When Lily and Jace came back from Hogsmeade, they couldn't find Lola anywhere. But when Lily went to bed, she found Lola in her own bed, already asleep . . . in the clothes she'd worn to Hogsmeade. Chalking it up to Lola just being tired, Lily undressed and changed for bed. She laid down on her bed, her eyes closing easily to sleep.
The next morning, it was Shannon that woke her up for breakfast.
"Come on, it's a beautiful day, and it's still only Sunday," Shannon said with a smile.
"And it's probably freezing outside," Lily muttered. She glanced over at Lola's bed to find it empty and already made. "Where's Lola?"
"She already went down to breakfast," Shannon told her. "Now, come on! Jace and the boys are waiting."
Lily sighed and pulled out an outfit for the day. Since it was a weekend, and they were allowed casual wear on weekends, Lily was able to choose something from her new clothes. She picked a black cutout shoulder top, a frilly black skirt with lace on the bottom, and black leggings under it. She pulled her hair up into a high side ponytail, making sure her ears were visible.
"You know, I like the change in clothes and style," Shannon complimented as Lily pulled on her shoes.
Lily grinned. "Thanks. But I'm more concerned about what my dad will think about it."
"Think he'll hate it?" Shannon asked.
"I can only hope," Lily said with a laugh. "Come on, let's eat."
The two girls left the dorm room, and when they entered the common room, they saw that Christian and Xavier had waited along with Jace.
"Hey, girls," Jace greeted with a smile.
Lily smiled back. "Hey. Good sleep?"
"Once I ignored Monty's snoring," he joked. "So, where's dirty?"
"She and the other girls went ahead," Shannon told him.
"Wow. She didn't stay to wake you up?" Jace commented.
"I know, it's kind of weird," Lily agreed.
"Especially with how she acted yesterday in Hogsmeade," Jace muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Shannon asked. "She seemed fine yesterday."
"Well, when I came to join her and Jace at Honeydukes, she just left and didn't say anything to me," Lily explained.
"And then she completely avoids us," Jace added.
"Do you think she's mad at me?" Lily asked.
"What did you do to make her mad?" Christian asked.
Lily shrugged. "I don't know! That's what's confusing. I just walked into Honeydukes. I mean, I was a little later than when I was supposed to be there, but I still had to talk to the team."
"Maybe the others know what's got her wand in a knot," Xavier told her.
But when they got to the Slytherin table, they found that Lola wasn't sitting with the other third years. She wasn't sitting anywhere in the Great Hall.
"Where the hell is Lola?" Jace demanded when they sat down in front of the others.
"She ate a really small breakfast and then rushed out. Said something about the library," Megan said with a roll of her eyes. "It's a Sunday. Who studies on a Sunday?"
Lily sighed as she made her plate. "She's avoiding me."
"Why? What did you do?" Izzy asked.
Lily shrugged. "I've no idea. But she's been avoiding me since yesterday."
"Just go into the library and corner her," Megan suggested.
"Not a bad idea," Christian agreed.
Lily pushed her food around her plate. "Maybe I'll go after mail gets here."
It wasn't long before mail came, and an owl soared over Lily, dropping a letter next to her plate. Not recognizing the letter or the owl, Lily picked it up and tore open the envelope. She opened the letter and looked at the name of the one who sent it. Then she smiled brightly.
"Dear Lily,
Hi! I was talking to Gordon about the book you got, and he suggested that I write to you. So I am! I love the book! I've already read half of it, and it's the best thing ever! I didn't know about all the secrets that Hogwarts had. Gordon told me that I would probably be a Hufflepuff if I'd gone. Is that a good House? Do you have any friends in that House? Probably. How could you not have friends from every House? And the Chocolate Frog you gave me, the card was one of Luna Lovegood, the woman who's discovered a ton of different rare creatures. She sounds like she's had such a cool life. And she took part in the war! It's my first card, so I've decided to start collecting. Usually my mum throws the cards away, so I never knew about them.
Are you having fun at school? I'd bet you are. You should write back. I can't wait to hear about how you're doing.
Love,
Duncan
P.S. - I'm still smiling."
Lily smiled while she read his letter. He was such a sweet boy. She'd have to start sending him Chocolate Frogs. She folded up his letter and kept it by her plate. She began to eat, hurrying so that she could find Lola, and then write to Duncan. She finished her plate and then stood up.
"Where are you going?" Jace asked.
Lily picked up the letter. "I'm going to find Lola," she told him. She held the letter out to him. "Keep hold of this for me?"
Jace nodded and took the letter. "Yeah, no problem."
"I'll come with you!" Xavier offered, hurrying to stand up.
Lily looked at him oddly, but shrugged. "Ok. Um . . . thanks."
The two left the Great Hall and made their way to the stairs. Xavier looked over at her. "So, Lily, how was Hogsmeade for you yesterday?"
Lily sighed. "Not bad. I hung out with the team, and then Jace. Bought a lot of sweets from Honeydukes. How about you?" she asked.
"It was fun. Me and the other guys hung around the Three Broomsticks, had a few butterbeers, and then a snowball fight outside," he told her.
Lily giggled. "Sounds like a lot of fun."
She heard him sigh. "So, Lily, I actually came along so that I could talk to you away from the others," he told her.
Lily looked over at him in confusion. "Really? About what?"
"Well, I know it's almost a month away, but I thought that I'd see if you'd want to go out with me on the next Hogsmeade visit?" Xavier asked.
Lily stopped walking, looking at him with even more confusion. What was with boys lately? "What?" she asked in shock.
He looked amused. "I was wondering you'd like to go out with me? Like a date?"
"Why?" The words slipped out before Lily could stop them.
He shrugged. "Well, you really pretty and you're really cool. Why wouldn't I want to ask you out before someone else did?"
"What do you mean someone else?" Lily demanded.
Xavier laughed. "Lil, a lot of guys like you and want to ask you out. You think I'm the only one?"
"How am I so fascinating?" Lily hissed. This was getting a little annoying.
"I told you. You're pretty and you're one of the coolest girls I know," he told her. "So, will you go on a date?"
Lily sighed and leaned against the nearest wall. She was pretty? Her mum and dad always told her that, but a parent's opinion never really counted. Then again, people said she was like her mum, and her mum was very beautiful. But more importantly, did she want to go out with Xavier, her friend?
Xavier sensed her hesitance. "I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend. Just a date. And if it doesn't work out, then we'll stick to being friends. So?"
Lily looked at him. He was a bit taller than her, his black hair straight, falling so that it was in his eyes, but swept to the side so it only really covered one eye. Those very eyes were a dark color, almost black.
"Ok. What harm could come from one date?" Lily asked rhetorically.
Xavier grinned, and Lily was reminded of Mitch's own grin. They really did look alike. "Awesome. I'll go and let you talk to Lola." With a simple nod, he turned and walked back the way they'd came. Lily shook her own head, and continued on to the library. The idea that she was being considered pretty, or 'bangin' as Rex had said, was still weird. When had she really changed? She was like she'd always been, right? Lily walked by a bathroom, so she walked in for a quick moment. She moved to the sinks and looked into one of the mirrors.
Her reflection was what she'd always thought she'd seen, so Lily looked hard for differences in her looks. Well, she was obviously a little taller, but not much. Her hair had gotten quite a bit longer, falling well past her shoulders. Her face was still a little babyish, but not as much as last year. She was thin, well, more athletic than thin. Were all these tiny things enough to suddenly make her pretty?
Lily shook her head and pushed away from the sink. She strode out of the bathroom, not wanting to see her reflection anymore. She had a mission, and it was easier to think about that. She soon found herself standing outside the library. She could see Lola sitting at one of the tables from where she was standing. Lily walked over to her, and dropped down into the seat next to Lola.
"Hey," she greeted.
Lola said nothing, but kept her eyes on the book in front of her.
"Lola?" Lily whispered, trying to be quiet.
No response.
Lily reached over and closed the book with a snap. "Lola!" she hissed. "What is your problem?"
Lola didn't even look at her. Instead she stood up from the table and walked away from the table, and out of the library. Lily hurried to follow after her. She caught up, and stayed with her.
"Lola, why are you mad at me? I at least deserve to know that!" Lily demanded.
Lola still didn't look at her, but at least she wasn't looking angry.
But Lily was getting irritated. She grabbed Lola's wrist and pulled her into the bathroom she had previously been in. "What is wrong with you?" Lily hissed.
Lola sighed, finally looking at Lily. "I'm not mad at you," she mumbled. Her eyes dropped to the floor.
Lily dropped her wrist. "Then what's wrong? Why wouldn't you talk to me? Why did you avoid me?"
Lola wrapped her now free arm around herself. "I saw you kiss Rex yesterday," she muttered.
"Woah! First of all, Rex kissed me," Lily corrected.
Lola sighed. "Either way, Rex kissed you," she stated.
Lily looked at her, expecting to hear more. "And? So?"
"I just . . . I like Rex," she whispered.
A pang of guilt hit Lily, even though it wasn't her fault. Even though she hadn't kissed Rex. "Lola . . . , I'm so sorry."
Lola leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor. "I don't blame you for the kiss. It's just . . . I'm starting to realize that a lot of people think that you're really pretty and fun, . . . and I'm just some tagalong friend that no one notices," she explained quietly.
Lily sighed now, and moved to sit next to her. "Lola, you're just as pretty as I am, probably more so, because I'm really not all that stunning," she assured.
"Lysander went after you, I've heard Hunter and Xavier talking about you, Rex kissed you, I've seen some of the boys from your team flirting with you," Lola listed.
"Hold up," Lily said. "What happened between Lysander and I was a disaster. Hunter and Xavier are thirteen-year-old boys, of course they're going to talk, Rex is no way interested in me romantically, and the boys from the team are always joking around."
"Rex still kissed you!"
"Because he tries to kiss all pretty girls, and he knew that sneaking up on me would be the only way!" Lily protested. "But if you like him, you have a chance of making it easier for him when he wants to kiss you. So, go after him!"
Lola rested her chin on her knees. "Not everyone is as brave as you. Nor are they as comfortable with the opposite sex as you are."
"Look, the reason I'm comfortable with them is because I've been growing up around them. To me, they're just guys! It's rare for me to find one to be special," Lily told her. "So, if you just act like you're talking to a friend, then it's easy to talk to them."
"I don't know, Lil."
"If you do nothing, then nothing happens. But if you take a chance, something will happen. It may be good, or it may be bad, but you have to be willing to take the chance," Lily told her softly.
Lola closed her eyes. "I guess I can't argue with that."
Lily grinned. "I always win arguments," she joked. She patted Lola's shoulder. "Come on. I gotta get back to the common room to write a letter to Duncan. Then we can figure out a way to get Rex's attention pointed at you."
******************
"Dear Duncan,
I have a cousin that was a Hufflepuff, and she's the nicest girl I know. It would be a great House for you. You'd really fit in there, and it's full of nice people. They're all so fair, and loyal, and sweet. Just like you. And I'm glad that you like the book. I thought you would. And I do know all about Luna Lovegood. She's my godmother. In fact, my parents gave me the middle name Luna in her honor. She's a great woman, and one of the sweetest. I'm sure she'd like you very much.
I'm having a lot of fun at school this year. I'm currently getting ready for a Quidditch match against Ravenclaw which is getting closer and closer. My friends are doing well, and we hang out every day.
I can't wait to see you again. I'm hoping that I can plan out a trip to go and see you again this summer. Count on seeing me.
Love,
Lily
P.S. - Glad to hear you're still smiling."
February soon came, and soon all the girls were on deck to help Lola get Rex to notice her. Sadly, he didn't seem to take a single hint, but they weren't at all defeated.
"Try to flirt a little more," Shannon told her at lunch. "Be a bit more open when you talk." Every time they were around the older boys, the girls made sure that Lola sat close to Rex. They would always help her engage in conversations with him, but they would then leave the conversation once the two began talking.
Lola blushed slightly. "I don't see the point anymore," she sighed.
"Don't give up. He's a guy, he's gunna be a little slow," Megan retorted.
"What are you girls talking about?" Scorpius asked as he and Lana sat by them. Lana taking the seat next to Megan, and Scorpius sitting next to Lily.
"Nothing," they said immediately.
"I don't trust the unison reply," Scorpius joked.
"Look sharp," Lana muttered.
Scorpius groaned. "Not again," he mumbled.
The third year girls looked at the two fifth years in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Lola asked.
"Hey, guys. Mind if we join ya?" Mitch asked. Lily looked to where Mitch was standing and finally understood Lana and Scorpius's irritation. His arm was around Dominique, who looked anything but happy. More like bored.
Scorpius seemed to force out a smile. "Of course, dude."
Megan moved over so that Mitch and Dominique could sit down. Mitch took the seat next to Megan, leaving Dominique to sit next to Lana. Lana was now the one to look anything but happy.
Lily eyed her cousin wearily. It was true that, besides Louis, Dominique was the only one of her cousins that she could handle at school. Mainly because Dominique ignored her, and since she'd ignored her before she was a Slytherin, Lily took no offense. And the few times they did exchange words at home, they weren't harsh or filled with malice. Just full of equal annoyance and/or boredom. And Lily remembered that some time ago, Dominique had admitted that Lily was one of the few cousins that she could stand.
"Hey, Dom," Lily muttered.
Dominique gave Lily a bored look. "Hey, Potter."
Lily felt a bit irritated. "Don't call me that," she growled.
Dominique raised a brow. "Too, Gryffindor? Can't blame you then." That was another thing about Dominique that Lily found a tad bit annoying. She seemed to hate practically every thing about herself, and didn't keep it a secret.
"So, Lil, I was told that you've got a date with my brother," Mitch teased lightly.
Lily only shrugged, not even blushing. "He asked me to Hogsmeade, so I said yes. What's the harm?"
"You're becoming quite popular these days," Lana said with a smile.
"Whatever," Lily said with a sigh.
"Yeah, Rex told us about him attacking ya," Scorpius joked.
Now Lily rolled her eyes. "That's a good way to put it," she muttered.
"Sounds like you really are a popular princess," Dominique retorted wryly.
"Well since you're the spoiled one, I thought I'd go for a different title," Lily shot back. Dominique wasn't mad at her comment. She grinned instead, and Lily grinned back. It was official in Lily's mind, and probably hers, that they could never have a good relationship without some kind of sarcasm.
"So, have you told your parents about Mitch?" Lily asked.
"It's none of their business, but I'm sure they'll find out when I bring him over during the summer," Dominique retorted.
Lily almost laughed. "You're going to let your parents meet Mitch?"
"Hey," Mitch intervened, "I'm great with parents."
"You've never met Weasley parents. And Uncle Bill is very particular about what kind of boy dates one of his girls," Lily told him. She thought back to when Victoire told her about Uncle Bill sitting her down for a long talk about boys. At first, Lily had thought it'd been sort of funny, but now she feared that her father would do the same to her. Especially since he knew about her date with Lysander.
"They'll love me," Mitch assured.
Even Dominique didn't look as if she'd believed him.
********************
"Don't just watch out for Bludgers," Scorpius said as the team got changed for their game against Ravenclaw. "My guess is that Lorcan Scamander has been practicing over the summer, and after their loss to Hufflepuff, he's doubled their amount of practices."
"Got it, Scor," Lars said as he picked up his broom.
"Remember what I said, Princess?" Scorpius asked.
"Wait until we have a nice lead before going for it," Lily repeated.
"And what do I want from everyone else?" Scorpius questioned.
"A clean game," the others stated.
"Then let's get out there!" Scorpius told them.
Once the game had started, a Bludger was shot directly at Lily. She knew it was Lorcan who'd hit it, and she knew that despite their friendship, this was Quidditch. No friends on the opposite team, and once it was over, no grudge was held.
Scorpius was the one to score the first goal, the little Ravenclaw Keeper having no chance to catch it. But from there on it was an even game. Lorcan had grown very fierce since the Hufflepuff game, so much that he'd almost taken out Adrian within ten minutes. Lily noticed that Lysander seemed to be glancing at her every so often. She ignored it, trying to crush the feelings she still had. And Mark Kimball was much slower with a school broom. Every so often, Lily couldn't help but do a lap around him, purposely irritating him.
"And Boot makes the goal, giving Ravenclaw the score of a hundred and thirty, and leaving Slytherin with the score of a hundred and forty. This game could be anybodies!" Meredith Macmillan announced.
Lily glanced over at Dante, how was running an aggravated hand through his hair. He held the Quaffle in his free hand, and looked around at the others. She watched as he threw it to Scorpius.
"And Malfoy has the Quaffle. He swiftly makes his way down the field, thanks to the team's awesome new set of brooms," Meredith said with a bit of envy in her tone. "Malfoy tosses the Quaffle to Flint, who swerves past Belby, and tosses it to Nott over Stretton's head. Nott fakes the pass and takes a shot . . . and he scores! Ten points for Slytherin."
Lily let out a sigh. That made it so they were twenty points ahead. Two goals away from them. The way the game was going, they weren't going to get too big a lead. Maybe she should just go for the Snitch when she first saw it. Because if she didn't then Ravenclaw could have the chance to take the lead.
"And Stretton makes the shot! Another ten points for Ravenclaw!" Meredith cheered.
Damn, Lily thought. She'd have to make a decision quick, either way, it could be bad. But, she might as well grab the Snitch while they had the lead, instead of risking a close game. Flatting herself out along her broom, Lily moved faster around the pitch, searching desperately for the Golden Snitch. Wind was whipping around her, and she was thankful that she'd pulled her hair back. Her cheeks were stained pink from the chill in the air.
"And Kimball's spotted the Snitch!" Meredith said, practically screaming with excitement.
Lily whipped around to see Kimball streaking toward a glint of gold on the far side of the field, his arm outstretched. Lily quickly shot forward to catch up to him, her own hand reaching out. She caught Kimball in seconds, her superior broom out flying his easily. She flew past him, getting closer to the zigzagging Snitch.
"And Scamander hits a Bludger, shooting it toward the Seekers!"
Lily felt a bit of panic and tension clench in her shoulders. She quickly lunged forward while keeping a grip on her broom with one hand. She closed her fingers around the Snitch, holding it firmly in her hand. Then she heard gasps and screams, and then everything jolted, and went black.
*******************
"How long has it been?"
"A day and a half now."
"Are you sure she's ok?"
"I promise that she's fine. She'll wake up when she's ready."
"Well she's taking her sweet ass time!"
"Language, Mr. Malfoy!"
"Well she needs to hurry!"
Lily groaned. "She can hear you," she muttered. There was a small commotion as Lily slowly began to open her eyes. She felt groggy and incredibly sore. There was a throbbing in her head, like she was about to explode.
"Lily, you're awake!" Lola exclaimed. Lily looked around her and saw that her bed was surrounded by the team and a few of her friends.
Lily blinked. "How long have I been out?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"Almost two days," Lana told her.
Lily laid her head back down and sighed. "What happened?"
"A Bludger knocked your head just as you'd caught the Snitch," Dante told her. "You were knocked out immediately."
"You fell off your broom," Adrian told her. "We all helped to carry you up here."
Lily scoffed. "You make me sound like I weigh as much as a giant."
Adrian let out a laugh. "Sorry, not my intent."
"How do you feel?" Jace asked.
"Bit of a headache, but nothing more," she told them.
"Well, I'll probably let you go later tonight, once the headache goes away," Madam Pomfrey told her from a few beds away.
"Good," Lily muttered, closing her eyes. "What time is it?"
"Lunch time. We all came in to check in on you," Will told her.
"I don't think Scorpius has left your side since you got here," she heard Adrian tease.
Lily tried not to blush as she opened her eyes to look at the stormy eyes next to her. Scorpius was sitting in a chair, his face expressionless as he looked at her. "It's not like I was going to die. You didn't have to come," she muttered.
Scorpius crossed his arms and set them on the bed, then he rested his head on them. "I know. But I wanted to tell you the good news."
"What news?" Lily asked.
"I got a letter from my mum the other day, saying how she would love nothing more than for me to bring you along on our trip this summer," Scorpius told her with a grin.
Lily smiled. "Really? So they're ok with it?"
He nodded. "Yep, we just have to get your parents to agree." Scorpius smirked devilishly. "Perhaps I should write to your mum. Sweet talk her a bit," he joked.
Lily laughed and shrugged. "Whatever works."
Lily's headache had disappeared a few hours later, and Madam Pomfrey had let her go after a few reassurances that the headache was really gone. Lily chose to walk around the castle. By the time Pomfrey had let her out, it was time for the last class, and Lily found no reason to show up with half of the class over. Besides, her friends were taking notes for her.
"Ah, Lily! You finally woke up!"
Lily turned her head to see Professor Brown walking toward her, a smile on his face. Lily smiled back. "Hello, Professor. Nice afternoon?"
"Nice day so far," he told her. "So, when did you get up? I was told you hadn't woken up since your team brought you to the Hospital Wing."
"I woke up a few hours ago. Madam Pomfrey let me go since my headache disappeared," Lily told him. "I just have a bruise on the back of my neck, but she says that it should be fading soon."
"Well that's good. I went in there yesterday and I saw that you had a plethora of gifts," Professor Brown commented. He was right. Most of Slytherin House had brought her treats or cards. Madam Pomfrey assured her that these would all be taken to her dorm, that way she wouldn't have to carry them around.
"Yeah, but I haven't gone through it all yet," she told him.
"I think I should tell you that I wrote to your parents about what happened."
Although she kept walking beside him, Lily's insides froze. Her parents? They weren't coming were they? "Why?" Lily demanded.
"Well, you were unconscious for almost two days. We had to let them know. Your parents came yesterday to see you, but you didn't wake up. They said they would come the day after tomorrow, which is tomorrow, and I said that I'd write them if you awoke before that," Professor Brown explained.
"Be sure to write them. I'd hate for them to make an unnecessary trip down here," Lily muttered.
"You seem very adamant against having your parents come here," he mentioned.
Lily shrugged. "I'm a bit angry with my dad. Happens when you're a teenager."
"That's true," Professor Brown murmured.
Lily quickly changed the topic. "I went to see Duncan over Christmas Break."
Professor Brown looked at her with a bright smile. "Did you really? I'm sure he enjoyed that."
Lily smiled as well. "Yeah. I brought him a Christmas present."
"What did you get him?"
"A book on Hogwarts. To make up for him not being able to go," she told him.
Professor Brown's expression softened. "That was very nice of you."
Lily blushed a little. "He deserves it. He wrote me a letter a few days ago, so I wrote one back."
"Seems like you have a pen pal. But that's good for Duncan. It gives him something to do," he said with a sigh.
Lily bit her lip. "Have you gone to visit him lately?"
"Sadly no. I've been a bit busy," Professor Brown said with a cough. Lily looked at him and saw that his cheeks were a bit pink.
Lily cleared her throat. "Well, his arm is disappearing. You can see through it now."
"Getting worse?"
"Looks like it," she whispered.
They were silent then as they walked, but Professor Brown eventually sighed loudly. "Well, Lily, I must leave your company. I have a few things I must do, and letters to send. Anything you would like me to tell your parents?" he asked.
"Just tell them that I'm perfectly fine, and they can write to check up on me," Lily told him.
He nodded. "All right. I'll see you around, Lily."
"Later, Professor," Lily said with a small wave. She turned around and began walking the other way. She could hear that classes were ending, and people were beginning to fill the halls. Lily mixed in with the crowds of students heading for either their common rooms or to dinner.
"Hey, Lil!"
Lily stopped, and turned her head to see Rex running toward her. He moved past other kids, or pushed them lightly aside, until he was right beside her. Lily grinned. "Hey, Rex." The two began walking again.
"Hey. Nice to see you out of bed," he joked.
"It's nice to be out of bed," she laughed.
Rex looked at her. "So, what are you doing during the next Hogsmeade visit?"
"I've got a date with Xavier."
"Avery? Mitch's brother?"
"The same one," Lily replied. She glanced at him to see a bit of a defeated look. "Why do you ask?"
He dropped the expression and shrugged. "I was going to see if you wanted to go with me."
Lily felt another one of those dumb pangs of guilt as Lola entered her mind. "Sorry, but I'm taken."
"Maybe another time," he said with a sigh.
Lily tried not to groan. "You should ask Lola. I'm sure she'd love to."
Rex looked at her with surprise. "Lola? Really?"
Lily nodded as she looked at him. "Yeah."
Rex seemed to be mulling that over in his head. "And she's pretty cute. Maybe I should," he murmured.
"Just keep my name out of it," Lily hinted.
"Hey, guys!" Justin Warrington greeted as he joined the two. "What's up?"
"Talking about dates for Hogsmeade," Rex told him.
"You're going together? I thought I heard Mitch say that Lu was going with his bro?" Justin mentioned.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I am. We're talking about who Rex should take."
"I think I'm going to ask Lola," Rex added.
"Not a bad choice," Justin complimented.
"Who are you going with?" Lily asked.
"I'm hanging with some of the guys," he told her.
"Why not take a date?" Lily inquired.
"The girl he likes already has a date," Rex teased.
Lily gave him a sympathetic look. "Sorry."
Justin just shrugged and smiled. "Nah, don't be. I'm cool with it."
"May I ask who the girl is?" Lily asked.
"It's Lana," Rex told her.
Lily looked at Justin with surprise. "Lana? Lana Goyle? Really?"
Justin shrugged again. "She's hot, and she's an awesome girl. Why wouldn't I be interested?"
Rex shook his head. "She's like a cousin to me, and I'm not so pureblood as to be into incest," he joked.
"I'm with ya," Justin laughed. "Luckily, I don't see her as a cousin."
The three entered the Great Hall and Lily separated from them to sit with Megan and Shannon, who had already begun to eat.
"Hey, girls," Lily greeted.
"Lily!" they both exclaimed.
"You're up!" Shannon cheered. "We were beginning to get worried."
"We haven't gotten the chance to talk to the others today," Megan told her. "We didn't know if you'd woken up yet."
Lily grinned. "And now you know. So what's up? What'd I miss?"
"Nothing really. A lot boredom," Megan said quickly.
"Yeah, nothing new," Shannon added. Lily grew suspicious. Both girls were looking at their plates, avoiding Lily's eye.
"Guys, what happened?" Lily demanded.
The two girls looked at each other, and then looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well," Shannon said delicately, "there's been some talk the past few days."
"Like what?" Lily asked.
Megan sighed. "Some people are saying that you've lost your Seeker skills. I mean, it's the first time any of us have seen you knocked out. And you took a big fall. There was a lot of blood. Some idiots were saying that you might not walk, or that you were dying."
"And . . . some have been a bit cruel," Shannon murmured.
"Some?" Lily questioned.
"Paige Wilde hasn't shut her mouth since you fell. We've all been tempted to shut it for her," Megan muttered.
"Actually, Lola did," Shannon said with a laugh. "She was talking about you in the middle of the halls before lunch yesterday, and Lola sort of attacked her."
Lily tried not to laugh. "What do you mean sort of?"
Megan was giggling. "Well, she threatened to transfigure her mouth onto another part of her body."
Lily laughed. "Only Lola."
"We were all tempted to," Shannon told her.
"Hey, girlies!" Hunter and Monty greeted as they came to sit down with them.
"Jace told us you were up," Hunter said to Lily. "How do ya feel?"
"Pretty good," Lily replied.
"Guys, guess what!" Lola squealed as she hurried toward them. She took a quick seat next to Lily, the smile on her face the biggest she'd ever had.
"What? Did you really remove Paige Wilde's mouth?" Megan asked.
Lola ignored her joke. "Rex asked me to Hogsmeade!"
"Shut up!" Shannon squealed.
"That's great!" Megan cheered.
"Told you he would," Lily teased.
"When did he ask?" Shannon asked.
"Just as I was walking to join you guys. He stopped me and asked me out," Lola said with a dreamy sigh.
Megan gave a small groan. "I'm really starting to feel left out on this whole dating thing."
Shannon rolled her eyes. "Lola and Lily are the only two in our year that have been on, or are going on, a date."
"No. Don't you remember? Jace asked Izzy out this morning," Megan corrected.
Lily looked at Lola. "Did he really?"
Lola, still smiling, nodded. "Yeah, it was a bit comical. Sweet, but a bit funny."
"I wanna hear the story later," Lily teased. Lola nodded.
"Ok, but it's not like you're the only one. I haven't been on one either," Shannon pointed out.
"Yeah, but you turned down Derek when he asked you to go with him," Megan told her.
"Derek Bole asked you out?" Hunter asked, the others looked just as surprised.
Shannon shook her head. "Not really. He asked if I'd like to hang out with him and a few friends. Not an official date."
"More than I've been asked," Megan muttered.
"I'll take ya on a date," Monty said with a smug grin.
"I'd rather a troll take me on my first date," Megan retorted.
"Ok. How about your second one?" Monty asked.
"In your dreams," Megan replied, not missing a beat.