So, you remembered to give your history notes to one of the others, right?" Lola asked Hugo as they all ate dinner. After their victory yesterday, they didn't care about the governors' and Heyes unspoken rule about eating at your own tables.
Hugo nodded as he tried to swallow a mouthful of food quickly. "Yeah," he said after a small cough. "I gave them to Josh. No need to worry, La."
"Well I'm just making sure. We know how your memory can be," Lola teased.
Lily rolled her eyes at the two, but smiled. The castle had been cleaned. All the swamps were banished, the colors vanished, the fireworks faded, the rabbits vanished, and the writings were erased . . . all except one. Hugo's words "OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD" were still on the wall near the headmaster's office. Apparently, Professors Flitwick and Bell "claimed" it must have been from a prank product, because they didn't know how to get it off. It was an obvious lie, because Hugo had done what everyone else had done when they wrote something on the walls. But the reasons behind keeping it was another victory in itself.
"You ready to see your parents?" Scorpius asked, knocking her from her thoughts.
Lily nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready. I'm also ready to make Brunt and Heyes look even worse. After all, how could Heyes be a good headmaster and not see and stop what happened?" she mocked.
"Well aren't you clever," he teased before placing a kiss on her lips.
"Lily, Hugo," Professor Longbottom addressed as he walked toward them. There was obvious pride in his small smile. "I've been asked to tell you that your parents will be arriving soon, and that the headmaster would like you to go to his office now."
Hugo immediately began to quickly stuff more food into his mouth, but Lily wasn't as hungry, so she simply stood from her seat. "Ok. Once Hugo has officially choked himself, we'll head down there. Are you coming, sir?" Lily asked.
"No, although I offered my presence to the headmaster," Professor Longbottom told her. "But he insisted that it be only you, your parents, him, and a few choice governors."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course," she muttered.
"Stuffidd," Hugo mumbled through his mouthful of food.
"Ew! Hugo Weasley!" Lola scolded.
Hugo shrugged as he too stood up. He chugged down his last bit of his pumpkin juice, slammed the cup down, then clapped his hands. "Let's do this!" he exclaimed.
Lily chuckled and shook her head. "Ok, champ," she mocked. She messed with Scorpius's hair as she walked away. "See you guys later."
"Later!" Hugo said with a small wave. The two left the Great Hall and walked most of the way in silence. It wasn't until Hugo's writing was in sight that one of them spoke.
"Maybe I could be a politician," Hugo commented.
Lily raised a curious brow and looked at him. "Really? Why?"
He shrugged. "Apparently, I could be good at it. According to a lot of people and adults lately. And I really don't know what I want to do after I graduate. If I don't figure anything out, maybe I could fall back on that."
"But would you rather find something better?" Lily asked.
"Absolutely. I mean, as you can tell by my enthusiastic voice right now, I have little ambition for it. I'd have to search for things to fight for. I mean, with this, it's different. I care about Hogwarts. But other topics, I may not," Hugo replied. "But I just don't know what else I would do."
Lily grinned. "You could be a model with me."
Hugo laughed. "Well I am sexy," he joked as they came up to the gargoyle. Then he sighed. "Education," he stated.
The gargoyle moved to show the stairs. "Dumb password," Lily mentioned as they stepped onto the stairs, which immediately began to move and spiral upwards.
"Tell me about," Hugo muttered back.
Once they reached the door, Lily knocked firmly and hated how she now had to wait. Already she missed just having to knock once and walk in to see Jacob.
"Come in!" Heyes's voice called out to them.
Lily pushed open the door, allowing Hugo to go in first, and then closed the door as she followed. Heyes was sitting at the desk, Brunt was to his left, Napoleon was sitting on a nearby chair, and Brady Edwards was pacing near the fireplace.
"Sit down," Heyes commanded, motioning to the two chairs in front of his desk.
Silently, both teens sat down. For a moment, all was silent. Then apparently, a tension exploded.
"Do you two have nothing to say?" Edwards yelled. "You can't just confess? We know you did this!"
Lily and Hugo looked at each other, then back at Heyes, and stayed silent. A frustrated growl emitted by the fireplace.
It had to be almost ten, silent, and tense minutes before there was a knock on the door, and then it opened, revealed their parents, who came in calmly, with calm expressions.
With a wave of Heyes's wand, four more chairs moved over around the desk. "Please, sit," he requested to the adults. "As for introductions, I'm Professor Roderick Heyes, the temporary headmaster at Hogwarts. I'm sure you know the governors that have joined us."
"Of course," Hermione assured as they all sat down. "Now, what can we do for you?"
"We need to discuss your children here," Heyes stated.
"What about them?" Ginny demanded.
Heyes's only reply at first was to hold up that morning's copy of the Daily Prophet. Lily smiled at the sight of the top headline. "OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD: NEW HEADMASTER FAILS TO STOP TROUBLE"
"We are familiar with this morning's headlines," Harry told him.
Heyes put the paper down. "We have reasons to believe that your kids were the start of this little rebellion."
Lily cleared her throat. "I would like to remind people that Hugo and I were in the dungeons, working on a potion. Professor Slughorn will say the same."
"If someone is willing to vouch for our children's whereabouts, then why do you believe that they started it?" Hermione inquired with a serious stare.
"Because they have shown constant attitude problems!" Edwards hissed as he came to stand by the desk. "For example, their little talk and interview with the press!"
"We have not broken any rules," Hugo retorted quickly. "We have simply stated our opinions to a woman who asked. A woman you governors brought in."
"So, because they are firm in their opinions, you're blaming our children for your mistakes?" Ginny countered with a glare.
"What do you mean 'our mistakes,' Mrs. Potter?" Brunt demanded.
It was Ron who answered. "Because only an incompetent headmaster would be in his office while a riot is going on downstairs!"
"I was in a meeting with a student!" Heyes argued. "Then ended up in a swamp, which was a product created by your brother, their uncle!"
"So that automatically makes them guilty?" Hermione replied. "You know, your Head Boy and Girl are also related to George Weasley, as are about four other students! Why just these two?"
"Because Lily Potter has been against us since the beginning, and very open about it!" Brunt hissed.
"I'm allowed an opinion," Lily said calmly. "You don't like Professor Brown, but I do. We just differ opinions."
"And for this, my daughter is to be blamed for everything?" Harry said dryly.
"She has openly defied us! Fought against us!" Napoleon countered.
"How?" Lily asked. "All I have done is honestly answer questions during an interview."
"The study group!" Edwards hissed.
"You're against a group created to help kids prepare for O.W.L.s?" Hermione questioned in a low and obviously dangerous voice. Even Hugo looked a little hesitant.
There was a moment of silence, one that Lily almost laughed at. The kind of silence that meant the opposition had walked into a trap they created themselves. It always happened when Hugo got Lily to play chess with him. When that moment happened, Lily usually just pushed her king over herself.
"We aren't against it," Brunt said slowly and carefully. "We fear that they could end up hurt. Such as if they practice something, and one gets hurt. They have no supervision."
"We have invited Professors Longbottom and Slughorn to watch us, but they trusted us," Lily said with a shrug.
"And we've all taken precautions to make sure no one is hurt. Tonight we were all going to study over History of Magic," Hugo replied. "After all, it's not an easy topic."
"So, from my understanding," Harry spoke, "you are distrusting of a group that helps to prepare for O.W.L.s, but also promotes unity between Houses? You know, that sounds very opposite of what your group tried to say at the hearing before the Wizengamot."
"We are all for exam preparation and unity," Napoleon argued. "But they need to be supervised!"
"Speaking from personal experience, all four of us have been part of a group that prospered and helped save Hogwarts, and we did it without adult supervision," Ron retorted with a glare. "Now, I still see no reason why my son is being blamed because your new headmaster can't handle students on his own."
"I know she started it!" Brunt finally snapped. "I know she started the group, she set up the interviews, and she's basically started a full out rebellion against us, and got every student to turn on authority!"
In the silence Lily raised a brow and hid her smug grin. Their parents stared with indignation and shock, and the governors and headmaster were silent and tense. Lily finally spoke. "You can correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't turn all the students against you. From my understanding, you have friendly conversations with Albus Potter quite often."
Brunt glared fully at Lily. "That attitude and those witty and snarky retorts are why we suspect her!"
"But why me?" Hugo asked innocently. "Am I snarky?"
"You're in league with her!" Napoleon argued.
"Oh, so he's to blame because he's friends with his cousin?" Hermione exclaimed.
"You know, I don't care if they have attitude!" Ginny said angrily. "Every teenager has attitude! And they obviously find that Professor Heyes here is weak. Otherwise, they wouldn't have all done this. All of them! Because don't tell me you think only two kids did all of that!"
"We know that these two rallied them together!" Edwards argued.
"And you just didn't notice a rally of over a hundred kids gathering?" Harry countered. "Look, I'm seeing little proof against these kids, and little proof of why I needed to be summoned here. Now, I want to make this clear. As the Head of the Auror Department, and as a father, I do not want to be called in here for this again, unless you have proof to blame my daughter, or my nephew. Is that clear?"
Lily had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at the governors' defeated looks. She knew that tone of her father's. He'd used it before on her brothers when they were little, and were fighting over Chocolate Frog cards. Seeing the governors being treated like children was all too amusing.
It was Heyes that swallowed his pride. "Of course, Mr. Potter. If we are keeping you from something, you may leave, of course."
The adults began to stand. "Thank you," Harry said flatly. Then he placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. "Come along, you two."
Lily and Hugo stayed silent as their parents took them from the room, and then down the stairs. And it wasn't until they were in another corridor that the silence was broken.
"Go ahead, son," Ron said. "Say what you're wanting to say."
"That was awesome!" Hugo said immediately.
The adults all chuckled.
"So we're right to assume that you did have something to do with yesterday?" Hermione asked, her voice sounding serious, but her eyes obviously amused.
Hugo shrugged. "You may assume what you wish." Then he and Lily were the ones to laugh.
"You'd better not get caught, 'cause then we'll look like asses," Ron mocked.
"We've got it covered," Lily assured. "So, how'd the hearing go?"
"We'll hear the verdict this summer," Harry told her.
"What will happen when they have to get re-picked? Like, how would it happen?" Hugo asked.
"Well, most likely, the Wizengamot will figure out who is corrupt, and then get rid of them. All of the governors will be scrutinized and observed," Hermione explained. "Then once the corrupt ones are gone, it'll probably be the minister that appoints the new governors."
"What if we already know the corrupt ones?" Hugo asked.
"What if someone suggested a person to the minister, could he take it into consideration?" Lily questioned.
Harry shrugged. "I'm sure he would."
They all conversed casually as they made their way to the Entrance Hall. Lily occasionally looked at Hugo, who look happy to be talking with his father normally.
"Victoire is due any day now," Ginny was telling Lily. "We're all just waiting to hear from Teddy that she's in labor."
When they reached the Entrance Hall doors, they started to say their goodbyes.
"You behave, or at least don't get caught," Ginny told Lily as she kissed her daughter's hair. "And by the way, Lily Luna Potter. You never need to ask if you can come home for dinner. You can come anytime."
Lily smiled at her mother. "Well, how about two days after we come home? That way I at least have time to settle being away from school," Lily suggested.
"That sounds fine," Harry assured as he moved forward to hug his daughter. "Take care, princess."
"Of course, Dad," Lily mumbled into his shirt. When she pulled away from his hug, Ron reached over to ruffle her hair.
"Don't let this place go to Hell, kids," he warned them.
Lily smiled, but Hugo laughed. "You got it, Dad," he assured.
Lily and Hugo watched as their parents left out into the dim night. But they were both still able to hear them.
"They make you proud, don't they?" Ginny commented.
All of them nodded.
"Only you guys could have cool enough parents to let you get away with starting yesterday!" Mitch laughed as they all sat in the common room, Hugo and Dominique included. Lily and Hugo had thought about going and joining the group meeting, but since they were probably well into the middle of it by now, they decided to just go the common room.
"My parents would have probably murdered me," Dominique muttered. "But my dad has always been an ass about those things."
Lily sighed as she studied over a copy of Hugo's history notes for that night. "I think if I had done something like that last year, my dad would have killed me. But since we've gotten better . . . I think he trusts me a little more."
"What about me?" Scorpius teased.
Lily laughed. "Don't push it."
Scorpius kissed the side of her neck. "But I like pushing limits," he mumbled.
Lily tried to nudge him away. "Scorpius Malfoy, I'm studying," she retorted.
"So?" he replied. "You can do that later."
"And we can do this later," Lily countered.
Scorpius pulled away and sighed. "All right, but you owe me," he muttered.
"Whatever you say, sweetheart," she replied. Scorpius moved to wrap his arm around her and rest his chin on her shoulder, his breath fanning against her neck and jaw.
"I mean it. At some point and time, I'm going to cash in. And you're going to have to deal," he mocked.
Lily moved a hand to his knee, and patted it. "I'm sure you will."
Lily had never expected Scorpius to really approach her and say that he was "cashing in" a few days later. Luckily is was during her free period, which she usually spent with him anyways. But she hadn't expected him to drag her from the common room, instead of taking her up to his dorm room. She was very surprised when he kept dragging her up floor by floor.
"Scorpius, where are we going?" Lily finally asked after three more floors.
"Well, lately I've been thinking. I'm graduating this year," Scorpius commented.
"Don't remind me," Lily groaned.
"Anyways, I was thinking about when I was attracted to you, but didn't want to ask you out and ruin a friendship," Scorpius continued. "And I was thinking that I wasted so many moments where I could have kissed the hell out of you."
Lily laughed. "What?"
"Yeah, so I've decided that I'm going to make up for one of those moments, now," he finished.
Lily was about to ask another question when she noticed that just ahead of them was The Fat Lady's portrait, leading to the Gryffindor common room. "Scorpius, what are we doing here?" she asked.
But instead of answering her, Scorpius pulled her to a tapestry, pulled it aside, and then dragged her into a hidden and dark passageway . . . or what should have been a dark passageway. But there was already a candle lighting it dimly. He dropped the tapestry, concealing them both.
Lily looked back at him with a raised brow. "So?"
He chuckled as he moved closer and placed his hands on her hips. "You don't remember this place?"
Lily tried to remember, but she drew a blank. "No clue," she admitted.
He pulled her a little closer. "Two years ago, at the beginning of your third year, my fifth, we hid in here trying to find the password to the Gryffindor common room, just so that we could trash it," he explained.
Lily thought of what he was saying, and it all began to click as she remembered. Trashing their common room, hiding in here with Scorpius, Lola getting smashed that afternoon. She smiled at the memory. "I do remember that actually," she murmured. But then she looked at him with mild surprised. "You were attracted to me back then?"
Scorpius shrugged. "I thought you were really cool and really cute. But you were like one of my best friends. And if I remember correctly, that was when you and Scamander began flirting around each other."
Lily sighed. "Yeah, I should have let that relationship die my third year. Kind of stupid to bring it back up a year later."
"Really stupid," Scorpius agreed softly. "It delayed my chances to ask you out." He leaned down to kiss her firmly, but still sweetly.
Lily giggled against his lips, then pulled away slightly. "Well now I really regret it," she joked lightly. She kissed him again, and this time parted her lips when she felt his tongue brush across her bottom lip. He pressed her against the closest wall, his hands sliding up and down her sides. Lily moaned softly into his mouth. But then she pulled away to brush her lips along his jaw and up to his ear. "I hope you know I'm not having sex with you in this passageway."
Scorpius groaned quietly near her cheek. "I can respect that. I didn't intend that. But you keep breathing in my ear like that and I might have to change your mind," he warned, his own voice a low growl.
Lily licked her lips at the sound of his voice. And his warning made her want to change her own mind. But she kicked those urges back and kissed his cheek. "As long as you know that you're not pushing this limit."
"Achoo!" Lola sneezed harshly at the table during breakfast. She groaned and rubbed her eyes. "Dammit," she mumbled.
"You ok?" Lily asked with worry.
Lola groaned again. "Feel like I got punched by that dammed tree," she said, her voice even slurring a little.
Jace reached over and felt her forehead. "Well your forehead's a little hot," he muttered. He leaned back and began picking the crust off of a piece of toast. "Maybe you should go and sleep."
"I have classes, idiot," Lola snapped lazily.
"But he may be right," Shannon countered. "We'll take notes for you."
"I'm fine," Lola insisted. Her other protests were interrupted by two consecutive sneezes.
"Just go to bed, Lola," Lily said. "Otherwise I'll tell Hugo, and then he'll be on your case too."
Lola groaned again. "I probably look like hell! He cannot see me like this!" she complained, dropping her head onto the table.
"I doubt he'll care how you look," Izzy disagreed.
"Besides, you look just fine," Jace assured. "Um . . . the pink around your eyes looks good on you."
"Shut up, and you're a terrible liar, jackass!" Lola hissed back, although her head still laid on the table.
Lily just rolled her eyes and focused back on her breakfast. And Lola called Hugo stubborn? It made Lily want to laugh.
When the mail arrived, Lily was a bit surprised, but also excited to see Teddy's owl land next to her on the table. Lily quickly took the thick envelope from the owl, who snapped up one of Jace's crusts, and then took off. Lily ripped open the letter, and quickly read what Teddy had to say.
"Dear Lily,
I'm writing this letter at about two in the morning, so sorry if parts of it don't make sense. I'm exhausted, but I had to write to you. This morning, Victoire went into labor. Trust me, it wasn't the best way to wake up. But anyways, after hours of labor, and a few bruised fingers, she finally had the baby. The cutest little girl. This time Victoire got to give the first name, and I got the middle name. So we agreed easily on Gabriella Lillian Lupin. She the cutest thing, and she already has ever man in the family wrapped around her tiny pinkie (me included).
Well, I've got to sleep, but I wanted to get this letter to you as quick as possible. Also, there's a picture of Gabby in the envelope as well.
Love you sis,
Teddy"
Lily quickly picked up the envelope and pulled out a picture. Lily gasped and then smiled at the sight. Victoire was in a hospital bed, Teddy sitting in a chair next to her. And bundled in a pink blanket in Victoire's arms was the cutest baby girl that Lily had ever seen. Her eyes were closed, but she had an obvious shock of blonde hair on her head. Teddy and Victoire were both smiling, and every few seconds, Teddy would reach out to stroke little Gabby's hair.
"Is that Teddy's new baby?" Jace asked.
"Victoire gave birth again?" Lola asked sluggishly.
Lily smiled and nodded. "Yesterday night it sounds like. A little girl named Gabriella." Lily turned the picture so that they all could see it.
"She's adorable!" Shannon squealed.
"She looks a lot like her mum," Megan commented.
"I hope she turns out to be just as sweet as her mum," Lily joked lightly as she too looked at the picture again.
"You know," Jace commented, "this has been a really good month compared to others lately."
Lily nodded as she put the letter and picture into her bag. "You're right. A lot has happened in the past month."
"Too bad once it ends, we start O.W.L. testing," Hunter pointed out.
"Dude, way to drag us down," Jace joked.
"I'm ready for it though," Hunter said confidently. "After all the help with JB, I can only fail what I'm obviously hopeless at. Otherwise, I'm understanding things more. I think I can do pretty good now."
"Well that was the point of the group," Megan pointed out.
"It was a good idea, Lil," Jace complimented. "I even get Divination a little better." He paused for a moment, as if in thought. "Well, probably not enough to pass, but still a little better."
Lily laughed and shook her head. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. But, we should probably get going, shouldn't we?"
"Yeah, classes start soon," Shannon agreed.
Almost immediately, all of their eyes zoomed in on Lola, who had been silent for a while now.
Lily sighed. "She's out isn't she?"
Hunter tilted his head, then he too sighed and nodded. "Like a candle."
Lily stood up and shouldered her bag. "Girls, let's get her to bed."
Megan shook Lola's shoulder. "Lola? Lola, we're going to class now."
Lola groaned, but slowly raised her head. Shannon quickly got up and began to help her up, and Izzy grabbed Lola's bag. "Ok," Lola mumbled.
The girls all helped Lola all the way back to the dorm room. Either Lola was giving in, or just too sick to pay attention. As the other girls got her onto her bed and under her covers, Lily searched for a cold remedy. She found the best she had, and put it on Lola's bedside table, and then wrote a note telling her to drink some.
"Hopefully she's not totally looped out, and she can read that," Megan muttered.
Lily ran a hand though her hair. "Yeah, I hope so too. But I'll check on her when you guys go to Potions."
"Well you should see if you can get her to the Hospital Wing," Izzy said as they began to walk back out to the common room.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Maybe I'll drag her ass down, and then get Scorpius to carry her all the way there," Lily commented.
"I'm surprised she's even sick. Lola's usually pretty healthy," Shannon mentioned with worry.
"It's probably just a simple cold. She'll be over it in a day. Get her to the Hospital Wing, and she'll be fine before dinner," Megan assured.
"Hope you're right. The last thing that girl needs is to be sick. She stresses out with studying enough for all of us. This on top of it would suck," Izzy replied.
"She'll be fine," Lily said. "She just needs to sleep."
"We all need just one day to sleep," Megan muttered. "This year has been exhausting."
"Well, the last Quidditch match is coming up this weekend, so you can sleep while everyone else is watching the game," Lily replied.
"Like Lola isn't going to drag the rest of us to see her boyfriend play," Megan retorted.
"I was going anyways. I told Hugo I'd go," Lily told her.
"Well then maybe the rest of us won't have to go," Megan mumbled.
"You complain too much," Izzy teased.
"I'm a sixteen-year-old girl," Megan countered. "I'm supposed to complain."
"That or bitch," Lily retorted.
"Well I filled my bitch quota already," Megan mocked.
"Surprise, surprise," Lily sighed.
Lily was happy to watch the Gryffindor game against Ravenclaw. It was nice to simply watch a match, and not have to play in it. Both teams were great, but it was obvious that Lorcan had been conditioning his team since their last match. It was a very close game, and one with no serious injury. Hugo had done great until he took a Bludger to the arm. Once that had happened, more shots got by him, allowing Ravenclaw to take the lead.
If it hadn't been for Albus catching the Snitch, Gryffindor probably wouldn't have won. Lorcan had been brutal, and it seemed as if he'd commanded his team to be as well.
"Oh, I hope Hugo's ok," Lola worried as she and Lily waited near the exit of the pitch. Lola sneezed twice in a row. Although she'd gotten over the harsh part of her cold, it seemed some of it was persisting. Lily had agreed to wait with her, but hadn't agreed to listen to Lola worry for over ten minutes. She'd taken to tuning her out, and listening every so often.
"Hey, Lily!" Lorcan greeted her with a wave as he began a small jog over to her.
Lily smiled. "Hey, Lorcan. Good game. It was almost yours."
Lorcan sighed as he ran a hand over his hair. "Honestly, I expected to lose the Snitch to Al. But I'm proud that we had them before that. Hasn't been our year," he replied. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked around at the pitch. "That was my last game . . . I'm going to miss all of this."
"You'll be playing in the pros before the end of June," Lily teased.
Lorcan chuckled. "I hope. But still, it is a bit sad to think that I won't be playing for Ravenclaw anymore. I've been loyal to this team for six years now."
"I'll have seven years when I graduate," she commented. "It will be weird."
"It is weird," Lorcan agreed. He stopped talking, and Lily could sense that he was going to talk again. So she waited until he finally did. "Lily, . . . what happened between you and my brother?"
"He kissed me in front of Scorpius," Lily said simply.
"No, I know that. He admitted that to me in the locker room before that game. But afterwards. He's been so . . . hostile and angry at any mention of you since. What happened?" Lorcan questioned.
Lily played with the ends of her hair, and looked at the sky above them. She didn't want to look at Lorcan. "I told him that I loved Scorpius, and I could never, and would never, love him like that. I've tried being nice, mean, everything. So I was just purely honest. And it spun out of control. He found out that I'd slept with Scorpius, and he flipped out even more . . . and then I told him I don't care anymore if he still has feelings."
"Harsh fight," Lorcan commented casually.
Finally, Lily looked at him. "You're not going to freak out that I slept with Scorpius?"
Lorcan looked at her with a small smile. "Lil, you're fifteen. Besides, I'm your friend, not your dad or brother. What right do I have to be angry about something that is none of my business? And you're smart, and I'm sure it wasn't just some drunk or stupid escapade."
Lily leaned her head against his shoulder. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that from someone."
He chuckled as he reached up to squeeze her shoulder. "Lil, I trust you. And I trust my brother to run his own life. What goes on between you two, it is none of my business. I just listen when one of you needs an ear. After all, you did that for me. Even though you didn't like Rose, you still pushed me to ask her out because you knew I wanted to."
"You need someone to keep you from flying into the clouds and never coming back," Lily teased. "I knew Rose could do that."
"Just like we need Scorpius to keep you from going crazy," he joked.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Lorcan?" They both to see the Gryffindor team approaching the exit, Rose's eyes locked on both of them.
Lorcan smiled immediately. He patted Lily's shoulder. "I'll see ya, Lil."
"Hey, Lorcan," Lily called before he walked away. He turned back. "Incase I don't see you before your last day: Take care of yourself. And . . . well don't let Rose stress you out over N.E.W.T. exams, because I know she'll get stressed."
Lorcan grinned. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, Lil. You take care of yourself too." And quickly, he pulled her into a short hug. When he pulled away, he jogged over to where Rose was waiting for him. Lily moved away from the exit, over to where Lola was now standing with Hugo. But she couldn't stop her eyes from straying back to where Rose and Lorcan were now walking away with the others on the Gryffindor team.
Flashback
"Victoire, how come our parents always make you babysit us?" nine-year-old Rose asked as she and seven-year-old Lily moved to sit on Victoire's bed.
"Well because you're too young to stay at home alone," sixteen-year-old Victoire answered as she brushed through her hair.
"But why can't we go to Teddy's with our brothers?" Lily asked.
"Because Teddy would never be able to babysit all of you alone, and they thought you girls would enjoy time away from those boys," Victoire replied.
"Why don't you just watch us together?" Lily questioned.
"Because they're teens, duh," Rose retorted with a roll of her eyes, like it was the most obvious thing.
But Lily still shrugged her shoulders and fell onto her back. "So?"
"So, my parents don't like me to be alone with Teddy without an adult around," Victoire mumbled, her voice a little embarrassed.
"That's dumb," Lily replied.
"Uncle Bill is afraid that they'll kiss," Rose said smartly.
Victoire laughed lightly. "Something like that, yes."
"That's gross!" Lily said with disgust.
Lily felt the mattress shift, and Victoire's face appeared above her, instead of the ceiling. "You really think so?" she asked.
Lily nodded. "Yeah! I've seen what those boys eat! Why would you put your mouth on theirs?"
Victoire laughed again, and much more fully. Then she patted Lily's shoulder. "Make sure you tell your dad that. Now sit up. Your hair's a mess."
Lily sighed as she sat up, and Victoire began to run a brush through her hair. "Why do people always complain that my hair is a mess? So is Daddy's!"
"But you look much prettier when your hair is smoother and out of your face," Victoire said with a smile. "Not that you aren't always beautiful."
"Why do I have to be prettier?" Lily questioned.
"So a boy will call you prettier," Rose replied.
"But I don't care," Lily retorted with another roll of her eyes.
"Well then do it for me," Victoire told her.
"Ok," Lily mumbled.
"Victoire, will you do my hair?" Rose asked.
"Of course. But your hair is already pretty straight. But I might be able to do something with it," Victoire assured. "But you look very pretty with your hair down."
End of Flashback
Lily sighed as she watched the group go, Rose's hair swaying around her back. If Lily remembered right, after Victoire had said that, Rose wore her hair down more days than not. But for Lily, she still hadn't cared about her hair after that.
Lily smiled as she turned away to wait for Hugo and Lola. Although Lily had wanted to hang out with the boys and Teddy more, she had loved to be with only Victoire and Rose. They were probably the better times. She and Rose never fought with each other, and Victoire was always doing something with them. She'd play with their hair, show Rose a few beauty tips, or playing Exploding Snap with Lily. At the time, Lily had never understood Rose's love for beauty and hair. Lily was more concerned with learning how to try and beat Hugo at chess, or how to properly fly on a broom.
"Hey, Lil!" Hugo called, waving a hand in front of her face. "You there?"
Lily blinked a few times before pushing his hand away. "Yeah, yeah. Come on," she muttered.
They started walking out and toward the castle. "So, what did you think, Lil?" Hugo asked.
"That it was an awesome match," Lily complimented. "How's your arm?"
Hugo brought his arm up, which looked completely normal. "Good. Uh, Rose fixed it in the locker room after I said I didn't want to go to the Hospital Wing."
"Does it still hurt?" Lola asked, her voice still a little distorted from her cold.
"It's fine. And speaking of the Hospital Wing, I think you need to go and just get the cold taken care of," Hugo told her.
"It's fine. It'll be gone completely soon," Lola assured.
"We've been telling her that since she got the cold, Hugh," Lily stated. "But she refuses to go to the Hospital Wing."
"Babe, O.W.L.s are only a few days away. Do you want to risk being sick during them?" Hugo threatened.
"It will clear up by then!" Lola insisted. "And if not, I'll go to the Hospital Wing and get it taken care of that morning."
"Good, otherwise I'll drag your ass," Hugo muttered.
"I tried that, cuz," Lily told him. "She just clung to her headboard and kicked."
Lily paced at the front of the room as all the fifth years began to gather around her and the other three. This was the moment they'd all kind of been waiting for. It was the last day of May. Tomorrow was the start of their O.W.L. exams. That meant one other thing as well.
"Ok," Lily started, "tomorrow is the start of O.W.L.s and that means that tonight is our last meeting." Immediately noises of sadness and argument arose. "But," Lily spoke over them, "that also means that we are ready for them. We're ready to do the best that we can do. And prove that our devotion to Professor Brown is as strong as our determination."
Applause issued from all of them, and Leighton Fawcett whistled loudly.
Lily smiled. "We have stressed all year about these tests, and tomorrow we are going to prove that to us, they are just tests. We are going to prove that even if we don't ace every one of them, that we are still going to kick ass once we graduate, because that is what Professor Brown wanted for us."
Hugo stepped forward. "This summer, the governors will all be voting on whether or not we get to keep Professor Brown. Those that are still unsure are waiting to see our results concerning exam test scores, and show of unity between Houses. With just us, we have surpassed expectations. And once they see how our work and devotion have paid off, there's no way they could vote to ban Professor Brown."
As the others all began to clap again, Hugo pulled Jaclyn up front. She looked a bit hesitant, but when everyone quieted, her voice was confident. "As we all know, this summer we will also find out if the governors will be reorganized and fired. And considering we have Harry Potter and Hermione Weasley on our side, not to mention the media, it's practically impossible for Brunt and her group to win."
"Brunt has no allies," Randy added. "Only her little group. Thanks to the fourteenth, Heyes has lost all support. There is no faith in him. And the media has been running stories practically every day about what is going on with Hogwarts and the Board of Governors. And I have yet to see a story that made us look bad."
"So, basically we've won!" Peter Chambers laughed.
Lily grinned and nodded. "If we can prove that we've done our best tomorrow and for the next two weeks, then yes. We'll win. So let's give Hogwarts another victory, shall we?"
When Lily woke up the first morning of June, she felt a rush of determination and adrenaline go through her. She didn't know if the adrenaline was due to fear or excitement, but she didn't care to find out. Instead she simply showered, dried her hair, put it up, and dressed.
The first day of testing was for Charms. Theory in the morning, practical in the afternoon. As a teen, she wasn't really looking forward to two weeks of tests. But as a student ready to prove to Brunt that she was going to get her ass figuratively kicked by a bunch of fifth years, she was so ready for them.
"So, since you already took your Potion O.W.L. does that mean you have a free day?" Scorpius asked curiously at breakfast.
"Monday next week," Lily told him. "It'll be a nice break, I think."
"Sucks that I've still got a Transfiguration exam that day. Otherwise–,"
"Woah!" Hugo said as he dropped into a seat in front of Lily. "I don't want to hear about how you want to violate my cousin," he joked.
Lily rolled her eyes and threw a piece of bacon at him, which Hugo caught easily with his mouth. "Shove off."
"Only if you throw me another piece of bacon," he mocked. "Gotta get brain food before testing."
"Bacon is brain food?" Lana questioned.
"Any food is brain food for a Weasley," Hugo countered.
An hour later, Lily found herself sitting in a hot room with all other fifth years, staring at an excruciatingly long Charms test. She had answered what felt like a hundred questions about Cheering Charms, that it was starting to irritating her. It wasn't cheering at all. And it wasn't overly difficult either, although it was hard to remember some of the little details. Using her quill, Lily had to try and remember and reenact the wand movements of a Cheering Charm.
Once it was done, Lily waited for Hugo to come out of the room. He walked out with Jace, both looking slightly horrified.
Lily raised a brow. "You ok?"
Hugo ran a hand through his hair. "I never hated Charms . . . until now."
"I think I died in there," Jace muttered. "But, I don't think I failed in there. Just died."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Hugo agreed with a sigh.
Lily clapped her cousin on his shoulder as they were joined by Lola. "As long as you didn't fail," Lily teased.
"How'd it go?" Lola asked curiously as they began to walk to lunch.
"I'm sure I passed easily," Hugo told her. "I just felt like part of me died during that long ass test."
"Dude, all of me died," Jace stated.
"It was a long test," Lily agreed.
"You could live and die during that test," Jace retorted.
"I actually thought I did really well," Lola commented. "Like, I understood more than I usually do."
"Then you can say you had a good morning," Jace replied.
They had just started eating lunch when Scorpius, Mitch, Lars, and Rex walked into the Great Hall, and dropped into nearby seats.
"Fuck Potions," Mitch groaned, dropping his head onto the table, and banged it on the wood a few times. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
"Did anyone else see that written test pick me up and rape me in the middle of that room?" Rex asked curiously.
"I didn't think it was that bad," Scorpius replied as he took the seat to Lily's left.
"Because your girlfriend has already taken it, and helped you!" Mitch argued.
Scorpius just shrugged and smirked. "Your point?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "I didn't think it was that bad when I was fourteen," she teased.
"Bite it, Lil," Rex retorted.
Lars laughed. "So glad I didn't have to take that test. And I don't have one tomorrow."
"Ah, the beauty of N.E.W.T. exams. One test a day. If you don't take that class, you don't take a test," Rex sighed with a grin.
"Not many people will be taking a test tomorrow then," Scorpius joked. "History of Magic is tomorrow."
"That concept makes N.E.W.T. exams sound so awesome," Jace sighed.
"We've got Transfiguration tomorrow," Hugo muttered. "Should be awesome."
"It's not like you suck at the subject," Lola replied.
"I know. But I just hate taking tests. They're like Dementors. They just suck your happiness and soul away!" Hugo groaned.
"Well don't get excited about N.E.W.T. tests, because they are much harder. Like I said, they pick you up and rape you in front of everyone," Rex warned.
When it came time for the practical exam, Lily found herself waiting for her name to be called, just like all the others. And since it was alphabetical order, she had a while to wait. But Hugo had longer.
"This sucks!" he groaned. "I think they do this to psyche you out."
"There's a good chance of that being true," Lily replied with a sigh. They were both sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall. Hugo had pulled his beanie on, apparently in an attempt to keep from pulling at his hair from irritation.
"It's only been one day out of like fourteen," he mumbled, resting his chin on his knee.
"Well we have the weekend free," Lily retorted. "At least there's a break."
"Because Merlin was kind," Hugo joked. Then he sighed. "You know, this summer . . . I think I'm going to cut back on my hours at The Leaky Cauldron. Just relax a little!"
"That's probably a good idea," Lily agreed. "Honestly, I'm thinking about quitting altogether."
Hugo raised a brow. "Really? Why?"
Lily shrugged. "I don't need the money. I've got enough for anything I could want. Plus . . . I'd really like the free time."
"Before Scor starts training and we come back here," Hugo guessed easily.
Lily nodded with a sigh of her own. "Yeah. It's just . . . I know that, even though he's going to try, he probably won't be able to come on most Hogsmeade visits. He'll be busy during parts of the Christmas break, and most likely Easter. Not to mention the summer after that."
Hugo squeezed her shoulder. "I get what you mean. Our dads always said that the training was tough."
"I'm just a little afraid that we won't have a lot of time together until after he finishes," Lily mumbled.
"At least the training isn't as long," Hugo replied. "I mean, your dad did shorten it to two years. Which is a bright side for you guys."
"Yeah but to make it only two years, he lengthened the hours of training, plus the amount of days each year," Lily replied. "Hence the reason I fear that he won't be around at Hogsmeade, or be around much during breaks."
"Would you rather him be training when we graduate, or would you rather he be finished, and you two can catch up when we finish school?" Hugo pointed out.
"I guess you've got a point," Lily mumbled.
"I always do. They may not be right, or good, but I've got 'em," he joked.
If the two weeks dedicated to O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. testing was any indication of how much time she'd be spending with Scorpius once he started training, Lily hated it even more. Lily only really got to talk to Scorpius during meals. Otherwise they were taking tests, or he was reviewing, or the girls were making her review and revise. And of course they were unable to sneak out after bed checks. They were both mentally exhausted after a full day of testing. On days when Scorpius was free of testing, he would sit and try to help Lily revise and review, but it wasn't the same as simply spending time together, which was what Lily was already missing after just a few days.
When Monday came around on the second week of testing, Lily was glad to be free of any kind of test. She found herself taking a walk around the castle. She felt that if she tried to study or review, her head would explode.
"Shouldn't you be testing?"
Lily stopped walking, and turned around to see Professor Longbottom approaching her. Lily felt relieved. With how low her mood had been with thoughts of Scorpius graduating, Lily feared her luck would bring about Brunt or Heyes.
"It's the Potions test today. I've already taken it, sir," Lily reminded him.
"Ah. That's right. Well, then how are you enjoying your freedom for the day?" Longbottom asked with a smile as he began to walk with her.
Lily shrugged. "It's been ok, I guess. A little boring, since most of my best friends have tests today."
"What about the sixth years?" Longbottom asked curiously.
"Planning an end of the year party," Lily admitted with a grin.
Longbottom chuckled. "Ah, I see. That makes sense, actually."
"I decided to just take a walk around. I can't handle studying anymore," Lily joked lightly.
"I'm proud of your year, though," Longbottom admitted. "It's been a long time since there has been a year of fifth years where no one has had a panic or anxiety attack."
Lily laughed. "Well, we've had each other to lean on this year. We've kept each other from going crazy." She paused, but then continued. "So, did anyone in your year have a panic attack before O.W.L.s?"
Longbottom laughed. "My wife, actually."
Lily raised a brow. "Aunt Hannah, really? She seems so . . . calm."
"She usually is, but she never was when it came to tests," Professor Longbottom joked.
"Professor Longbottom, may I have a word with you?" Professor Creevey questioned as he jogged up to the two of them.
Lily smiled at Longbottom. "I'll see you later, sir."
"Take care, Lily."
"Are you sure you don't want to be studying? Tomorrow is that last day of exams," Scorpius pointed out as Lily brushed her lips across his jaw, her fingers kneading the muscles of his shoulders.
"I don't mind," Lily replied softly. "Unless you were wanting to study?"
Scorpius groaned as he meshed his lips against hers. "No," he mumbled. His fingers ran across Lily's legs, which were straddling his lap. He broke their kiss and fell back onto his bed. He sighed. "You seem to be in a very good mood," he commented.
Lily leaned down and kissed him again. "Why shouldn't I be?" she asked when she broke the kiss. "Tomorrow is the last test, and then we have days of nothing but relaxing, which I plan to take advantage of."
"Does that mean you'll take advantage of me?" he joked as his lips skimmed around her cheek and earlobe.
Lily smiled. "I might. After all you graduate and leave in four days, leaving me alone for two days."
Scorpius crashed his lips into hers, and then rolled her onto her back, his body hovering over hers. "You make an excellent point. Might as well take advantage of the free time we've got," he murmured.
Lily gasped as his fingers slid under the fabric of her shirt, burning against her skin. "I'm glad we're on the same page," she whispered.
"So– Woah! My bad!"
Lily closed her eyes in frustration at the sound of the voice. She could hear a growl of irritation above her. "Get the fuck out, Mitch!" Scorpius hissed.
"Dude, lock the door or close the curtains if you don't want people walking in!" she could hear Rex joke and laugh.
"Mitchell Avery, if I have to get off this bed!" Lily warned.
"Ok, we're gone," Mitch said quickly. "We'll just lock this door for ya."
"Have fun you two," Rex joked again.
Lily didn't open her eyes until the door shut. And when she did she saw Scorpius shaking his head in disbelief. "They're your friends," Lily reminded him.
Scorpius chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I always like them."
Lily laughed. "Well I hope you always like me."
He smirked. "I always love you," he murmured.
Lily brought her lips back to his.
"And we're done!" Hugo cheered loudly as they walked out of the History of Magic exams. "Our final O.W.L. exam is done and over with! Never to be forced into again!"
"It was only a test," Lola laughed. "And besides, you're good with history."
"It's still a test," Hugo retorted.
"The point is that it is our last," Lily agreed.
"Praise the lord!" Jace exclaimed with a laugh.
"Thank you, Merlin!" Hugo laughed with him.
Lily and Lola both rolled their eyes. "You know," Lily said to her, "I didn't choose to be related to him. You choose to date him."
Lola sighed. "At least he's cute."
It was later that afternoon, just before dinner, that Lily found herself with the other Slytherin fifth years, along with Hugo and Manny, laying around by the lake.
"Out of all our years at Hogwarts, this one has been the most interesting," Hugo commented.
"Along with the most hellish at times," Megan muttered.
"Well, how could the next two years be any worse then?" Xavier said with a laugh.
"He's got a point," Hunter agreed as he skipped a rock along the water.
"Next year is going to be different. I mean, this year dragged on forever," Monty said with a sigh.
"You guys make it sound dreadful," Lola retorted. "There were some good things. Like Hugo joining us."
"Because every group needs a sexy beast," Hugo joked.
"But that's why they got me," Xavier countered with his own laugh. He lifted the bottom of his shirt, showing off his stomach. "Look at that! Sexy."
"Lola, Manny, I feel bad for both of you," Megan told them.
"You get used to it," Manny said with a sigh.
"Dude, I've got the beanie," Hugo retorted. "No stomach or abs are sexier than that!"
"We get it," Lily interrupted. "You're both sexy. We got it."
"Besides, we all know that Lily has the sexiest boyfriend here," Shannon teased.
"Scor doesn't count in this," Xavier argued.
"Yeah, he's . . . ," Hugo trailed off.
"Hotter?" Megan supplied.
"Smarter?" Shannon added.
"Mature?"
"Charming?"
"Sweeter?"
"We get it!" the guys complained.
"Scorpius good, us bad," Hugo muttered.
"Scor needs to teach a class," Christian said as he chucked a rock of his own at the lake.
"Yeah. How to Knock the Panties Off a Girl 101," Monty joked.
"Well when you say things like that, it's hard to imagine that you've never had a girlfriend," Megan said with a roll of her eyes.
"Well with how sweet and pretty you are, it's a surprise that you're still a virgin," Monty quipped easily.
"That's the pot calling the cauldron black," Megan argued.
"Oooh, let's watch the Battle of the Virgins," Hugo joked.
Lola looked at him with a raised brow. "You're one too."
He shrugged. "So. It's still entertaining."
"I think everyone in this group is a virgin. Except Lil," Christian replied.
"Even Xavier?" Izzy inquired.
Xavier nodded. "Yup. We're waitin'," he said as he ran a hand through Manny's hair.
"How long have you two been dating?" Hunter asked. They had all taken to ignoring Megan and Monty's battle of words.
"A year and about eight months," Manny answered.
"Damn that sounds like forever," Hugo replied.
"Sounds longer when you put it that way," Xavier laughed.
"But you know, after the year we've had," Jace commented, "I think the next two years are gunna be pretty smooth sailing."