Chapter 1: Ophidiophobia

The entire Gryffindor section erupted with applause as James Potter's hand finally gripped the golden snitch, flying the fastest Lilly had ever seen. The students in Hufflepuff across the way slammed their palms against their knees as they hung their heads and began to file down the bleacher stairs.

Lilly Evans and Sam Helm were still jumping with joy, hanging onto each other like giddy school girls as the rest of the Gryffindor students began packing their bags and descending the risen bleachers.

"James Potter has to be the fastest Seeker in the school!" Sam squealed as she unwrapped her hands around Lilly's shoulders and threw her scarf around her neck.

"The fastest in Hogwarts history!" Lilly exclaimed as she buttoned her robes and followed Sam down the old wooden steps and onto the rolling green hills that swallowed the school like a bowl. The sky above them was woven with dark clouds, without an inch of visible sky between them as the rain continued to spackle Lilly's clothes.

As she trudged behind Sam, she spotted a few members of the Hufflepuff team dragging their broomsticks behind them, appearing utterly defeated. Behind the rest of them was Miranda Helsing. Her mustard yellow robes, made entirely out of wool, were soiled by the heavy rain as she, too, held her broomstick at her side with her gaze on the grass ahead. It was a poor sight, and Lilly's heart swelled with pity.

"Miranda!" She called, waving her hand above her head to catch her attention.

Miranda's head shot up as she searched her surroundings until her eyes spotted Lilly and Sam.

"Great job today! You guys did great!" Lilly called out, hoping the rest of the team also heard her. It seemed to work as Miranda and the team ahead of her raised their heads and gave Lilly and Sam faint smiles, their shoulders a little taller as they formed a line and headed back into the school.

Rain continued to pelt against Lilly and Sam as they rushed through the ancient cathedral-style doors that loomed above them and into the school. Chatter and laughter clung to the walls as each house of students climbed their respective staircase back to their dorms.

Lilly prayed the stairs wouldn't suddenly change as the tips of her toes and fingers started to grow numb against the wet cold that stuck to her clothes and too-thin shoes. Once they reached the top, she said a silent 'thank you' to the last step before they reached the painted lady, embroidered beautifully within a golden frame with an engraved paisley pattern that cascaded down its edges. Her gown was billowy and long, pink like a cotton candy cloud, with her fan in hand as she waited for Sam.

"Wicked poppies," Sam announced, and the painted woman folded her fan into the palm of her hand and gestured away from her as the painting seemed to peel away from the wall, allowing them to enter the Gryffindor Common room. Sam shook her long blond strands as they stepped through, violently wiping them from left to right while tiny water droplets splattered against Lilly's face and chest.

"Sam!" She called as she shielded her face and laughed at her best friend's obnoxious behavior.
Samantha Helm had been Lilly Evan's best friend since she was little. Their parents had known each other for years before they were even born, so it was natural that they would become famous friends. Sam's family quickly became her 'mom number two' and 'dad number two,' when Lilly went to live with her grandma for the summer months, Sam was always with her. They received their Hogwarts letters the same day and were sorted into Gryffindor's house on their first night there.

Naturally, Lilly thought at the time.

Now in their seventh and final year at Hogwarts, the years ahead seemed to glow with aspirations and desires as Lilly inched closer to 19 years old, with Sam only a few months behind her.

Lilly's red curls dripped from their ends as she ascended the stairs into the dorms while Sam warmed her hands in front of the expansive fireplace. A few girls were already undressing into dry robes when Lilly reached the top of the stairs.

"Did you guys see James wink at me?!" Gretchen Foley beamed with joy as her friends giggled along with her. Gretchen had been developed since she was a preteen. Her large breasts rounded at their sides, and her hips stayed petite while her behind volumed like yeast in a bread loaf. Her long, brunette curls bounced when she walked, and her eyes were painted a new color every day before classes.

Some girls agreed, and others argued as Lilly pulled her now-soaked jumper over her head and threw it onto her bed.

"Your head is too big for your shoulders," one said.

"He's totally into you, Gretchen," said another.

Lilly did her best to block them out as her heart squeezed inside her chest. She rummaged through her brown trunk for a dry sweatshirt as the girls behind her finally finished getting ready, their voices growing distant as they left the dorms and went down the stairs and back into the Common room. After one final giggle, she heard the creaking of the painted doorway open and close, allowing the room to fall silent except for the sound of footsteps tapping against the stone stairwell.

"Gretchen wishes," Sam said as she stood beside Lilly's bed and went through her clothes.

Lilly, still freezing, gripped her shoulders and scoffed. Sam always made her feel better when it came to James Potter, but the ache in her bones and the dampness in her hair made Gretchen's words linger some more.

"I shouldn't care-

"You're right. You shouldn't," Sam said as she pulled a brown T-shirt over her head, followed by a hoodie, which she zipped over the top. "James Potter is a jerk, Lilly."

Heat burned in Lilly's cheeks as her head snapped toward the window to see the grey, gloomy sky. She didn't want Sam to see her frustration as steam practically blew from her ears and nose, but Lilly knew her friend was right deep down.

James Potter was also a seventh-year student, notorious for being charming, dashing, and handsome to all the girls in school, all except Sam. Lilly had been under his spell since she first laid eyes on James Potter—the way his tight brown curls sat neatly on top of his head, narrowing down the back of his neck and touching the edge of his ears. His dazzling golden green eyes sparkled beneath the torches that lit the hallways, and Lilly pictured his toned vascular arms around her too many times to count.

As Sam slipped on a new pair of jeans, Lilly watched the dark clouds above them glide across the sky. She could find James' face in the clouds if she looked hard enough. She could spot him in a crowd like she did today while she and Sam watched the quidditch match. He was a simple speck on a stick, but she could still tell which boy on a broom was him.

He had charisma on foot and a broom and was a coveted friend in Hogwarts. He was one of the most popular students among the seventh-years, and he likely knew it, too. James Potter was only ever sweet to the girls on his arm, and even then, it was hard to catch him with the same girl twice a month.

"He's not always a jerk," she finally said as she turned back to Sam, who ran her fingers through her still-damp hair. She bundled her ends into her fist and squeezed the remaining drops from her ends.

Sam shook her head and smiled, admitted defeat against a start-struck-Lilly Evans, and grabbed her house slippers. "Ready?"

Lilly shrugged and nodded as she kicked off her loafers and slipped on her sandals. She headed toward the stairwell but paused at the door when Sam said her name.

"You know he's just a jerky jock, right?" Sam wrapped her arm around Lilly's shoulder. "Lilly Evans deserves someone smart and kind and sexy!"

Lilly giggled as Sam pulled her into a hug. "Well, he's got one of those qualities."

Sam slapped her shoulder as she squeezed between Lilly and the archway. Lilly followed behind her as they descended the stairs and headed to dinner.

Sam's words lingered in Lilly's mind as she tried to conjure an appetite. While Sam shoveled potatoes and corn into her mouth, Lilly tried to search the room for the familiar face she had learned to spot over and over again. When she finally found him at the end of a long bench table, she occasionally glanced in his direction, hoping one of the times their eyes would meet and he would greet her with a smile. When that didn't happen, she sighed and tried to finish the bowl of lentil soup in front of her. She grabbed a pack of crackers and crushed them between her palms. As she let the crumbs fall to the surface of her soup, she heard a large crash startle the rest of the room.

"You freak!" James' voice carried through the great hall as Severus Snape stood stunned with salad dressing cascading down his black robes. "Learn to watch where you're going!"

James stood up from the bench seat and shouted only inches away from Severus before thumping back onto his chair and wiping something small from the lapels of his robes. Severus rolled his eyes and continued walking towards his table, which was full of fellow Slytherin students but sat alone. He grabbed a fistful of napkins, tried to scrape away as much ranch as possible from his black and green robes, and managed to get most of it off other than the white streaks that would likely stain his robes, forever reminding him of his run-in with James Potter.

Lilly's gaze remained locked on Severus as he pulled a book from his bag and started to read instead of eating. His long black hair contrasted well against his pale skin, but their peers looked down upon the look as they referred to him as a "corpse" or "vampire wannabe." An ache settled inside her chest as she recalled the year she and Severus grew close until James Potter became her sole focus, and she couldn't find time for anything else. She blamed it on poor teenage hormones and being stuck side by side with the same students every year but still hoped that someday she and Severus could become acquaintances again.

"He's such a bastard," Sam said as she scraped the last bit of potatoes and gravy from her plate. "I can't believe you can like someone like him."

Lilly rolled her eyes, tearing her gaze away from Severus as she slammed her spoon down. She felt pathetic as she questioned her sanity, wondering why James was her first thought of the day and her final thought of her night if she knew he was such a jerk. She tried to reason with herself, believing that if she were close to him, she might be able to change him.

"Ugh," she groaned as she rested her head in her hands. "Every time I look at him, my throat feels tight."

"Consider that a sign that he's disgusting and that you're probably allergic to him," Sam giggled as she dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

Lilly let out a belly laugh as she shook her head, her gaze finding its way back to Severus, who had just turned a page in his book and sipped what looked to be coffee. She watched for a moment before Sam stood up from the table.

She rubbed her belly. "I'm stuffed, but it's the weekend, and I don't think we should just go to the dorms."

Lilly's head snapped in her direction. "What do you mean? What else would we do?"

A wicked smile danced across Sam's lips. "Barton McClines' having a party," she winked and nodded towards Barton, sitting at the Slytherin table and whispering to the boy beside him. Barton's nose was far too small for his face, and his eyebrows were the bushiest pair Lilly had ever seen. Still, Lilly had heard among crowds of whispers that his birthday was approaching, so it was no surprise. The Slytherin house was notorious for causing a stir, throwing a party over the tiniest victories.

Lilly pinched her brows together, filled with unease as she figured out where Sam was going with this.

"We could go?" She winced as she waited for Lilly's reaction, who was clearly unamused by her outrageous idea.

"It's at the Slytherin dorms, though," she said as she looked from Barton to Sam. She excused herself from the table after putting her spoon back into the half-emptied bowl of soup. She followed Sam out of the great hall and caught up beside her. "Who even invited you?"

"C'mon Lilly, you don't have to be invited to a party to go. You go!" Sam waved her arms above her head and followed Lilly to the Gryffindor Common room.

Before Lilly could climb the stairs to their dorms, Sam squeezed between her, holding the space between Lilly and the safety of her bed. "It's not like there's going to be bouncers waiting to see your invitation at the door," she groaned.

Lilly had no interest in going to a Slytherin House party. Their houses didn't necessarily get along, and neither she nor Sam were invited to go. Besides, Lilly had never been to a party, let alone a Slytherinparty. The thought of attending some wild charade with several Slytherines caused her heart to race as nausea settled like sour milk in her stomach. She wouldn't know anyone, and what if she and Sam got separated? She had to say something.

"I don't think I'm gonna go tonight," she said sheepishly, waiting for Sam to spit fire and grow horns from her protest.

In a sweet and sultry voice, she heard her best friend. "James Potter will be there." Her voice echoed off the walls like a song, and Lilly's heart pounded against her skin, lighting a fire deep in her belly. Lilly suddenly panicked and put a finger to her lips as she scanned the room for listeners. "Sam, shush!"

Sam's expression displayed a sultry smile as she winked. "And I'm sure if he sees you there looking hot, there's a chance you guys will hook up."

Lilly forced an eye roll, but a new hope in her mind seemed to light the path toward the Slytherin Common room. Sam's silly assumption that she and James would get together before the night was over was insane, but the chances of them talking to each other were enough to change her mind.

Sam spun on her heels and jogged up the stone stairs to the dorms.

"Wait a minute, where are we going? I thought you said you didn't want to go back to the dorms?"

Sam peeked over her shoulder to see Lilly curiously waiting a few feet behind her. She smirked and raised one of her eyebrows. "We're going to that party, but we must change first."