Lily sighed as she watched the match of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Izzy had been dragged to the game by JR, so she dragged the other girls. Thankfully for JR, once the other boys heard they were going to the game, they tagged along. Christian had to go regardless, because he had gotten to cover the game for the Hogwarts paper. The paper was turning out to be a success in gossip. People were actually excited to see what would be in their first real issue, which was coming out the first week of March, which meant in just a couple of days.
Lily was actually thankful that Albus caught the Snitch, ending the game. Gryffindor won with three hundred and sixty, while Hufflepuff had a hundred and ninety. JR was the only one in the group disappointed.
"Hey, I told Josh that I would wait for him by the entrance to the pitch. Coming?" JR asked the rest of them. Izzy was the only one that was really enthusiastic about the idea, but the others agreed. Christian was writing away in some little notepad he brought with him. So the group walked down the stands, and moved to the entrance to the pitch, waiting for Josh Finch-Fletchley. Lily stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. The sun was shining brightly and hotly, but the wind in the air made her shiver.
"What are you doing here?" Lily tensed slightly at that voice. They all turned to see Paige Wilde standing there with a few other Gryffindors fourth years. Lily immediately turned to the offense.
"I don't remember this being a Slytherin match," Paige said with a bit of tension in her own voice. Her hair had been cut short, a little shorter than when she'd had to cut it last year because of her fight with Lily.
"They're with me," JR told her casually. His arm was thrown around Izzy. "They came with Izzy."
"I forgot you were dating her," Paige said, giving Izzy a small glare.
"Is that a problem?" Lily demanded, glaring at Paige with distrust.
Paige glared fully at Lily. "Nice hair, Potter," she mocked.
"Don't call me that!" Lily hissed with fury.
Paige raised a brow. "What? Isn't that your name, Potter?"
"You say that one more time and I'll make sure that you forget your name!" Lily seethed.
"What's going on here?"
They all turned to see Hugo walking out of the pitch. He was wearing a bit of a thick maroon sweater, obviously one that grandmum made for him, and his broom was in his hand. He didn't look hostile when he noticed the group of Slytherins, which surprised Lily. Was he really over his hatred toward her?
Paige smiled when Hugo approached. "Nothing, babe. But when a group of snakes get together, it's hard to trust them." She wrapped her arms around one of Hugo's when he was close enough. Lily tried not to puke. Was Hugo really that dumb?
Hugo glanced over at them. "Well, I doubt they're planning on anything diabolical," he said quietly. Then he nodded toward JR. "Hey, Jay. How's it going?"
"Not bad. Good game," JR told him.
"I thought so," Hugo said with a grin.
Paige bounced on her toes. "So did I!" She reached up to kiss him on the cheek. He was the tallest fourth year there, and almost a head taller than Paige.
"I don't like the air here. Let's go," Logan Murdock muttered with disdain as he looked at the Slytherins.
Hugo nodded. "Yeah, sure." Without another word, the Gryffindors turned and began to walk away. But Hugo was the only one to glance back.
Lily felt an odd feeling in her chest. "Hey, Hugo!" she called.
All of the Gryffindors tensed at her voice. Except for Hugo, who only turned his head to look back at her. "Yeah?"
Lily took in a quick gulp, and forced a bit of a grin. "Nice job out there. I didn't think you were going to catch that one Fleet threw at ya," she complimented, wanting to prove to him that she really had been watching, and really had thought it was a good game.
Hugo gave her a weird and small grin that Lily was sure mirrored her own. "Thanks, Lil. Good luck on your next match."
Lily nodded once, and Hugo turned back around, leading his group toward the castle. That feeling in Lily's chest beat against her heart. Was it hope? Maybe . . . maybe she would get her old best friend back.
Lily tried not to fall asleep as she and Jace sat at one of the tables in Divination class. They chose one by the window, and Lily had raced to take the chair next to the window. Jace had muttered curses while he sat on the one closer to the rest of the class.
They were learning about dream interpretations. It was fitting, seeing as how half of the class was asleep, including Jace as usual. Lily was looking out the window, and every so often doodling something on the parchment in front of her. Thankfully this was her last class for the day. After this she could go off and eat dinner, go to the common room and finish up a bit of homework, go to Slughorn's office and have their usual lesson, and then go back to the common room to sleep. It sounded like a lot, but Lily enjoyed that part of her routine.
"Now, I want you all to practice!" Trelawney told them with her 'mystic' voice.
Lily sighed as she shoved Jace's shoulder, slightly waking him. He blinked a bit before his eyes settled to being half open. "What are we doing?" he mumbled.
"Practice dream interpretations," Lily said with a sigh.
"Well I had a wet dream last night, so let's interpret yours," Jace countered. He rested his head on his arms, which were crossed on the table.
Lily bit her lip to keep from laughing. "I don't even remember what I dreamed about last night."
"Oh, well that simply means that you will soon lose all of your memories, and will go on to live life with amnesia," Jace mocked.
Lily laughed quietly. "And your dream means that you get laid very soon," she joked.
"Sweet," he mumbled, closing his eyes completely. "I thought it meant I'll be doomed to a life where I can only dream of women," he joked.
For the rest of the class, the two discussed the possible interpretations of wet dreams, keeping themselves very entertained, and laughing throughout the rest of the class time, and getting a few disapproving looks from Trelawney. But they didn't really care. They were soon hurrying out of the classroom and down the stairs to the Great Hall.
"I'm so hungry I could eat a hippogriff," Jace mumbled.
"Too chewy for me," Lily retorted with a sigh as they walked down the last staircase before they reached the Entrance Hall.
"I always thought they'd be tough meat," Jace told her with a joking grin.
"It's not at all like chicken," she teased back as they stepped inside the Great Hall. The smell of dinner made Lily's stomach growl. She was pretty hungry as well.
"Hey, guys," Lola greeted as they moved to sit next to her and the others. "How was Divination?"
"We interpreted wet dreams," Lily said with a laugh.
"Damn, why didn't I take that class?" Monty said jokingly.
"Yeah. We've decided that I'm going to die due to an amazing orgasm one day," Jace joked.
"How the hell can you interpret that?" Lola asked curiously.
They both shrugged. "No idea," Lily told her. "We weren't listening."
"Can't blame us. Trelawney's a freaking loon!" Jace replied.
"What you get for trying to just take easy classes," Lola retorted with a proud grin.
"Some of us have better things to do than study," Jace defended as he made his plate.
"You don't even know how to study," Lola mocked.
"I know how to have fun, unlike some," Jace quipped.
"At least I know how to have fun and stay smart," Lola argued.
"And yet you can't wash your hair?" Jace said with a glare. They both became quiet as they glared at each other.
"You know, now that her hair is just blonde, it's hard to joke about what it used to be like," Hunter commented.
"I don't think that matters to them," Lily said with a sigh.
"They'll use anything they can against each other," Shannon agreed.
"Be excited," Christian stated as he came to sit by them.
"For what?" Megan asked dryly.
"The Hogwarts Prophet's first real issue is coming out tomorrow," Christian said with excitement. And I was able to cover two games in my column!"
"How exciting for you," Shannon said with a smile at him.
"Nice job, dude," Xavier said with a grin of his own.
"Yeah. And your cousin, Roxanne, she's pretty cool," Christian told Lily.
Lily swallowed the bite she was eating. "Yeah, she was when we were kids. Don't be surprised when I say that we don't talk much these days," she mocked lightly.
"She side with your family?" Lola asked.
"More or less. She sided with her brother, and Fred had sided with James at that time," Lily answered. "And I rarely speak to Fred. Maybe a 'good morning' when we're at home."
"Speaking of talking to people," Lola addressed, "have you talked to Lysander yet?"
Lily swallowed thickly, but this time she'd hadn't been eating anything. "No," she muttered.
"How long are you going to avoid him?" Shannon asked.
"You might as well dump him," Megan added.
"He probably thinks you will," Monty told her.
Lily glanced at him sharply. "Why do you say that?"
"That's how I'd feel if my girlfriend kept avoiding me for over two weeks," Monty replied.
Lily sighed as she pushed around the food on her plate. "I don't know what to do. Maybe I should break up with him."
"You should," Lola said bluntly. "You can't keep hiding behind him."
"I'm not hiding behind him," Lily muttered defensively.
"What have we said about lying to each other?" Lola said in a singsong tone.
"Bite me," Lily said with a glare.
"You should go talk to him," Shannon urged. "At least tell him what's up. Let him know you're mad. It can't be good on your relationship to keep it all inside."
"Not that you have the greatest relationship anyways," Megan said with honestly.
Lily hated that tone sometimes. "Go fall in a well," she muttered at Megan. She looked over at the Ravenclaw table, spotting the Scamander twins with ease. They were surrounded by what must have been a large group of friends. Lily's eyes locked on Lysander and the girl next to him.
"What a whore," Megan commented, obviously looking the same place that Lily was.
The girl was twirling a piece of her hair with one hand, and with the other she kept brushing Lysander's arm or shoulder, touching him in some way. If Lily was honest, she was type of girl that her father never wanted her to be. Lysander didn't seem to be paying much attention to her, focusing on what Lorcan was saying. But Lily still felt a little irritated. Not in a jealousy sort of way, but in that this was another way he couldn't defend their relationship. He couldn't even fend off another girl? Then guilt crashed into Lily. That thought had come from a girl who cheated on him.
Lily stood up from the table, startling the others. "What are you doing?" Izzy asked.
Lily grabbed her bag and put it over her shoulder. "I'm going to talk to him," she answered. She took her time as she made her way away from the Slytherin table and toward the Ravenclaw table. She gained quite a few looks from people as she walked along the Ravenclaw table. But Lily noticed that unlike in the past, these looks weren't hostile. There were a few that were a bit tense, but the majority looked at her with curious stares, and some girls looked at her with admiration, while some boys were obviously looking her over. Lily ignored it as she stopped to the side of where Lorcan and Lysander were sitting. Lily didn't have to say anything, because their friends' curious looks had the twins looking behind them.
Lorcan grinned. "Hey, Lily! What's up?"
Lily forced a smile at Lorcan. "Hey, Lorcan. I just came to talk to your brother," Lily said with confidence.
Lysander quickly stood up, indirectly brushing off the girl next to him. He grabbed his own bag and looked at her expectantly. "Lead the way," he said politely.
Lily nodded. She looked at Lorcan. "Later, Lorcan."
He nodded. "We'll have to go for a fly sometime."
Lily smiled genuinely this time. "You bet. Later." Then with one more look at Lysander, she walked away, footsteps and eyes following her. She and Lysander left the Great Hall, and Lily continued down to the dungeons. She stopped at the door to one of the empty classroom, and brought Lysander inside. She closed the door behind them, and dropped her bag.
"Look, Ly, I-,"
Lysander cut her off by placing his lips over hers, effectively shutting her up with a kiss. Lily was too shocked to respond at first, but she finally gained enough thought to push him away gently. "What are you doing?" she whispered.
Lysander's breathing was a little erratic, but Lily had the feeling that it had nothing to do with the kiss. "I'm sorry for whatever I did. If was being too much of a gentleman again, I'm sorry," he rambled.
Lily shook her head. "Ly, don't."
"I really am, Lil," he insisted.
"You don't even know why I'm mad! How can you be sorry?" Lily demanded. Lysander was quiet, so Lily continued. "What happened to you during our match?"
Lysander looked at her with a bit of confusion. "Nothing? What are you talking about?"
"Nothing?" Lily questioned. "Then when Mark Kimball called me a bitch, and threatened to attack me, where were you? Why was it your brother and my team that came to my defense and not my boyfriend?"
Lysander looked at the floor. "It was a team matter. Lorcan's the captain, it was his place to handle that."
"You're my boyfriend! It's your place to defend me!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm not saying you need to beat the hell out of someone, but you could at least stick up for me!" Lily felt it happening inside her stomach. She was getting worked up. "And from what I hear, that's not the first time you've avoided defending me! According to Scorpius, you shy away from sticking up for me quite often!"
"Why do you always take Malfoy's word?" Lysander demanded with a surprising bit of force. Enough that it surprised Lily.
But she wasn't backing down. "He's never lied to me before, why now? And don't say his name like it's a curse! At least he defends me!"
"Well maybe I'm tired of my girlfriend hanging around another guy," Lysander defended.
"Coming from the guy that let's some blonde hang all over him," Lily hissed.
"I'm not spending nights with her at her house, or going off on vacations with her, or hanging out in the Prefect bathroom alone with her!" Lysander argued.
"How the hell did you know we were in there?" Lily demanded.
"I heard from Dominique who was told by Mitch," Lysander retorted.
"Did she tell you that we were dyeing my hair? And then he was telling me how you don't defend your girlfriend!" Lily seethed.
"Well did he tell you he keeps pictures from your magazines in his bag?" Lysander muttered angrily. "His bag split open in class one day and he had like three of them."
"Yeah, I know he does!" Lily snarled. "Like a friend, he supports my work."
"And you believed that?"
"Yeah, I did!"
"Sorry. I just thought you were smarter than that."
"So I'm an idiot now?"
"I didn't say that!"
"Yes you did!" Lily argued. "I'm not smart enough to know when someone's telling me the truth."
"I just don't trust Malfoy!" Lysander retorted.
"I'd trust him with my life!" Lily hissed. "You're starting to sound like both Potters!"
"You're a Potter, Lily!"
"That may be my last name, but I am not a Potter!"
"Yes you are!"
"I'm not a saint! I don't pretend to be one like both Potters! I'm ok with not being perfect! And I'm sorry if you can't see that."
"You are perfect to me!"
"Oh, get off it!" Lily exclaimed. "You're just like my dad. You're trying to get me to act like some good girl. Like the way I act isn't really me! Too bad! It is me!"
"You are a good girl!" he argued.
Lily clenched her teeth. She'd had it. "Yeah, because good girls beat up other people, they manipulate people, and they . . . ," Lily stopped herself. She'd almost admitted to kissing Clayton. She wasn't crossing that line.
"Everyone makes mistakes," Lysander pointed out.
"They aren't mistakes!" Lily yelled. "I did those things because I wanted to! I attacked Paige Wilde because I wanted to. I manipulated the Gryffindors this year because I wanted to. I didn't do those things on accident! I knew what I was doing!"
Lysander didn't reply at first. Then calmly, he spoke. "What happened to you, Lily?"
Lily glared at him. "Nothing. I've been like this since before we dated," she hissed. "Just like you've always been a coward."
Then she left the room, not looking back at him.
Weeks later, Lily hadn't even attempted to talk to Lysander, nor had she attempted to see things through his eyes. She wasn't wrong. If he was going to listen to his dumb friends, then she wasn't going to feel bad for his stupidity.
"Thank Merlin, it's almost Easter break," Jace said with a sigh as they all sat at the table for breakfast. "I need the break."
"Don't be stupid. You know they're going to swamp us with homework," Lola told him.
"Let me dream," Jace retorted. "Nowadays I have to interpret dreams, so I'd like to have one where I don't have to."
Owls began to fill the ceiling of the Great Hall as they all came to deliver the mail for students. Lily was a bit surprised to see on of the school's owls land on the table in front of her. And she was more surprised to see roses in its claws. Lily took them carefully, and the owl flew off.
"Who are they from?" Shannon asked.
Lily pulled a card off of one of the stems. A single name was written on the outside. Lysander. Lily dropped the flowers on the table, not even bothering to read the card. "Lysander," she muttered.
"What an ass," Megan replied. "Does he really think this makes up for what he said to you?"
Izzy picked up the card and read it. "He says he wants to apologize."
"No, he just doesn't want to fight. Like always," Lily growled.
"He is a coward, huh?" Lola asked.'
"He can't even handle a verbal fight," Lily said scathingly.
"So, does this mean that you two are over?" Shannon asked.
Lily waited for that heavy feeling to rest in her stomach, but it never did. All the sympathy and guilt she had previously held for Lysander was gone. But she knew that she still couldn't hurt him. "I don't know," Lily sighed. "I think I might cool off first. You know, before I make a decision like that."
"Just cut the cord," Megan told her. "It'll be less painful for both of you."
"I get the feeling that ideal won't apply to Lysander," Lily whispered. She glanced over at the roses. She hated the flower, just like she hated lilies. Back when she and Rose were little, they both decided that they would never date a guy that brought them flowers based off their names. It was stupid, and they had been maybe six and seven, if even that. But now, eight years later, Lily found the gesture sweet, no matter what the flower. It was just the reason behind the gesture that she didn't like. She didn't look at the Ravenclaw table, because she knew that Lysander was probably looking at her, watching her reaction to his gift. And she knew, just knew, that her indifference hurt him.
How many times was she going to hurt him?
April came quickly, and it started to pass just as fast. Lola had been right. The teachers pounded the kids with homework just before break, insuring that they would have no time for fun on their break. Lily had no time at all for anything. Scorpius had added on more Quidditch practices to prepare for their last match of the season, and Slughorn was giving Lily more difficult potions in their lessons. And he also had given her another difficult potion book, occupying Lily's time as she read and practiced each one on her own time. She still hadn't talked to Lysander, and had taken to avoiding him again. She was still waiting to cool off. Too bad it was taking forever for her to be calm.
But once the break ended, things surprisingly got easier. Once the routine was back, the kids weren't cramming to get their homework done. They could go back to their old pace. And once the time for a Hogsmeade visit came, they all decided to go together. Xavier and Izzy were bringing Manny and JR, adding a bit of more to the group. Lily refrained from inviting Lysander.
"I'm so glad to be away from Hogwarts right now," Jace muttered as he held his butterbeer. The group had decided to go to Hog's Head, not wanting to be around the large crowd in the Three Broomsticks. They were content with the normal crowd in the less popular Hog's Head.
"Tell me about it," JR said in agreement. "I'm exhausted."
"Lily!"
Lily's eyes widened at the sound of that very familiar voice. She turned her head toward the door to see Astoria Malfoy walking toward them with a bright smile.
"Isn't that Scorpius's mum?" Christian questioned.
"Yeah, it is," Lola told him.
"What's she doing here?" Shannon questioned.
Lily stood up from her seat, and was swept into a hug when Astoria reached her. "It's so good to see you, Lily! I love your hair!" Astoria complimented after she pulled away from the hug.
Lily nodded. "Yeah, thanks. And not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"
Astoria laughed lightly. "I was looking for you. I wanted to know what you would think of doing a quick photo shoot?"
Lily looked at her with a bit of surprise. "Today?"
"If you don't mind. I talked with Professor Brown, and he thought it was perfectly fine," Astoria assured.
Lily shrugged. "Um, sure. Why not."
"Wait. You're going to model now?" Megan asked. "Can we watch?"
Lily looked at them behind her, and they all looked oddly eager. "It's not much to watch."
"Of course," Astoria told them. "Now, I was thinking by the lake, and in the common room, if that's ok?"
"Sure," Lily told her. "What am I wearing?"
Later, Lily wished she hadn't agreed to it. She was sitting by the lake in a black halter top, her hair up, streaks and bangs still colored, and dark jeans with black shoes, and of course a tiny bit of makeup. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that somehow, word had quickly gotten around Hogsmeade about the shoot, and the area was surrounded with kids that wanted to see it all happen. It was more annoying than embarrassing.
"Hey, Lily," Scorpius greeted as he broke through the ranks of the crowd to stand by her. "I see my mum found ya."
Lily laughed. "Yeah, she did. You come to watch too?"
Now he laughed. "No, I came to wish you luck pleasing everyone. And to tell you that you look lovely."
"Why thank you," Lily said as she sat on the ground. Scorpius sat next to her. "I'm just waiting for your mum now."
"She's talking with Professor Brown. They were talking about other possible places to take pictures," Scorpius teased.
"Nice to know that he supports my work as well," Lily said as she shook her head.
"I'm a bit surprised that my mum chose today. I thought she was just going to wait until we got back for the summer," Scorpius said as he laid back on the grass.
"So did I. But why argue?" Lily sighed.
Soon Astoria and Professor Brown were breaking through the crowd, a camera in Astoria's hands. "Are you ready, Lily?"
Scorpius quickly moved out of camera range, and Lily sighed again as she stayed sitting. "Yeah. Let's do this."
For what seemed like the entire day, Lily had a crowd following her. Astoria had her take pictures in her common room, near the lake, in the headmaster's office, and in one of the classrooms. A different outfit for each location. And even after Astoria had finished with pictures, the crowd seemed to linger. Before leaving, Astoria handed her a small pouch of money.
"Here's your reward for helping," she teased. "No arguments. And there is also the money from the last magazine you were in over Christmas. I sent you a copy right?"
Lily nodded. "Yeah, I got one."
"That one turned out really well, and apparently that interview was a big hit," Astoria told her. "A very popular issue." Astoria sighed. "Well, thank you so much for this. Sorry if I ruined your day."
Lily had just waved it off. "Nah. We didn't have much planned. And besides, I think this just made everyone's day."
For both the magazine and the photos, Lily had made quite a bit of money. More than usual. She just hid it in her trunk, planning to leave it there until she could deposit it into Gringotts. There was talk all around her for the rest of the day about the shoot. Boys talked about her, and girls talked about the clothes she got to wear and keep. Lily really just wanted to escape it all, but sadly, she got hungry, and her friends dragged her to eat in the Great Hall.
"I don't see why we can't eat in the kitchens," Lily protested as they walked through the dungeons.
"I'm supposed to meet Manny, and she's eating with us," Xavier told her.
"Then why can't I eat in the kitchens?" Lily demanded.
"Just don't let the stares bug you," Megan told her. "Besides, this will be one of the first times that the looks are good."
"Because that makes it so much better," Lily muttered.
The group stepped into the Entrance Hall, and began to make their way to the Great Hall. Too bad they didn't get that far.
"Enjoying the popularity, Potter?"
Lily stopped walking, and turned to see Paige Wilde coming toward them with the other fourth year Gryffindor girls. Paige and Julie McLaggen were the only two that seem hostile. Connie Wood and Stacy Finnigan seemed unsure how to look, and Hannah Bella didn't look at her. Lily remembered Marley asking for an autograph for her sister.
"Do not call me that," Lily stated firmly, trying to keep calm. All the looks, even if they were good, had made her edgy. And still cooling down from her fight with Lysander, she was ready to explode.
"And here I thought you were just trying to get your family's attention, but it looks like you want all the attention," Paige mocked.
"I don't give a damn what my family thinks," Lily hissed. "And I don't give a damn what you think."
"Come on, Lily," Lola urged, grabbing her friend's wrist.
"Yeah, that's why you're suddenly talking to Hugo," Paige retorted. Now she really glared. "I don't know what you're planning to do to him, but just stay away from him. He's on a good path, and he doesn't need you messing that up."
Now Lily's anger was splashing around in her stomach. "Hugo is my cousin! If I want to talk to him, then I will. Besides, my bet is that you barely really know Hugo!"
"I know him a lot more than you do!" Paige argued. "I've been the one to stand by him since first year. He was right to drop you."
"Hugo never dropped me," Lily snarled. "We both ignored each other. Get your facts right."
"I don't want you around my boyfriend."
"Well I don't want you around my cousin, but that's not my choice. It's Hugo's. He has his own opinions," Lily growled.
Paige got closer to Lily, close enough for Lily to grab and shake her. But that was just an observation Lily made. "Stay away from him, Potter!" she spat out.
Lily glared harder and took a step closer. "If you call me that one more time, I'm going to make sure that you never do it again," Lily warned.
"Lily," her friends all warned in unison.
"I'm warning you, Potter, if you -,"
Lily interrupted her. "You're such a tramp, you know that," she threw out quickly. Paige stopped talking, looking surprised and offended. But Lily continued, waiting for Wilde to snap. "Merlin knows what disease you could end up giving my cousin."
Then it happened. Paige shoved her. And although Lily could feel that Paige used all her strength, Lily hardly moved. Lily pulled her fist back and smashed it into Paige's jaw. Paige stumbled back onto her ass, holding her cheek painfully.
"Don't make me hit you again," Lily said lowly. Her anger was still moving through her, making her want to jump the girl. But she didn't. Hitting her again would just get her into more trouble.
Paige glared at her, and kicked her foot toward Lily's leg. Lily pulled her leg up, dodging the kick, and then stomped down on Paige's leg. She let out a pained cry.
"What is going on here?" a voice boomed, and Professor Longbottom broke through the ranks. Immediately, voices began telling the story.
"Paige started it."
"She kept egging Lily on!"
"She took the first hit."
"Tried to shove Lily."
"Lily was only defending herself."
"Silence!" Professor Longbottom demanded. Everyone grew silent, and more people became attracted to the scene. He looked at Lily and Paige, then he looked over at Paige's friends. "Girls, what happened?"
"Potter began saying a lot of terrible things about Paige," McLaggen said quickly.
Longbottom glanced at Lily, but then looked back at the girls. "Miss Bella, is that true?"
Hannah Bella looked surprised to be in the spotlight. She began to fidget where she stood. She looked down at Paige, and then looked at Lily. Lily looked back at Hannah, not looking expectant or anything. She just looked at her, wondering what she would say.
"Paige started it, sir," Hannah told him. "She was mean to Lily first, and she hit Lily first. Lily really was only defending herself."
"What?" Paige exclaimed as Julie helped her up.
"Thank you, Miss Bella," Longbottom told her with a smile. He looked at the crowd. "Mr. Fleet, Mr. Inglebee, please take Miss Wilde to the headmaster's office."
Two older prefects came out of the crowd and began to lead Paige off. How long had they been there? Or were they the ones that told Longbottom of the fight?
Professor Longbottom looked at Lily. "Miss Potter, come with me?"
Lily sucked in a breath as the crowd began to disperse, and Professor Longbottom began to walk toward the door leading outside. She followed him without a word. Once they were outside, Lily shivered, but she heard Professor Longbottom muttering something, and then felt a warmth wash over her. He glanced back at her with a smile, and Lily noticed the wand in his hand.
Lily knew where he was leading her immediately. The greenhouses. And sure enough, the greenhouses were in sight. He took her to one that only seventh years entered, and closed the door behind Lily. She watched as he put on a thick jacket and gloves. He grabbed a few tools and began to walk over to one of the plants in the middle table. And he began to trim things from the stem, stroking the head of the plant as he did. Lily was sure that the plant was purring.
"What did you need, Professor?" Lily asked quietly.
"Do you know what this is, Lily?" Longbottom asked suddenly.
Lily shook her head. "No, sir. I don't."
"It's a very fascinating plant. It's called a Fanged Geranium. They can be nasty plants, dangerous, unless you know how to take care of them. Such as when you need to clip some of the overgrown leaves or thorns, they can be very defensive. But if you calm them and stroke their heads sweetly, they become little sweethearts," he told her.
Lily sighed. "Are you comparing me to a plant, Professor?"
Longbottom laughed. "I've been trying to for a long time now, but I don't think it works." He put down the shears. "Here, come with me." He led her to the back and opened another door. It was an office. He began taking off the jacket and gloves. "Sit down, Lily."
Lily sat down in a chair, and waited until he sat down behind the desk in front of her. "What am I doing here, sir?"
"Can we speak plainly, Lily, uncle to niece?" Longbottom asked.
Lily nodded. "Sure. What am I doing here, Uncle Neville?"
Neville sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Lily, I'm not going to lecture you on fighting, me and your father and uncle Ron used to get into fights all the time the Slytherins of the past. That's not why you're here," he said delicately.
"Then what?" Lily demanded, trying to keep polite.
"I worry about you, Lily. More so than your brothers," Neville told her. "And not because you're a girl."
"You should worry about them," Lily said tersely. "I have stable friends, good grades, and a steady job. They have a life made up of pride and made up popularity. Their lives are much more fragile."
"Lily," Neville sighed, "I have been friends with your family since I was eleven. I've been through the bad with them, and trust me, everyone has an age where anger is unavoidable."
"This was avoidable!" Lily snapped. "If Wilde could have kept her mouth shut and comments to herself, then this wouldn't have happened!"
Neville watched her as she tried to calm. "Lily, you've grown so much as a person. I still remember going to St. Mungo's to see you after you were born. When I got there, your parents were discussing what should be your middle name while you slept. They knew your name would be Lily since they found out that Ginny was pregnant. The first girl they had would be named Lily. But they weren't sure about a middle name. But, anyways, everyone was trying to pitch names when suddenly Luna walked in. We hadn't expected her. She was off on an expedition with Rolf. When we saw her entered, a lot of people said her name in surprised. Then your mum began to smile. She looked at your father and said 'Lily Luna Potter. It's perfect.' Your father looked at you, and smile. He said 'Lily Luna Potter. I liked it. The perfect name for the perfect little girl.'"
Lily raised a brow. "Why are you telling me this, Neville?"
He smiled at her. "I'm telling you this because after your father said that, you woke up. And as you grew up, whenever your father would say your full name, you would smile or giggle. You loved it. But I get the feeling that you are no longer proud of your name." His smile disappeared into a somber look.
Lily bit the inside of her cheek as she looked down at his desk. "What if I'm not?"
"What's changed, Lily?"
"Nothing has changed," she muttered. "I'm just tired to being called Potter."
"What's wrong with that? It's part of your name."
"I am not a Potter," Lily argued. "I know how James and Albus are. And if that's what Potters do, then I want no part of it."
"Your brothers do not make the Potter name," Neville told her. "Your name is associated with bravery, trust, and many other good things. Things you have."
"Why does everyone want me to conform to the Potter name? Why tie me down with it? Isn't it good to know that I can make something of myself without my father's name?" Lily demanded.
"I've never doubted that you could," Neville argued calmly. "But that doesn't mean that you have to hate your name."
"I like Lily Luna," she retorted.
"No matter what you want, you are still a Potter," Neville told her. "You are your father's daughter."
"If I was like dad, I would have such a double standard," Lily disagreed. "And I would probably believe everything James and Albus said."
"Lily,-,"
"No," Lily cut him off. "I am a different person from them. And I'm not a newborn anymore. Everyone sees the Potter family as a bunch of saints, when in reality, they are just like everyone else. And I refuse to live in that fake world of perfection. I'm happy with being imperfect."
Neville looked at her sadly. "Lily," he whispered.
"May I go, sir?" Lily requested, looking dully at him.
Neville sighed. "Of course, Lily Luna."
Lily got up from her seat. "Thank you, sir."
Lily searched for the Snitch from high above the other players. It was their last match of the season, against Hufflepuff. April had left, but the aftermath of her talk wit Professor Longbottom was lingering. For instance, she was never called Potter, not even by teachers. They simply called her Lily, and a few took to calling her 'Miss Luna', ignoring her last name completely. Not even Peakes said her name when she introduced the Slytherin team at the beginning of the match.
The Hogwarts Prophet for the month of May told all about Lily's photo shoot, and of course the fight with Paige. Lily was starting to feel some of that annoyance that Dominique had felt at the news of the paper.
"And Malfoy scores, making the score three hundred and ten to a hundred and sixty, Slytherin in the lead," Peakes announced.
Slytherin had been pounding Hufflepuff since the beginning of the game. It was no contest really. Lily just wanted to find the Snitch and be done with it. She was mentally worn out, and she just wanted to be done with this year.
"And Macmillan passes the ball, but it's intercepted by Higgs, who tosses it to Nott, who flies past the opposing team and makes his way to the goals. He fakes a shot, passes it to Malfoy, who scores again! Ten more points to Slytherin!"
Lily circled around the pitch, carefully watching out for the glint of gold. Lily heard a whistle of air, and quickly ducked her head. A Bludger blew by just above her. Lily felt her heart pound, and then felt a fluttery, feather-like feeling against her ear. Lily brushed her hand back to knock the feeling away when she felt metal. Lily quickly spun her head around to see that she had knocked away the Snitch. Quickly, her arm shot out, catching the Snitch in her hand.
"And Lily's got the Snitch! Slytherin wins!" Peakes cheered.
Lily laid on her bed, not wanting to move at all. She was so tired, and all she wanted to do was never move again. It was almost the end of May, which meant that exams would be coming with the month of June. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had quite a serious match a week before. They were at a near tie, with Gryffindor in the lead with one score. Albus had caught the Snitch, resulting in the win of the game. But Slytherin still one the Quidditch Cup, crushing the other teams in overall points.
"Hey, Lily," Lola walked in, sitting on her friend's bed, "Lysander's outside the common room. He says he won't leave until you come out to talk to him."
Lily groaned into her pillow. "Why now?" she mumbled.
"You should just go out there," Lola told her. "Get it over with."
Lily groaned as she rolled over and got off her bed. "I guess. Thanks for the message," she said quietly. She walked out of the dorm room and down to the common room. When the wall moved aside to let her out, Lily saw Lysander leaning against the wall, another bouquet of roses in his hands. When he saw her, he quickly held them out to her.
"I'm sorry for losing it like I did," he said quickly.
Lily took the flowers. "Ly,-,"
"Wait," Lysander interrupted her. "Let' me say this first." He took in a deep breath. "I shouldn't have blown up like that. Scorpius is a good guy, and I'm glad that you have someone that will stick up for you when I don't know how to handle things. It was just that, after you started avoiding me, my friends kept telling me things, and it kind of stuck with me. But I shouldn't have let them get to me, and I should have taken your word. I'm sorry."
Lily felt like a weight dropped from her shoulders. "It's ok, Lysander. I shouldn't have gotten so upset with you. I shouldn't try to force you to be a fighter when you're not," she apologized.
"It's ok. I just don't want you to be mad at me. I care about you too much," Lysander murmured.
Lily gulped. Another weight dropped on her. How could she do or say anything to hurt him now? How could she 'get it over with' now?
So Lily moved forward and hugged him. "I know," she whispered. "I know."
June came, and N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s started. It would only be days before Lily and her friends took their exams. But now she was focused on the fact that her lessons with Slughorn would be coming to an end until the summer.
"I have one last test for you," Slughorn told her when she entered his room.
"Let me guess, I'm taking a test that no fourth year takes?" Lily questioned.
Slughorn laughed. "Yes, exactly. This is will be much more difficult than the O.W.L. test was, but similar. Written test and then a practical exam. Are you ready?"
For the next couple of hours, Lily went through a grueling test. But she had no doubts on what test it was. It was a N.E.W.T. test. It was too difficult to be something sixth years take. But as she went through it, Lily found that it was something she could do, even if it was difficult. She didn't voice her knowledge of what the test was to Slughorn. She would let him think he had fooled her.
"Thank you for you time, Lily," Slughorn told her as he gave her a small bottle of the potion she had just made.
"It's no trouble, sir. I love this subject," Lily replied.
"I'm glad to hear that, but it does remind me of some bad news I have to tell you," Slughorn said with a bit of a frown.
Lily looked at him in confusion as she sat down on his couch. "What it is, sir?"
"Well, it's just that this will be the last lesson we have together outside of classes," Slughorn told her.
Lily looked at him with surprise. "What? Why, sir? There's still so much!"
"Not that I can teach you," Slughorn told her. "Lily, you have been able to things I couldn't dream of doing at your age. And you do things so perfectly that I couldn't do perfect now. There's nothing more that I can teach you. Now, I plan to continue to help your education on the subject of potions. Other books I find, readings, and such. But there's really nothing more left that I know of to teach you," he explained.
Lily sighed. She had noticed a lull in his teachings. But could she really have surpassed him? She doubted that. "Sir, there must be something."
"Lily, you are the brightest witch I have ever met," Slughorn told her. "You may not believe it, but you are. Only a very gifted girl could get an O on an O.W.L. at thirteen."
Lily sighed. "It's sad to think that I won't have to come back to this office, though," she murmured.
"Well, Lily, you are always welcome here. If you need help or a place to escape, you're welcome to come here," Slughorn assured.
Lily smiled at her favorite teacher. "Be ready. I might take you up on that."
"I'll wait for that time with a smile," Slughorn said jovially.
The fourth year exams were a cinch for Lily. She got through them easily, helping her friends study before the time for each test.
"I would never pass if it weren't for you, Lil," Jace said with a grin.
"That's going to kick you in the ass when it comes times for O.W.L.s," Lola said with a grin of her own. "I can't wait to see a test kill you."
"I can't wait to see you fail," Jace muttered.
"Good news, guys!" Lana exclaimed as she moved to sit down the fourth years.
Lily looked at her curiously. "It's nice to know that someone has good news amidst all these test."
"Slytherin party in the Forbidden Forest," Lana told them. It's just near the opening of the forest, a harmless part, yet far enough in to not be seen."
"You know it's safe?" Shannon asked.
"Totally. Hagrid told the sixth years in his class that. Lars and Mitch said it was perfect for a party," Lana assured.
"When is it?" Lily asked
"June 13. The day after the fifth and seventh years get done with their tests. Only bring people from other Houses that you know you can trust not to rat us out," Lana warned.
"Sounds awesome already," Jace said with a sigh of relief.
The rest of the next two weeks was pure excitement for the Slytherins. The common room was buzzing with news of their party. The sixth years were apparently taking time to set up the part of the forest for an awesome party. Xavier was bringing Manny, and Izzy was bringing JR.
Lily was now waiting by the lake for Lysander, planning to invite him to the party as well.
"Hey there," Lysander greeted with a smile. He dropped down onto the ground to sit next to her.
She smiled at him too, although hers probably wasn't as natural as his. "Hey. How were your exams?"
He shrugged. "Not too bad. Yours?"
"Easy," she said with a nod.
Lysander took her hand. "So what did you want to talk about?"
"Well, I wanted to see if you would like to go to a party with me?" Lily asked.
Lysander's face turned hesitant. "I don't know. A party? That's not really my scene."
Lily shrugged. "It's ok if you don't want to go. I just thought I'd ask."
"What's the party for? A birthday?" he asked.
Lily almost laughed. Was he really that innocent of mind? "Now. It's a party to celebrate the end of exams. All of the Slytherins will be there."
Now he seemed tense. "I don't think I'd fit in."
Lily sighed as she laid back on the grass. "That's ok. I don't mind going with my friends."
"I'm sorry," he apologized, laying on the grass next to her.
"It's ok," she assured again. "I'll still have fun. Only it'll be with my friends."
"I hope you have fun," Lysander told her.
Too bad Lily had an odd feeling in her veins.