Lily sighed as she rummaged around through her clothes, trying to pick an outfit for Hogsmeade. She was supposed to meet Xavier in about thirty minutes. But she wasn't alone in her indecision. Lola and Izzy were both frantically trying to pick something to wear as well. Megan and Shannon were watching them with amusement.
"Maybe it's good that I don't have a date. I don't have to go through fifty outfits," Megan joked.
"Bite me," Lily shot back. She grabbed a pair of dark jeans, her studded belt, a black cutout shoulder top, and her studded bracelet. "Finally," she muttered to herself. She placed the clothes onto her bed, and pulled off the Falcons shirt she had on. She picked up the new shirt.
"Lily, can I ask you sort of a weird question?" Shannon asked.
"Go for it," Lily told her as she pulled the shirt over her head.
"What's your bra size?"
Lily turned her head to look at Shannon with confusion. "What? Why?" she pulled one arm through the shirt.
"Because you don't really have the body of a thirteen-year-old," Megan said dryly.
"More like fourteen," Shannon added.
Lily scoffed. "Not really."
"No, she has a point," Lola agreed. "It's probably that change that you don't seem to understand."
"What are you saying?" Lily demanded in confusion.
"She's saying that your boobs are bigger than anyone in our year, and you're up to par with girls in the fourth year," Megan replied.
Unable to help it, Lily glanced down at her chest. She wasn't that . . . developed. At least, she didn't think she was. Then again, her mum had taken her shopping for a few bras over the summer, and she'd apparently gone up a few sizes. But Lily's last bras had been way too small, and she'd had them for a few years, so surely she'd just grown into the body of a thirteen-year-old. Lily shook her head, her thoughts giving her a bit of a headache.
"It's not that noticeable," Lily muttered.
"Yeah it is," Shannon teased.
"No, it's not," Lily argued.
"Yeah, it is," Izzy told her.
"Prove me wrong," Shannon challenged. "What's your bra size?"
Lily sighed. "I don't remember."
"How do you not remember?" Megan questioned.
Lily shrugged as she pulled on her jeans. "I just never pay attention. I find one that fits, grab a few others like it, and that's it."
Megan walked over to Lily's clothes and dug through them. She pulled out one of Lily's bras. "She wears . . . a 36B. Seriously?"
"I'm still wearing an A cup," Shannon told her.
Lily took the bra from Megan's hands and threw it back into her dresser. "Was there a point to that?" she asked.
Megan grinned. "Nothing more than to prove you wrong." Then she flitted back over to her bed, waiting.
Lily rolled her eyes. "So what? It's not that much bigger."
"I'm still wearing an A, too," Izzy added.
"How about you, Lola?" Megan asked.
Lily was pulling her belt through the loops of her jeans when she looked over at Lola, who wasn't looking at any of them.
"Lola?" Shannon inquired.
Lola sent Lily an apologetic look. "I'm still an A."
"And so am I," Megan said with an even bigger grin. "So, Lily's body isn't like the average third year."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Fine. I concede. You all win. Can we just not talk about it ever again?"
"Deal," Megan joked.
Shannon laughed. "Sorry, Lily. I was just curious."
"It's all good," Lily muttered as she clasped on her bracelet. She slipped on her Liz Canvas shoes, and tied the pink laces. She stood up and looked at the mirror Teddy had given her.
"I'd try your hair up," the mirror spoke to her.
Lily sighed and ran a hand through her bangs. "I'll do it!" Shannon suggested.
Lily chuckled. "Nah., I'm just doing something simple."
"I like that mirror," Megan told her. "Seems pretty helpful."
"I can be," Lily said with a shrug. She took a hair band, and simply pulled her hair into a high side ponytail again. It was becoming a favorite style of hers. Mainly because it was easy to do.
"Are you going now?" Shannon asked, seeing that Lily was ready.
"No, I told Lola I'd wait for her," Lily replied as she dropped onto her bed.
"I'm almost ready," Lola said. Lily looked to see that she was slipping on her shoes.
"I'll wait too," Izzy said as she tied the laces of her last shoes.
"No need. I'm ready," Lola said with a smile.
"Then let's go," Megan said as she hopped off her bed. The girls all left the room, grabbing their coats as they did. Lily grabbed her leather jacket, loving the warmth it radiated. They left the common room and started for the Entrance Hall.
"So, where are you meeting the boys at?" Shannon asked.
"Rex said he'd meet me in the Entrance Hall," Lola said with a giddy voice.
"Jace said he'd meet me outside," Izzy answered.
"I told Xavier I'd see him at the gate," Lily told them. They ascended the stairs, and walked into the Entrance Hall. There were a few students still milling about before leaving.
Lola squealed. "I see Rex. Bye!" she said as she ran off to where Rex was standing by the Great Hall doors.
Lily smiled at her friend. "Well, I'm going to go ahead and meet up with Xavier. Later."
"Later, Lil," Megan said.
"We'll want details later," Shannon teased.
"Bye, Lily," Izzy said with a wave.
Lily slipped on her jacket as she stepped outside into the cold. There wasn't much wind, but the chill in the air was cold against her cheeks. There was a pathway through the snow, leading toward the gate, so Lily followed it, not feeling up to walking through the snow. She soon saw a head of black just ahead of her.
"Xavier!" Lily called. Xavier stopped walking and turned to look at her. He grinned as she ran toward him. "Looks like we met before the gate," she joked.
Xavier chuckled. "Well, not far from the gate, that is," he laughed, looking toward the gate a few yards away.
Lily shrugged. "Anyways, what's the plan?" The two began walking again.
"Well, I remembered how you told me that you guys all went to the Shrieking Shack at the beginning of the year, so I thought we'd grab some food and a few drinks and take them up there," Xavier suggested.
Lily smiled. "That sounds cool. Three Broomsticks or Hog's Head?"
"Well, Three Broomsticks is closer," Xavier replied. "I just figured we'd stop there."
"Sounds good to me," Lily agreed.
So the two stopped at The Three Broomsticks and grabbed a few butterbeers and a bit of food to eat, and then headed to the empty field where the Shrieking Shack waited for them. Xavier was the one to hold everything as Lily led him to the Shack, since she'd been there before.
"So how was the party after the game?" Lily asked him as they made their way through the snow.
"It wasn't bad. A bit low-key since you were knocked out," Xavier told her. "But it was still fun."
"Sorry I missed it," Lily said with a laugh. They reached the shack, so she pushed open the door. "Welcome," she joked. She stepped inside, and warmed immediately. She began to wonder what type of charm had been placed on the shack as she took off her jacket. Xavier kicked the door shut and set down the food. Then he pulled off his coat.
"Not bad. A bit dusty," he commented. "But nice."
Lily plopped down onto the couch, a bit of dust rising as she did. Guess it'd been awhile since they'd been there. It was bound to get a little dusty again. "Yeah, that's what we thought."
Xavier sat down next to her and grabbed two butterbeers. He pulled off the two caps, and then handed her one. "Here ya go."
"Thanks," Lily said before taking a drink. She reached down and grabbed a bit of food, finding herself hungry. "So, Xavier, can I ask you something?"
He nodded as he picked up his own food. "Yeah, go ahead."
"Well, it might seem pretty weird," Lily warned.
"I'm sure I can handle it," he said with a chuckle.
Lily gave a small sigh, surprised that she was really going to ask. "What is it about me that you suddenly find pretty?"
Xavier looked at her in confusion. He swallowed his bite before speaking. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you've never asked me out before, or even expressed an interest, so what changed that makes me pretty to you?" Lily questioned.
Xavier took a quick drink before answering. "Well, I guess I'm not really sure. I was like I just kind of . . . noticed one day that you were pretty. I don't know. Maybe it's all part of growing up," he replied.
Lily leaned back in her seat as she thought about that. She'd always been pretty? Was that what Rex had thought? And Lysander? Or had the girls been right, and the boys were really noticing how her body was changing? But she said nothing about her inner thoughts.
"So, why did you agree to go out with me?" Xavier asked, turning the tables.
Lily raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"Just what I asked. Why did you agree?" Xavier repeated.
Lily shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just didn't see the harm. I mean, like you said, it was just a date. If it didn't work, then we'd stay friends."
"Had nothing to do with my devilishly good looks?" he teased.
Lily giggled. "Well it helped that you're not hideous."
"Why thank you," he laughed.
The two continued to eat as they talked, and Lily found that she liked talking to Xavier. He was funny, and had a lot of funny stories about his family. Like her, he came from a big family, although it wasn't cousins that surrounded him, but siblings. Lily hadn't known that there were eight Avery kids, counting Xavier and Mitch. Xavier admitted to being the fifth child, with three younger brothers, three older brothers, and one older sister. Lily felt pity for that lone girl. She'd die if she had seven brothers.
"So, can I ask you something?" Xavier asked. They had finished their food, and were now facing each other on the couch.
"Ask away," Lily told him.
"What brought on the change of style? I mean, I like it, but I never expected it," Xavier asked.
Lily sighed. "I got mad at my dad over break. He acts like it's my fault that my brothers hate me. So I thought that perhaps now was the time to look as he thinks I act. A rebel, a troublemaker. Basically, I'm a bit tired of being the baby Potter Princess. I like being Slytherin's princess much more," she explained.
"We like having you as our princess," Xavier told her. His face lacked amusement, showing how serious he was. Lily felt flattered, and couldn't help but smile. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his in a kiss. His lips responded almost immediately, kissing her back. His lips were warm and very inviting. She moved a little closer to him, and felt his hand rest on her side. Lily moved her hands to his shoulders, her spinning a bit at the feel of the kiss. She pulled away, and locked eyes with him while they both remained silent.
Finally, Xavier grinned. "Maybe I should compliment you more often?" he joked lightly.
Lily giggled. "Well, I was thinking that I should kiss you more often, but I guess we could do both," she teased.
Xavier moved closer now. "I like that idea. Let me start. You are very pretty."
Lily leaned close to his lips. "My turn." Then she kissed him again.
**************************
February passed on a high note for Lily. After her date with Xavier, she landed a boyfriend. One that she knew accepted her being a Slytherin. Being Xavier's girlfriend hadn't landed her any extra fights with her family, making him a winner in Lily's eyes. Sure, she'd gained a bit more teasing from Mitch, but she was used to Mitch's teasing and jokes.
March came quick, and Slytherin got another reason to laugh and gloat at Gryffindor. The match of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had ended with Hufflepuff stomping on Gryffindor. They'd won with two hundred more points than Gryffindor. But that also meant a little trouble for Slytherin.
"Ok, guys, before you all scatter, we gotta talk," Scorpius said in the locker room. They had just finished practice, and were all showered, and in the middle of changing.
"Talk away, Scor," Lars said, pulling his jeans over his legs.
"It's about Hufflepuff. They have been dominating this year. They creamed both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Now, as cool as that is to watch, it means trouble for us. They're beating us in overall points by sixty. And since we need to prove that we're the dominate House, that means we need at least a sixty-point lead when we face them," Scorpius told them.
"No problem," Lily told him, sliding her arms through the sleeves of her shirt.
"Yeah, but that also relies on the rest of us. We need to gain the lead so that Princess can go for the Snitch. The Hufflepuff Beaters have been on fire, and they've knocked out both Mark Kimball and Albus Potter, leaving both teams with no Seeker. We have to make sure that it doesn't happen to us," Scorpius told them. "So I want a Beater following Princess at all times, no exception."
"I can take care of myself," Lily muttered as she pulled on her shoes.
"Doesn't matter," Scorpius argued. He paused to pull on his own shirt. "Now, we'll talk more on this before the game, but I just want everyone on their best. And if we end up having to play a little dirty, then so be it."
Lily grabbed her jacket and shut her locker. "Don't worry. We'll win. I've got the better broom. Bludger won't be able to catch me."
"It did the last game," Scorpius reminded her.
"Once the game had ended. Don't worry, I'll be fine," Lily assured. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go."
"Gotta meet up with your boyfriend?" Dante teased.
"Which one?" Lily joked. The boys laughed with her. "Later, guys."
"Later, Lu," Dante said, along with the guys.
Lily stepped out into the cold, resting her broom on her shoulder. The snow was almost gone, but the cold air had persisted. So she hurried up the castle, wanting to step into the warmth of the castle. When she did finally reach the castle, she pulled off her jacket and made her way down the dungeon stairs. She entered the common room to hear loud talking and laughter as dozens of Slytherins sat around the common room, enjoying each others company while staying out of the cold. Lily ran her things up to her dorm room before coming back down the stairs. She glanced around the room before finding the others sitting at a corner table. Lily walked over to join them.
"Hey, guys!" she greeted. She took a seat next to Xavier and smiled at him.
"Hey," Lola greeted happily.
"Hey," Jace muttered, his eyes glaring at a book and paper.
"What's got your wand in a knot?" Lily asked.
"I hate Transfiguration! It's a stupid subject!" Jace snapped, pushing the book away from him.
"You are the only thing that's stupid," Lola retorted.
"At least I wash my hair!" he said waspishly.
Xavier chuckled. "That paper is really pissing you off, huh?"
"Ya think?" Jace scoffed.
Izzy gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You'll do just fine," she assured.
Jace gave his girlfriend a small and unsure smile. "If you say so," he said, his tone much nicer. But then he turned to glare at his paper again.
"So how was practice?" Xavier asked Lily.
Lily shrugged. "Same as always. Scorpius wants to dominate Hufflepuff."
"I thought Hufflepuff was doing really well this year? Won't dominating them be hard?" Lola asked curiously.
"Maybe. I guess we'll find out in May," Lily said with a sigh.
"I'm sure you'll win," Xavier assured. "You haven't lost a game yet."
"And I plan to keep it that way," Lily said with a grin.
****************
"This essay isn't too bad," Lily told Lorcan. They were sitting in the library, having their usual tutoring session. "I've marked any mistakes, and if you fix them, you're bound to get maybe an A or an E."
Lorcan nodded with a smile. "Awesome. So, can you show me how to fix 'em?"
"Open your book," Lily instructed. Lorcan leaned down to grab his bag. "So, how have you been Lorcan?" Lily asked.
Lorcan glanced at her with a grin. "Not too bad. Been getting ready to smash Gryffindor in our upcoming match. You been preparing for Hufflepuff?"
"Scorpius has all but killed us," Lily joked.
Lorcan chuckled. "Take it seriously though. They were really good in our match. And you need to be careful. They're practically killing Seekers this year."
"That's what Scorpius said. He plans on having a Beater following me the entire game," Lily told him.
Lorcan gave a nod as he began to flip through his book. "So, besides Quidditch, how have you been?"
Lily shrugged. "Not bad." Lily paused, wondering if she could mention Xavier to Lorcan. After all, she had dumped his twin. She took a chance. "Went on a date last Hogsmeade trip. Turned out pretty good."
Lorcan didn't look at all angry. "Oh yeah? With who?"
"Xavier Avery. He's in my year," Lily explained. Lorcan only nodded, so Lily decided to tease him. "So, did you have a date?"
Lorcan blushed as he turned to look at her. "No. I was busy talking Quidditch tactics with the team."
Lily rolled her eyes. "You know, Lorcan, there's a big world outside of Quidditch. And I thought you liked Rose?"
"I do. That's why I'm going to ask her out tomorrow," Lorcan admitted.
Lily smiled. "Good! A girlfriend would be good for you."
"Yeah, that's what Ly said when I told him," Lorcan said with a sigh. Lily tried not to cringe at the mention of Lysander. "You know, Lil, I wouldn't normally do this, but since it's my brother . . ."
Lily sighed. "Lorcan . . ."
He held up a hand. "No, just listen. Now, I'm not going to tell you that you're horrible for dumping him and then avoiding him, and I'm not going to ask you to get back together with him. I just think that you should know that he's really hurt and confused. He doesn't fully understand why you dumped him, or why you won't see him. Now, I'm no expert at relationships, but I think that you at least own him an explanation," Lorcan told her.
Lily sighed again. He was right, although she hated to admit it. But she'd practically told Lysander why, wasn't that good enough? "I'll tell him . . . once I work up the nerve to talk to him," she told him.
Lorcan grinned. "Good. I'll tell him to just give ya time then."
Lily smiled. "Thanks, Lorcan." She glanced at the open book. "Find the page?"
Lorcan looked at the book. "Oh! Yeah. So, where did I mess up?"
*******************
The rest of March passed with a mild pace. Lily's time was filled with classes, Quidditch, extra lessons with Slughorn, tutoring Lorcan, and spending time with her friends and boyfriend. Her days seemed to fill easily, leaving her no time to really think about her family or talking to Lysander.
Time flowed into April, taking the chill in the air away. Sadly it left quite a bit of rain in its wake, drenching the team during practices, or causing a downpour in the middle of Care of Magical Creatures. Lily just prayed that the rain stayed away during the game in May.
"This is so boring!" Jace whispered in Defense Against the Dark Arts. They were talking about Grindylows, so there was no practice with defensive spells. Just a lecture.
"I agree," Lily said with a stretch of her arms.
"Suck it up," Lola whispered from her other side. She was studiously taking notes.
"Bite me," Lily muttered. She felt fingers in her hair, so she tilted her head back a little. Xavier was sitting behind her, and he had a habit of messing with her hair. During their relationship, they hadn't gone past innocent kisses, but they were a bit more comfortable around each other, a bit more relaxed.
"Is it almost over?" Jace whispered.
"No," Lola snapped.
Lily closed her eyes and tried not to laugh at her friends.
"Miss Potter, Mr. Avery!" Lily's eyes snapped open to look at Professor Creevey, who was giving her a stern look. "Mr. Avery, have you lost something in Miss Potter's hair?" There were snickers around the room. Even Jace looked as if he were about to laugh.
"Yes, sir. I lost my book and thought that perhaps it had fallen into Lily's hair," Xavier retorted jokingly. Lily bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Unlike all the students, Professor Creevey didn't look amused. "Five points from Slytherin. Can you two focus?"
Lily placed a hand over her heart. "Of course, sir! After all we are talking about the most fascinating subject!" she mocked.
Professor Creevey raised a brow. "Do we need to make it ten points?"
"Why are you asking me? I thought you were the teacher?" Lily asked
"Ten points. Want to go for fifteen?"
"Well if it'll keep the conversation going."
"Fifteen. Next it's a detention."
Lily opened her mouth to say something, but she felt Lola stomp on her foot. Lily glanced at Lola, who was shaking her head. So Lily closed her mouth.
Professor Creevey walked down the aisle of tables and stopped in front of Lily's. "Are you finished, Miss Potter?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes," she muttered.
"'Yes' what?" Professor Creevey asked.
Lily raised a brow at him. "Yes, I'm done?" she guessed.
"I think you mean, 'yes, sir'," he corrected.
Lily couldn't help it. She took a page from one of her dad's stories. "No need to call me sir, Professor."
There were laughs and claps throughout the classroom. Professor Creevey looked as if he were about to explode. "Detention, Miss Potter. Tonight!" He stormed away toward his desk.
Lily pretended to shiver. "Ooh! How scary!" she mocked.
"And I'm writing your parents," he continued.
Lily scoffed. "I'm so scared I might wet myself."
"Lily!" Lola hissed.
The classroom door opened with a bang, making everybody jump and turn to look. Professor Brown was standing there, looking around the room. Professor Creevey looked relieved. "Ah! Headmaster. Just in time. We have a student I was about to send to your office."
"Later, Professor Creevey, later. Lily Potter?" Professor Brown called.
Everyone looked at Lily. Lily stood up from her seat. "Yes, Professor?" she asked hesitantly.
"Grab your things, and follow me. It's urgent," Professor Brown said quickly.
Lily looked at him with confusion, but she did as he said. She put all of her things into her bag and hurried over to him.
Professor Brown looked over at Professor Creevey. "I'll be taking Miss Potter. She won't be back in time for the end of the lesson." He looked at Lily. "Come along, Miss Potter." He urged her out of the classroom, closing the door behind them.
"What's up, Professor?" Lily asked, her nerves shaking at his actions.
"Victoire's gone into labor, and they want you kids there," Professor Brown told her.
Lily's heart leaped, and she smiled. "Really? She's having the baby?"
"Yes. We've set up a portkey to take you, your brothers, and your cousins to St. Mungo's. Your family is waiting there for you. We've packed a bag for each of you, incase you're there longer than expected," he explained. From then on, they practically jogged to his office. When she got there, her cousins and brothers were all there, along with Hagrid and Professor Bell.
"Is this everyone?" Professor Bell asked.
"This is all of them. Portkey ready?" Professor Brown asked as he handed Lily a bag, taking her bag with her books from her.
Professor Bell placed a comb on his desk. "Ready and waiting."
"Kids, all of you grab the comb," Professor Brown told them. The kids all walked over to it, and placed a finger on the comb. Lily was squeezed in between Dominique and Lucy, the better ones to be by.
Professor Bell began to count. "Three . . . Two . . . One!"
Lily felt a tug behind her navel, and then they were floating and spinning at a sickening pace. She heard someone yell, "Let go!" She pulled her hand away, and felt herself fly away from the others. She landed with a thump on a tiled floor. She slowly sat up, already feeling a bruise forming on her back.
A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. Lily looked to see that it was Dominique pulling her up. Lily stood on her feet, her legs shaking a bit. "Thanks," she said with a sigh.
Dominique shrugged. "Whatever. Where are we?"
Lily looked around. The room they were in was empty, but Lily recognized it. "We're on the fifth floor. I think we missed the first floor landing."
"Ya think?" Dominique said with sarcasm.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Come on," she muttered. They walked out of the room, and headed for the lift. But before they could get there, Dominique took her wrist and dragged Lily into the bathroom.
"I need to change out of these freaking clothes," Dominique said as she moved toward a stall. Lily sighed, but she was in agreement. She moved into a stall and pulled a set of clothes out of the bag Professor Brown had given her. She changed, and then stepped out to look in the mirror. Lily moved her hands to fix her hair. After all the spinning, it was a mess. Sometimes, she hated having her father's knack for messy hair.
Dominique came out of the stall and looked into at a mirror as well. Then she held out a hair tie. "Here. Just put it up. You aren't fixing that mess without a brush," she told her.
"Thanks again," Lily sighed. Lily pulled her hair up into a high side ponytail. Then the two of them left the bathroom and made for the lift. "Excited about becoming an aunt?" Lily teased.
Dominique scoffed. "Yeah. I'm excited to have my sister visit more often and bring a sticky crying thing with her. Just fantastic!"
"That's the spirit!" Lily laughed. The lift halted to a stop, so the two girls stepped off. The waiting room was practically empty, and their family had grouped together in a far corner. The rest of the cousins seemed to have made the correct landing, and were all standing with the family.
"Glad to know we're the only ones to miss the landing," Dominique muttered.
"Did you want to land here and be all happy with the rest of them?" Lily asked with a scoff.
"Shut it."
"There they are!" they heard George say. Then the rest of the family was turning to look at the girls. Lily looked at her parents, and caught her father's furious and incredulous face.
"Lily Luna Potter, what are you wearing?" Harry demanded.
Lily looked at him in confusion, and glanced down at her clothes. Then she remembered that her family hadn't seen her change of wardrobe yet. The news of Victoire going into labor had made her completely forget about her clothes. And it wasn't all that bad. She'd taken out a black skirt with pink frills at the end, black tights, her Liz shoes, and a black shirt with a cutoff shoulder. And of course with her hair up, her ears were visible, and they could obviously see the rings and studs in her ears. Lily dropped the confused look as she looked up at her family. She shrugged. "Well, I'm wearing clothes, Dad. You?"
Harry didn't look amused. "You know what I mean."
Lily shrugged again as she moved to sit down on a chair. "Yeah, and I gave you an answer. What more do you want?"
"Drop the attitude," he demanded.
"What attitude?" Lily muttered.
"And you're changing those clothes at the first chance," Harry told her.
"Only clothes I got," Lily said with a quiet sigh. Either her father didn't hear her, or he ignored her.
"How long has Victoire been in labor?" Rose asked.
"Almost two hours. Her Healer said that she hasn't reached ten centimeters yet," Hermione told her.
"What's that mean?" Hugo questioned.
"Nothing you wanna know," Ron told him, patting his son on the head.
"Who's in there with her?" Louis asked.
"Just Teddy and your mum," Bill told him.
"Why aren't you in there?" Louis inquired.
Bill grinned. "I've been through three Weasley births, and I don't need to see my daughter go through it."
Someone sat in the chair next to Lily, bumping her elbow. Lily turned her head to see her uncle George sitting next to her. He smiled at her, and Lily couldn't help but smile at him as well. "Well, it's about time I saw my favorite niece. How have you been, Little L?"
Lily rolled her eyes at the nickname, but she still smiled. "I've been pretty good. You?"
He shrugged. "Same as always. Business is booming, kids are doing good, and my wife still loves me."
Lily let out a small giggle. "So, are you going to say anything about my look?"
George examined her, and Lily waited for him to speak. "Not bad. I think you did a good job looking for an outfit to tick off your father."
Lily grinned. "Thank you. I do try."
"Next time you ought to tell him you have a boyfriend," George said with a laugh.
Lily did her best not to look smug. "I do have a boyfriend," she told him.
Now George really laughed. "Oh, Little L, I love you. You really are my favorite niece!" He sighed, and wiped a fake tear from his eye. "So, what's the boy's name?"
"Xavier Avery. He's in my year," Lily told him.
George nodded. "Good kid?"
She shrugged. "I think so."
"Well, I trust your judgement. After all, you're going to have enough overprotective uncles on your case, I figure I should give you a break," George told her with an affection smile.
"So, how long are we going to be here? I have a date tomorrow," James announced. Lily tried not to roll her eyes at his obvious boasting.
"Until Victoire has the baby. It might not be until tomorrow," Ginny replied.
"I have a date!" James repeated firmly.
Ginny placed both of her hands on her hips, becoming a scary and intimidating force. "And your cousin is getting ready to have a baby! One that's practically considered to be your nephew! Your date can be rescheduled."
James looked like he wanted to argue, but when their mum had that fierce look in her eyes, none of the kids argued with her. So he sat down, much to Lily's amusement. He looked like a pouting child.
"Did they ever find out if it was a boy or a girl?" Lucy asked curiously.
"No, they wanted it to be a surprise," Bill said with a sigh.
"Did they say what they'd name it?" Rose asked.
"They've gone over a million names," Harry told them as he sat down.
Lily watched as her family all began to talk about names. The commotion was beginning to give her a headache. She stood up from her seat and looked at her uncle. "I'm going to get something from the fifth floor. I'll be back."
George nodded. "All right. I'll tell anyone who asks."
"Thanks," Lily said with a sigh.
"Wait," Louis stopped her, and stood up to join her. "I'll go with. I'm a bit thirsty."
Lily smiled. "Cool, come on." The two walked away from the crowd of Weasleys and Potters, and Lily was thankful to step into the lift. The noise practically disappeared. She looked at her cousin. "So, how's it going, Louis?"
Louis shrugged. "I've been good."
"Have you told anyone?" Lily asked vaguely, knowing he'd understand what she meant.
He shook his head. "No. It's not something you send home in a letter, and I'm not really sure how to tell my friends. Especially Paul."
"The one you like?" Lily questioned, trying to remember.
"Yeah, same one," Louis said with a dejected sigh. The two stepped off the lift and walked to the counter. "It's not something I can just bring up over lunch one day." He sighed again. "But, moving on, did you hear that Lorcan asked out Rose last month?"
Lily grinned. "Yeah, he told me he was going to. I had a tutoring session with him last week, he said that they had to put off their date until this Hogsmeade visit, but looks like that won't happen now."
Louis chuckled. "Yeah, looks like it. But they're practical. I'm sure they'll figure it all out."
Lily nodded. "So, is there anything else I've missed on the family I hate front?"
"Well, Molly refuses to talk to or acknowledge Lucy," Louis mentioned.
Lily raised a surprised brow. "Really? What's up with that?"
"No idea, they both won't say much about it. They refuse to admit they have a sister. They're pretty mad at each other," Louis told her. "Fred and James passed their Apparition tests, so they're licensed now."
Lily tried not to groan. "Fantastic."
"I thought James would never shut up," Louis said in understanding. "We all had to practically drag Fred's result out of him. He's so quiet lately."
"Fred? Quiet?" Lily said with surprise.
Louis nodded. "Yeah. Ever since he and James split, Fred's been kind of different. He's not as loud, he doesn't pull pranks, hardly ever cracks jokes. It's kind of strange."
"Sounds like it," Lily said quietly. She got a hot chocolate, while Louis got a cup of tea, and they both sat down at a table. The room wasn't empty like it had been earlier, but there were still only a few people around.
"So, how are you and Mitch's brother? Uhh . . . what's his name?" Louis asked, his face full of thought.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Xavier. And we're fine. We've been together almost two months now, and the girls are insisting that we do something this month to celebrate this time."
"What do you mean this time?" Louis asked.
"Well, we completely forgot about how we'd been dating for a month a few weeks ago, so we didn't do anything," Lily told him.
"You two forgot?" Louis said with a laugh.
Lily smiled and shrugged. "Time kind of flies. We hadn't given it much thought."
"Ah," Louis said with a nod. "So, what did you two do on the last Hogsmeade visit?"
Lily took a drink before answering. "We just hung out with the others in our year. Just had fun."
"Did you have big plans for tomorrow?" Louis asked.
"Nah. Not really. We just planned on doing whatever we felt like doing, whether it was hanging out with the others, going to different stores, or whatever," Lily told him. "You?"
"Nope. Not a thing. Me and my friends just planned on doing what we usually do, which is nothing," Louis joked.
The two talked for a little while longer, even after they had finished their drinks. They both had the feeling that they'd be at St. Mungo's for a long time, so there was no rush to run back to the family just so that they could wait some more. But they felt that someone would eventually try to come join them, so they relented and headed back to the lift. But once she got on, something simple caught her eye.
Second Floor.
Duncan.
Lily looked at Louis. "I'm going to make a stop on the second floor. If anyone asks, just tell them I'm still on the fifth floor."
The lift stopped at the second floor, and Lily stepped off. Louis looked at her with a little bit of confusion. "Ok. What are you doing?"
Lily bit her lip. "Umm . . . nothing. I'll be back soon, though," she assured. The lift closed before Louis could ask another questioned, and began to descend to the first floor. Lily practically ran down the hall, looking for Duncan's room number. Room 234 soon came into sight, so Lily stopped and opened the door slightly. Peaking her head in, she could see Duncan looking down at a piece of paper, drawing something. Lily stepped inside and closed the door.
"Hey, Duncan!" she greeted quietly, not wanting to startle him.
Duncan's head shot up to look at her, and he smiled brightly when he did see her. "Lily! You're here!"
Lily smiled. "My cousin is having a baby, so we got pulled out of school to come and see her," she explained. She walked over to his bed, but froze when she got a closer look at him. The arm which had been transparent before was now completely invisible, and his left ear was that sickly, grey color that his arm had been before.
Duncan noticed her stare. "Yeah, my arm finally disappeared a couple of weeks ago. My ear started to turn grey last week," he explained.
Lily sat in the chair next to his bed. "Does it hurt?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No. Actually, I can even really feel it. It's kind of like it's numb."
Lily felt her stomach churn at the thought, so she hurried to change the topic. "So, what are you drawing?"
Duncan looked down at his lap, which Lily could now see had a sketch pad in his lap. "Oh, just what's outside."
Lily looked around the room, but there was no window. "What do you mean, Duncan? You don't have a window."
Duncan's smile seemed to grow even wider. "But that's the best part! That means that anything could be outside. I could imagine that there's a train station on the other side of the wall. Or a big park, or just people walking along a sidewalk. Since I don't have a window, I get to pick what's outside. So, every few weeks, I draw a new window, and then Gordon hangs it up on my wall for me.
Lily looked at the wall across from her. There was no picture, so he must have already taken it down. Honestly, Lily had never noticed a picture on the wall. Usually, she was a bit distracted by the invisible or transparent body parts on Duncan's body. But she looked at the picture that he was now concentrating on again.
It was a picture of what must have been a large meadow. There was a lot of grass, some of it tall in one of the corners, with a sun along the horizon. A lake was to the right, with a large tree next to it, providing shade. A few birds were in the distance, and flowers on the ground. The colors, which he seemed to be still working, were magnificent. The colors of the sky led Lily to believe that it was a sunset. They were vibrant and majestic. Lily could hardly believe that Duncan had done it, but she was watching as his visible hand carefully colored the last part of the lake.
"That's beautiful, Duncan," Lily murmured.
Duncan smiled lightly. "I draw a lot, so I got really good at. And my dad is a really good artist too. He always says that he wishes he'd pursued it in life."
Lily watched as he continued to finish his picture. "How long have you been working on this?"
"For a week. I start one every time I put a new one up, so it gives me plenty of time. I'm going to finish this one today, so I had Gordon take the old one down," he told her. "It's in that drawer, if you want to see it."
Lily looked at his bedside table, and she pulled open the drawer. There was one paper inside, so she pulled it out. It was a beautiful picture of an underwater village, and mermaids were everywhere, in houses, swimming around, and chatting with each other. It was beautiful, with what looked like expert coloring.
"This is really good, Duncan," Lily told him.
"You can have it, if you like," Duncan said, his eyes not moving from his picture. "My parents have a lot of them, and so do my Healers. I think you should have one."
Lily smiled. "Thanks," she whispered. She put it back on the table, keeping it there to take later. "So, Duncan, have you ever thought about drawing a picture of Hogwarts for one of your windows?"
He shook his head. "No. I have this really great picture in my head, and I don't think I could ever draw it out."
Lily looked at him skeptically. With his skill, he could probably do better than most famous artists ever could. But she only smiled. "I'm sure you could if you tried."
"I don't want to risk it though. Just incase it didn't turn out good," he replied. Finally he looked away from his picture to look at her. "I'm ok with having other things outside my window. I'm just going to be sad when they stop appearing," Duncan said with a bit of a sigh.
Lily looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well, my Healers aren't positive, but they're thinking that my other arm will eventually disappear too. Being ambidextrous helped when I lost one, but I can't draw when they're invisible. It's too hard. And if it turns grey, then I won't be able to even try. I'll lose all my nerves in my arm," Duncan explained.
Lily felt her heart drop. Such a talented young artist would never be able to draw again? Surely he'd be better before then. A sharp pang hit Lily in the chest as she remembered that there was a good chance that Duncan would never get better.
Lily quickly changed the subject again. "So, are you finished with that one?" she asked.
Duncan glanced down at the picture and smiled. "Yeah, I'm finished. Here." He handed the sketchbook to her to look at. The lake was finished, a deep blue color with the sun's reflection. It was breathtaking. It made Lily wish that Duncan could see the lake at Hogwarts. She knew that he'd love to try and draw it. And with how good he was, he had to be a gifted child. He would have been such a fantastic wizard . . . but he'd never get the chance.
Duncan pulled something else from the same drawer that Lily had opened. He held out a bit of Spello-tape to her. "Will you hang it up for me? Gordon will enlarge it for me later."
Lily nodded, and carefully pulled out the drawing from the sketchbook. She placed a bit of tape on it, and then got up and moved over to the opposite wall. She carefully placed it in the middle of the wall, pressing the tape firmly on the wall. She stepped back, taking a look at the picture against the sterile white walls. It was wonderful, and she had to admit that it brightened up the room.
Lily looked back at Duncan with a small smile. "It's perfect, Duncan."
He nodded. "Yeah. I love seeing my imagination on the wall. It keeps me smiling."