours that Lily had. She'd felt the shift in the air when walking through Hogsmeade. She'd seen teachers speaking in hushed voices in dark corners when they thought no one was looking. But she was just a student. What was she supposed to do about all of that?
"I just don't understand why you're not more concerned," Lily said suddenly. "I don't understand why you don't want to be more involved."
"Involved?" Greta stared at her, her mouth open. She cast a quick glance around the room and then, in hushed tones said, "Involved in what, Lily?"
Lily hesitated. "There's been some talk of a resistance."
"A resistance?!"
"James told me about it. The other boys are involved too." Lily's tone was urgent. "Dumbledore's organising it. He's recruiting. I could—we could—join."
Greta blinked. And although she knew it was the wrong thing to say, the words slipped out before she could stop them. "You've been talking to James a lot recently."
"Yes," Lily said sharply. "I am. Because unlike some people, he actually cares about what's going on in the world."
And before Greta could even summon a response, Lily was up like a shot, throwing her books and quills haphazardly in her bag and storming away. Even when Greta called after her, she didn't slow down or turn around. Greta sighed, placing her head in her hands. She had the distinct feeling that this conversation was far from over. In fact, she had the distinct feeling that she would be having this conversation over and over again.