Butterfly Seasons, Chapter 2 - Prefect Meetings and the Great Hall (Lily/James)
Title: Butterfly Seasons
Author: Laliath (aka dancinggoldfish/Irelynne/Anya)
Rating: T/M (language, thematic elements later on)
Timeframe:MWPP
Summary: Lily Evans is a prefect who happens to have a lot on her plate: her sister's getting married to a jerk, James Potter won't leave her alone, and there are way too many rumors going around. Just one of those would be bad enough, two would be hell, but three is unimaginable torture. Good thing she's capable of holding her own, and perhaps things will turn out to not be as bad as she thinks.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, objects, spells, places, etc. belong to JKR. I just happen to be playing in her sandbox.
Notes: Multi-chapter fic. The lovely aseret789 and nellie_darlin did a fantastic job beta-ing. Many thanks and hugs!
Sorry about the four month delay in updating. Between college applications, computer problems, family issues, and schoolwork, and NaNoWriMo, I didn't have much time to write, and for that I apologize. But I did come bearing presents! This chapter of Butterfly Seasons, another L/J vignette (posted earlier), and a R/T fic :D
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12
Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | TBA
*~*~*~*
“Alright people, let’s settle down.” Frank Longbottom’s deep voice boomed in the crowded compartment. Lily caught the tail end of his words as she entered, feeling like she was stepping into a breadbin as she dragged Remus Lupin along with her.
“You’re late, Evans,” Jessica Maloney commented when she caught sight of the redhead. “Picking more fights in the corridors?”
“Just stealing sweets from some first years,” Lily retorted. “Why? Worried I’m cutting into your quota, Maloney?”
“Lily.” At Frank’s quiet admonition, she fell silent and leaned back against the seat she’d snagged, ignoring Lupin on her right. “Down to business,” the burly Head Boy continued. “The Headmaster requested that we come up with some ideas to promote inter-house unity. At the next prefect meeting, I expect all of you to have at least one suggestion.”
Maloney brushed her blond hair over her shoulder. “That means everybody. No excuses.” Her hard gaze slid over some of the Slytherins, then locked on Lily and Lupin before looking away. “All of you are expected to pull your weight this year, since most of the teachers and Professor Dumbledore will be distracted fighting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”
“Did the Headmaster specifically say that or are you simply attempting to think out loud?” Evan Rosier interrupted, smoothing his green-and-silver striped tie. “Have things really become so bad that teachers are needed on the front lines?”
“Anyone with a brain could figure that out, Rosier,” Lily drawled, “but I guess that rules you out.”
“Listen here, Mu-” Rosier spat out, but his outburst was cut off by Francesca Yaxley resting a graceful hand on his upper arm and shaking her head.
Lily had leapt to her feet as well, and she was glaring hotly at the Slytherin. “Why don’t you finish what you were going to say, Rosier? Or are you too cowardly to?”
The black-haired girl’s fingers dug into his arm, and he bit back his nasty retort, leaving the redheaded Gryffindor disappointed.
“Lily! Rosier! Sit down, both of you!” Frank snapped.
“Did you idiots miss what we just announced?” Maloney added. “We’re trying to promote inter-house unity here, not destroy it!” She glared at them, and Lily flopped back into her seat, still glaring at Rosier, even as he bared his teeth at her. “From you two, I want five recommendations for ways to promote inter-house unity by the next meeting.”
“To answer your question,” Frank cut in smoothly, preventing another altercation, “Dumbledore didn’t tell us that specifically. But, as Hogwarts is home to some of the most skilled wizards and witches in their fields, it makes sense that they would be called upon to deliver their expertise in the coming war.”
“I still say there isn’t going to be a war,” Thomas Madley, a Hufflepuff in her year, interrupted.
Frank frowned. “That may well be the case. I believe that all of us are hoping for such a result,” he conceded. “But until madmen like Voldemort and his followers are stopped, we can’t afford to make such assumptions. Albus Dumbledore is considered one of the greatest wizards of our time-” there was a small snort from someone who obviously disagreed- “so in addition to his normal responsibilities and calls, he will be busy advising the Ministry, and the professors will be assisting him as best they can.”
Lily looked around the room. Very few looked comfortable with her friend’s blunt words - most were shifting in their seats, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Even the Slytherins looked uncomfortable, and no one said anything during the short pause that followed.
“Next order of business,” Maloney continued brightly. “Madam Hooch asked us to distribute these lists to the Quidditch captains. She’s very concerned about the rough-housing that took place last season, so she’s taken the liberty to draw up a list of new restrictions and rules, and she wants to meet with the captains of each House tomorrow during lunch. Lupin, Rosier, Sherwood, please get these to them. Diggory, here’s yours.” She passed out several stacks of parchment.
“The captains are expected to have all this read by lunch tomorrow?” Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I know it’ll be a chore for Potter, but I’m sure you’ll be able to help him through the big words,” Maloney retorted. “We’re just the messengers; this is what Pinchers wants.”
Lily snickered as Lupin made a strangled sound at the Head Girl’s nickname for the flying instructor, but she let the words pass without comment. Frank glanced at her, then continued, “Dumbledore wants to hear our thoughts on the bonfire.”
“What about it? It’s tradition,” Emily Sherwood asked.
“Apparently some concerns have been raised about having it so close to the Forbidden Forest. The school board has requested that we move it elsewhere, or that we come up with a replacement activity to mark the first day of autumn. Otherwise, they’ll order Dumbledore to cancel the event altogether,” Maloney said.
“What? That’s ridiculous!” Pandemonium broke out in the Prefect’s compartment as the students protested the new announcement. Lily sat back and watched as Frank and Maloney exchanged helpless glances, and then she raised an eyebrow when he glanced her way. Nice work, it told him, and he shrugged his broad shoulders, silently telling her, Not much I could do about it.
Could have prettied it up, a toss of her hair informed him. When he wrinkled his nose, demanding, How?, she shrugged, rolling her eyes. I don’t know. Something! He rolled his eyes back at her. T for the help.
The commotion had begun to die down at that point and Lily decided to forgo the silent discussion in favor of examining her nail cuticles. I am so bored right now. Frank grinned, then announced, “Thank you everyone, we get it. You hate the idea of changing it. But our only other option is to get rid of it entirely, and if we did that, the rest of the school would lynch us.”
“The school’s going to lynch us anyway for changing it,” Sherwood pointed out. “They consider it as much a part of Hogwarts as the four-house system.”
“Maybe we should get rid of that too,” Lily suggested, smirking.
“Hilarious suggestion, Evans.” Maloney sneered. “Does anyone else have any real suggestions or are Longbottom and I going to be stuck with this job too?”
“Move it to Hogsmeade?” Cristina Delton offered.
“But then the second and first years can’t go,” Yaxley pointed out.
“Maybe the Headmaster could make special allowances,” Amos Diggory said.
“No good,” Anthony Hill retorted. “Too much work, and the first and second years would just start clamoring for Hogsmeade weekends, too.”
“The Great Hall.”
“A bonfire in the Great Hall. That’s just stupid.”
“Part of the fun is having it outside.”
“There are charms to protect wood from burning; we could look those up.”
“How about by the lake?”
*~*~*
With the flood of students rushing off the train, Lily found herself torn away from her friends and jammed up under Sirius Black’s elbow. “What have we got here?” he asked, amused, holding her by the arm. She looked up at his face, noted the glittery gray eyes and the purple blossom of color on his cheek from her blow earlier.
“Let her go, Padfoot,” Pettigrew told him, not meeting Lily’s gaze as he began pulling his friend away.
“Why? I owe her a black eye,” Black retorted, holding her easily.
At his words, the green-eyed girl found her voice. “One, Black, I didn’t give you a black eye, so don’t be such a baby.” His eyes flashed and she rushed to cut him off. “Besides, you wouldn’t actually hit a girl, would you?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Next to him, Potter and Lupin snorted with laughter, but Black’s angry expression didn’t fade. “Yeah, I would.” But then he pulled his hand from her arm. “But not you. Get out of here, Evans.”
Lily stumbled as she stepped back, away from the four boys. They’d already forgotten her, Potter resting his forehead against Black’s as they murmured quietly. Slowly, painfully slowly, Black’s shoulders relaxed. Pettigrew shoved a bag into his big hands, and Black said something that made the boys laugh as he slung an easy arm across Potter’s shoulders. They set off towards the carriages, leaving Lily standing alone, a small redheaded figure in the station. She felt more lonely than she ever had before, even during her first ride on the Express to Hogwarts.
“Oi! Lily! Come on, slowcoach, let’s go!”
Lily spun, robes flaring about her body in the sudden breeze, to see Dorcas Meadows hanging out of a carriage and waving at her. She rushed up the station, grinning at the sight of her friends, whose faces were plastered to the window of the carriage. Then she was cramming into the small coach with them, the five girls cramped on the benches without a bit of space to stretch their legs, elbows pressed up against ribcages. It was wonderful.
“Li-ly,” Alice began in a voice that warned the redhead that she wasn’t going to enjoy what came next. “Why was it when I just happened to glance out the window that I saw you gazing quite longingly after Potter?”
The green-eyed girl flushed. “I wasn’t gazing longingly after him. It was just- something’s off between them. I mean, Black nearly decked me when he caught me on the platform.”
“Well, you did punch him first,” Marlene pointed out.
“But have you ever seen him threaten a girl with physical violence before? The closest he came to it was when he nearly hexed Bellatrix that day in Hogsmeade in fifth year, and-”
“Bellatrix doesn’t count as a girl. She’s a manipulative bitch who’s going to end her days locked up in an insane asylum somewhere,” Alice cut in harshly.
“That’s exactly my point!” Lily insisted. “He never laid a finger on her, and he hates her more than any other person in the world. We all know that he doesn’t care for me, but he’s never done anything but throw insults at me. So why did he have to be physically restrained by Pettigrew and the rest of them to keep from losing control?”
“That, my dear Evans, is an excellent question,” Meg yawned. “Unfortunately, unless we pin him or one of the Marauders down, there is no way we’ll be able to get an answer, so I suggest we drop it.”
“Late night?” Dorcas teased, nudging the brunette easily with a shoulder.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” the girl retorted, rubbing her temples. “My parents had a couple of ‘old friends’ over for dinner and drinks, and I had to sit there and be polite for three hours. Got completely pissed.”
“Hangover cure?” Alice asked, wrinkling her nose.
“Didn’t dare. Somehow my parents didn’t realize how plastered I got, and they spent the entire morning chattering at me about how much I had to look forward to in my sixth year at Hogwarts. I could not wait until I was waving good bye and could sit down without someone going at my ear,” Meg confessed.
“And you didn’t think to cast it while you were on the train?” Marlene demanded, nudging Dorcas aside to cast the charm that would dispel the hangover temporarily. “I have some remedy buried somewhere in my trunk; I’ll get it out when we get to our dorm.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Meg muttered, sliding her head down on Marlene’s shoulder, snuggling easily.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Would you mind giving me back my shoulder?” the taller girl replied, smiling as she tried to bump her friend off her arm.
“Yeah, I would.”
“Arse.”
“Yep.” And then the carriage jerked to a stop, and Meg was forced to open her eyes as the five girls tumbled out. They were the last to arrive, for the other carriages were already trundling away, but any attempt at a grand entrance was obliterated when Lily stopped in the doorway.
Instead of the red and yellow and green and blue of Hogwarts’s houses, the Great Hall was draped in black. “Did Halloween come early?” Lily whispered, trying to ignore the plummeting feeling in her stomach.
Marlene gave her a quick, glaring glance, then looked away, striding ahead of the group to sit down next to the guys. “We’re in mourning, Lily,” Dorcas replied softly after a quick glance at Marlene’s stiff back. “Just don’t say anything to her, alright?” she added, her hand resting lightly on Lily’s arm.
“How many?” Lily whispered as they continued forward into the Great Hall, her steps slower and less confident.
“Seventy-one,” Alice began.
Meg cut her off. “Eighty-eight. There was another attack this morning, seventeen more dead.”
“Eighty-eight Muggles and wizards dead? How is it that Muggle news hasn’t caught word of it yet?” Lily asked as they settled into their seats at the Gryffindor table, sneaking a glance at Marlene, who was still ignoring her.
“Maybe they’re just stupid, Evans,” Black offered, his lips twisting cruelly. “After all, they manage to ignore most things if they don’t fit into their neat, orderly little existence. What’s just a couple of abnormal deaths?”
Lily’s fingers clenched around the metal handle of her spoon before she relaxed and buried her hands in her lap. “Magic prevents them from knowing about the wizarding world, Black, if you recall the lessons from Muggle Studies. It’s hardly their fault when we go out of our way to prevent them from knowing.”
“I still say they’re stupid.”
“And I still say they’re not.”
“Well, then we’re at an impasse.”
“I suppose so. But you didn’t answer my question. How is it that Muggle news hasn’t caught word yet of the killing spree? Is the Ministry covering it up somehow?”
Black shrugged, turning his attention forward. “Who cares?”
“I do,” Lily hissed, trying to get him to face her.
“There are far more important things at stake here than a couple of Muggles, Evans. Get used to it. Nobody cares about them,” he informed her. “Now shut it, the Hat’s about to sing its little ditty.”
The redhead glared, ignoring the battered hat that was beginning to sing. “Why so interested in what the Sorting Hat’s got to say all of a sudden, Black?” He ignored her, and she leaned across the table to poke him in the arm, knocking aside plates and cutlery.
But then she stumbled backwards into her seat as Dorcas on her right grabbed hold of her sweater and pulled. “Have some courtesy. Merlin, Lily!”
Pettigrew snickered on Lupin’s left, and her cheeks burned, embarrassment roaring in her ears, as she stared down at her plate, trying desperately to get at least the color in her cheeks under control. Time sped by and then applause echoed around the halls. She started, wondering when the Sorting had gotten so fast. In a handful of minutes, McGonagall had gone from A to Z and the terrified first years, barely up to her hip, had sat themselves down at their respective tables.
Albus Dumbledore stood, clad in resplendent robes of red, blue, yellow, and green. “Ladies and gentlemen, students, professors - Peeves, please settle down.” The poltergeist zoomed off, pausing to chuck wads of gum at the Hufflepuff table. “We gather together once more in these difficult times, to find strength, clarity, and knowledge. But some have been forced to leave us, as a result of their stand against Voldemort, and for who they were born as. I would like you to remember their deaths as a reminder of the danger we face, one we can overcome only by uniting together. Let us remember Mary Spinner, Jonathon McDonald, David McDonald, Sarah McDonald, Matthew Allaway, Elizabeth Cook, Katie-Jane Lameth, Jack Callope, and Hannah Montgomery-”
Lily sat there as the names of the nine dead students washed over her, her mind a whirl of thoughts. Wasn’t Hannah the prefect everybody knew was going to be Head Girl? These three brothers. Their entire family must have been wiped out. Nine students. Nine kids. Nine. Murdered. She didn’t say anything; she could only sit there numbly.
She’d cut herself off from the wizarding world in the vain hope that if she didn’t hear about the killings, they wouldn’t happen. It had been too painful at school to read the news of another Muggle attack and have to rush off to the Owlery to find out if her family was okay. Seeing the grief-stricken faces and red, swollen eyes of the mourning made her wonder how soon it would until she was faced with the loss of her family, until she was a knotted mess of tears and agony and anger and a burning need for revenge.
“Evans!”
She started as Black impatiently called her name, scattering her thoughts like dandelion seeds in the wind. “What?” she demanded, pushing aside Pettigrew’s hand; as far as she could tell, he’d been snapping his fingers in front of her face in a failed attempt to get her attention.
“You should eat; we have to lead the first years to Gryffindor Tower soon,” Lupin informed her, gesturing to the fruit pastries and pumpkin juice that had appeared on the plates between them.
She glanced around the hall wildly, realizing that she’d missed the end of Dumbledore’s announcements and the applause for the new Head Boy and Girl. She could feel her face turning red, and so she sought to deflect attention from that. “I can handle my eating habits just fine, thank you very much!” she snapped.
“No need to rag on the poor lad,” Black muttered. “He was just trying to help, although only Merlin would know why.”
She stopped in the action of pouring juice as she contemplated throwing the entire pitcher at him. A lovely fantasy of him sprawled across the Great Hall floor, dripping in pumpkin juice, fluttered into her mind.
“Do it,” he goaded. “Come on, chuck it at me. You know you want to.”
That did it. With careful, measured movements, she finished pouring juice into her goblet, then sat the pitcher firmly on the table. “I think I’ll pass,” she retorted sweetly. “Unlike you, I have no need of a physical display of temper.”
He flushed, and she smirked.
“At least I’m not a repressed bit-” Black began
“Shut up, Sirius,” Lupin broke in. “Not smart to get detention first day of school, especially with-” He broke off, nodded significantly at his friend.
“Go on, do it,” Lily goaded, tossing his words right back in her face. “You know you want to.”
The flush turned mottled red, and he half rose, restrained by Lupin on his left and Potter on his right. Pettigrew had the offending pitcher in his grasp, eyes darting from Lily to Black as if he wasn’t sure whom he’d have to fling its contents on first.
The girls, who’d sat silent, watching the spectacle as one would a car crash, unable to tear their eyes away from the horrifying sight of it all, took over. “Why don’t you and Remus take the first years to the common room now?” Meg hastily suggested.
“It looks like they’ve all finished eating, you know,” Dorcas added.
“You all are completely obvious,” Lily pointed out, but she rose from her seat.
“We know,” Dorcas retorted. “But so were you with your murderous intentions.”
Lily made a face, but she tugged Lupin up. “Come on, let’s go and get the ickle wickle firsties.”
Author: Laliath (aka dancinggoldfish/Irelynne/Anya)
Rating: T/M (language, thematic elements later on)
Timeframe:MWPP
Summary: Lily Evans is a prefect who happens to have a lot on her plate: her sister's getting married to a jerk, James Potter won't leave her alone, and there are way too many rumors going around. Just one of those would be bad enough, two would be hell, but three is unimaginable torture. Good thing she's capable of holding her own, and perhaps things will turn out to not be as bad as she thinks.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, objects, spells, places, etc. belong to JKR. I just happen to be playing in her sandbox.
Notes: Multi-chapter fic. The lovely aseret789 and nellie_darlin did a fantastic job beta-ing. Many thanks and hugs!
Sorry about the four month delay in updating. Between college applications, computer problems, family issues, and schoolwork, and NaNoWriMo, I didn't have much time to write, and for that I apologize. But I did come bearing presents! This chapter of Butterfly Seasons, another L/J vignette (posted earlier), and a R/T fic :D
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12
Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | TBA
*~*~*~*
“Alright people, let’s settle down.” Frank Longbottom’s deep voice boomed in the crowded compartment. Lily caught the tail end of his words as she entered, feeling like she was stepping into a breadbin as she dragged Remus Lupin along with her.
“You’re late, Evans,” Jessica Maloney commented when she caught sight of the redhead. “Picking more fights in the corridors?”
“Just stealing sweets from some first years,” Lily retorted. “Why? Worried I’m cutting into your quota, Maloney?”
“Lily.” At Frank’s quiet admonition, she fell silent and leaned back against the seat she’d snagged, ignoring Lupin on her right. “Down to business,” the burly Head Boy continued. “The Headmaster requested that we come up with some ideas to promote inter-house unity. At the next prefect meeting, I expect all of you to have at least one suggestion.”
Maloney brushed her blond hair over her shoulder. “That means everybody. No excuses.” Her hard gaze slid over some of the Slytherins, then locked on Lily and Lupin before looking away. “All of you are expected to pull your weight this year, since most of the teachers and Professor Dumbledore will be distracted fighting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”
“Did the Headmaster specifically say that or are you simply attempting to think out loud?” Evan Rosier interrupted, smoothing his green-and-silver striped tie. “Have things really become so bad that teachers are needed on the front lines?”
“Anyone with a brain could figure that out, Rosier,” Lily drawled, “but I guess that rules you out.”
“Listen here, Mu-” Rosier spat out, but his outburst was cut off by Francesca Yaxley resting a graceful hand on his upper arm and shaking her head.
Lily had leapt to her feet as well, and she was glaring hotly at the Slytherin. “Why don’t you finish what you were going to say, Rosier? Or are you too cowardly to?”
The black-haired girl’s fingers dug into his arm, and he bit back his nasty retort, leaving the redheaded Gryffindor disappointed.
“Lily! Rosier! Sit down, both of you!” Frank snapped.
“Did you idiots miss what we just announced?” Maloney added. “We’re trying to promote inter-house unity here, not destroy it!” She glared at them, and Lily flopped back into her seat, still glaring at Rosier, even as he bared his teeth at her. “From you two, I want five recommendations for ways to promote inter-house unity by the next meeting.”
“To answer your question,” Frank cut in smoothly, preventing another altercation, “Dumbledore didn’t tell us that specifically. But, as Hogwarts is home to some of the most skilled wizards and witches in their fields, it makes sense that they would be called upon to deliver their expertise in the coming war.”
“I still say there isn’t going to be a war,” Thomas Madley, a Hufflepuff in her year, interrupted.
Frank frowned. “That may well be the case. I believe that all of us are hoping for such a result,” he conceded. “But until madmen like Voldemort and his followers are stopped, we can’t afford to make such assumptions. Albus Dumbledore is considered one of the greatest wizards of our time-” there was a small snort from someone who obviously disagreed- “so in addition to his normal responsibilities and calls, he will be busy advising the Ministry, and the professors will be assisting him as best they can.”
Lily looked around the room. Very few looked comfortable with her friend’s blunt words - most were shifting in their seats, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Even the Slytherins looked uncomfortable, and no one said anything during the short pause that followed.
“Next order of business,” Maloney continued brightly. “Madam Hooch asked us to distribute these lists to the Quidditch captains. She’s very concerned about the rough-housing that took place last season, so she’s taken the liberty to draw up a list of new restrictions and rules, and she wants to meet with the captains of each House tomorrow during lunch. Lupin, Rosier, Sherwood, please get these to them. Diggory, here’s yours.” She passed out several stacks of parchment.
“The captains are expected to have all this read by lunch tomorrow?” Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I know it’ll be a chore for Potter, but I’m sure you’ll be able to help him through the big words,” Maloney retorted. “We’re just the messengers; this is what Pinchers wants.”
Lily snickered as Lupin made a strangled sound at the Head Girl’s nickname for the flying instructor, but she let the words pass without comment. Frank glanced at her, then continued, “Dumbledore wants to hear our thoughts on the bonfire.”
“What about it? It’s tradition,” Emily Sherwood asked.
“Apparently some concerns have been raised about having it so close to the Forbidden Forest. The school board has requested that we move it elsewhere, or that we come up with a replacement activity to mark the first day of autumn. Otherwise, they’ll order Dumbledore to cancel the event altogether,” Maloney said.
“What? That’s ridiculous!” Pandemonium broke out in the Prefect’s compartment as the students protested the new announcement. Lily sat back and watched as Frank and Maloney exchanged helpless glances, and then she raised an eyebrow when he glanced her way. Nice work, it told him, and he shrugged his broad shoulders, silently telling her, Not much I could do about it.
Could have prettied it up, a toss of her hair informed him. When he wrinkled his nose, demanding, How?, she shrugged, rolling her eyes. I don’t know. Something! He rolled his eyes back at her. T for the help.
The commotion had begun to die down at that point and Lily decided to forgo the silent discussion in favor of examining her nail cuticles. I am so bored right now. Frank grinned, then announced, “Thank you everyone, we get it. You hate the idea of changing it. But our only other option is to get rid of it entirely, and if we did that, the rest of the school would lynch us.”
“The school’s going to lynch us anyway for changing it,” Sherwood pointed out. “They consider it as much a part of Hogwarts as the four-house system.”
“Maybe we should get rid of that too,” Lily suggested, smirking.
“Hilarious suggestion, Evans.” Maloney sneered. “Does anyone else have any real suggestions or are Longbottom and I going to be stuck with this job too?”
“Move it to Hogsmeade?” Cristina Delton offered.
“But then the second and first years can’t go,” Yaxley pointed out.
“Maybe the Headmaster could make special allowances,” Amos Diggory said.
“No good,” Anthony Hill retorted. “Too much work, and the first and second years would just start clamoring for Hogsmeade weekends, too.”
“The Great Hall.”
“A bonfire in the Great Hall. That’s just stupid.”
“Part of the fun is having it outside.”
“There are charms to protect wood from burning; we could look those up.”
“How about by the lake?”
*~*~*
With the flood of students rushing off the train, Lily found herself torn away from her friends and jammed up under Sirius Black’s elbow. “What have we got here?” he asked, amused, holding her by the arm. She looked up at his face, noted the glittery gray eyes and the purple blossom of color on his cheek from her blow earlier.
“Let her go, Padfoot,” Pettigrew told him, not meeting Lily’s gaze as he began pulling his friend away.
“Why? I owe her a black eye,” Black retorted, holding her easily.
At his words, the green-eyed girl found her voice. “One, Black, I didn’t give you a black eye, so don’t be such a baby.” His eyes flashed and she rushed to cut him off. “Besides, you wouldn’t actually hit a girl, would you?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Next to him, Potter and Lupin snorted with laughter, but Black’s angry expression didn’t fade. “Yeah, I would.” But then he pulled his hand from her arm. “But not you. Get out of here, Evans.”
Lily stumbled as she stepped back, away from the four boys. They’d already forgotten her, Potter resting his forehead against Black’s as they murmured quietly. Slowly, painfully slowly, Black’s shoulders relaxed. Pettigrew shoved a bag into his big hands, and Black said something that made the boys laugh as he slung an easy arm across Potter’s shoulders. They set off towards the carriages, leaving Lily standing alone, a small redheaded figure in the station. She felt more lonely than she ever had before, even during her first ride on the Express to Hogwarts.
“Oi! Lily! Come on, slowcoach, let’s go!”
Lily spun, robes flaring about her body in the sudden breeze, to see Dorcas Meadows hanging out of a carriage and waving at her. She rushed up the station, grinning at the sight of her friends, whose faces were plastered to the window of the carriage. Then she was cramming into the small coach with them, the five girls cramped on the benches without a bit of space to stretch their legs, elbows pressed up against ribcages. It was wonderful.
“Li-ly,” Alice began in a voice that warned the redhead that she wasn’t going to enjoy what came next. “Why was it when I just happened to glance out the window that I saw you gazing quite longingly after Potter?”
The green-eyed girl flushed. “I wasn’t gazing longingly after him. It was just- something’s off between them. I mean, Black nearly decked me when he caught me on the platform.”
“Well, you did punch him first,” Marlene pointed out.
“But have you ever seen him threaten a girl with physical violence before? The closest he came to it was when he nearly hexed Bellatrix that day in Hogsmeade in fifth year, and-”
“Bellatrix doesn’t count as a girl. She’s a manipulative bitch who’s going to end her days locked up in an insane asylum somewhere,” Alice cut in harshly.
“That’s exactly my point!” Lily insisted. “He never laid a finger on her, and he hates her more than any other person in the world. We all know that he doesn’t care for me, but he’s never done anything but throw insults at me. So why did he have to be physically restrained by Pettigrew and the rest of them to keep from losing control?”
“That, my dear Evans, is an excellent question,” Meg yawned. “Unfortunately, unless we pin him or one of the Marauders down, there is no way we’ll be able to get an answer, so I suggest we drop it.”
“Late night?” Dorcas teased, nudging the brunette easily with a shoulder.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” the girl retorted, rubbing her temples. “My parents had a couple of ‘old friends’ over for dinner and drinks, and I had to sit there and be polite for three hours. Got completely pissed.”
“Hangover cure?” Alice asked, wrinkling her nose.
“Didn’t dare. Somehow my parents didn’t realize how plastered I got, and they spent the entire morning chattering at me about how much I had to look forward to in my sixth year at Hogwarts. I could not wait until I was waving good bye and could sit down without someone going at my ear,” Meg confessed.
“And you didn’t think to cast it while you were on the train?” Marlene demanded, nudging Dorcas aside to cast the charm that would dispel the hangover temporarily. “I have some remedy buried somewhere in my trunk; I’ll get it out when we get to our dorm.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Meg muttered, sliding her head down on Marlene’s shoulder, snuggling easily.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Would you mind giving me back my shoulder?” the taller girl replied, smiling as she tried to bump her friend off her arm.
“Yeah, I would.”
“Arse.”
“Yep.” And then the carriage jerked to a stop, and Meg was forced to open her eyes as the five girls tumbled out. They were the last to arrive, for the other carriages were already trundling away, but any attempt at a grand entrance was obliterated when Lily stopped in the doorway.
Instead of the red and yellow and green and blue of Hogwarts’s houses, the Great Hall was draped in black. “Did Halloween come early?” Lily whispered, trying to ignore the plummeting feeling in her stomach.
Marlene gave her a quick, glaring glance, then looked away, striding ahead of the group to sit down next to the guys. “We’re in mourning, Lily,” Dorcas replied softly after a quick glance at Marlene’s stiff back. “Just don’t say anything to her, alright?” she added, her hand resting lightly on Lily’s arm.
“How many?” Lily whispered as they continued forward into the Great Hall, her steps slower and less confident.
“Seventy-one,” Alice began.
Meg cut her off. “Eighty-eight. There was another attack this morning, seventeen more dead.”
“Eighty-eight Muggles and wizards dead? How is it that Muggle news hasn’t caught word of it yet?” Lily asked as they settled into their seats at the Gryffindor table, sneaking a glance at Marlene, who was still ignoring her.
“Maybe they’re just stupid, Evans,” Black offered, his lips twisting cruelly. “After all, they manage to ignore most things if they don’t fit into their neat, orderly little existence. What’s just a couple of abnormal deaths?”
Lily’s fingers clenched around the metal handle of her spoon before she relaxed and buried her hands in her lap. “Magic prevents them from knowing about the wizarding world, Black, if you recall the lessons from Muggle Studies. It’s hardly their fault when we go out of our way to prevent them from knowing.”
“I still say they’re stupid.”
“And I still say they’re not.”
“Well, then we’re at an impasse.”
“I suppose so. But you didn’t answer my question. How is it that Muggle news hasn’t caught word yet of the killing spree? Is the Ministry covering it up somehow?”
Black shrugged, turning his attention forward. “Who cares?”
“I do,” Lily hissed, trying to get him to face her.
“There are far more important things at stake here than a couple of Muggles, Evans. Get used to it. Nobody cares about them,” he informed her. “Now shut it, the Hat’s about to sing its little ditty.”
The redhead glared, ignoring the battered hat that was beginning to sing. “Why so interested in what the Sorting Hat’s got to say all of a sudden, Black?” He ignored her, and she leaned across the table to poke him in the arm, knocking aside plates and cutlery.
But then she stumbled backwards into her seat as Dorcas on her right grabbed hold of her sweater and pulled. “Have some courtesy. Merlin, Lily!”
Pettigrew snickered on Lupin’s left, and her cheeks burned, embarrassment roaring in her ears, as she stared down at her plate, trying desperately to get at least the color in her cheeks under control. Time sped by and then applause echoed around the halls. She started, wondering when the Sorting had gotten so fast. In a handful of minutes, McGonagall had gone from A to Z and the terrified first years, barely up to her hip, had sat themselves down at their respective tables.
Albus Dumbledore stood, clad in resplendent robes of red, blue, yellow, and green. “Ladies and gentlemen, students, professors - Peeves, please settle down.” The poltergeist zoomed off, pausing to chuck wads of gum at the Hufflepuff table. “We gather together once more in these difficult times, to find strength, clarity, and knowledge. But some have been forced to leave us, as a result of their stand against Voldemort, and for who they were born as. I would like you to remember their deaths as a reminder of the danger we face, one we can overcome only by uniting together. Let us remember Mary Spinner, Jonathon McDonald, David McDonald, Sarah McDonald, Matthew Allaway, Elizabeth Cook, Katie-Jane Lameth, Jack Callope, and Hannah Montgomery-”
Lily sat there as the names of the nine dead students washed over her, her mind a whirl of thoughts. Wasn’t Hannah the prefect everybody knew was going to be Head Girl? These three brothers. Their entire family must have been wiped out. Nine students. Nine kids. Nine. Murdered. She didn’t say anything; she could only sit there numbly.
She’d cut herself off from the wizarding world in the vain hope that if she didn’t hear about the killings, they wouldn’t happen. It had been too painful at school to read the news of another Muggle attack and have to rush off to the Owlery to find out if her family was okay. Seeing the grief-stricken faces and red, swollen eyes of the mourning made her wonder how soon it would until she was faced with the loss of her family, until she was a knotted mess of tears and agony and anger and a burning need for revenge.
“Evans!”
She started as Black impatiently called her name, scattering her thoughts like dandelion seeds in the wind. “What?” she demanded, pushing aside Pettigrew’s hand; as far as she could tell, he’d been snapping his fingers in front of her face in a failed attempt to get her attention.
“You should eat; we have to lead the first years to Gryffindor Tower soon,” Lupin informed her, gesturing to the fruit pastries and pumpkin juice that had appeared on the plates between them.
She glanced around the hall wildly, realizing that she’d missed the end of Dumbledore’s announcements and the applause for the new Head Boy and Girl. She could feel her face turning red, and so she sought to deflect attention from that. “I can handle my eating habits just fine, thank you very much!” she snapped.
“No need to rag on the poor lad,” Black muttered. “He was just trying to help, although only Merlin would know why.”
She stopped in the action of pouring juice as she contemplated throwing the entire pitcher at him. A lovely fantasy of him sprawled across the Great Hall floor, dripping in pumpkin juice, fluttered into her mind.
“Do it,” he goaded. “Come on, chuck it at me. You know you want to.”
That did it. With careful, measured movements, she finished pouring juice into her goblet, then sat the pitcher firmly on the table. “I think I’ll pass,” she retorted sweetly. “Unlike you, I have no need of a physical display of temper.”
He flushed, and she smirked.
“At least I’m not a repressed bit-” Black began
“Shut up, Sirius,” Lupin broke in. “Not smart to get detention first day of school, especially with-” He broke off, nodded significantly at his friend.
“Go on, do it,” Lily goaded, tossing his words right back in her face. “You know you want to.”
The flush turned mottled red, and he half rose, restrained by Lupin on his left and Potter on his right. Pettigrew had the offending pitcher in his grasp, eyes darting from Lily to Black as if he wasn’t sure whom he’d have to fling its contents on first.
The girls, who’d sat silent, watching the spectacle as one would a car crash, unable to tear their eyes away from the horrifying sight of it all, took over. “Why don’t you and Remus take the first years to the common room now?” Meg hastily suggested.
“It looks like they’ve all finished eating, you know,” Dorcas added.
“You all are completely obvious,” Lily pointed out, but she rose from her seat.
“We know,” Dorcas retorted. “But so were you with your murderous intentions.”
Lily made a face, but she tugged Lupin up. “Come on, let’s go and get the ickle wickle firsties.”