Lily stood in her small room and looked out the window. It was raining outside; she could see the raindrops hit the street with such speed that they jumped two inches up in the air before hitting the ground again. Lily sighed and looked around in her room. The bed was standing next to the door and against the wall. Opposite her bed was her desk. It had books all over it; she hadn’t bothered to put her schoolbooks in the bookshelf that was in her room as well. Then she had her owl and his cage that stood on her only chair. Her wand lay in the windowsill. The floor was something that looked like a war zone. There were clothes and various other items strewn all over it, with a little path from the door to the bed and the desk. Lily liked to call all of this organized mess. She didn’t have the chance to mess particularly much at Hogwarts, so this room was where she could have all the organized chaos she wanted to.

She sighed again and turned to look out at the rain. How she missed her friends at Hogwarts. She missed the castle, the ghosts and the magic. Heck, at times she thought she even missed Potter. But she always convinced herself that is was because she hadn’t heard from her friends yet. Neither Diana nor Arietta had written any letters to her, and they both usually wrote at least a letter a week. But four weeks had passed and she hadn’t heard from either of them.

“Lily, what is the matter with you?� a voice behind her said. She turned around and saw her mother.

This almost made her sigh again. She hated her mother’s what’s wrong? questions. They really got on her nerves.

“Nothing is the matter mum. I’m perfectly fine,� she replied, giving her mother a look as if daring her to suggest otherwise. This, it seemed, was a mistake, as her mother took as a sign that something was indeed wrong.

“Lily will you please just tell me what the problem is?� she persisted, glaring at her youngest daughter.

“There isn’t a problem mum!� Lily said, feeling that her mother wouldn’t believe her anyway.

There was a fierce staring contest between mother and daughter for a moment, neither willing to let the other win.

Finally the oldest one gave up and asked her daughter to help cook the dinner. Then she turned around and left the room.

Thank god Lily thought. She didn’t really feel like dealing with her mother right now. She then turned around again to continue stare at the rain. It hadn’t stopped raining at all; if anything, the rain had intensified.

It is almost as if the weather is in a foul mood today too she thought. Then she collapsed on her bed and just lied there, feeling guilty. Why wasn’t she able to just relax and enjoy the holidays? Sure she missed her friends and all, but it was, after all, the summer holidays. She should be able to just enjoy spending time with her family. She should be able to accept the fact that her parents couldn’t understand her world even though they tried to. She should be helping her mother with the dinner right now.

Shit, why do I always forget these things? She hurried out of her room and went straight to the kitchen. Her mum was preparing the salad, trying to make it look as appealing as possible. She had changed to a skirt and a top, which was quite unusual for her.

The only time she wears that is when we’re… when we’re having guests! Lily thought. She was at a loss as to who was coming over though.

“Mum, who is coming over for dinner?� she asked anxiously, hoping that it wasn’t who she thought it was. She really didn’t want to have to put up with --

“Uncle Phil and Aunt Julia. Jack is coming over too,� she replied with a frown. “Don’t tell me you forgot Lily,� she continued, observing her daughter worriedly.

Shit, Jack is coming! Jack is coming! Why does Petunia get to be with Vernon tonight? It is not fair that she doesn’t have to attend the dinner! Although I’d rather have to listen to Jack than spending the evening with Vernon… Lily shuddered at the thought of having to spend an entire evening with that man voluntarily.

“Yeah I did, sorry ‘bout that mum,� she replied, hoping to get off the hook if she confessed easily.

“Lily are you in love?� her mother asked with her arms crossed and a look that clearly said she thought she had figured out why Lily had been so restless all summer.

Lily’s eyes widened at she heard her mother say that. She hated discussing these kinds of things with her mum. Mysteriously enough, her mother always seemed to think Lily would spill the beans to her first if she liked a boy.

“No mum, I’m not,� she said, abandoning all thoughts of helping her mother out with the dinner. That ship had just sailed. She just wanted to retreat into her room again. She turned around and left the spotless kitchen, hearing her mother mumble as she went.

“Well, you could have been interested in someone…�

Lily took refuge in her room. She really needed to talk to some of her friends soon, otherwise she would be crazy by the time she went back to Hogwarts for her fifth year. After having attended the magic school for four years, she felt as if she had been excluded from a part of herself when she didn’t get any news from her world. Her letter to Diana hadn’t been answered, and Arietta hadn’t answered any of her two letters either. She grabbed a quill and some parchment and wrote a quick letter to Diana, pleading her to write back as soon as possible. She then tied the letter to Phoenix’s leg and watched the barn owl fly off. And then she looked at her watch.

Damn it, they’ll be here in half an hour… Better get changed… she thought, grabbing the first skirt she found and a matching top. She hurried to get in the bathroom and took a quick shower, got changed and put on a little makeup.

Done! Only took me fifteen minutes as well, she thought triumphantly and hurried to help her parents set the table.

An hour later she was bored to death. Jack, her cousin, and one year older than her, was the most annoying person she had had the pleasure of talking to all summer. He had short blonde hair and was quite tall. Lily thought he was very average looking. One thing he was great at though was bragging. He could even give Potter a run for his money. And to think she had attempted to try and have a conversation with Jack! All she had done was ask him if he had had a nice summer so far, and look what came out of it! The boy was infuriating!

“And then my teacher said I was the most intelligent student she had ever taught… But of course, that’s only to be expected… I mean, I get an A in every subject…�

Lily groaned quietly. She had listened to this in thirty minutes!

After another thirty minutes they had finished both the first course and the main course. All they needed to eat was the dessert, then have some tea and coffee, and when that was finished Lily planned on mysteriously disappearing into her room until they had all left. She didn’t think she could take anymore of Jack’s boasting.

“And then my team mates asked me if I could show them how to make that move again, because they hadn’t ever seen that being played in football…�

Merlin, he’s worse than when Potter’s boasting about Quidditch! How is that even possible? Oh right, it’s because I never have to listen to Potter talk about Quidditch… Thank Merlin for that… Perhaps I should just disappear into my room after dessert? I think I might have to… For the sake of my sanity, I have to! I, Lily Evans, will have to save myself from being brain-dead for the rest of my life! This is a mission I must not fail!

After she had swallowed the last bit of ice cream (her father and her were very fond of ice cream), she said she needed to go to the bathroom and hurried to her room where she could finally lie down on her bed.

Five minutes passed where Lily just looked up at the ceiling and enjoyed the peace. Then another five minutes passed. Perhaps the others would notice? Another five minutes.

“Hey, Lily? Can I come in? The adults are talking about some completely boring stuff… Whoa! What’s this?�

Lily was at first very annoyed. How dared he just march into her room like that? What gave him the right? When he let out a sound of surprise, it was all she could do to look where he was pointing. Probably my desk or something… Shit!

She quickly jumped out of her bed and hurried to her desk, where he was indeed pointing.

“Oh, sorry ‘bout the mess in here…� she frantically said and hurried to grab her schoolbooks and shove them in her closet. Why didn’t I remember to put these away?

She cursed herself for her stupidity. Of course he would notice her books. And he would notice that they weren’t muggle schoolbooks. And he didn’t know anything about her being a witch. This was bad, really bad. She looked around her room to see what else there was of magical items. She could get away with the parchment and quill by saying she was fascinated by them or something… Then there was… Phoenix’s cage! His cage, his cage, his cage… was all she could think. Thank Merlin Phoenix was out to deliver a letter; it was bad enough as it was without him being in her room as well.

She hurried over to get his cage but stopped just before she grabbed it. Wait a minute; I can get away with the cage; after all its just a birdcage, and Phoenix isn’t here, she thought relieved. Then she noticed the worst thing that she could possibly have imagined happen. Jack was standing with her wand. He was twirling it between his fingers, as if he couldn’t quite believe that he was standing with a piece wood that resembled a wand.

“What is this?� he asked with an interested expression on his face. Lily panicked. She wasn’t good at coming up with stories, for crying out loud! She had never needed it! She never got into trouble at Hogwarts… But before she had a chance to answer, a voice came from the door.

“There you are… Oh Jack, is that Lily’s wand? We had that made for her tenth birthday; she was really fascinated by wizards and such… So we thought she would like a toy-wand… Her grandfather actually made it with his own hands, and she was so excited about it. I can’t believe she still has it here. Could I have a look at it please?�

Lily couldn’t believe it. Her mother had saved her! She watched incredulously as Jack handed over her wand to her mother. Then her mum spoke again.

“Oh, and your parents asked me to tell you that you are leaving in about five minutes, so if you would get ready they would be very grateful,� she said smiling to Jack. He nodded and left the room. Lily looked up at her mum. She was about to thank her when her mother spoke first.

“You should be more careful next time Lily. It’s best not to let your mind wander when you are having guests over. I know it must be annoying for you to have to put away everything uncommon in your room, but you should nevertheless do just that… Just in case people barge in here and you have to explain yourself,� she said very seriously.

Lily was at a loss for words. For once her mother had said something that wasn’t irritating or inappropriate. She had said something that made perfectly sense to Lily.

“Umm… Thanks mum. I didn’t know that you could make up stories that fast,� she said, wondering how her mum had learned to lie that good.

“Well, I know you don’t get into trouble at all Lily, and I’m very proud of that. But you see, when I was as old as you are now, I got into a lot of trouble at school. I had to be quick to make up excuses. But I’m very happy that you haven’t inherited this side of me!� she assured.

She smiled and handed the wand to Lily. Then she left the room to say goodbye to their guests.

Lily put the wand on her desk and went to bed, not bothering to say goodbye to her family even though she knew it was rude.

So there are really some sides of mum that are okay after all… and with this thought, she drifted off to sleep.

Lily woke up slightly annoyed. Sunlight was streaming through her window and making it impossible to sleep any longer. That didn’t mean that Lily admitted defeat and got out of bed; she simply rolled over, closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep again. She was definitely not a morning person.

After five minutes of this it occurred to Lily precisely why it was now definitely impossible to fall asleep. There was a tapping noise on her window. Finally admitting defeat, she got up and walked to her window. She wondered a bit on the way over why her desk was clean, but then she remembered the events from the night before.

Phew, that sure was a close one… she thought before hurrying to open the window. A large tawny owl flied through it and sat down on her desk. It had a letter that Lily hurried to take from it.
She had recognized it immediately; it was a Hogwarts owl that delivered her school letter. Lily could feel her mood lighten at once. This was what she had been waiting for! Something from the magical world!

After having released the owl from it’s burden, it took off extremely fast. But Lily didn’t really mind. She had her school letter. This meant she was going to Diagon Alley pretty soon to buy her school supplies. And as always, she couldn’t wait to get to walk down that street again.

She ripped the letter open and hoped that there was something interesting in it besides her supply list. It weighed slightly more than usual. She turned the envelope upside-down and something fell out. She caught a glimpse of something small and shiny.

Could it be? It is! Yes! It is, it is, it is! I’m a prefect!

She jumped around on her bed in excitement but quickly came to her senses; the mattress wasn’t made for jumping on. She picked up the badge and put it on her desk.

She then got dressed and headed out in the kitchen. Her parents and Petunia were already seated around the table eating breakfast. Lily was used to it though; she usually got out of bed two hours later than everyone else. This meant that they had time to shower, make breakfast and set the table. And then she would get up and eat breakfast.

Her parents greeted her with a ‘good morning’, which she responded. Petunia didn’t say anything.

She sat down at the table, grinning as she did so, and while she buttered her toast she waited for her parents to ask her what she was so excited about. It didn’t take long for her mother to ask that. Good thing too, because Lily simply couldn’t keep her mouth shut about these things.

“I’m a prefect! They made me a prefect!� she said while smiling widely. Her parents immediately smiled as well.

“That’s great Lily! Good job!� her mother said and her father gave his compliments as well. She wasn’t expecting Petunia to say anything at all, and would rather keep it that way than get a nasty comment thrown in her face. Her lucky stars were certainly not with her.

“So, I guess you’re good at something after all. Who would’ve guessed?� Petunia spat while glaring at Lily like she was the foulest creature she had ever laid eyes on. Lily wanted to return the comment with something just as nasty, but before she could speak, her father beat her to it.

“There now, Petunia, cant we just please have a normal family breakfast for once? And please do not say that to your sis--“ he managed to say before Petunia once again started to rant.

“Really, I wonder why you even want to a prefect at that school of yours,� she said while spitting the word school out with as much disgust as Lily thought possible for a human being. And it made her angry.

She had ignored Petunia’s first comment. If her sister ever said something about Lily being a witch, she expected it to be something like that. It always was. But this was going too far. Petunia had no idea what Lily wanted with her life; she never had before she went to Hogwarts and she certainly didn’t know it now. Lily watched Petunia in silence, anger building up inside her. Petunia took a sip of tea from her mug. Their parents looked from one daughter to the other, not knowing what to say. Petunia seemed to think it was her job to continue the conversation.

“Then again, it doesn’t surprise me that school of yours made you a prefect. I’ve always thought they were freaks. They must be out of their minds,� she said while carefully waiting for Lily’s reaction.

Lily was now extremely angry. She was furious. How dared she say that? She wanted to get back at Petunia. She didn’t have any right to say stuff like that at all! As a way of calming herself Lily began counting to fifty; she was hoping that she wouldn’t explode if she did that. One – still mad – two – still mad – three – still mad… This was supposed to be helping she thought desperately. She noticed Petunia take yet another sip of tea. Lily found herself hoping her sister would burn her tongue on it. But Petunia simply continued insulting her, still holding the mug in her hand.

“Of course, so are you, so you fit in quite well with them…� she let her words trail off into the air. Petunia still didn’t put the mug down on the table. She just held it barely five inches from her mouth, as if deciding whether or not she was going to take another sip of tea. At this point in her little monologue, however, their parents seemed to decide that they should say something now, before this argument got too far.

“Petunia, apologise to your sister right now! That is no way to speak to her!� their mother said dangerously. Petunia seemed to ignore the comment and Lily too tuned out her mother. She was staring at the mug. It had once been her favourite mug. Now she hated it. It had pictures of little mice on half of it; the other half was painted to be one big fat mouse. The colours were grey and dirty brown. Lily had somehow always imagined mice to be grey and brown. She had once thought they were very adorable animals. Now she hated them. They always reminded her of rats now and she thought rats were disgusting.

Petunia looked at their mother with an expression that clearly said she gave up after about two minutes of their mother’s death glare. Then she began talking to Lily again.

“Sorry Lily, for telling you the truth about what your little… abnormality is all about,� she sighed. She sounded as though she had just been forced to do something completely unfair.

Lily could feel twice the amount of anger than before swell up inside of her. Was that supposed to be an apology? And Petunia just sat there, drinking her tea. She had just taken another sip from her mug and lowered it three inches from her mouth. Lily was concentrating all her anger on that little annoying mouse.

Suddenly Petunia screamed and jumped up from her chair, throwing the mug in the air and running from kitchen. Lily was horrified when she saw the mug flying toward her mother’s face. But that was just it. The mug was gone. In its place, an extremely fat rat flew right through the remaining space between itself and her mother (who ever knew rats could fly?); and then, with a sickening splattering sound, it collided with her face.

Her mother screamed, jumped off the chair and hurried to run after Petunia. Lily was still looking at the rat with the utmost horror. It was by now on the table beside all the bread.

Then, replacing her first shocked reaction, Lily realised she needed to catch the rat before it could disappear in the kitchen.

She made a grab for it, but the rat moved just in time to avoid her hands. Her father then also realised that the rat needed to be caught. But this was one lucky rat. Just as her father made a grab for it, it seemed to think it wanted to move again. And thus it managed to yet again escape.

Lily glanced up at her fathers face. She knew he wasn’t particularly fond of rats, but he didn’t seem scared. She guessed he just didn’t want the rat to disappear right under his nose.

Lily, however, was not the least bit frightened. She was used to them at Hogwarts because some people liked to keep them as pets. These some people also resembled a rat in Lily’s opinion, so she wasn’t surprised at the boy’s choice of pet. And now she had one in her kitchen. Oh joy.

Finally, after two minutes of frantically trying to catch the rat, Lily stood up with a triumphant “Yes! I’ve got it Dad!�

Then an owl tried to take the rat from her. Luck was definitely not on Lily’s side today.

“Where the hell did that owl come from?� her father yelled.

Lily was asking herself the very same question, until she saw that it held a letter addressed to her. She gave the rat to her father and took the letter from the owl.

“Umm, Dad you could give the rat to the owl if you want…� she suggested, hoping that he would because it would be an easy way to get rid of it.

“But isn’t it a mug? I mean wont it change back into a mug some time?� her father said with a concerned look on his face.

“No, not unless someone change it back, and I can’t do that seeing as we’re not really allowed to… to do magic… in the summer holidays,� she said, gulping as realization hit her. How could she not have realised? She had transfigured that mug to a rat. And she wasn’t allowed to do that. So obviously, the letter had to be from the ministry. She opened it slowly. What would it say?

Dear Ms Evans

We have received intelligence that a transfiguring spell was used at your place of residence this morning at ten minutes past nine.

As you know, underage wizards and witches are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C).

We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity which risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offence, under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks’ Statue of Secrecy.

Enjoy your holidays!
Yours sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Improper Use of Magic Office
Ministry of Magic *

Relief washed over her as she read the letter. She hadn’t been expelled! She was sure the minute she had opened that letter that it would tell her not to return to Hogwarts, but it hadn’t. It had been a simple warning. Besides, it wasn’t like she had transfigured the mug on purpose. It had been an accident.

“What does that letter say?� her father asked. Lily gave the letter to him, seeing as there was no way to avoid it.

“Well, care to explain why you transfigured that mug into a rat?� her father asked. Lily had never seen him so deadly serious. It was quite frightening.

“I… er… I was angry at Petunia and… er… well it was an accident! I didn’t mean to do it; I just couldn’t control my temper! I’m sorry,� she said, looking down at her feet. Her father looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Well, since Petunia did say some very rude things to you, there are two options for me. Either I make the both of you apologise or none of you. I don’t think I will force you to apologise to one another, you have to decide that on your own. And I don’t think I will punish you either. But please do try and control your temper, will you?� he asked. Lily nodded and left the kitchen. She headed straight for her room and sat down on her bed. This week is definitely not my week she concluded.


*****


Three days after the disastrous morning things still weren’t back to normal. Lily and Petunia still avoided each other. If they happened to be in the same room, Petunia would either leave or send Lily suspicious glares, as if Lily would make dozens of rats appear right in Petunias face. Lily would actually very much like to do that, but she couldn’t, and she didn’t think Petunia would ever forgive her if she did. One good thing had happened though; Phoenix had returned with a letter from Diana.

Hi Lily
I’m so sorry I haven’t written to you earlier. You know these Muggles who live next door to us? The ones my parents are friends with? Well, apparently my parents and them decided that a trip to Sweden would be just a dream come true.
Honestly, of course they don’t know we are wizards, so I couldn’t very well bring my owl could I? And what’s worse, it’s not even a pleasurable vacation. They happened to think it would be “fun� to go on a sort of survival holiday. Where do Muggles come up with these things? We have to live in a tent! IT SUCKS! I can’t use my owl, I can’t fly on my broom, and Charlie thinks it is fun to tear my stuff apart.
And the first time you wrote to me, Phoenix appeared in the middle of the day! The Muggles thought it was really weird that an owl would show itself in broad daylight, so I couldn’t say, “hey that’s Lily’s owl! That letter is for me!� So sorry about that, but it just wasn’t possible for me to write back… This time he appeared when it was dark though, so I could write back without the Muggles noticing… Have you talked to Arietta yet? Anyways, I have to go, cause Charlie now thinks he’s allowed to destroy my sleeping bag. I can’t see how I’m going to survive this year, since Charlie is now starting at Hogwarts! I hope he’ll leave me alone most of the time…
Diana
Ps: If I don’t talk to you before then, I’ll see you at the Hogwarts Express!

Lily smiled when she read the letter. Mostly because she now knew why at least one of her friends hadn’t written to her all summer, but also because she knew Diana loved spending time with her brother, regardless of how much she complained about his behaviour. It would be interesting to see which house he was put in. Lily had only met him once, but she knew he was a kind boy who was crazy about Quidditch.

Lily had also begun counting the days before she was due to return to Hogwarts. She always did that at the end of the summer holidays; she even crossed out the days on her calendar. Not long now…

---

* Recognize this letter? It is from Chamber of Secrets, page 21.

�I will take care of myself, Mum. And I am going to write often. I always do,� Lily told her mum while rolling her eyes. Her mother always just had to tell her these things. Always. Her father gave her an apologetic smile.

“Bye, Dad. I’m going to miss you,� she told him before giving him a hug. Then she told her mother that she was going to miss her too, and yes, she was planning on writing letters often, and no, she wouldn’t do anything completely stupid. Then she turned towards Petunia.

“Well… bye, Petunia. I’ll see you at Christmas.�

Petunia nodded shortly. It was obvious that she didn’t want to be there. She still hadn’t forgiven Lily for the incident with the rat. Lily had long since given up on things being like they once were between her and Petunia. Admittedly, they hadn’t ever had a very good relationship, but now they couldn’t even have a normal conversation with each another.

Lily sighed slightly, hugged her parents again, and turned towards the steaming red engine, which had golden letters on it that informed anyone who read it that this was the Hogwarts Express.

She walked a few steps forward with her trunk and Phoenix, then turned and waved goodbye to her family again. Finally, she turned towards the train and began searching for her friends. As she waved hello to many of her fellow students, she passed a group of Slytherins talking quietly with each other. She recognized several of them, amongst them Severus Snape. Lily knew all of them were into Dark magic. She hated the thought of Dark magic. In Lily’s opinion, it was a foul way to use your magic. She passed by the group as quickly as she could. She suspected most of them hated Muggle-borns, which definitely didn’t help her if she ever were to be in a fight with either of them.

She continued searching the train for her friends as well as for an empty compartment. Students all around her were apparently doing the same. Either that or they had already found their friends and were catching up with them. It was extremely difficult to get by them, but she managed by pushing people out of the way and asking them to step aside. Finally, as she stopped to catch her breath, she noticed Arietta. She was sitting in the compartment directly in front of her. There was no one else in there but Arietta, but Lily wasn’t surprised. Arietta scared nearly everyone away with her odd behaviour. Lily was about to open the compartment door, but somebody clapped her on the shoulder before she had time to.

“Lily! It’s so great to see you!� Diana exclaimed. Lily turned and smiled at her friend. Diana was smiling down at her. She had long blond hair and was a good bit taller than Lily was. Then again, Lily wasn’t a particularly tall person. In fact, most people were taller than Lily.

“Hello! Had a good summer?� she asked, as they helped each other shove their trunks away in the compartment. Arietta looked at them struggle with their trunks, apparently only mildly interested, but finally decided to help. Finally, after putting all the trunks away and securing Phoenix safely above their heads, all three of them sat down.

Lily looked at her friends and tried to see if they had changed during the summer. Diana looked like she had before the summer holidays. She seemed as if going back to school was a relief after the disastrous survival trip. Arietta was somewhat tanned but still had her long dark brown plait and brown eyes. They both seemed as if they hadn’t changed one bit since she last saw them.

“So, Di, how was your trip? I mean as a whole,� Lily added, as she had seen that Diana was about to start complaining about the various catastrophes on the vacation.

At this, Diana was silent for a few moments before she shrugged.

“It was alright I guess. Except of course for the facilities,� she rolled her eyes, “they were horrible. And we didn’t even have our own tent with us! Imagine if we had brought our tent. Then we could have cooked in a proper kitchen and slept in a proper bed. Besides that I guess everything else was okay… I mean we went sailing on a lake and climbing in the mountains and such. Although I’d rather have been at home, it didn’t exactly kill me,� she finished.

Lily was deeply surprised. It really wasn’t like Diana to talk like that about something she had clearly disliked. And since when did Diana like sailing on a lake and climbing in the mountains? Maybe she has changed after all, she thought. And she was almost about to make this conclusion. Almost. Then she saw the smile at the corner of Diana’s mouth.

“But it came damn close,� she declared.

All three of them burst out laughing. Nothing has changed, Lily concluded happily. She then turned towards Arietta.

“How come you haven’t answered any of our letters, Arietta?� she demanded. Arietta didn’t even look embarrassed.

“Well,� she began, “you know my father works for the Department of Mysteries.� At this, both Lily and Diana nodded. This was old news. But it still didn’t explain why Arietta hadn’t sent any letters. Arietta opened her mouth to continue her tale, but a warning look from Diana shut her up. The compartment door was opening.

Well, this is just what I need, Lily thought miserably. Finally, Arietta was going to say why she had been silent all summer. And then these people had to come and interrupt their conversation.

She was always annoyed when they entered their compartment. And they did so every year. And Merlin, were they annoying. Their smirks. Their behaviour. Their smirks. The pet rat. Their continued belief that they were superior to the rest of the students. Their pranks. Their smirks.

The Marauders had entered the compartment.

“Black, I thought I made it quite clear last year that we do not appreciate these visits,� Diana moaned. Black looked affronted.

“But we love these visits! It gives us a chance to socialize with our fellow Gryffindors!� he exclaimed.

Lily rolled her eyes. Honestly! When is he going to realise it? We are not friends! Personally, Lily thought that Black was just trying to set some sort of personal record of how many girls he could talk to on the train. She knew for a fact that he had been in at least five compartments full of girls last year. Why she knew it? Because all the girls just had to tell everybody within a ten-foot radius of them that the Marauders had been in their compartment. But why couldn’t they just leave it at that? Why did the stupid, arrogant dung-heads have to enter their compartment as well?

Admittedly, Lupin wasn’t as bad as Black and Potter, but he still let them be arrogant idiots, which made him just as bad as them in Lily’s eyes. And of course Pettigrew wasn’t really an arrogant idiot, but he was just generally annoying and tiring to be around. Lily really didn’t want to be around the Marauders. And especially not on the first day back, when she just needed to talk to her friends and relax.

At the moment, Black was trying to strike up a conversation.

“So what did you do in the summer, Hudgens?� Black asked Diana. Diana did not look pleased that Black had chosen to talk to her.

“Survival trip. You should try it, it really gives you a kick,� she answered, looking as if she’d given up on getting them out of the compartment.

“Survival trip? You? I didn’t know you could even run,� Black uttered, seemingly surprised.

Diana grimaced.

Opposite Diana, Lily was having problems of her own. Luck had it that Potter was forced down the seat next to her when the boys entered the compartment. It was hard to tell who was most upset by this, Lily or Potter. They had so far managed to ignore each other, but as Pettigrew was having problems controlling his rat, which kept running over in Lily’s direction, he had to continually reach across Potter and take it back, since he was sitting on Potter’s other side. Lily was also trying to ignore the fact that both the disgusting rat and Pettigrew’s even more disgusting hands were regularly frighteningly close to her thighs. Potter also seemed annoyed that Pettigrew kept reaching over him. It seemed that now it was finally becoming too much for him.

“Peter, could you just try to control the rat?� he blurted. Pettigrew looked embarrassed.

“Sorry, James, but Dash just doesn’t want to stay here!�

“Then hold him or something,� Potter persisted. Pettigrew ears turned red, but he nodded and kept hold of the rat.

At the window seats, Arietta and Lupin were actually having a civil conversation.

“So you are a prefect? Congratulations,� Arietta was saying as Lily looked over at them. Lily couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh. Out of the six fifth-year boys in Gryffindor, Lily would by far choose Lupin as her fellow prefect. She decided to tell him that she was a prefect as well and raised her voice so he could hear her.

“Hey, Lupin! I’m a prefect too,� she managed to say before feeling something crawling around on her thighs. With a disgusted shriek she jumped up and saw Dash flying in the air as well. Remembering the catastrophe over breakfast, she managed to catch him before he could fly into anyone’s faces. This little creature was the main reason she hated rats. He always seemed to run directly towards her whenever she was close enough. Disgusted, she half threw him back to his owner.

“Pettigrew, please! Can’t you just keep him in your hands? Is that really so hard?� she almost yelled at him. The rat and Pettigrew’s disgusting hands that kept following the rat and end up at her legs were making her slightly hysterical by now.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!� he cried. His whole face was red now. Black, foreseeing an argument, jumped to the rescue.

“Okay, Evans, just relax and sit down. Peter, control Dash,� he started and then continued with some small talk: “Had a nice summer, Evans?�

Lily rolled her eyes. These annoying visits by the marauders were always so tiring. She decided to just tell them exactly how her summer had been and see how they would respond to that.

“Actually, Black, I didn’t have a particularly nice summer. My sister was a pestilence, my annoying cousin came over for a visit, I had to spend an entire evening listening to my sister’s boyfriend’s crap and I got a warning letter from the Ministry. In fact, one of the only good things that happened was that I got a prefect’s badge with my Hogwarts letter,� she said.

All previous talk in the compartment had disappeared and left all six people gaping at her.

“What did you get a warning letter for?� Potter asked interested.

“Transfiguring a mug into a rat. I didn’t do it on purpose!� she declared, as he and Black began howling with laughter. “What’s so funny?� she asked, annoyed.

Finally, both Potter and Black had enough control over their laughter to answer.

“It’s just you… Transfiguring a mug… into a rat,� Black managed to say before breaking down in laughter again. This statement explained nothing whatsoever to Lily, and she looked at her friends for an answer. That didn’t help her, as Diana looked just as puzzled as herself and Arietta had an expression that clearly said she didn’t know what they were laughing about.

“What did the letter say?� Arietta asked.

“It was just a warning that if I ever did magic again before I’m of age, I’ll be expelled,� she shrugged. She didn’t think it such a big deal as she had, at the time, expected to be expelled. Arietta simply nodded as a reply. Apparently, she didn’t think it such a big deal either. Diana, on the other hand, looked shocked at the news.

“But why did you transfigure it in the first place? What provoked you to do it?� she asked, still looking shocked that a warning letter had found it’s way to Lily’s hands.

“Later,� Lily whispered and nodded in the direction of Potter and Black. They were, apparently, nearly done laughing, and Lily didn’t feel up to telling her friends of Petunia’s behaviour with the Marauders there as well.

“So, Black, since you are so kind to ask us how our summer has been, I might as well return the gesture. How was your summer?� Diana asked him, clearly indicating that the conversation had now moved away from Lily.

To Lily’s surprise, Black’s expression was, for a fraction of a second, a gloomy one. It seemed as if they might as well have asked him what his recent stay in Azkaban was like, so dark was the expression that seemed to control his face. But it was only for a fraction of a second; then it seemed as if he had gotten control over his emotions once more. He grinned and shrugged.

“Oh, you know… a little boring but else way fine. I was at James’s house for some time though, and that was great!� he said, his eyes brightening as he mentioned his time at Potter’s house. Potter grinned back in reply, Lily noticed, and then Potter obviously wanted to steer the conversation away from his friend as Diana had done for Lily. It was, yet again, the topic of the summer that controlled the conversation, as Potter asked Lupin what he had done in his vacation.

“I’ve actually been on a trip to France,� he said. As the Marauders asked him how that had been and also discussed Pettigrew’s vacation to Italy, Lily tried to silently communicate a message to Diana and Arietta. They both had an expression that said they agreed completely. The Marauders were getting too bothersome. They had to leave. Now. The question was how.

Lupin nudged Arietta’s arm. She looked up, startled to find all of the Marauders looking at her.

“What?� she asked bewildered. Black rolled his eyes.

“I asked how your summer was like?� he said. There was silence for a few moments as everybody looked at Arietta. Her expression was emotionless.

“If I told you, I would have to kill you,� she said quietly. The boys all looked shocked for a second, and then all four of them began laughing. Lily and Diana looked at them with a slight smile; it was only a matter of time before they realised that Arietta was quite serious.

After a minute of laughing, the thought that Arietta was not joking seemed to settle itself in the boys’ heads, and the initial look of shock reappeared on their faces. Then half a minute in complete silence passed.

“Well, we’ve got to get going. Nice catching up with you. Sirius, Remus, Peter…� Potter said, nodding towards the door. They all nodded and hurried out of the compartment, apparently as fast as they could without seeming terrified.

After the door had closed, all three of the girls sighed heavily.

“Well that got rid of them. Good job, Arietta,� Diana said, a relieved expression on her face. Arietta smiled.

“Yeah well, I would have to kill them you know… or at least put a Memory Charm on them… they don’t know my father works for the Department of Mysteries, and I could under no circumstances tell them where I’ve been since it has to do with his job,� she clarified.

Lily understood now. This was probably the reason Arietta hadn’t written any letters to them!

“Do tell,� Diana urged her, her face brightening at the thought of finally getting an answer out of Arietta.

“I will, but not now,� Arietta said.

“Why not?� Lily asked, slightly irritated. She had looked forward to getting some answers.

But as Arietta was about to reply, Lily, who had been listening intently to the conversation, jumped, for the second time that day, up from her seat, shrieking.

“What the…?� she said, looking around. Something had crawled around on her arm!

“Two reasons. I have to go pay the Marauders a little visit, and you have to go to the prefects’ meeting,� Arietta said, crawling around on the floor.

“Why do you have to visit the Marauders?� Diana asked, annoyed. She would be left all alone in the compartment if both Arietta and Lily left, and that was boring. And if there was one thing Diana hated, it was to be bored.

Arietta got up from the floor with an animal in her hand. As she opened the compartment door, she called over her shoulder:

“I think Dash here should return to his rightful owner…�

Meanwhile, Lily had clapped a hand to her face. The prefects’ meeting!

“Oh no, I must be like ten minutes late or something,� she said, horrified. She opened the door and slammed it behind her, running in the opposite direction than Arietta had walked.

Panting, she reached the door at the prefects’ compartment. She could hear voices. The meeting had started, and she was late. This is so embarrassing! Lily thought. She was just about to knock and enter, but then Lupin appeared at her side. He was late too!

Feeling slightly better that she wasn’t the only one late for the meeting, Lily knocked on the door and entered, Lupin right behind her.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, I completely forgot,� she said, as all the people in the compartment turned their heads towards her and Lupin. Two people, a boy and a girl, seemed to be giving out instructions.

“That’s alright, we only just started the meeting three minutes ago. You’ve only missed the introduction. I’m Elisabeth Clearwater, I’m the Head Girl, and this is,� she managed to say before the boy next to her interrupted her.

“Joey Anderson, and I am the Head Boy. We were just passing out the passwords to the common rooms. Which house are you in?� he asked, holding some papers in his left hand.

“Gryffindor,� Lupin answered before Lily had time to say anything.

“Both of you?� Elisabeth asked. They nodded.

“Alright, here are the passwords. Make sure you dispose of the papers after you have memorized them and make sure no one from the other houses know your password,� Joey said. They nodded again and each took one of the two papers he was holding out. They then went to stand by all the other prefects and the meeting continued. They were informed of the prefects’ duty to control the train corridors and their responsibility to make sure all the first-years got to the common room all right. They were informed of their duty to report rule-breakers and told that they could use the prefects’ bathroom any time they wanted.

While they were told all this, Lily listened intently. She was determined to do her best as a Gryffindor prefect. Soon the meeting was over, and Lily found herself patrolling the train corridors with Lupin. After half an hour, where the most exciting thing that happened was that a first-year asked them where the toilet was, Lily returned to her friends. She was eager to listen to what Arietta had to say.

“So it all comes down to this then,� Diana said, as Arietta had finished explaining where she had been in the summer, “you went to Australia with your family because your father was sent on a mission there, and you couldn’t send any letters because nobody were allowed to know where you were?�

“That is correct.�

“But why couldn’t you just write that you weren’t allowed to tell us anything?� Lily asked. This explanation was not satisfying in her opinion.

“Because my father and his boss said I couldn’t. Look Lily, I actually don’t know anything more about it than what I have told you already,� she said.

After questioning Arietta about how the vacation had actually been, Lily and Diana finally dropped the subject.

Two hours later they were playing a Muggle cards game Lily had taught her friends in their second year and eating their fair share of candy from the food trolley. Another two hours later all three of them were simply staring out of the window; it had begun raining. The rain was obscuring their view; they could see practically nothing, but nonetheless Lily found it oddly peaceful just looking at the rain.

She found it less peaceful as she was soaking wet and running towards the safety of the castle. As she sat down at the Gryffindor table, she was thankful that the feast would start immediately after the Sorting. She was extremely hungry. To her horror, the Marauders chose to sit very near them, but she didn’t have time to ask them to move because the first-years were lead into the Great Hall at the same time she opened her mouth to ask Black to move his ass a few seats away from her. This, to her great disappointment, forced her to accept the marauders sitting where they sat. She then focused all her attention towards the first-years, who, all looking as though they had been swimming in the lake, were now being sorted into houses. Quite a few Slytherins had been sorted, but Rawenclaw and Hufflepuff had taken their share of students as well. It wasn’t until Fowl, Chloe put the Sorting Hat on her head that it shouted “GRYFFINDOR!� Chloe made her way to the Gryffindor table as all the Gryffindors erupted into cheers. After Chloe, another student was sorted into Slytherin, but the next two students, a boy and a girl, were both sorted into Gryffindor. Then another Rawenclaw and then Diana shoved her elbow in Lily’s side.

“Hudgens, Charlie,� Professor McGonagall called.

“There’s my brother!� Diana whispered excitedly. Lily recognized him now; he was the boy with blond hair and blue eyes. Interested, she watched him put on the Sorting Hat and wait. Five seconds passed. Then the hat shouted “GRYFFINDOR� and he hurried down to the Gryffindor table while Lily and her friends cheered for him. As he joined the other first-year Gryffindors, Lily noticed him give the thumps-up to Diana who returned it.

When the Sorting was finally over, Professor Dumbledore urged everyone to eat, and so they began shovelling food in their mouths. Lily had forgotten how good the welcoming feasts at Hogwarts were. And the desserts! As she was eating second helpings, Lupin addressed her to remind her that they had to lead the first-years to the common room.

As Lily later lay in her bed about to fall asleep, she was surprised of how much it was raining by now; she could easily make out the noise the rain made, and it was a comfortable feeling falling asleep to the peaceful drumming of the rain on the window.

Merlin, isn't this just depressing! Lily thought. First day in the new school year, and we have History of Magic!

Lily looked around in the classroom. Professor Binns' voice had already had its impact even though they were only ten minutes into class. Half of the students were sleeping, doodling or simply staring out the window. Even though she was normally keen on learning more about the magic history, she found it very hard to continue taking notes herself.

Some time and a lot of doodling later, the bell rang to signal that the class had ended. Lily quickly put her things in her bag and hurried down to lunch with Arietta and Diana.

“Say,� Diana said, yawning widely, “is it just me or has that subject gotten more boring since last year?�

“I think you're right,� Lily replied, “I've never thought that I couldn't care less what some goblin did some two thousand years ago. Well, I have, but not so much that I couldn't concentrate on taking notes.�

When they finally sat down at the table and started eating, Arietta opened her Daily Prophet. They had been terribly late this morning, so she hadn't had time to read it at breakfast. Before Lily could ask if there was anything worth knowing in the paper, the rest of the Gryffindor girls in their year joined them at the table.

“Oh, hello.� Lily smiled at them. Even though she didn't consider Camille, Scarlet and Hannah to be her closest friends, she, Diana and Arietta often talked to them at meals and also spent some of their free time with them. Arietta looked up from her paper and nodded in greeting, then took a bite from a chicken wing and went back to reading.

“Have you heard that You-Know-Who has been spotted in Bulgaria? It said so in today's Daily Prophet,� Scarlet said with a grim face.

“Ari, you're supposed to read it aloud when you spot those passages,� Diana said, annoyed, and pointed her finger accusingly at Arietta.

“I'm only just reading it now,� she said, completely indifferent to Diana's accusing tone and not even bothering to look up from the paper.

Lily was frowning. She couldn't remember who on earth You-Know-Who was. She was trying to remember his real name when it dawned on her.

“Wait, isn't he that crazy Dark wizard who hates Muggleborns? Voldemort?� she whispered. Camille and Scarlet flinched, Diana dropped her fork and Hannah choked on a potato. Arietta just kept reading the paper. Lily realised, a bit late, that just saying his name was enough to freak most people out.

“Yeah, newsflash I know.� Camille laughed, as if this was not such a grim topic. Her hands betrayed her though; she was holding her knife and fork as if letting go would mean the end of the world.

“Well, if he's been spotted in Bulgaria, that's only good news, right?� Lily reasoned, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. “It just means he isn't here, and nobody is unhappy about that I suppose,� she continued, tucking some hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, but there's more,� Hannah whispered, as uneasy about the subject as the rest of them.

“Whot?� Diana said, her mouth full of chicken.

“Di, you really should learn to talk without your mouth full of food,� Lily reprimanded as Diana struggled to swallow her chicken. Hannah was about to say something when their thoughts were interrupted as Arietta spat out all of her pumpkin juice, which landed on Diana's face.

“Ew!� Diana exclaimed, and continued sarcastically, wiping her face with a napkin. “Gee, thanks, Ari, my throat was all dry and my own juice just didn't seem to help.�

“Sorry,� Arietta said absently and continued to read. They all stared at her.

A minute later Arietta looked up from the paper to find that they were all still staring at her.

“What?� she asked, perplexed.

“Aren't you going to tell us why you just spat out all your juice?� Lily asked while trying not to smile at Arietta's confused face.

“Oh yes, of course,� she replied, taking a bite of her chicken.

“Well?� Camille urged her; clearly curious about what could cause such a reaction from Arietta, who was usually very careful not to spill food or juice.

Arietta folded the paper and laid it on the table, so that the passage she was reading was visible to all of them.

“It says that the Ministry suspects he will return to England soon,� she said.

“And?� Lily retorted.

“That's what I was about to say,� Hannah mumbled, clearly annoyed that someone else was now giving the shocking news.

“Look, apparently me and Lily are the only ones who haven't been blessed with the knowledge of this mind-blowing news, and as much as we appreciate to feel stupid,� Diana remarked angrily.

“We would really be grateful if you would just spill the beans,� Lily finished.

“Right, sorry,� Arietta said hurriedly, “It just says that the Ministry thinks he's in Bulgaria to recruit vampires in his army,� she whispered, and they all huddled together so they could hear what she was saying better.

“Vampires can't be that bad compared to all the murders that have been happening in the last year,� Diana reasoned, still not seeing what was so horrifying about the situation.

“Are you kidding?� Arietta asked in astonishment.

“Wait, why did you say 'all the murders'? I didn't think there were that many,� Lily asked, suddenly very much aware that they were all looking at her now.

Hannah answered. “He and his followers have been killing Muggleborns all year. I don't think there's been a week without a murder. How could you not know that?� she whispered.

“It hasn't been in the Prophet, has it?� Lily asked, sure that she would have heard of it if it had been printed in the paper.

“A few of the murders have, but only the ones that the public 'need to know about'. The Ministry's not too proud of the fact that they haven't been able to do anything to stop You-Know-Who, so instead they choose to cover up how many people have been killed. Of course, it's just a matter of time before they have to give up that approach, seeing as they can't keep the reporters silent forever,� Arietta whispered.

Lily wondered briefly when this conversation had begun to be so secretive that they all felt they had to whisper.

“How do you know all of that?� Camille asked, impressed.

“My father works in the Ministry. He's been angry about it all last year,� Arietta answered.

“How come you didn't tell me about the killings?� Lily demanded, slightly affronted.

“Thought you knew.� Arietta shrugged. “Diana knew, so I just thought you did too. Anyway, most people know there are more murders than the Daily Prophet announces.�

“You haven't said why vampires make such a huge difference to what has already been going on,� Diana reminded her. They all listened intently, eager to hear what Arietta was going to say and at the same time terrified of what they were probably going to hear.

“It's not just the vampires themselves, even though they are terrifying enough,� Arietta said while taking another bite of her chicken, “but if they join Voldemort, it won't be long 'till the giants and possibly a large amount of werewolves join him as well.�

“Shit,� Lily mumbled. That could only be bad news. She didn't get a chance to worry about it long, though; three Slytherins, two boys and a girl, were making their way over to the Gryffindor table. Lily recognized them as belonging to the Slytherin Quidditch team. Camille, Scarlet and Hannah had started discussing Voldemort's whereabouts and continued their lunch.

What on earth do they want? Lily thought, as the biggest of the Slytherin boys, a Chaser on the Quidditch team and apparently the gang's leader, tapped Diana on the shoulder. Lily knew who all of them were. The one disturbing Diana was Dennis Crawford, an extremely unpleasant guy. The other boy was Kevin Davies, a Beater on the team, and the girl was Harriet Parkinson, another Chaser. She was a Seventh Year while the other two were Sixth Years. Lily could hardly imagine that they wanted anything good.

Diana turned around to face the three Slytherins. She looked just as surprised as everyone else.

“Can I help you with something?� Diana asked. Lily thought she looked as though one wrong word from the Crawford would make Diana punch him in the face. He didn't seem to care whether or not Diana was moments from punching him. He looked rather mean, really, Lily decided.

“Why were you spying on us yesterday?� he asked, pissed off that Diana obviously didn't have a clue what this was about.

“What do you mean?� Diana asked, looking completely surprised. But Lily wasn't fooled. She could tell by Diana's face that she knew what he was talking about.

“I mean, why were you spying on us in the middle of a Quidditch training lesson?� he almost sneered at her.

“I wasn't! I was simply out on the grounds because I wanted to fly on my broom! I hardly think that's a crime!� Diana immediately defended herself.

“Don't lie! We saw you when we were rehearsing our new feints. Don't tell me you weren't spying. Who have you told about our strategies? James Potter?� the Parkinson girl asked. Lily had to hide a smile. Diana was not on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, but she was a very big fan of Quidditch and loved flying.

Lily would not be surprised if Diana had actually spied on the Slytherin team, but she would be very surprised if she told James Potter, who happened to be the Gryffindor team's new Captain, what she had discovered.

“Oh please. As if I would degrade myself into spying for Potter,� Diana spat back. The Slytherins glared at her.

“Who told you to spy on us, then?� Davies asked. He looked and smelled as though he hadn't showered for days. Lily briefly wondered why almost all Slytherins had to be so unappealing.

“No one has asked me to spy on you!� Diana said, clearly irritated now.

“Look, if Diana says she wasn't spying for anyone, she is telling the truth,� Arietta now said, apparently feeling it was time to say something in Diana's defence. This, however, backfired, as the Slytherins now rounded on her instead.

“And how do you know? Were you spying too?� Crawford asked.

“Excuse me! Don't you accuse me of spying!� Arietta said dangerously low. Lily thought this had gone far enough now.

“Stop this! None of us were spying, and besides, the Gryffindor Quidditch team would never need to send someone out to spy on you, they are perfectly able to beat you without doing that,� she interfered. Why she suddenly felt such a strong desire to defend the Quidditch team, she had no idea. All she knew was that these Slytherins were pissing her off.

“Pfft! As if they are even near our level of skill. They could never beat us,� Davies said. Lily was sure that by now they were just trying to annoy Diana into doing something stupid so one of the professors who were eating lunch at the teachers' table would come down and dock points from Gryffindor. And it seemed to be working. Diana looked as though she had just received a slap in the face.

“How dare you! Any Gryffindor player could beat a Slytherin player anytime, anywhere,� she fiercely objected. Lily felt she had to calm Diana before she lost her temper.

“Di, they are not worth it. Let it go,� she told her while giving the Slytherins a stern look.

“Stay out of this, Mudblood,� Parkinson said.

Both Lily and Diana lost their tempers and took their wands out, as did Arietta. They didn't have time to do anything, though, as Professor McGonagall was approaching them.

“Miss Evans, Miss Hudgens and Miss Geller, put those wands away. What is going on here?� she asked sternly.

“Professor, they were spying on our training lesson yesterday,� Crawford said. Lily could have killed him.

“Is this true? You know I will not tolerate such behaviour!� Professor McGonagall said.

“We didn't, Professor. And she just called Lily a Mudblood,� Diana protested.

“Enough! Detentions for all six of you and ten points from Gryffindor and Slytherin. I would expect better behaviour from all of you,� McGonagall thundered. Lily sighed.

“If you are done eating, I suggest you move on to your next class. Goodbye.�

Diana rounded on Crawford.

“Why did you lie to her? Now we have detentions!� she hissed, while obviously trying to control her temper so Professor McGonagall wouldn't come back.

“It was your fault as well. But I suggest we settle this tonight,� he replied. Lily did not like where this was going.

“What do you have in mind?� Diana asked.

“A competition. Losers explain to McGonagall that it was their fault completely and that the others had nothing to do with it. Then hopefully she'll let the others skip the detention,� he explained.

“What sort of competition?� Diana persisted, interested.

“Truth or Dare,� Parkinson replied before Lily had any time to say anything.

“You're on,� Diana said, “the deserted classroom on fourth floor, the one that was used for Charms lessons until two years ago when Peeves wrecked the place. Nine o'clock. Be there.� The Slytherins all disappeared hurriedly.

“Di, what did you just agree to?� Lily asked nervously. Not only had she received a detention today, she was apparently going to break more rules tonight.

“I'm sorry, Lils, I know you're a Prefect and everything. But, do you both remember that I told you about my dad arresting two wizards in possession of illegal Muggle artefacts and that he is keeping a close eye on a third wizard at the moment?� she asked. Lily and Arietta nodded.

“Well, I'm fairly sure their names were Crawford, Davies and Parkinson,� she said. Then Lily understood.

“I see... So the wizards your dad was talking about are probably their fathers,� Arietta said quietly.

“They were probably hoping we would do something stupid and get punished, and then it backfired and they went to plan B,� Lily said, suddenly realising that the thing about Diana spying on them was probably just an excuse so they could get revenge. “Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. We just have to make sure not to get caught tonight,� she finished. Diana sent her a grateful look.

“So, what are we having next lesson?� Arietta asked in an unusual cheerful voice. They were all thankful for the change of subject.

Lily glanced at her schedule.

“Care of Magical Creatures. Still with the Slytherins, though…� she sighed, finishing her meal and picking up her bag. “You coming?�

As they approached the place where all their Care of Magical Creatures lessons were held, she noticed a cage on the teacher's table. Inside the cage was what looked like a small pile of valuable gems.

"If you would all just gather round the table, please, although do not come any closer than six feet," Professor Kettleburn called out. He was a rather large man with a weathered face and grey hair and beard. He waited for the last stragglers to come and then continued talking.

"Who can tell me what animal this is?" he asked kindly. Lily remembered having seen a picture in her book with an animal that quite resembled the pile of gems, and put up her hand.

"Yes, Miss Evans?" Professor Kettleburn nodded.

"A Fire Crab, if I'm not much mistaken, sir," she replied. The pile of gems in the cage moved a bit.

"Correct. Perhaps you can also tell me why I asked you to keep your distance?" he asked, and all heads turned towards Lily.

"The Fire Crab has, as its name implies, an ability to shoot fire from its rear end," she answered, and at that moment exactly the Crab moved again and also shot a beam of fire towards a Ravenclaw girl. Her robes nearly caught on fire but she managed to take a few steps backwards before that happened. They all instantly took three steps back.

"Correct again. Five points for Gryffindor," the professor said with a smile on his face. "The Fire Crab is in danger of becoming extremely rare, and it isn't the easiest animal to encounter as it is. The reason, as you might have guessed, is because of its shell. It is not unheard of that the Fire Crab is killed and the shell sold for a small fortune, being used as cauldrons by some wizards."

Disgusting, Lily thought. Some people would kill animals for less, she knew, but she was still angry that the Crabs had to suffer just because they had a beautiful shell. Professor Kettleburn continued talking and Lily listened intently, not wanting to miss a word.

"The reason I have brought one here today is that you have to learn how to feed and clean a Fire Crab without sustaining any serious burns. You could very well be asked to do this in your O.W.L. exam. You will practice doing so in groups of three or four, and you will practice on one of the tortoises on the ground over there," he instructed, pointing his finger at a small closed area where ten tortoises were lazily walking around. "At the end of the class one group will demonstrate how to clean this Fire Crab, so be careful. When you practice on the normal tortoises, remember this one can shoot fire," he finished, and they all went over to grab a tortoise.

Half an hour later she was bored stiff with the tortoise. They had already fed and cleaned their tortoise and it was simply lying lazily in the grass, but if the professor thought they weren't doing anything when he came to check on how things were going, they were sure to get a few points docked. This was one of the bad things about these lessons; Professor Kettleburn, even though kind, didn't seem to understand that you would do anything else other than concentrate completely on the magical animals. Lily, Diana and Arietta used the opportunity to talk freely though, and when the Professor was nearing their group, they would hastily start feeding the tortoise again. Arietta was feeding it at the moment, seeing as Diana had just informed them of the fast approaching teacher.

"Ouch! Stop that!" Arietta suddenly whimpered. She turned to Lily and Diana. "It bit me!"

Diana burst out laughing. Lily began laughing as well. It was just too funny.

"The… tortoise… bit you!" Diana gasped between laughing. "And you… didn't see it… coming?" she finished, now laughing so much she was almost rolling around on the ground.

Arietta looked slightly insulted and turned towards the tortoise, but Lily saw she was smiling herself.

"It sneaked up on me… How was I supposed to know that it was actually very quick when it came to tasting something else than salad?" Arietta mumbled.

"That's quite cool, really," Diana exclaimed.

"Do you want me to take care of it?" Lily asked, sitting down on the grass beside Arietta.

"Yeah, thanks Lils," Arietta sighed gratefully and stood up. Lily looked at the tortoise. Then she looked even closer at it before bursting out laughing yet again.

"Hey look, Ari, it's fallen asleep!" she exclaimed. This made Diana have another laughing fit.

"Lucky you," Arietta said sulkily. She turned away from the both of them and found that Professor Kettleburn was standing directly in front of her.

"Doing all right, girls?" he asked as he looked at their tortoise. They nodded.

"Yes, sir, but I think the boys may have some problems," Diana said and pointed toward the Marauders. The Professor turned and walked over to the Marauders, surprised. Diana grinned.

Lily looked over at the marauders and saw what Diana had seen. They were obviously in trouble.

It looked as if Black had been trying to charm their tortoise into eating the food they were supposed to be giving it, which had resulted in the tortoise chewing on his finger instead of the food. In an attempt to get it away from his finger, again with the use of his wand, Black had somehow managed to get the tip of his wand on fire. Remus had put it out in time for it not to be completely damaged, though. As Black tried to get his finger out of the tortoise's mouth, Potter and Remus were trying to see if the wand still worked as it should, while Pettigrew was left caring for his rat, which he seemed reluctant to leave in the dormitory during classes. The rat was struggling desperately trying to escape. It was probably thinking it was next in line to get eaten by the tortoise. The whole situation looked like chaos.

"You're such a snitch!" Lily said with a small smile. She and Diana both started laughing. Arietta had also looked over at the Marauders and lightened up quite a bit at the sight. She was now smiling while eating a sandwich.

"Yeah well, it's just payback for the train ride, they could have just stayed out of our compartment like we told them to last year." Diana shrugged, fighting not to laugh too loudly. The Marauders were by now being told off by the professor.

Lily and her friends were still in a good mood when the lesson ended. Luckily, they were not chosen to demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge on the Fire Crab, and since this had been the last lesson of the week, they now had the rest of the day to do anything they liked.
The spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards. After they had dinner, they went back to the common room. Lily settled down in her favourite chair by the fire and Diana sat down next to her. Arietta had disappeared when they were on their way back to the common room, but that happened quite often and she would always be back within half an hour. Lily had given up on ever finding out what she was doing in that time and had simply accepted it.

"This is a bit boring," Diana yawned. Lily had opened a book she had gotten in the summer holidays. They were both trying to forget the fact that they had to meet the Slytherins later.

"Then figure out something to do," she answered without taking her eyes off the book. She was used to Diana finding relaxing in a chair boring and had learned to ignore that her friend was restless.

"I'll write a letter to my parents, I think… or…" Diana muttered to herself. "Hey, what time is it? We don't want to be late for that damn Truth or Dare!" she exclaimed.
Lily glanced up at Diana as if she had just told her the world was ending.

"Oh, shit," she whispered, laying her book on the table and glanced at her watch. It was twenty to nine, and they didn't know where Arietta was.

Why do these things always happen to me? she thought as she jumped out of her chair and ran straight for the dormitory. Five minutes to change and then find Arietta. They were positively going to be late, not to mention they had to avoid getting caught.

Diana went with her to the dormitories and they changed from the Muggle clothes they had been wearing and into their cloaks. Then they checked they had their wands and sprinted out the door again.

As they ran down the stairs and into the common room, Arietta came stumbling through the portrait hole.

"Are you ready?" Lily asked, and Arietta nodded, so they all started sneaking towards the fourth floor, looking around corners and taking as many shortcuts as possible.

"Want some chocolate?" Arietta offered as they rounded a corner and continued down the corridor.

"Where'd you get chocolate? And yes, please," Diana said, wiping nervous sweat off her forehead.

Arietta ignored the question and passed chocolate out. They were all chewing on their last piece when they finally arrived at the classroom on the fourth floor. The Slytherins were all there. Dennis Crawford was tapping his foot impatiently.

"You're late," he pronounced, irritated.

"Only," Lily looked at her watch, "five minutes, so quit your wining. Shall we?"

Parkinson shrugged, clearly not wanting to use too much time on that particular matter. She tugged some hair behind her ear and started speaking, shooting a mean glance in Lily’s and her friends’ direction before opening her mouth.

"Right, so we suggest doing it like this: individual dares, but if one dare isn't completed then it count as though none of them are. You can't do each other's dares and you have to do your dares on different days or nights. We already know what the losers have to do. Tell McGonagall that the whole scene at lunch was their fault. Agreed?"

She is obviously more intelligent than I give her credit for! Lily thought, impressed that Parkinson had so easily avoided giving the winners more privileges. They all agreed nonetheless, Diana sulking as though she had just been told to eat an entire lemon in less than ten seconds.

"Who'll start giving out dares? Wait, when was Truth even removed as an option?" Diana prompted.

"Oh come on, you seriously don't want to be childish and pick Truth, do you?" Crawson asked, raising his eyebrows in an extremely provoking manner.

"Of course not," Diana mumbled. Crawson smiled cruelly.

Why does he have to look as if Christmas has come early? It gave Lily the chills. She suddenly felt very exposed. If a teacher happened to come by, she would have been fine on her own, seeing as she was a Prefect, but she couldn't think of a story that would explain why all three of them were here past curfew, least of all what they were doing here with three Slytherins.

She also had a sickening feeling that the Slytherins had planned what dares they were going to give her, Arietta and Diana.

"Well, I suggest we get on with it, then. We'll start by giving you your dares," Crawford grinned viciously.

Both Diana and Arietta were about to protest, but Lily stopped them.

"Look, it's fine, then we'll get them over with quickly," she told them quietly. The Parkinson girl smiled.

"Let's see, shall we..." she smirked and began to tell them what their dares were. As Lily listened, her mouth fell open in astonishment. They had to be kidding. No way was she going to do to that.

No way.

No way...

Lily realised her mouth had fallen open when Parkinson started speaking and closed it immediately.

“Hudgens, you have to walk into the Forbidden Forest. Geller, you have to walk out of the Forbidden Forest. And Evans…� Parkinson smirked, “you have to find something for me. A dark green scarf with silver dots. I seem to have lost it in the Forbidden Forest.�

Lily couldn’t believe this. She had to go on some sort of treasure hunt in that godforsaken place! And all Arietta and Diana had to do was walk in and out of there. So not fair.

“And remember, you have to do your dares on different nights, or days if you like, and you can’t do each other’s dares. If you do, you lose. Understand?� Davies sneered.

Pleasant guy, Lily thought.

“So you’re saying I have to walk into the Forest but can’t walk out of it again?� Diana asked, astonished. Lily, however, saw a complete different problem.

“You want me to walk around in the Forbidden Forest on my own?� she interrupted incredulously. This was bad. The Forest was not a safe place to be wandering about at night, and like hell she was going to walk in there in bright daylight. It was far too easy getting caught if you took that chance. No, it had to be at night. And on her own, too. She actually preferred telling McGonagall that the scene at lunch was her fault entirely. She turned around to inform Diana and Arietta about this, but she didn’t have a chance to say anything before Arietta cut in.

“Look guys, I think we should do this. Otherwise, we can look forward to hell from those idiots. Besides, if we do it, we get to give them their dares, and you bet they aren’t going to get off as easy,� she mumbled, so the Slytherins wouldn’t hear their conversation.

“I agree. This is also about teaching them that they can’t just take it out on us that their fathers are doing illegal stuff. That is just typical Slytherin,� Diana said. Lily shook her head, amazed that they were actually suggesting they should go along with this.

“You two are crazy. I am not walking around in that place on my own, you hear me?� she whispered to her two friends, glaring angrily at them.

“You may not have to. We’ll find a solution later; we don’t have to go there tonight,� Diana answered, looking slightly uncomfortable.

“Yeah, come on Lils,� Arietta whispered, looking pleadingly at her.

Against her better judgment, Lily let herself be persuaded, and whispered out of the corner of mouth: “Alright then, but you’d better have a plan.�

Diana smiled and informed the Slytherins that they agreed to do the dares.

“How are you going to know that we did them, though? In theory we could just lie,� Lily said, sceptically lifting an eyebrow. In truth, she was more worried that Crawford, Davies and Parkinson would simply say that they had done whatever dares Lily, Diana and Arietta would come up with, and that there would be no way of telling whether or not it was the truth.

“You got a point,� Parkinson said thoughtfully. Arietta smiled mysteriously.

“Might I suggest something?� she said. “We all sign a document, which will be a sort of contract. We’ll put a spell on it, so if anyone says that they’ve done a dare but haven’t, it’ll be pretty obvious.�

Lily knew from the look on Arietta’s face that she was thinking about a particular spell. She could think of a couple that might work, but she had a feeling Arietta had something in mind that would make lying extremely embarrassing.

“Fine. Who is going to make this contract?� Davies asked. Arietta pulled a piece of parchment out from her robes.

“I already made one,� she said and laid the parchment on a desk. At the top there was room for writing what the terms were, as well as the fact that not telling the truth would be highly embarrassing as well as obvious. Arietta wrote the terms quickly, and then signed it. Crawford looked sceptical but signed it nonetheless and passed it on to Davies, who also signed it. Parkinson took an extremely close look at it before she signed it. Lily scribbled her signature without a second glance at the parchment, as did Diana.

“Alright then, I suggest we meet again when you’ve done your dares or want to announce that you’re giving up,� Davies said with a smirk. Lily glared at him, but decided not to say anything.

“Agreed. See you,� Diana said and left the classroom. Lily and Arietta followed, although not before Lily had snatched the ‘contract’ off the table.

When they were finally back in the common, having successfully avoided both Mrs Norris and Peeves, Lily collapsed in an armchair in front of the fire. Arietta and Diana sat down on either side of her.

“I am exhausted,� Lily sighed. Arietta got some chocolate out of a pocket and offered Lily and Diana a piece. Lily took it gratefully.

“So what are we going to do?� she asked, hoping one of her friends would have a plan.

“Right now, I have no idea. I’m still surprised that they asked you to walk around in the forest and not me. I mean, it was my father who got their fathers arrested.� Diana rubbed her eyes.

“It’s probably because I’m Muggle-born. I think I also annoyed them during that scene at lunch,� Lily said slowly as she stared into the fireplace. Arietta had almost closed her eyes, she noticed. She could feel her own eyes beginning to droop as well.

“I suggest we sleep on it and discuss it again in the morning,� she decided, thinking that if she didn’t go to bed soon she would fall asleep in the common room. Diana nodded and nudged Arietta, who woke up immediately. Lily managed to go all the way to their dormitory and threw herself on the bed. She had practically fallen asleep before her head hit the pillow.

*****

When Lily woke up the next morning, she found the dormitory empty except for Camille, who was snoring loudly in the other end of the room. She glanced at her alarm clock and discovered that it was half past ten. She usually woke up around nine o’clock and was surprised that she had slept so long, but then remembered last night and realised she had probably needed the sleep.

When she got down to the common room, she found Arietta and Diana bent over their Potions essays. Lily had already finished the essay and went down to get some breakfast. She ate quickly and returned to the common room. Arietta had finished her essay, but Diana was still bent deep in concentration over hers. Lily looked over her shoulder. She had only finished half of the essay.

“Want some help with that?� she asked and sat down next to her.

“I thought you’d never ask. Thanks,� Diana sighed gratefully and handed her the essay. Lily looked it through, corrected some mistakes here and there and handed it back to Diana.

“I’d write something about the side effects to the potion and why it is dangerous to brew. Perhaps also something about the lacewing flies as an ingredient. You can borrow my essay if you can’t remember what the side effects are,� Lily offered. The essay was about the Polyjuice Potion. Lily had thought it was fairly easy and had used a couple of hours to finish it, but she knew Diana refused to consider Potions as anything but difficult and had therefore never bothered to understand the basics of potion brewing.

“Yeah, that’d be great. Although I think I’ll finish it tomorrow and take the rest of today off,� Diana replied, putting the essay away. Arietta smiled and shook her head. Diana ignored her.

“So, what are we going to do?� Arietta asked, taking a bite of a sandwich.

“Seriously, Ari, you are always eating something,� Diana said accusingly, pointing her finger at Arietta. Arietta shrugged and continued talking.

“We have a bit of a problem with the dares, Di, so if you could focus here.� Lily laughed at their antics. It was so typical Diana to point out Arietta’s eating habits. Diana scowled.

“Right, so what do you suggest?� Lily asked; keen to find out if Arietta had any plans. If it was Arietta who came up with a solution, it was usually something Lily would never have thought of.

“I think the solution has to be found in the exact words they used to formulate our dares,� Arietta grinned. Diana looked as if she didn’t understand, but Lily caught on immediately.

“Of course. Diana has to walk into the Forest but can’t walk out of it again. You have to walk out of it, but can’t walk in there. Ari, you’re a genius,� Lily said, suddenly very optimistic about the whole thing. Diana’s face lightened up.

“Are you saying that I can just bring my broom and fly out of there?� she asked, grinning. Lily nodded.

“Yeah, or someone can use Wingardium Leviosa on you, but I’d take the broom as well,� she answered, still smiling. Suddenly she remembered her own dare and the smile wilted.

“What about me? I still have to walk around in the Forest on my own,� she whispered, so a group of First Years passing them wouldn’t hear her.

“Well, I was thinking you could just summon the scarf,� Arietta said, looking doubtful.

“I don’t know if it’ll work. I don’t know exactly how it looks, and when it is that far away I need to have a clear picture of it in my mind. Otherwise I could risk summoning someone else’s scarf,� Lily reminded her, also not convinced that it would work.

“Well, I don’t know what you can do if it doesn’t work. I understand that you don’t want to walk around in the forest alone, neither of us would, really,� Arietta said thoughtfully, “but maybe the words that Parkinson girl used could be used in our advantage again. She said you had to look for the scarf. That doesn’t mean we can’t come with you, it just means we can’t look for the scarf.�

Lily brightened up at once, but Diana had objections.

“Actually, she didn’t say Lily had to look for the scarf. If she had said that, we could have gone with her. But she didn’t, she said Lily had to find the scarf. So if we go with her, we practically have to wear blindfolds. Otherwise, we could find it by accident and thereby fail to follow the rules.�

Lily’s optimistic view of the whole thing disappeared immediately only to leave a dark cloud in her mind.

“That’s true. So I guess that means none of us can go with you,� Arietta agreed. Diana nodded.
“Yeah, so unless you want to explain to someone else who has nothing to do with this why they have to accompany you into the Forest, you’re practically on your own. And you have to bring a broom, because you can’t walk neither in nor out of the place,� Diana finished quietly, leaning conspiratorially over the table so Lily and Arietta could hear her.

Lily rested her head in her hands, thinking that this day was getting worse.

Suppose I’ll have to do it alone, then, she thought, glooming.

“Well, Lils, all you can do is to make sure you go in there prepared. I mean, check up on spells and hexes and what you might need. And once you’re in there, try summoning it, even though you don’t think it’ll work. It’s worth a try,� Arietta said consolingly. Lily sighed and nodded slightly. She suddenly realised how cheerful all the other students in the common room seemed to be. It was unfair they didn’t have to worry about getting caught on their way to the Forbidden Forest and potentially losing their Prefect’s Badge, not to mention actually walking blindly around in the forest until they found a bloody scarf. But then again, life never seemed to be quite fair. Not to anyone.

“So, who’s going first?� Diana asked, twirling her wand in her hands distractedly.

“Not me,� Lily mumbled, not feeling up to saying anything much. All she could think about was that she actually had to find a bloody scarf in the bloody Forest. She could end up dead! No, she reminded herself; she could always get on her broom and fly to the top of the trees, even though she wasn’t much for flying. But still, it was dangerous...

“I’ll go first then,� Diana volunteered, as no one else seemed to be willing to do so.

“What day?� Arietta enquired.

“How about doing it tonight?� Diana suggested, finally laying her wand on the table. Lily suddenly became very practical.

“No, tonight won’t do. It’s weekend and all the students are up late. It’s too easy getting caught. I’d say Monday is better. I have to do rounds in the evening then, so if you do it Monday, Ari can do hers Tuesday and I’ll do mine Wednesday. Then I have time to check up on some jinxes as well,� she said, sitting up straight in her chair.

Arietta nodded and Diana said, with an edge of finality in her voice, “Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday it is, then. I have to go and meet Charlie now, I promised him I would let him use my broom.� She stood up and headed towards the dormitories for her broom. Arietta found some chocolate and stared thoughtfully into the fire while eating it. Lily, however, was almost in shock. She couldn’t believe that she had to walk around in the forest on her own! She was positive that she was going to die.

I only have until Wednesday, she thought, all practicality leaving her, and her eyes slightly dazed. Wednesday I’m going on a stupid, unnecessary and completely dangerous mission. Wednesday I’m doomed…