"Dear Victoire,
Hey, I know it's probably weird for me to be randomly writing to you. I'm sorry I don't do it more often. But actually, I need your help with something. Well . . . more like I need to ask you something. But before I ask you, I want to know that you won't tell anyone about it. I know that you'd never tell a secret, and that you would never betray anyone's trust, but this is really important and really big, so I'm a bit hesitant about it. In fact, I'm hesitant even writing it down. So, can I trust you with this? Because it's something I don't even want my parents to know. Actually, especially not them. Please, write back to me soon.
Love,
Lily"
Lily read and reread her letter again. She felt nervous about this letter. What if Teddy got a hold of it? What if he read it? Or, what if Victoire didn't write back? What if she told Lily's parents about the letter?
"Give me that," Jace took the letter from her hands, and placed it in the envelope that Lily had sitting on the table. He sealed it, and then put it on her lap. "There. Now, do I need to walk you to the Owlery to mail it too?"
Lily sighed. "I don't need you to, but would you?" she asked.
Jace nodded as they both stood up. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go." They stepped out of the common room, and made their way through the castle.
Lily looked at her friend. "So, Jace, you seem much calmer than you were before break," she commented.
Jace shrugged. "I guess."
"You gunna tell me what was up?" Lily asked.
Jace shook his head. "No offense, Lil, but I don't want to tell anyone. I just wanna keep it to myself."
Lily nodded. "That's fine. I'm just glad that you've started hanging around with me and Lola again. And I know Hugo likes having another guy friend when he's down in our common room."
"Yeah, and I really like hanging out with Hugo. Despite past fights, he's a really cool guy now," Jace said.
When they reached the Owlery, Lily didn't even have to whistle. There was a loud flutter of wings, and she caught sight of Regal dropping from a high perch. He landed on her shoulder, and rubbed his feathery head against her ear.
"Hey there, Regal," she greeted with a soft whisper. "I've got a letter for ya." Regal shifted his position, and looked at her with wide eyes. Lily held out the letter, and he clamped it carefully with his beak. "Take this to Victoire for me, buddy. And don't give it to Teddy. It has to be to Victoire," Lily instructed. "And make sure they feed you something before you come back."
Regal blinked, like a nod of understanding, and then took off from her shoulder. He flew out of the door, flying by Jace, and then he was gone.
Lily sighed as she flipped through a Herbology book. She had an essay due the next day, and she had yet to finish the paper. So she sat in the library, trying to get three more inches so that her essay could be complete.
Lily groaned as she stood from her table in the library. She picked up the book, and made her way back to the Herbology section. She let it float back to where it belonged, and then began to search the spines for another book. She loved her uncle Neville, but she really didn't care about gillyweed.
It was a sudden feeling, but Lily felt eyes on her. She quickly stood straight, and looked around her. There was no one but a Hufflepuff at a far away table, but he seemed very intent on his book. Lily turned back to the bookshelf, but then heard steps, and felt that feeling again. Looking from the corner of her eye, Lily looked to the end of the aisle. She saw the bright blonde hair of Marsha, and the dirty blonde hair of Christian's little brother, Riley.
Lily looked back at the shelf. "Riley, Marsha, why are you following me?" she asked softly. She didn't want Madam Pince sweeping down and glaring at her.
She heard two sets of footsteps approaching, and then stopping. But Lily didn't look at them until she had finally picked out another book. Then she looked at them with a raised brow. "So?"
"What are you doing?" Marsha asked curiously.
Lily moved past them. "I'm getting a book to finish up my essay with. So, why are you following me." She led them back to her table. And when they sat down with her, she pulled out her wand. "Muffalito," she muttered. Then she set down her wand. "Ok, so why are you following me?" she repeated in a normal voice.
"What was that spell?" Riley asked curiously.
Lily sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "It makes it so that other people can't hear our conversation. I don't want Madam Pince breathing down our necks."
"Wow, that's so cool!" Marsha gushed.
Lily stared at them both. "Will you answer my question?" she demanded.
Riley looked down at the table with a blush, but Marsha didn't shy away. "You're a really cool person," she said honestly and bluntly.
Lily looked at them with interest and with confusion. "Well thank you. But . . . what does that have to do with following me?"
"Well . . . we wanted to ask you something," Marsha admitted. Riley was still looking firmly at the table, surprising Lily with how shy he seemed.
"What is it?" Lily inquired.
"How did you get to be such a cool person? I mean, you've been friends with my sister for years, but personally, you're still cooler. I mean, I love Lola of course, but still . . . I've got to be honest," Marsha said bluntly.
Lily had to stop herself from laughing. "How I got cool?"
Marsha nodded, and it was actually Riley that spoke. "Well, you're really popular. You're a prefect, really smart, likable, and a model."
"You're like an idol to younger students. Most girls in my year talk about you," Marsha added.
Lily simply cleared her throat, stalling. She wasn't really sure what to say to that information. "Um, well I guess that I'm glad to be an influence," she said lamely.
"You're more than an influence. At a lot girls aspire to be like you," Marsha said. "So that's why we're curious."
Lily sighed. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. I never planned to be anyone's inspiration or idol. I am who I am."
Marsha looked a little disappointed at the lack of information, but Riley nodded a little. "I think that's even cooler. That you didn't have to change yourself to be as liked and popular as you are."
Marsha began to nod fervently as well. "Yeah, that is pretty cool!" she agreed.
Lily finally did laugh a little. "Well, thank you. And I'm sorry I don't have more to tell you." She flipped open her book, and began to search the pages.
"It's ok," Marsha said with a smile and a sigh. "But, Lily," Lily looked up to Marsha's face, "I have one more thing."
Lily raised a curious brow. "What is it?"
"Well, I thought that you were right about us kids fighting without a reason. And I thought about how you and Hugo became really good friends after fighting for a long time. So, I was wondering, how did you two become friends again?" Marsha asked.
Lily set down her quill. "Well, Hugo and I had an advantage. We'd been great friends beforehand. And luckily, Hugo was braver than I was, and took the first step to patch things up." Lily glanced at the two first years. "But, that's the key. One person always has to be the one to take the first step to fix things."
"Well, how do you do that?" Riley asked.
Lily smiled. "Bravery and courage. Despite possible belief, you don't have to be a Gryffindor to have those traits."
Riley looked down at the table. "Well, I don't have those traits."
And even Marsha looked hesitant. "It does seem hard to do," she agreed with a mumble.
"Then you just need a bit of help." Lily sighed as she looked around the library. Then she spotted what she was looking for. She stood up. "Come with me," she said, motioning for them to stand as well. Once they did, she canceled her spell, and began walking across the library.
"Where are we going?" Riley asked quietly.
Lily didn't say anything until she had come to a table that was seating seven kids, but had three extra seats open. She smiled at the group of young kids, each looking to be no older than eleven or twelve. "Hey, kids," she greeted.
The first years looked at Lily with surprise, but then with eager smiles. "Hi, Lily!" one of the girls greeted. She wore the yellow and black tie of a Hufflepuff.
"Yeah, hey, Lily," a Gryffindor boy greeted. "What's up?"
Lily smiled. "Well, I was wondering if anyone was occupying those three seats?" she asked.
A Ravenclaw boy shook his head. "No, no one is."
"Great," Lily said. Then she moved aside, and urged Marsha and Riley forward. "This is Marsha and Riley, and I was wondering if they could join you guys? I want to make sure they actually study and do their homework," she improved.
Marsha rolled her eyes. "Studying is boring," she muttered.
A Hufflepuff boy pointed at Marsha. "See! She agrees with me! Why do we have to study?" he groaned.
A Gryffindor girl rolled her eyes. "So we don't fail, Jake!" But then she smiled over at the three Slytherins. "Sure, they can join us. Maybe they can get Jake to actually try and do his homework."
Lily pushed the two toward the empty chairs. "Thank you, guys. Have fun." Without another word, she made her way back to her own table. But as she looked at her open book, almost finished essay, and ink-stained quill, Lily found that she'd lost her interest in finishing her essay. She began to clean up, and put her things away into her bag. She'd just have to get a bit more information from Lola to get the needed length for her paper. She grabbed the book and put it back, and then made her way for the library door. But before leaving, she looked over at the table of first years. Although she couldn't hear them, she could see muted words coming from their mouths, and smiles and laughs on their lips. Lily smiled.
Maybe there was hope for House unity.
Lily sighed quietly as she sat in Transfiguration. It was one of her last classes. The last one before a short break for the day, and then she only had History of Magic before classes were over for the day. Normally, she didn't mind Transfiguration lessons, but when Professor Bell just gave lectures without practical practice, it got tedious and boring for Lily. And what made it worse was that one of the school governors was sitting off to the side, observing the class. Her name was Patricia Stewart, and she was apparently in agreement with Brunt's ideals. It didn't help Lily's mood.
"Mr. Davies!" Professor Bell snapped, dropping a stack of books next to the sleeping Randy Davies, it made everyone jump, and Randy Davies woke up and fell from his seat, making everyone laugh and giggle. "I know it's a lot to ask of you, but do you mind not sleeping in my class?" Bell demanded.
Randy Davies's cheeks turned bright red. "Yes, Professor," he said humbly as he got back into his seat.
"Thank you," Professor Bell said dryly. Then she turned on all of them. "I hope that you are all paying attention to this. Vanishing Spells can prove to be very difficult, and dangerous to those who don't know what they're doing. And some find it to be the hardest thing on their Transfiguration O.W.L.s," she said, obviously trying to intimidate them all.
Lily quickly raised her hand, hoping to stop Professor Bell before she began to lecture them on the importance of O.W.L.s again. It was worse than any lecture about any lesson.
Professor Bell caught sight of Lily's hand, and looked at her with a bit of surprise. "Yes, Lily?"
"Well, concerning Vanishing Spells, is harder to vanish material objects compared to live beings?" Lily asked, throwing out a random yet relevant question.
Professor Bell smiled. "That's an excellent question." And then she began to ramble and lecture on about what Lily had asked, eventually segueing back into the original lecture.
But again the lecture was interrupted, but this time by the opening of the classroom door. People were surprised to see Lana's dad, Mr. Goyle, stepping into the classroom. Lily glanced at Jace and Lola. Although he was the caretaker of the castle, they hardly ever saw him during the school year.
"Professor Bell," Goyle addressed.
Professor Bell looked at him curiously. "Yes, what is it, Mr. Goyle?"
Goyle walked over to the front, and then began to whisper to Professor Bell. Lily caught sight of a note being handed to the professor, and then more whispers. Finally, after five minutes, Mr. Goyle stopped whispering, and spoke normally. "Thank you, Professor. Sorry to interrupt," he apologized.
"Oh, it's no problem," Professor Bell assured. And once Mr. Goyle had closed the door behind him, she walked over to Lily. "Lily, after class, the headmaster would like to see you," she said. The other kids in the class began to goad and tease, but Professor Bell handed her the note and began to shush the other students. Lily pick up, and read, the note.
"Lily, you're not in trouble. Someone wants to speak with you. -Professor Brown"
Lily stared at the note with a bit of curiosity and confusion. Someone was here to talk to her? Well, it obviously wasn't someone she wouldn't want to talk to. The note said that she wasn't in trouble. So . . . who was it?
She was thankful when the end of the lesson came around, and with a quick goodbye to Lola and Jace, she hurried from the room. She didn't run, but she wasn't taking her time while making her way to Professor Brown's office. When she got to the door of his office, she would have normally just walked in. But since she wasn't sure who was in there waiting for her, she knocked.
"Come in, Lily!" Professor Brown called out to her. Lily opened the door and stepped inside. And she was shocked at who was sitting in a chair around the office's fireplace with the headmaster.
"Victoire! What are you doing here?" Lily asked, although she had a good idea why. Victoire had gotten her letter.
Victoire smiled at her. Her beautiful blonde hair was falling around her face and shoulders in loose ringlets. She looked radiant, and her obviously pregnant belly showed her advanced pregnancy. "Well, I came to speak to you about your letter," she said honestly.
Professor Brown stood from his seat, and motioned Lily forward. "I'll let you two talk alone. Besides, I'm supposed to be directing a staff meeting in a couple of minutes. Make yourselves comfortable," he told them. Then he passed by Lily and left the room. The door closed with a muted bang.
Lily walked forward, and after setting her bag down, sat in a chair by the fireplace as well. "You didn't have to come all the way here to talk about my letter," Lily told her.
Victoire smiled as she picked up a teacup from the end table by her chair. "Well, you seemed very worried about someone finding out what you need my help with. I thought coming to see you and talk to you one-on-one would help."
Lily glanced at the portraits. "Well I'm not sure about that," she mumbled.
Victoire laughed. "Oh, don't worry. Jacob and I have already taken care of that. They won't hear us," she assured. She took a drink, and then set her cup back down. "So, what is so important, Lily?"
Lily bit her lip for a moment. It had seemed easier to just write about her problem. But actually saying at out loud? Actually admitting to Victoire in person about her contemplating the idea of having sex? It seemed a lot more . . . scary.
"Well . . ." Lily trailed off, not sure how to start.
Victoire gave Lily a gentle look. "Lily, whatever it is, I'm not going to be mad or freak. And I'm not going to tell a soul. Not even Teddy. You can tell me."
Lily sighed, honestly feeling a little better. "Well . . . you know that Scorpius and I have a very serious relationship, right?"
Victoire smiled. "Of course. It's obvious by how hard you fight against your father on the subject."
Lily almost laughed at that. But the topic kept her mood somber. "Well, lately it's gotten a bit more serious for us. And . . ." Lily hated how hard this was to say!
When Victoire giggled lightly, it caught Lily off guard. But then Victoire looked Lily fully in the eyes. "Lily, have you had sex with him?"
Lily was glad that she hadn't had anything to drink, because she probably would have spit it out everywhere, or dropped it in shock. "What?" Lily asked in surprise. How had Victoire come to that conclusion?
Victoire laughed again. "You have the same look on your face that I had when I approached my mother about sex. So, either you've had sex and have a question concerning it, or you are thinking about having sex."
Lily sighed, feeling a bit better now that the topic had been fully broached. "I'm thinking about it. Actually, I know that I probably will soon," she admitted.
Victoire nodded, not judging, even with her gaze. "Well, you seem very sure about it. So, what's your question then?"
Lily ran a hand through her bangs, nervously tightening her ponytail. "Well, awhile ago, my mum talked to me about safe sex, and she gave me a bunch of options, and told me that I could come to her," Lily explained.
Victoire nodded. "But, you don't want to talk to her because you're afraid that your mum will tell your father?" Lily nodded. "I had that fear at first too, but I knew I could trust my mum. She hated how overprotective Father was about me and boys."
Lily sighed. "Yeah, but I don't think Mum hates it as much as your mum does. I mean, I love how honest my father and mother are between each other, but it sucks when it comes to when I have a touchy subject I need to talk about."
"It can be. But, so what is the problem?" Victoire asked.
"Well, I don't want to ask my mum to take me to St. Mungo's for the potion, and I don't want to go myself, because I don't want I don't want people speculating why I'm there," Lily explained. "And I'm really good at potions, and I'm sure I could make it myself . . . I just don't know how. And, since you're a Healer, I thought you might know."
Victoire smiled. "Oh, that's easy. I thought this would be a difficult question," she teased.
Lily smiled too. "It's easy for you," she quipped.
Victoire laughed. "Well, honestly, I'd bet you could make it, especially with your skills with potion making. And I do know how to make it."
Lily looked at her with hope. "So, you could give me the directions?"
Victoire got up from her seat, and went over to Professor Brown's desk. She rummaged around, but then came back and set a quill and ink bottle on the table. Then she sat down with a book, and a paper on top of it. The grabbed the quill, dipped it into the ink, and began to write. "Ok, there are a lot of variations of this potion, and it always depends on the girl taking it. Personally, this one works well for me. And I think that it always works better for the woman if she makes it herself," Victoire told her.
"How do you know if it doesn't work with you?" Lily asked.
"Usually you feel nauseated, or you'll have constant headaches. It just won't work with your system. But it would still work as a contraceptive. But the side effects are never worth it," Victoire said with a laugh. Then she put the quill down, and handed Lily the paper. "Ok. Here it is. It takes maybe a half hour to make, and then you just let it sit for an hour. It's all explained on there. You need to take it every month, on the same day. Doesn't matter what time though. Once you take it, it'll kick in immediately. I recommend taking it a couple of weeks before having sex, that way you can see how it will affect your system."
Lily nodded as she took all of the information in. And as she looked at the potion, it didn't look too complicated. Lily had obviously made harder potions than this one. She could do this. "Ok." She looked up at her cousin. "Thanks, Vic."
Victoire smiled. "Oh, it's no problem, Lily. You're like a little sister. And either way, you're family. Of course I'm going to help you. Besides, I'd rather you ask for help than to just rush into sex without thinking."
Lily smiled, and then glanced briefly at Victoire's pregnant belly. "How's the baby? Do you know what it is yet?"
Victoire's smile brightened and glowed as she too glanced at her stomach. She rested a hand on it. "Well, it's finally started to slightly kick, but not like Theo had. Theo used to kick so hard it'd wake up me and Teddy," she joked. Lily laughed with her. "But, we've decided to let it be a surprise on whether it's a boy or a girl."
"What do you want?" Lily asked.
"Well, honestly I wouldn't matter to me if it were a boy or a girl. Teddy's been talking nothing but about how he wants a little girl, and his excitement is almost contagious. At times I find myself dreaming about having a little girl as well," Victoire told her.
"So, do you think you'll have another baby after this one? You know, once it's a little older?" Lily asked curiously. Honestly, she missed this. Although it was usually Teddy that Lily went to talk to about advice or problems, Victoire was just a great person to talk to. She was honest, never judged, and really nice about everything. And she had to be one of the best listeners Lily knew.
"Oh, of course! I mean, I've always dreamed of having a big family of my own. And Teddy and I had even talked about having another child after Theo. But we had never talked about when, so it was kind of a surprise," Victoire said with a laugh. "We're hoping to actually have a child that's not a surprise."
Lily smiled. "Well you know as well as I do, three kids in the house is a lot of fun," Lily said teasingly.
Victoire laughed. "Oh, I know." Then she sighed and looked at Lily with a curious but serious gaze. "So, Lily, have you ever thought about how many kids you'd ever want to have?"
Lily felt her cheeks flushed a little, and she looked at her cousin in surprise. "Me?"
Victoire shrugged. "When I was fifteen, I was sure that I wanted at least two kids. I mean, it was until I began working as a Healer in the maternity ward that I knew I wanted more than that, but still . . . do you ever think about it?"
Lily sighed. "Not really," she admitted.
"Well, do you have an idea? I don't mean to pry or be insistent," Victoire amended.
Lily nodded. "No, I know what you mean. And . . . I guess I know that I wouldn't want more than three kids. I've seen the terrors they can do to a house, and any more than that seems too much."
Victoire smiled. "I think that's a good number."
"Do you want more than that?" Lily asked.
Victoire looked slightly sheepish. "Kind of," she admitted. "I just don't know if Teddy does. I mean, we've talked about having more kids, but he's never actually said how many he wants and doesn't want."
"Well after Theo, how could he not want a couple more kids?" Lily replied.
Victoire ran a hand over her belly. "I wonder the same thing," she murmured.
It took a couple of days for Lily to get all the things she needed for her contraceptive potion. She found that she had some of it, but there were things that she was obviously missing. She'd had to get some from Professor Slughorn, while not letting him know what she was picking from his storage. He'd allowed her full use of his supplies, but Lily didn't want him figuring out what she was making.
Once she'd finally had it made, and after it had set for an hour, Lily found herself staring at a light pink liquid sitting in her cauldron. Lily looked at the paper of directions. It said that it made enough for a year. Well, at least she wouldn't have to make it every month. She fumbled around with her large potion box and kits, and found enough bottles to hold the potion. She filled eleven of them completely, and then put the last bit of the potion into a different glass.
Lily looked at the potion with hesitation. If she drank this . . . it was like really admitting this was going to happen. At some point soon, she and Scorpius would have sex. Lily brought the glass to her lips. The smell of the potion danced around her nose. It smelled . . . almost fruity but yet flowery. She sucked up her courage, and drank the potion in one huge gulp.
Lily almost flinched. It was very strong, and had a sharp taste. It was gross or disgusting, and she was sure that she would get used to it with time. It was just surprising when tasting it for the first time. Lily glanced at the calender in the dorm room. It was the seventeenth, so she would have to remember to take it on that day every month. Quickly, she took her wand and marked a seventeen on each potion's bottle. Just as a reminder. Then she put them at the top shelf of her expanding potion box, and then closed it, and cleaned everything up.
Lily found herself going down to the common room, and joining Lola and Shannon, who were studying for O.W.L.s with each other.
"Do you two do anything else as of late?" Lily teased as she joined them at their table.
"Well not everyone is as freakishly intelligent as you are," Lola pointed out.
"I know, and everyone wishes they could be," Lily joked with a grin.
"Lily?" The girls all turned at the sound of Scorpius's voice. Lily was a bit surprised to see Scorpius approaching them with a quick pace and a small and thoughtful scowl.
Lily stood up from her chair. "What's up?"
When Scorpius stopped in front of her, he didn't answer her. Instead his lips slammed down onto hers, his hands wrapping around her tightly. Despite her shock and surprise, Lily slowly began to respond, bringing her hands to his shoulders. There was a wolf-whistle sounding, but Lily hardly registered it. In fact, she hardly registered anything but Scorpius's hands and lips on her.
When he pulled away, Lily found her breath coming in small pants, and felt her heart pounding in her chest. Scorpius leaned his forehead against hers, his own warm breath fanning across her cheeks. "Want to go upstairs?" he murmured softly.
Lily gulped, her mind still reeling. "Sure," she said breathlessly.
Scorpius gently took her wrist, and led her away from the common room, pulling her up the stairs to the seventh year boys' dorm. It was empty when they entered. Scorpius kicked the door shut behind them, and then was kissing her again. Unable to help herself, Lily melted against his insistent lips. Although demanding, his kiss was passionate, and it was loving. The amount of emotions and feelings that began to run through Lily's mind and body threw into a confusing spiral, where thoughts disappeared as soon as they appeared. She felt his hand in her hair, pulling it from her ponytail. Her hair fell around her in waves, and she felt his fingers running through her loose locks. His lips slanted against hers, and his tongue passed through her lips, and soon began to dominate her own mouth.
Scorpius ended the kiss, but didn't move away from her. His hand was still in her hair, his other arm still keeping her close, and his lips still brushing against hers with every breath he took. "You know that I love you, right?" he whispered softly.
Lily nodded, still trying to catch her breath, and trying to get her heart to calm down. "Of course I do," she told him.
"You know that I'd do anything for you?" he murmured.
"Yes," she mumbled, her body starting to feel that tight and warm pressure in her body again. Was it because his hands were warm around her, or because that while being so close, she could definitely smell that heady scent that was purely Scorpius?
Scorpius wet his lips, but perhaps on accident, his tongue also brushed against her own lips briefly. Lily restrained herself from kissing him again. It was obvious that something was on his mind, and it was obvious that he was trying not to show it.
"Scorpius, what's wrong?" Lily asked gently, her pants become softer as her breath returned to her.
"Nothing," he whispered. His hand left her hair, and moved to also wrap tightly around her. At first, she thought he'd kiss her again, but instead he pulled her to him even tighter into a warm embrace. His cheek rested against her hair, and Lily felt his breath brushing across her ear. She wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his chest. She didn't ask him again, because she was sure he would dismiss it again. But she could tell by how tense his muscles were that something was on his mind. She just wondered what it was.
"So, what are you doing on the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow?" Scorpius asked Lily. They were sitting in the common room with the others. Scorpius was laying on the couch, his head resting on Lily's lap. Lily gently stroked his hair, playing with his blonde and green locks. Jace and Hugo were sitting on the floor, playing Wizard Chess. Jace was losing miserably. Hugo's back was leaning against an armchair, which Lola was sitting while studying for her Arithmacy class. Lana was sitting in another chair, while Rex sat on the floor in front of her, and was cutting, dyeing, and styling his hair. Justin was sitting on the arm of Lana's chair, strumming a few strings on his guitar. Mitch and Dominique had disappeared up to the boys' dorm room awhile ago, and Lars was off somewhere with Ashley.
"I don't know yet. Us girls have yet to make a plan, but I think Megan wants us girls to help her scout out another boyfriend," Lily told him. Scorpius still hadn't told her what had been bothering him a few days ago, but it seemed to have passed from his mind.
"I told her I wasn't going with her," Lola said. "Hugo and I are going on a date."
"I didn't want my girlfriend aiding in the destruction of another guy due to Megan," Hugo joked.
Scorpius chuckled as his eyes closed. "Hugo's got a point. Perhaps I should keep you from helping Megan destroy another boy's heart."
Lily tugged at his hair playfully, but still smiled. "Well you better decide before Megan drags me off tomorrow."
"Tell her you've got an important day with the Quidditch team," Scorpius told her.
"Doesn't my brother have a date with his girlfriend though?" Lana asked as she began to rub something into Rex's hair.
"So the whole team minus Lars," Scorpius amended. "And if I need him there, I'll just tell him to bring his girlfriend."
"Is he still dating that Gryffindor girl?" Justin asked. "What's her name?"
"Yeah, he is. Her name's Ashley. She's not so bad. She came to our house of Christmas break," Lana admitted.
Hugo turned to look at Lana. "Wait, Ashley Anderson?"
Lana nodded. "Yeah, that's his girlfriend. Know her well?"
Hugo scoffed as he looked back to his game. "Everyone in Gryffindor knows Ashley. She's like . . . the 'it' girl of Gryffindor. She's probably the most popular girl in my House."
"I'd rank her about top five of most popular girls in the entire school," Rex agreed. "But you totally beat her, Lil."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Thanks ever so much."
"Check," Hugo stated loudly.
"Damn it!" Jace groaned. He looked at Scorpius. "Scor, will you play for me now? Hugh's killing me!"
Scorpius scoffed. "I've never beaten him either."
"Nobody beats Hugo," Lily replied. "Only his dad can beat him."
Hugo grinned proudly. "'Cause I'm that damn good."
"Of course you are, sweetheart," Lola said dismissively, flipping to another page in her book.
"The smell of victory!" They all jumped or looked at the door to the common room with surprise. Lars was striding toward them, a smug look on his face.
"Thanks for scaring the hell out of us," Lana mumbled as she began to take a comb to Rex's hair.
"What victory are you talking about?" Justin asked.
"A victory over Albus "baby" Potter!" Lars cheered.
That immediately gained everybody's attention.
"What do you mean?" Hugo asked.
"I mean that I have one of the best girlfriends ever!" Lars exclaimed as he sat on the arm of the couch.
"What did Ashley do?" Lily asked.
Lars grinned eagerly. "Ok, ok. So I guess for a while now, Potter's been sending my girlfriend dumb crap, like flowers and that all that kind of shit. So, apparently Ash was just throwing them away and ignoring it. But I guess yesterday, Potter walked up to her and asked her out."
"What's Ashley say?" Rex asked.
Lar's grin got bigger and even more smug. "So, she obviously told him no, saying that she had a date with me. Now, this is according to Ash's friend Jenny Stover from Hufflepuff who saw this, that Potter laughed and asked again. And apparently Ash just flat out humiliated him! Merlin, I wish I'd been there!"
The others all laughed. Hugo looked ready to cry he was laughing so hard.
"Oh man! You have got to bring her to The Three Broomsticks tomorrow!" Scorpius told him. "The rest of us from the team are going to hang out, and you've got to let us meet her!"
"I've never been so proud of her!" Lars said happily.
Hugo took in a deep breath as his laughter stopped. "You know what they say," then he looked at Jace. "Checkmate."
"Dammit!" Jace swept the board, making all of them laugh again.
"Who are we waiting for?" Hank Harper asked as he brought a round of butterbeers to the Slytherin team's table at The Three Broomsticks.
"Lars is going to bring Ashley, and then we just got to wait for Lance," Scorpius answered as he grabbed to bottles. He handed one to Lily before taking a swig from his own.
"Hey, guys!" Lance said as he came to the table. He took a seat to Lily's right.
"Hey, kid. What took you so long?" Scorpius asked.
Lace grinned sheepishly as he grabbed a butterbeer. "Well, I was figuring out where I was going to meet up with my date later."
A couple of the guys whistled. "You gotta date?" Tanner asked with a grin. "Who?"
Lance gulped lightly. "Courtney Derrick."
Scorpius and Tanner laughed. "Rex's little sister?" Scorpius said with surprise. "You'd better not let him find out. He's super protective of his sister."
Lance nodded. "Yeah, that's what she said."
"He'll stalk you everywhere!" Tanner joked.
"He might kick your ass, dude," Scorpius laughed.
Lily pinched Scorpius's arm, and leaned forward to smack Tanner on the shoulder. "Leave him alone!" She smiled at Lance. "I think it's cute," she told him.
Lance blushed. "Thanks, Lil."
"So, why are we meeting today, Scor?" Bobby asked. Lily could see his excitement, probably to be hanging out with a group of older kids. Being a third year, he was the youngest.
"Calm yourself, Pritchard," Tanner said with a grin. But then he looked at Scorpius. "But, how long will this take, cause if it's not going to be long, I might be able to get some action."
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I'm not letting my cousin run off so that he can score with Ami Waters," he mumbled.
Tanner looked at Scorpius in surprise. "How'd you know?"
"Because everyone knows that Ami Waters will have sex with any guy, as long as he's in Slytherin too. That's what makes her a House favorite among guys," Lily replied.
"I'm not letting you get a disease. I surprisingly care about you, dude," Scorpius muttered.
Tanner groaned. "Come on! Ami is showing an interest in me!"
"Because you're on the Quidditch team," Hank laughed. "It may not be a requirement for her, but she prefers them big, on the Quidditch team, and rich."
"So she's a gold digger?" Bobby said with a small laugh.
"Basically," Lance told him.
"That and annoying," Scorpius muttered.
"That's because she's always coming onto you," Hank joked.
"What a tragedy," Tanner mumbled. "You've got the hottest model as a girlfriend, and another pretty girl that hits on you. Your life sucks."
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "You whine too much."
"Just because you're still a virgin, doesn't mean you have to bitch so much," Hank teased.
Tanner threw a napkin at Hank. "Hey! Scor's a virgin too!"
"Yeah, but he doesn't care if you make fun of him about it," Hank laughed.
"You are easy to rile up," Scorpius agreed.
"Hey, looks like we're the last to arrive," Lars said as he approached the table, his arm around a very pretty girl. She was slender, with dark blonde hair pulled up into a thick ponytail. Her eyes were dark, but she looked friendly. "Guys, this is Ashley. Ashley, this is the team. Tanner, Hank, Bobby, Lance, Lily, and Scorpius," he introduced.
The team greeted her, and Ashley smiled lightly as she took a seat. "Hi," she greeted. She looked over at Lily. "I hope you're cooler than your brother," she said jokingly.
Lily raised a brow. "I don't recall having a brother," Lily retorted.
Ashley chuckled lightly. Lars grinned. "I'll be back. I'm going to grab us a few butterbeers," he said before walking off.
"So, Ashley, nice job knocking Potter down a notch," Tanner complimented.
Ashley shrugged. "It got him to stop, and that was the point." She looked around at each of them. "So, is this meet up to discuss your Quidditch match next month?" she asked.
"Slightly," Scorpius replied. "We've yet to think up tactics to play against Ravenclaw."
"And you're captain, right?" Ashley asked. Scorpius nodded. "Ok. I don't watch many of the matches, so I don't really know who plays what. Although I do remember seeing a match with Tanner and Lance playing. And I've of course seen Lily play in a match."
"Well, Hank and Bobby are new to the team this year," Tanner told her.
"So, what do you do instead when everyone else goes to watch the games?" Lily asked.
Ashley shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever I feel like doing really."
"I used to love watching the matches. Although, it's much more fun to play in them," Lance said. "I can't wait to play in the pros."
"You'll do amazing, kid," Scorpius assured.
"Amazing at what?" Lars asked as he sat down at the table. He handed Ashley a butterbeer.
"Playing professional Quidditch," Lily told him.
"Oh, no, you'll do great, man," Lars told Lance. "You've got the dedication for it."
"What team do you want to play for?" Ashley asked.
"I wanna play with the Kenmare Kestrels in Ireland," Lance told her.
"Do you have a favorite team, or do you pay little attention to national leagues?" Tanner asked Ashley.
"I only hear what my brother and his friends arguing about," Ashley replied.
"How old is your brother?" Lily asked.
"He's my twin," Ashley answered. "Although, we're completely different. He idolizes total jackasses, and I have a brain."
Lily blew out a breath. "Why do I have the feeling that your twin and Albus Potter share a common idol?"
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Because they do. What deluded boy doesn't idolize James Potter?"
When January finished, February came with lighter snow, bluer skies, breezier winds, and sunnier weather. And the beginning of February brought around some surprising news.
"Wow," Megan said as the mail came at breakfast of the first of the month. "Dante wrote me." She tore open the letter, and began to read.
"Look like you've got a letter too, babe," Scorpius commented. Lily followed his eyes, and she too identified Teddy's recognizable owl. He landed on the table, luckily not knocking anything over. In his beak was a sealed envelope. Lily took it from him, and then tossed him a piece a crust from her toast. As he flew away, Lily opened the envelope, and unfolded the letter.
"Dear Lil,
Well, two things talk, or write, about. First, the big one. Remember Janie Dumas? Fred's girlfriend? Well, he asked her to marry him. So, they're getting married this month. I know it's quick, but it's what they want. All the parents are writing to their kids to let them know. I asked Ginny and Harry if I could write to you. I need to tell you something. But, anyways, the wedding is on the twelfth. Of course, it will at the Burrow. You guys will all be excused to go on the seventh, and if permission is given to them by their parents and the headmaster, you guys are allowed to bring a date along. Although, since Scorpius is of age, he might not need permission from his parents.
But, onto what I wanted to talk to you about. Remember the talk we had when you came to the Burrow for Christmas? You told me that you wanted to fix things, and that you needed to take one step at a time. Why don't you try taking one soon? Let them know that you're trying.
Love,
Teddy"
"So, was your letter more interesting than mine, Lil? I can tell that my parents forced Dante to write me," Megan muttered as she tossed her letter aside.
Lily nodded. "Yeah. My cousin Fred is getting married on twelfth," she told them.
"That's cute! Do you get to go?" Lola asked curiously.
"We're all getting out on the seventh." Lily looked at Scorpius with a smile. "And, I get to bring a date. Wanna come?"
Scorpius raised a brow. "I can get out too?"
"Well if we bring a date, they're supposed to get permission from their parents and from the headmaster. But, since you're of age, you might not need permission from your parents," Lily told him.
Scorpius smirked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Well then I wouldn't miss it," he replied, placing a kiss on her forehead.
Lola looked at me with concern. "Do you think Hugo will ask me to go?"
Lily smiled reassuringly at her friend. "Of course he will. Why even ask?"
Lola bit her lip as she twirled a piece of her hair with a small bit of worry in her eyes. "Well, I know that his parents don't like that we're dating. I wasn't sure if he'd invite me."
Lily rolled her eyes. "First of all, his dad doesn't like it. I've never heard Hugo complain about how his mum disagrees. And secondly, Hugo has been doing anything he can to talk or see you when his dad tries to prevent him. So why wouldn't he this time?"
Lola finally smiled a little. "I guess you're right."
Lily smiled. "I always am. And, I'll probably be asked to stay at the Burrow, since I'm not staying at home. I'll bet I could convince my grandparents to let you stay there too. Then I could bring you around Hugo's house," she offered.
Now Lola smiled fully. "Really? Oh, thank you!"
"Think I'll get invited?" Mitch joked with a wink
"I can't imagine why you would," Lily mocked lightly.
Mitch ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Because of my dashing good looks?" Then he grinned. "Or because I'm always the life of a party?"
"Because my cousin is weird enough to date you," Lily quipped.
A few days later, Lily found herself sitting at a table in the common room, a blank paper sitting in front of her, and a quill in her hand. She dipped it into the open bottle of ink, and then with her hand poised over the paper . . . she froze.
Lily carefully set down her quill, then rested her head on the table, and refrained from banging it on the table. Why was this so hard? A simple letter to her parents. To let them know how she was. To show that she was trying to fix things. To tell them about all the random crap she does each day, just to let them know she cared. One letter!
Lily brought her head up, and picked up her quill. One letter. Just tell them what she'd been doing. She could do this. Finally, after a couple more motivating thoughts, she touched the quill to the paper.
"Dear Mum and Dad,
I know that I will be seeing you guys soon because of the wedding, but I thought that I would still write to you. I hope work has been good and easy for the two of you. I've been doing pretty well. A lot of Quidditch practice. My team's next match is coming up soon. I've also been doing prefect patrols with Hugo more. We've been trading with others. Rose and Albus have yet to make us an actual pair.
Also, I thought that I would let you know that I've asked Grandma and Grandpa if I could stay with them. They said yes, and they may have already told you this. I just thought I should tell you. Also, Lola will be coming as well, and I'm going to ask Grandma and Grandpa if she can stay with me at the Burrow. Obviously, she's coming as Hugo's date.
Well, I don't really have much more to say. It's been pretty routine lately for me since coming back to school. I'll see you in a couple of days.
Love,
Lily"
Lily reread her letter and smiled. She was proud of herself. She had finally written them a letter. Nothing bad, nothing to start an argument. Just a simple and casual letter, to let them know she loved them, and that she was trying.
"Lily, we have a major problem!" Lola exclaimed as she took a seat next to Lily.
Lily looked at her obviously worried and upset friend. "What's wrong, Lola?"
Lola fidgeted in her chair. "I think Hugo's avoiding me!"
Lily felt confusion run through her. Why would Hugo avoid his girlfriend? He wasn't like that . . . but now that Lily thought about it, she herself hadn't seen Hugo for days now. Since the end of January. He hadn't come to the common room, hadn't talked to them in classes. Nothing. "When was the last time you talked to him?" Lily asked.
Lola sighed. "Days ago! I've been waiting for him to ask me to the wedding, but he hasn't talked to me since before you got the letter about the wedding." Then Lola looked desperate. "You don't think he's found someone else, do you? Or that whore, Wilde, tried something? Maybe he's finally going to listen to his dad and sister, and is trying to figure out how to tell me!" she ranted.
Lily normally would have laughed, but she too was concerned about Hugo's behavior. "Look, Lola, something's up, but I'm sure it's none of those things. Just . . . just give me a day. I'm sure I can figure it out by tomorrow," Lily assured.
Lola didn't look very reassured. "How?"
Lily sighed as she folded her letter, and put her things back into her bag. "Being a prefect has its benefits. Take my bag to our dorm will you?" She could mail the letter later. "I'll be back later."
Lily left Lola looking curious and confused, and walked out of the common room. She made her way out of the dungeons. The halls were quiet. It was past curfew for the younger kids, and most of the older students were in the library at this time, studying for tests that were months away still. She knew that it was where Scorpius and the other guys were now. But also, the only kids that were really walking the halls, were the prefects on patrol and lookout for younger kids breaking curfew.
Being a prefect had shown many benefits to Lily. First of all, even if she didn't like some of them, they all knew things about each other. She knew that she could ask the seventh year Hufflepuff prefect, Gary Fleet, about the seventh year prefect from Ravenclaw, and Lily would receive hours worth of information. No one could gossip about a prefect better than another prefect. So she was sure that if she found one of the patrolling prefects, they would be able to tell her what was up with Hugo, or at least where he was.
And since she was a prefect, she had excuses to be anywhere. Really, most of the staff knew which prefect was patrolling when. Only the headmaster and the deputy headmaster, which was Professor Brown and Professor Longbottom. And luckily, they both trusted Lily to keep from trouble.
It took Lily awhile to find one of the prefects on the patrol. But after her search took her to the fourth floor, she found Chris Summerby, the sixth year boy prefect from Hufflepuff.
"Chris! Wait up!" Lily called, quickening the pace of her walk.
Chris stopped walking, and turned to look at her with a bit of surprise. "Oh. Lily, what can I do for you?" he asked.
Lily stopped in front of him. Although he was only a sixth year, Chris had a pretty deep voice. And he was tall. But Lily thought that was where his looks went from cute to average. He had mousy brown hair that was always combed down, and his eyes were an olive green. But he was nice, and that was something Lily liked about him. Whenever she and Hugo had asked him to switch patrols, he was always accommodating. Lily kind of hoped that he would be Head Boy next year.
"Um, I was wondering if you'd seen Hugo anywhere. I can't seem to find him," Lily said. It was partly true, which Lily was thankful for. She always felt that Chris was just too nice to lie to.
Chris scratched at his hair. "Oh, uh . . . I think I saw him and a few other Gryffindors in his year in the library. That was less than an hour ago, so he may still be in there," he told her.
Lily hid her confusion. Hugo was hanging out with the other Gryffindors in his year again? Last time she knew, he was still angry with Logan Murdock and Cody Thomas. McLaggen and Wilde were still annoying to all. Lily would admit that Hannah Belle, Connie Wood, and Stacy Finnigan were ok. Was Hugo with them?
But Lily didn't ask. She just smiled. "Ok, thank you, Chris," she said. She began to turn to head toward the library.
But before she could, Chris had placed a hand on her shoulder. "Wait!" he said quickly. Lily turned back to him, looking at him curiously. Chris on the other hand now looked nervous and flustered.
"What is it, Chris?" she asked.
She could see and hear him gulp. "Well . . . uh, . . ." Lily kept from laughing at how bad he was stuttering. "Um . . . I was wondering . . . if, uh . . . does your friend Shannon have a date for the upcoming Hogsmeade trip?" he blurted out.
Lily looked at him in surprise. "Shannon Flint?" Then Lily was unable to hide her eager but sly smile. "You like Shannon?"
Chris's cheeks flared with color. "Um, well sorta. We've talked a few times, and she's been really nice, and really pretty. I just . . . I just thought that I'd ask her out . . . if she doesn't have a date already," he admitted.
Lily almost giggled at how cute he was acting. The upcoming Hogsmeade visit was on Valentine's Day, meaning that it was going to be full of dates, and not groups of friends. Romance was probably on everyone's minds, and single teens were probably trying to get the courage to ask out those they liked. "No, she doesn't have a date yet," Lily told him. "But I bet she'd appreciate being asked out by a really nice guy."
Although his blush was still persistent on his cheeks, he smiled. "Really? You think she'd say yes?"
Lily nodded. "I know she would."
Chris sighed with relief. "Ok. Thanks, Lily. Know what kind of flower she likes?"
Lily did laugh a little this time. "Daffodils. And no problem. Thanks for helping me too. I'll see you around."
He nodded. "Yeah, see you around."
Lily left with a small wave, and turned to hurry to the library. She didn't want Hugo to leave before she got there. All of Lily's instincts were telling her that something was up. When she got to the library, she found that most of the tables were occupied by fifth and seventh years, and also some sixth years. Lily scanned the area. She could see the seventh year Slytherin boys near the back corner, although they didn't look to be studying too hard. But it was after just another moment of searching that Lily saw one of the biggest surprises of her life.
Hugo was sitting in the library . . . but it was the crew that he was sitting with. A nightmare group. Cody Thomas, Logan Murdock, Clay Angel, Julie McLaggen, and Paige Wilde. Lily stared for a moment in confusion. Why was Hugo hanging out with . . . well with people that she and the others considered part of the enemy? But instead of feeling betrayal, Lily felt skeptical. Hugo had plainly admitted long ago that he didn't like Logan Murdock, and that he was glad when Scorpius beat him up. He'd punched Cody Thomas personally after Cody injured her in the Quidditch match. He had openly humiliated Paige Wilde and Julie McLaggen.
Lily moved toward their table. Something was wrong.
"Hugo," she addressed as she walked toward them.
The entire group of Gryffindors looked up. Five of them looked hesitant or hostile, and Hugo was the only one that looked relieved.
"Get out of here, snake!" Wilde hissed. "We're studying!"
Lily ignored her. "What's up, Hugh?"
Hugo began to close the book in front of him, and grabbed his bag from the floor. "Professor Longbottom was told that I didn't have the best study habits as of late, so he set me up with this group to study with," Hugo said calmly, although Lily could sense there was more to this.
"Well, you're supposed to patrol tonight. Nadia Belby is waiting for you," Lily lied.
Hugo nodded. "Thank you for reminding me. I'd almost forgotten," he said, playing along.
"Why don't you take his place? He has to study," Wilde spoke with malice.
Lily looked at her and raised a brow. "You know, I'm going to have to ask Professor Longbottom why he didn't just have me help Hugo study. After all, I am the top of our years," Lily commented casually.
"Well, I'd bet you can help me more than this did," Hugo said with a pleasant laugh. He stood up and shouldered his bag. "Show me where Nadia is?"
"Of course," Lily told him. And without a goodbye, the two walked away from the Gryffindors, and out of the library.
Once in a deserted hallway, Hugo wasted no time. "My dad said specifically in his letter to me that I wasn't allowed to bring Lola. And then I've come to guess that he told Rose in her letter to keep me away from Lola. She's been on my case ever since. She got Professor Longbottom to force me into that study group. She got the Fat Lady to not open for me unless I was accompanied by her, or going to classes or on patrol. She's gotten Albus to help escort me to and from Quidditch practices," Hugo ranted, his jaw tense.
Lily sighed as she tried to keep from glaring at anything or anyone. "You want me to have Jace and the guys make a makeshift bed for you in their dorm room? At least until we leave for the wedding?" Lily asked.
Hugo nodded. "I'd appreciate that." He hesitated, but then Lily could hear worry in his voice. "But what about Lola? I can't ask her to go with me. I'm not allowed. Since my dad didn't approve, Uncle Neville says I can't bring her."
Lily ran a hand through her hair. But she grinned. "Oh, Uncle Ron, how smart you think you are," she mumbled.
Hugo looked at her with hope. "You've gotten an idea?"
Lily nodded smugly. "We're going to show your dad that he can never be more clever and sneaky than a Slytherin," she told him.
"What do you got in mind?" Hugo asked eagerly.
"The person we bring doesn't have to be a date. We can just bring a friend," Lily told him. "So, how about you and I don't bring dates," Lily suggested.
Hugo looked at her with a bit of confusion. "What?"
Lily grinned slyly. "How you about you bring your friend Scorpius, and I'll bring my friend Lola?"
Hugo stared at her for a moment, and then burst into laughter. "That's brilliant! I love it!"
Lily chuckled. "So, how about tomorrow, you and I bring this idea to the headmaster?"
"Sounds awesome . . . thanks, Lil," Hugo said humbly.
Lily patted her cousin's shoulder. "Never a problem, Hugo. Never a problem."
When Lily brought him into the common room, the other girls, excluding Lola, had practically pounced on them.
"How could you not invite Lola as your date to the wedding?" Megan demanded with a glare.
Lily held up a hand to calm them. "Chill, chill. It's settled. Where is Lola?"
"Up in our dorm," Shannon answered.
"Can you go get her?" Lily asked. Shannon nodded and hurried off, and Lily brought Hugo to the table she'd previously been sitting at.
Hugo looked a little nervous as he sat. "How has Lola been holding up since my imprisonment?" he asked.
Lily tried to give him a reassuring look. "Not too bad, although she's pretty worried."
"Hugo?"
They both turned to see Lola coming down the stairs from the dorms. Hugo quickly got up from his chair, and kissed her soundly. Lily waited patiently for Hugo to pull away from the kiss. When he did, he was quick to speak. "I'm really sorry, La. It's a long story, but I didn't mean to worry you."
Lily bit back a laugh at her cousin's quick words. "Come here, Lola, we've got a plan," Lily told her.
Lola hadn't been too happy about Hugo not being able to take Lola as his girlfriend to the wedding, but she admitted that she was happy to at least be able to go at all. Then she immediately started on a letter to her parents asking if she could go. Lily told Scorpius the plan when he returned. He had laughed and agreed to it, saying that he was proud of his girlfriend's tricky mind. When Lily and Hugo had told Professor Brown about their idea the next day, he had laughed, called Lily clever, and then approved it. Lola had gotten a letter from her parents, saying that she could go to the wedding and stay with Lily, and Lily got a letter from her grandparents, saying that they wouldn't mind one bit if Lola stayed at the Burrow too.
Hugo slept in the fifth years' dorm room. He didn't skip going to Gryffindor team practice the next day, but the entire Slytherin team accompanied him to and from, making sure that Albus and Rose didn't try anything. And after promising she would to Professor Longbottom, Lily studied with Hugo, making sure that he understood the lessons.
Then the seventh came around, and the group would all be leaving on the Hogwarts Express. And as they all assembled, Lily was able to see who was going. Albus had his arm draped around Kelly Epcot from Ravenclaw, probably a rebound from how Ashley had humiliated him. Lily only remembered how much Epcot had hated Lily while she was dating Lysander. Rose had obviously brought Lorcan, just as Dominique had obviously invited Mitch. Lucy was practically wrapped around Tyler Creevey. Louis had surprisingly brought a girl along, who he introduced to Lily as his friend, Nadia Belby. And he was the one that explained to Lily that it was Roxanne who had invited Lysander. Apparently, Roxanne hadn't intended to bring anyone, until Lysander asked if she could take him as friend.
And of course she and Hugo had brought Lola and Scorpius. Glares and looks of incredulity came from Albus and Rose, but Lily ignored them as she looked at this assembled group that was waiting to board the train.
This was going to be an interesting couple of days.