Elizabeth Lily Potter: The Girl Who Lived

Chapter 15: Halloween

We quickly settled into a new routine at Hogwarts. Thank Merlin, Harry and I weren't behind the other first years at all, with the exception of a couple purebloods.

Classes were going pretty well, except for Potions. (I called it!) From the moment Harry and I walked in on the first day, Snape made it obvious that he hated us. He insulted us, took points from Gryffindor, you name it. Malfoy and his cronies obviously enjoyed that, while some of the Gryffindors (Ron) were hard-pressed to keep themselves from getting into trouble too, by defending us. Harry had to aim a kick in his direction under their table to prevent him from doing or saying anything he'd regret.

But anyway, I loved the new friends I made. The girls in my dorm were fantastic, although I admit that I was closer to Hermione than to the rest of them. I also had Harry (obviously) and Ron. But let me tell you, he was being a pain in the arse when it came to him and Hermione. Harry and I had to break up quite a few arguments between the two, and honestly, it was getting pretty annoying.

Other than that though, things were going smoothly. Transfiguration especially was great. Even though McGonagall could be rather tough on us, I liked her. I brought that up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the common room one night.

"You know what I've realized?"

"What, Liz?" Harry asked.

"So, McGonagall and Snape can both be pretty scary, right?"

Everyone agreed, even Hermione, which surprised me.

"Well, Snape is scary in the sense that, if you made him mad, you might end up dead. It wouldn't surprise me if his enemies end up with a poison slipped into their morning pumpkin juice." The boys busted out laughing, while Hermione frowned. "Meanwhile, with McGonagall, it's different. I think that she's more intimidating in the sense that, if you disappoint her or lose her trust, she'll make you regret it. She could make you miserable, while Snape would make you, well... dead."

Harry nodded solemnly, while Ron chuckled. "When you describe it like that, you make McGonagall sound like my mum! And let me tell you, I'd rather deal with an angry Head of House, than my mother when she's upset. The famous 'Weasley temper' is dangerous with her."

I had to suppress a flinch (and I saw that Harry did too) with those words. When Ron and Hermione turned back to their Herbology essays (Ron rather reluctantly), Harry turned to me and whispered, "McGonagall may remind Ron of his mum, but your description of Snape makes me think of a certain someone we've had quite a bit of experience with, am I right?"

Hermione glared at Harry, hearing his voice but not his words, and my brother took that as his cue to go back to work. I absentmindedly rubbed my hand over my neck as I do the same. There isn't a doubt in my mind about who he was talking about. Someone like Uncle Vernon just isn't easy to forget...

September and October passed in a blur of homework, tests, feasts, and (of course) magic. Before we even knew it, Halloween had arrived. I woke up that morning with a dull ache in my chest. Not my scar, but my heart. The girls in my dorm could tell why, and so they didn't mention it. Hermione asked me if I wanted to go down to breakfast with her, but I said no. She nodded and left our dorm with the others. Thankfully, Halloween fell on a Saturday, so I didn't have any classes to worry about.

This was the first year that I could truly mourn my parents' deaths. I'd never known how they died, thinking it was a car accident caused by them being drunk, and besides, I always had extra chores to do at the Dursley house on holidays.

I sat down on my bed and pulled my locket out from under the collar of my nightgown. Looking at the happy pictures, I let the tears fall, allowing myself a rare moment of weakness.