Lily sighed as she put her hair up for the day. It was way too bright, and the other girls were way too happy for a morning. Not that Lily had gotten the greatest wake up. After practically a year of waking up next to Scorpius at Hogwarts, it felt weird to wake up alone.
"I'll see you girls at breakfast," Lily told them, really just wanting to get out and get her mind away from Scorpius. She grabbed her bag, placed her mirror in one of the small pockets, and then left the room. She was surprised to see Jace standing by the stairs, like he was waiting.
He noticed her easily, and grinned. "Good morning, Lil. How was your night?"
Lily shrugged as she stepped into the common room. "Ok. But my wake up has been hellish."
Jace chuckled as he walked with her. "Well let's get some food to make you better."
Lily rolled her eyes, but she still smiled. "Sadly I'm not like Hugo. Food doesn't always cheer me up."
"Well we have to try," Jace joked. He threw his arm around her, pulling her to him. Lily sighed as she leaned her head against him. She felt nothing awkward or more than friendly behind his actions. It felt almost like if Hugo were to do, only she was sure Jace wouldn't mess up her ponytail on purpose.
"So what classes are you taking this year, Jace?" Lily asked curiously as they walked to the Great Hall.
"Uh, it was Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures. So, sorry I won't be able to see you teach Potions," Jace said with a smile.
Lily laughed. "It's ok. What did you get in Potions?"
"Um . . . like an A or a P, I can't remember," he chuckled. "But I wasn't surprised. I always sucked in that class if you weren't helping me and practically walking me through it."
When they reached the Great Hall, they took seats near the middle, and immediately began to fill their plates.
"So, have you found out what was up with Xavier yet?" Lily asked.
Jace shook his head. "No. He went straight up stairs when we got to the common room. And when we all went to our dorm, his curtains were pulled closed. It was like that this morning when I got up too."
"I hope he's ok," Lily sighed. "He didn't look sick or anything . . . just . . ."
"Empty?" Jace supplied.
She nodded. "Yeah. Empty."
"Hey, you guys," Hugo grinned as he sat down. "How are you two this morning?"
"Ok," Jace replied.
Lily only shrugged.
"Aw, cheer up, Lil. Here, I'll take your mind off it," Hugo assured. "Where's Professor Brown at?"
"I was wondering that too," Jace agreed.
She shrugged again. "I don't know! I worried about that all through the feast yesterday night. I mean, he was supposed to be coming back!"
"Maybe he's just tied up in something right now. I'm sure he'll be here soon," Jace replied.
"As long as Heyes doesn't go and show up, I'm not overly worried," Hugo mentioned. "When has Professor Brown ever let us down before?"
"Good morning, Hugo," Lola said with a cheerful smile. Then she caught sight of Jace. "Idiot," she mumbled briefly.
Lily rolled her eyes, but Hugo grinned. "Hey there, La. How's it going?"
"Not too bad. I was able to avoid both Bobby and Marsha this morning, which means it's great," Lola replied.
"I always thought it'd be cool to have siblings," Jace thought aloud.
"I don't care what you think," Lola countered with a snap.
Hugo didn't pay attention to her attitude. "Well, I personally hate having an older sister, although Louis likes it enough. But he got the cool sisters. And big brothers seem like a pain in the ass," he mentioned.
Lily raised a brow. "What's the point, Hugh?"
Hugo scowled in thought. "Well . . . that having older siblings suck ass, and I wish I could try being the oldest."
The other three laughed at his words. Lily shook her head. "I like being the youngest. And before everything went to hell, I liked having older brothers. Well, maybe not Albus," she muttered the last part.
"It's always too quiet at my house," Jace commented. "I think I practically lived with Monty this summer, just so that there was a little fun and noise."
"What are we talking about?" Hunter asked as he and Monty came to sit next to them.
"About Jace almost living with Monty," Hugo replied.
"Yeah, it was awesome," Monty mentioned. Then he sniggered a little. "Jay, did you tell them about Eve?"
Jace practically turned pink, Monty laughed, and the others remained confused. Lily raised a brow. "What about Eve?" Eve was Monty's little sister. She was a fourth year now, if Lily was correct.
Monty could barely contain himself to talk. "Tell 'em, Jay."
Jace let out a sigh, his cheeks still pink. "Well, Eve's kinda got a crush on me."
"Ami Waters isn't as man hungry!" Monty joked, finally bursting into laughter, with Hunter and Hugo joining him.
Lily looked at Jace with sympathy. "Well, that's kind of sweet. And it's not strange. I mean, Lola's brother Bobby has a crush on me, but he'll grow out of it, and so will Eve. They're just little kid crushes," she assured him.
Jace rolled his eyes. "After this summer, I'd rather it be Bobby that had a crush on me."
When they received their schedule's from Professor Slughorn, they found themselves going over shared classes. Lily laughed at a note on the bottom of hers, demanding that she'd better come during her free time to help teach other classes.
"Looks like I'll be hanging out while you guys go off to Herbology," Hugo sighed with a grin. "Lucky me."
"How could you not take Herbology?" Lola teased.
"How could you not take History of Magic?" Hugo mocked back.
"Because I suck at history."
"Well I suck with plants," Hugo said, making them both laugh.
Lily rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Oh, you two," she sighed.
"Don't worry, we'll hang out with ya, Hugh. Me and Monty aren't taking Herbology either," Hunter told him.
He and Hugo high-fived. "Awesome!"
Lily soon found herself walking with Jace and Lola out to the greenhouses. They were some of the first ones there, only six others in the room. Lily was happy to see that one of them was Randy Davies.
Randy smiled when he saw Lily. "Lily! How was your summer?" he greeted.
Lily smiled back. "It was ok. Yours?"
He shrugged. "Eh, a little boring. But it was cool to hear that Professor Brown was coming back. Have you seen him yet?"
"Yeah, where is Professor Brown?" Clay Angel inquired.
Lily sighed. "I don't know. I thought he'd have been here yesterday."
"I hope he turns up," Manny Fleet commented.
When it came time for their second lesson, Lily made her way down to the Potions classroom. She had a free period, and had no problem helping to teach another class, whichever it was. Slughorn's smile was bright and happy when he saw her enter the room.
"Lily! I'm glad to see that you're going to help me teach some of my classes again this year!" Slughorn said cheerfully.
Lily smiled. "It's my pleasure, Horace. And it's nice to get a refresher and remember lessons from previous years."
"Wonderful! What days do you have this time free?" Slughorn asked as he flipped through a textbook.
Lily set down her bag. "Every day. What class has this period?"
"Fifth years of Slytherin and Ravenclaw," Slughorn answered as he finally found the page he wanted. "So, you'll be helping these kids on their O.W.L. year."
Lily chuckled lightly. "Oh, joy."
Soon kids began to file in, and some were faces that Lily recognized easily from her House.
"Lily!" Liz greeted happily. "What are you doing here?"
"I'll let Slughorn tell you. He gets a kick out of explaining it," Lily joked.
"Hey, Lil," Lance greeted with a bit of a smile as he and Courtney came to sit at a table with Liz. "I heard you got Quidditch Captain."
Lily nodded. "That's right. You ready? Because I'm making everyone try out again."
Lance looked obviously excited. "Absolutely. How many positions did the other guys leave open to begin with?"
Lily sighed. "Well, it was just Lars and Scorpius, so a Chaser and Beater position." She looked at Courtney. "Are you going to try out again, Courtney?"
Courtney shrugged. She looked a lot like her brother Rex. Her hair was a pretty blonde color, and fell just past her shoulders. Her eyes were dark, and her smile was friendly and bright. "I might."
"You've got to!" Lance told her. "You almost made it last year! You were great."
Courtney rolled her eyes. "Ok, ok. I'll try, but you'll have to excuse my lack of enthusiasm."
"I don't get your enjoyment in Quidditch, Lance. I mean, it's fun to watch, but it is just a game," Liz pointed out to Lance.
Lily bit her lip to keep from laughing. Liz's words bringing a memory from long ago to her mind. "You really are like your sister, Liz," Lily commented as she sighed.
Liz grinned and shrugged. "I guess that just means my sister is awesome."
Lily laughed and shook her head. "I'll be setting tryouts up in a few weeks. I expect you there, Lance."
"You got it, Captain," Lance agreed.
Soon the room filled, and Lily found herself standing in the front, pulling off her robes, and rolling her sleeves up. Slughorn started his speech.
"Welcome back, fifth years. As you all know, this is one of the most important years you will have at Hogwarts. You will be prepared all year for some of your most difficult tests. O.W.L. tests. This class will be harder than in previous years, because I require an E to take this N.E.W.T. course, and I hope to see you all there," Slughorn began. "Now, luckily, you all will have the benefit of having our own Lily Potter help to teach you all what you need to know."
Lily stepped forward at Slughorn's urging. "Well, you know who I am, and I know some of you. So introductions aren't needed. Let me tell you this: O.W.L.s are difficult. They aren't easy, and it wasn't easy for me. It takes dedication and hard work. You need to be careful of details, and you need to be aware of each direction for a single potion. But that's what me and Professor Slughorn are here to teach you."
Slughorn gave her a proud smile. "Now, are there any questions before we begin?" A girl from Ravenclaw held up her hand. Slughorn pointed at her. "Yes?"
"Well, I was wondering, did you really take your O.W.L. in your third year?" the girl asked Lily.
Lily nodded. "At the end of my third year, yes. Although, Professor Slughorn didn't tell me that was what I was taking." An amazed and excited murmur ran through the room. Then another hand shot up, and this was some Lily recognized. "What is it Jay?"
Jay Flair looked just as excited as everyone else. "Are you going to continue the J.B. Study Group this year?"
Lily looked at him in surprise as the fifth years all became quiet and interested. "Oh. Well . . . the thought hadn't occurred to me, actually."
A Ravenclaw boy's hand shot into the air. "But would you? Like, maybe to help others with studying? Like those getting ready to take their O.W.L.s?"
Lily blinked a few times to catch the fast question. "Um, what's your name?"
"Stuart Yales," the boy answered.
Immediately, Lily could see the physical similarities between this boy and Kyle. "Well . . . it's not a terrible idea. But it's something I'd have to talk with the other few that helped run the meetings so smoothly."
Liz raised her hand lazily. "I think you should. It'd be a great way to increase House unity. Plus some could really use the help."
"Ok, class," Slughorn intervened, possibly sensing Lily's uncertainty on how to answer. "Let's keep any more questions for later, and move on to the lecture. So let's open our textbooks, shall we?"
It took until lunch for Lily grab Hugo and track down Randy and Jaclyn Munslow. She brought the three of them to the kitchens, where the house elves brought them all a nice and simple lunch.
"What's this about, Lily?" Jaclyn asked curiously.
"It's about J.B.," Lily told them. "I had to help teach some of the fifth years in their Potions class today, and some of them . . . actually I think all of them, were really interested in us picking J.B. back up again this year."
Randy scowled in thought. "But what for? I mean, we've already done our O.W.L.s. Do they want us to help them with theirs?"
"I think they just wanted the help with studying and their work. I don't think they were interested in exactly what we did . . . mainly because they don't know exactly how we did things," Lily sighed.
"You mean . . . like a big tutoring group?" Hugo asked. "Like, us older kids could help younger students with subjects they struggle in?"
"That doesn't sound too bad," Jaclyn agreed hesitantly.
"Maybe we could even help more than fifth years," Randy suggested.
Lily was surprised at how quickly they were planning this out. "Well . . . we could have a meeting for all that want to attend. Kind of explain how things will work."
"Kids can sign up for tutoring sessions on subjects that they need help with. One of us could help a group of . . . say second years with Charms, while someone else could help a group of fifth years with Charms. I mean, there are enough of us," Hugo replied.
"That's if the other sixth years agree," Lily pointed out. "I mean, we can't force them. And we can't ask the seventh years for help. They've got their N.E.W.T.s to worry about."
"Well, how about we gather all the others in the Room of Requirement again, and see what they think?" Randy replied.
"I think we can get enough people to agree," Jaclyn said. "We've done what we can for ourselves. I think it's time we helped others."
"You gotta good heart, Jackie," Hugo complimented. "And you're right. What kind of role models would we be if we didn't help them?"
Lily looked at the other three. "So, we're really going to do this again? I mean, this year will be hard too. Are we all willing to risk the time?"
Randy nodded. "I say we do it after dinner like always. Every day. I mean, us sixth years have free periods to use for studying already, and we don't have the class load that they do."
Lily sighed as she twirled her bangs around her finger. "Then let's do it. The J.B. Study Group rises again."
The four of them had each placed a notice on the bulletin boards in their own common rooms before dinner. Now an excited and curious buzz seemed to be running through the sixth years when dinner came.
"What's this whole meeting about, Lil?" Christian asked.
"You'll see in a couple of days, Christian," Lily teased. "I'd hate to ruin the surprise"
It wasn't long after that was said when the doors to the Great Hall opened with a flourish. And a hush went around the room as everyone laid eyes on Jacob Brown, who looked at all of them with a friendly smile.
"Good evening, all! Sorry I'm late," he apologized as he began to walk toward the staff table.
Lily wasn't sure who the first person to stand up and clap was. Her guess would personally be Leighton, but soon everyone was standing, applauding, and cheering wildly. Lily felt a weight drop off her shoulders as Jacob moved to stand in front of the staff table. Everything was becoming normal again.
Professor Brown motioned for them all to sit and be silent, and it happened immediately. It was no surprise. After all the Heyes had put them through, everyone was happy to have Professor Brown back.
"Thank you, for that warm welcome," he said. "Now, I know you're in the middle of dinner, but since I wasn't able to give my little speech yesterday, I want to give it today." Professor Brown took in a breath, and his smile was one of pride. "First of all, I'm glad to be back. There is no place I love more than Hogwarts. And I want to thank a few select groups and students for their efforts to bring me back.
"First, I would like to thank all of this year's sixth year students. Your dedication to your studies and unity between Houses led to some of the greatest O.W.L. test results this school has ever seen. And for that, I award each House, fifty points," Professor Brown announced.
A loud and wild round of cheers went around the Great Hall at the news, and there was applause from the staff as well.
Professor Brown waited for them to quiet before continuing. "Next, I would like to thank four students. Lily Potter, Jaclyn Munslow, Randy Davies, and Hugo Weasley. All for their dedication to not only themselves, but to others. For their leadership, and care for Hogwarts and all its students. For this I award each of them, fifty points."
Another bout of cheers came. Jace patted Lily on the back, and she could hear a loud whistle from Hagrid.
When Professor Brown spoke again, there was pride in his soft eyes. "And finally, there is one last thing. And for this, I would like Lily Potter and Hugo Weasley to stand."
Lily stood up from her seat, and saw Hugo do the same thing, sending a laughing grin over to her.
"I would like to thank these two for all of their work. Only a Potter and a Weasley could cause so much trouble and havoc in the name of Justice," Professor Brown laughed, as did other. "And it's for the trouble they caused, the sneaky plans they made, their lack of concern for rules and regulations, and their love for Hogwarts, compassion for others, and their loyalty to the school, the students, and even myself that I award these two students one hundred points."
This time everyone, students and staff, stood up and cheered and applauded. Lily smiled at Hugo, and then they both looked over at Professor Brown. He stood there, clapping just as enthusiastically as all the others.
It seemed like forever before the air calmed, and Lily and Hugo were finally able to sit without be congratulated by someone. Professor Brown looked at them all fondly. "I hope those in younger years are prepared to live up to not just those two, but to all the excellent students in their year. You have fabulous role models to look up to. And ending on that happy note . . . let's eat!"
Later that night, not long before curfew, Lily and Hugo stood outside the headmaster's office door. Lily reached up and knocked before opening the door. Hugo shut the door behind them, and they found Professor Brown placing things around the room. Hades was sitting on his normal perch.
"Good evening, Lily, Hugo," Professor Brown greeted.
"Welcome back, Professor," Hugo greeted.
"Hello, Jacob," Lily said.
Professor Brown chuckled. "How I missed having you call me that. Feel free to do the same, Hugo. I'm not one for formalities."
Hugo nodded. "All right, Jacob it is."
"What can I do for you two?" Jacob inquired.
"We just thought we'd come and welcome you back personally," Lily replied. "We were worried when you didn't show up yesterday."
"I apologize for that. I was working with my brother in America, and by the time we finished, it was very early this morning. Needless to say, I'm exhausted," Jacob said with a chuckle.
"Oh, well we can let you get some rest," Hugo offered quickly.
"Oh, no, no. I enjoy company. Besides, I want to get all my things back where they belong before I go to sleep," Jacob mentioned. "Please, sit."
Lily and Hugo both sat in two comfortable armchairs. Lily spoke first. "So, we've decided to bring back the J.B. Study Group this year. Only, it'll be more like tutoring sessions for younger students."
Jacob turned briefly to smile at the two of them. "I'm glad to hear that. Who will be doing the tutoring?"
"Us sixth years," Hugo answered. "We're thinking that every night after dinner, kids that need help can come to the Room of Requirement, and us older kids will help them with whatever subject they need help with."
"It sounds productive," Jacob agreed. "And, on a more casual note, how are you two?"
Lily shrugged. "I'm ok, I guess."
"As good as I can be at school," Hugo joked.
"And your friends?" Jacob inquired.
"As good as anyone can be while boarding the lines of maturity and self-awareness," Lily sighed.
Jacob chuckled. "Spoken like a girl who knows who she is."
Lily grinned. "I've come to realize who I am, Jake. After five years of a hard road, you learn little things like that."
Now he laughed. But then he turned to look at Hugo. "What about you, Hugo? Do you know who you are yet?"
Hugo ran a hand through his red and black hair. "I don't know. . . . Well then again, if I don't know, then I probably don't, huh?"
"Don't fret, Hugo," Jacob told him. "It's never easy to figure oneself out. It takes either time, hardships, or a life changing event. Or occasionally, of course, all three."
Lily sighed heavily as she looked over the Quidditch tryout sign-up sheet. They'd all been back at Hogwarts for a few weeks now, and Lily could feel the workload piling on her. But thanks to help and careful organizing, Lily was able to get everything done. She kept ahead on Slughorn's lesson plans for the classes she taught, which were fifth years most days, fourth years some days, sixth years every other day, and even seventh years on the other days.
After the J.B. meeting with the other sixth years went so well, Lily left the other three to plan out who would teach each subject, giving opinions and answered when they asked questions. Then she kept up on her own lessons, which were a bit taxing, held a conversation with Scorpius each night, and never missed a prefect patrol. And now, with her having to hold Quidditch trails later this afternoon, she was putting her time into being Quidditch Captain.
"You're going to kill yourself with all of this," Lola commented as she walked with Lily to the Quidditch pitch.
"I've got it taken care of," Lily assured. "The others are taking care of J.B. right now. I haven't had to do too many patrols over the past few weeks, and Slughorn has been making sure not to overload me. Plus, I have actually done all of my homework a day before it was due, instead of an hour."
"Just make sure you take it easy," Lola replied.
"Only if you promise to take it easy on Jace," Lily countered. It was something Lily had noticed. At every moment they were together, Lola refused to even look at Jace. And whenever he said something to her, and it was always something nice or polite, Lola snapped at him. Usually Lola wasn't like this unless he provoked her, and it confused Lily.
Lola just shrugged, not looking Lily square in the eye. "It's not my fault that he's an idiot."
"He always has been to you, but you've never been this much of a bitch to him," Lily replied honestly.
"Well he just bugs me more than usual lately," Lola snapped.
Lily scoffed. "I'm not surprised. I mean, I hate it when my friends are polite and nice to me too."
"Maybe he's just faking the whole nice crap," Lola muttered.
"Or maybe he's tired of fighting. Like the rest of us are tired of hearing you fight," Lily countered. "I mean, you aren't even trying to be civil anymore, ever since we saw him at the station. I don't get it, Lola."
Lola sighed and then groaned. "It's just so irritating!" she cried.
"What is irritating?" Lily demanded.
"That he's cute!" Lola snapped.
Lily looked at Lola in surprise. "What?"
Lola played with the ends of her hair. "He's cute now. He's grown into his ears, his hair is actually kept nice, and he suddenly has a really low voice and cute smile."
Lily looked at her with mild disbelief. "Are you telling me that you hate Jace now because you find him cute?"
"Yes! I mean, I've been fighting with him ever since I've known him. I've always found him repulsive and stupid! Why does he suddenly have to change? Why does he need to be nice? Why does he have to be cute? Things were fine the way they were!" Lola argued.
Lily shook her head and smiled at her best friend's problem. "Lola, things have to change. It's the way of life. You'll get used to it."
Lola groaned again. "You know what's worse?"
Lily looked at her. "What?"
Lola stopped as they came to the entrance to the pitch, almost as if she didn't want to be heard. "Every time Megan flirts with him, or talks about how she's seriously thinking about really sleeping with him, I wanna tackle her to the floor and rip her throat out."
Lily stared at Lola for a moment. And then before she could stop it, Lily began to laugh the hardest she ever had in a long time.
Lola looked at her indignantly as they began to enter the pitch. "It's not funny, Lily Luna Potter!"
Lily bit her lip to keep from laughing any more. "I'm sorry. It just caught me off guard." Lily wiped a tear from her eye. "And, if it bugs you so much, why not just tell Megan?"
"Because she's kind of called dibs. I mean, I told her already that I didn't care. How can I take that back?" Lola replied.
"Lola, last year you flirted mercilessly with Hugo, while he was dating Wilde. And now you're saying you can't simply tell Megan that you've got an actual crush on Jace, and you don't want her to try for a simple one-night stand? I'm sure Megan would understand anyways," Lily replied.
Lola sighed. "Ok, first of all, I didn't like Wilde. Two, I actually thought that Hugo had a nice personality."
"You don't think Jace does?" Lily retorted as they stopped by a bench. Lily set her bag down, and then sat down as well. That was a good thing about being a captain. She didn't have to try out again, so there was no need for her to get into uniform.
"Well, Hugo was really sweet."
"So is Jace."
"And Hugo was funny."
"So is Jace."
"And Hugo had a cute face."
"So does Jace."
"Ok, this isn't fun!" Lola snapped as she sat next to Lily.
Lily chuckled as she shook her head again. "I'm just pointing out that Jace and Hugo are kind of alike in ways of personality, at least with the basics. And before you started dating Hugo, all you knew about him were the basics."
"I'm confused," Lola admitted dryly. "Are you urging me to date Jace?"
Lily shrugged. "That's up to you. I'm just trying to point out that you're being a bit unfair to Jace. He's just trying to get past things, and at least being nice and polite. The least you can do is the same."
Lola stayed silent as all the kids that were trying out came from the locker rooms, and began to line up on the grass. And Lily couldn't help but notice that there was a lot more than there had been in the past years.
"This is gunna be a long day," Lily mumbled under her breath.
It wasn't hard for Lily to disregard those that were obviously new to the game of Quidditch. But she did find herself looking at quite a few kids that were pretty good.
"Is this almost done?"
Lily turned to see Liz West approaching her. "The tryouts are, yeah. Why?"
"Because Courtney dragged me down here, and as much as I love to watch some of these kids fail, I've got an essay to write," Liz sighed. "But, I told her I'd wait for her, so I'm curious if it's done."
"Well, I've just got to let this last kid try for Keeper, and then they'll change, while I decide who is going where," Lily told her. "It's not easy. There are a lot more kids this year."
"Well a lot of girls are eager to try out this year," Liz replied.
Lily looked at her curiously. "Why?" she asked, bringing her eyes back to the kid trying for Keeper.
"Because you're captain. And they know they'll have a fairer shot with you being captain. After all, you are the only girl we've had on the team forever," Liz pointed out.
"Not completely true. Scorpius considered Courtney last year," Lily retorted.
"Yeah, but it's a bit more comforting and assured with an actual girl as captain," Liz replied. Then she sat on the bench next to Lola. "I don't know how you put up with all those guys in a locker room for this many years."
Lily chuckled as she wrote something next to Cade Waters's name on her sheet. "It can be a blessing or a curse." Then she sighed. "Ok! Everyone trying out can go and change! Once everyone's back out, I'll go over this year's team."
As everyone began to trail inside the locker room, Lily sat down and looked over the list. She had crossed out multiple names already, eliminating the ones with absolutely no skill in the games.
"So how's it looking?" Lola asked.
"Lance dominated the Chaser tryouts. He's back without a doubt," Lily replied. "And Tanner had the strongest hit among Beaters, and he had good teamwork. Although it's a given, it's still needed in this game."
"What about the other Beater position?" Liz asked curiously.
Lily grinned at her. "I'm giving it to Courtney. She had perfect aim, and she had a pretty good arm. And Bobby made all of his shots, so I'll give him his place back, and work with him to keep from being too predictable with his shots though. Hank was the only one to catch every goal attempt, so I'll let him keep his spot."
"But what about Scorpius's old Chaser position?" Lola inquired.
Lily sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Well, besides Bobby and Lance, the other kids trying out were pretty equal. Some had style and unpredictability, where others could make the shots those kids missed . . . I think I'm going to go with John Warrington."
"Justin's little brother?" Lola said with a bit of surprise.
"Well, I know there were others that made more shots than him, but he had great teamwork skills. And Scorpius always said that was one of the most important things when being a Chaser. If you and your teammates didn't know how to pass, evade, and move together, then you were screwed," Lily answered. "And I think John was great skill with that. And with some work, I know we can improve his style and ability to make it past a Keeper."
It was at least another ten minutes before everyone was finally back out onto the pitch, clean and dressed in their own clothes again.
Lily stood in front of them, the list in her hand. "Ok. You guys did really well. For the moment, I only have the actual team picked out. But soon I'll put up a list of reserve players as well. So, when I call your name, come and grab your playing gear." She pointed at the gear she'd asked Lance to bring out beforehand. "Now, for Keeper, Hank Harper will be playing this position again."
Hank grinned as he moved to take his old Keeper playing equipment by the bench.
Lily gave him a nod. "Now, Beaters. Tanner Zabini will be keeping his position," Lily said.
"Yes!" Tanner cheered, high-fiving Hank once he grabbed his things.
Lily shook her head and smiled. "And taking over for Lars will be Courtney Derrick."
An obvious murmur went around, and Lily could hear that most of it had to do with her choosing a girl. Courtney smiled happily as she came to grab the other set of Beater equipment. Liz smiled at her friend with obvious congratulations.
"And for Chasers. Lance Higgs and Bobby Pritchard will retain their positions. And joining us this year will be John Warrington," Lily listed. The three boys moved to take their gear. "Ok, like I said, I'll have a list of reserve players soon. So, you guys can go, except for the team."
"Way to pick 'em, Lily Lu!" Tanner cheered happily as she turned to look at them.
Lily rolled her eyes but smiled. "Thank you, Tanner. Moving on though, I'm not too worried this year. I mean, undesirables have graduated last year, so we don't have much hostile competition. We can go about this casually and normally."
"But we can still kick ass?" Hank joked.
Lily nodded. "That's a given. But, I'll have practices up in the common room soon. I'm going for a few days a week before dinner. And also, let me know at our first practice if one of your uniforms doesn't fit you, so I can get Madam Hooch to get you a different one. But that's it, you can go and throw your things in your lockers."
"This year is going to be sweet!" Tanner exclaimed, as he, Lance, and Hank began to playfully laugh and shove each other.
"And, Courtney," Lily addressed.
Courtney stopped and looked back at Lily, who walked up to her. "Yeah?"
Lily sighed. "Well, all I could find was Lars's old game and practice uniforms. I'm going to talk to Madam Hooch about getting one that will actually be fit for a girl. But if I don't get them by the time of our first practice, then you'll just wear normal clothes, ok?"
Courtney nodded. "Sure. Thanks."
Lily nodded as she watched the rest of the team wander toward the locker room. Lola came to stand next to her. "I'm sure Bobby will never shut up about Quidditch now," she muttered. "So thanks."
Lily shrugged. "He's pretty good." Then she smiled slightly. "You know. I've got a good feeling about Quidditch this year. Maybe we can do it without injury."
"You son of a bitch, Tanner! That hurt!" they heard Hank yell from the locker room.
Lily groaned lightly. "At least during games, maybe."
"So have you guys got the details figured out?" Lily asked Randy, Jaclyn, and Hugo as they sat in the Room of Requirement. Hugo had told Lily that the three of them were finally done, and wanted to go over everything once more.
"We think so," Randy replied.
"We figured things out pretty well," Jaclyn agreed. "We figured that, every day, we could do one subject. That way, if someone needs help with something like Herbology and Charms, they wouldn't have to worry about which one to go to. This way, they can make both."
"We'll have all the years there at the same time. Each at a different area of the room. And each one will have someone from our year going over what they needed help with," Hugo told her. "For example. Let's say I'm tutoring a group in Charms. And they just went over something like Cheering Charms in class. I'll help with anything they don't understand about it. Then any homework, the tutor will proceed to help with, although not do, their assignment."
Lily nodded. "Sounds good. Who's teaching what?"
"Well we'll need five sixth years a night. One for each year below us. And this will make it easier on us sixth years, just incase they have other obligations," Randy told her.
"How will decide who teaches what night?" Lily inquired.
"We're going based on who taught what subject last year in our group," Randy replied. "That leaves us with four to a subject at most. Those four can have the higher years, while we get someone else to help the first years."
"But what if they do have other obligations?" Lily countered.
"Then we're simply going to ask the others in our year to get someone to fill in for them, and to make sure that person is reliable in that subject," Jaclyn answered.
"We also think that the four of us should kind of . . . preside over each night," Hugo admitted. "At least two of us."
Lily looked at him curiously. "What for?"
Randy sighed as he ran a hand over his hair. "Look, we're not proud of this thought, but it's incase of a fight."
"There will only be five in our year there teaching. And if some kind of rivalry among Houses starts up, we'd like some of us to be there to make sure things stay on topic, and go smoothly," Jaclyn admitted.
"So, you mean kind of like guards?" Lily teased. "I'm not mocking the idea. In fact, it might not be a bad one. I also think that when we hold the meeting to inform the younger kids about all of this group, we should inform them of our stance on House unity and rivalries."
"So, you think we've got it done?" Hugo asked.
Lily nodded. "You guys did good."
"It wasn't hard," Jaclyn said sheepishly. "I mean, we used a lot of our material from last year. We'll use the same schedule for what class what day, and we just kept teachers from last year."
"You still did fantastically," Lily assured. "Now we just need to take a time to inform the younger kids on this. That's going to be a lot of kids."
"What if we just have a sign-up sheet?" Randy asked. "We can put in the common room, and anyone who is interested can come to an . . . informative meeting first. That way we aren't talking to a bunch of kids who won't follow through."
"That sounds good," Hugo agreed. "Also, when it comes to teaching what nights, I think each night we should put up who's supposed to teach the next night in the common room, and give a little note that if they have something going on already, then they need to either find someone else, or let us know."
"That sounds perfect," Jaclyn complimented.
Hugo grinned smugly. "I have my moments," he joked.
Lily sighed as she relaxed into her chair. "Well, I think we've got something here. So, we make up the sign-up sheets quick tonight and put them up. When should we have the meeting?"
"How about the first of October?" Randy suggested. "It gives kids plenty of time to consider it, plus we can all have a little break as well."
"Now that sounds perfect!" Hugo agreed with a laugh. "I'm all up for it."
"Sounds fabulous to me," Jaclyn replied. "I'm exhausted."
"Then let's get to it."
"I don't think I've ever been so exhausted in my life," Lily murmured softly. She was laying on her bed, her chin resting on her crossed arms. She was dressed for bed, and the curtains were closed around her bed. Her wand was providing light for her to see Scorpius in her Two-Way Mirror, which was propped up against her pillows.
Scorpius looked just as tired, but his smirk was still playful as always. "I might take that as a challenge," he mocked.
Lily giggled softly and rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised," she replied.
"Nice outfit, by the way," he teased.
Lily glanced back over herself. Her shorts were small, as was the shirt. But it was too warm in their dorm room tonight. "Why thank you, Mr. Malfoy," she mocked. "I must say, I enjoy your lack of a shirt."
That was very true. Although with how he was now holding his mirror, her view was blocked, but she'd already been lucky to see the bare expanse of his chest earlier in their conversation.
Scorpius chuckled. "You're welcome." Lily laughed with him this time. But then Scorpius sighed. "So, miss me yet?"
Lily smiled. "I missed you after Hugo pulled me onto the train."
"I missed you as soon as you walked away," he retorted with a teasing smirk.
She laughed lightly. "It seems so quiet without you guys here. And I've never noticed how big these beds are without you in one with me."
"Are you calling me a fat ass?" he joked.
"I was going for strong," Lily retorted. Then she sighed. "I should let you go to sleep. You've got training in the morning."
"I don't mind," Scorpius murmured.
"I do. My uncle Ron would jump at the chance to get you to slip up if he knew you were exhausted. Some of his funniest stories include overly tired recruits," Lily replied softly.
Scorpius chuckled. "That doesn't surprise me. He's a pretty ruthless trainer, which is probably a good thing. Even his daughter doesn't get off easy."
"I'm actually a little surprised. But then again, he could be hoping that if he's tough that she'll quit," Lily sighed. "But, I really should let you sleep."
Scorpius smiled gently. "Ok. Love you, baby."
"I love you too." Then Lily blew a small kiss toward the mirror, and Scorpius playfully brought his hand up to "catch" it. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Lily sat up as Scorpius's face disappeared from the mirror. She slid the mirror carefully under her pillows, and then climbed under the covers. With a flick of her wand, it grew dark around her. She left her wand on the far side of the bed, and then rested her head. Her eyes closed easily, and her body relaxed nicely into the bed. But her heart and mind kept reminding her of things she didn't want to think about.
"This bed really is much bigger and colder without Scorpius in it."
And suddenly, the dorm room wasn't as warm as before.