Hogsmeade
- "Mum there's a Hogsmeade trip and I promised someone if I was feeling alright I'd meet them at the Three Broomsticks at twelve. Can I go?" -
Lily quietly opened the shed door open, feeling rather tired, but not sick, and saw her mother sleeping on the porch. With a guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach, she went over to shake Rachael awake. Reaching a hand out, she quickly pulled it away upon seeing what her hands looked like. It was a sickening sight. Her skin was peeling and bloody, her skin was discoloured and mangled. She now knew why she wore those bandages all the time. So, instead of waking her mother up, she went inside to put on some bandages, sparing herself and her mother from the gruesome sight.
When she came back outside, holding Nimbus back so he didn’t run out, she saw that she didn’t need to wake Rachael up. She was down by the shed, looking inside with a confused look on her face.
“I’m over here,” said Lily, waving to her mother.
Rachael turned around and smiled when she spotted her daughter standing on the porch steps, looking completely healthy, only a little tired. Lily went down the steps and asked her mother what the time was.
“Eleven thirty,” she answered, checking her watch.
“Oh,” said Lily quietly. “Mum, today there’s a Hogsmeade trip and I promised someone if I was feeling alright I’d meet them at the Three Broomsticks at twelve. Can I go?”
Rachael hesitated for a moment. She really didn’t want Lily to be going out after a full moon but, as she looked her daughter over, she saw that she looked perfectly fine. So she nodded in consent and Lily hurried down the path leading to the village. Lily ran fast, hoping that she had enough time to make it before Jacob thought she wasn’t going to show up. Luckily, as she was nearing the Three Broomsticks, she nearly knocked him over as he was about to enter the pub.
“Oh, sorry,” she said apologetically, stepping backwards.
“It’s okay,” he said, not sounding the least bit bothered “I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it.”
“I almost didn’t, I only woke up ten minutes ago.”
“Good timing,” he said approvingly. “Anyway, shall we go in, or somewhere else?”
“Somewhere else I guess; it’s not really that cold out anyway.”
They set off down the high street, with no particular destination in mind. They spent their time making small talk and going into various shops such as the post office, Honeydukes, Dervish and Banges. They spent the majority of their time in Zonko’s. They looked at the several pranking items, commenting that none of this stuff could be compared to the items at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes.
“Fred and George have more imagination than any of the people who own this shop,” Lily said as she picked up a biting teacup. “Did you see those daydreaming things?” Jacob nodded. “I used one in Ancient Runes last week,” he said, laughing. “The professor didn’t even notice.”
“I used one in History of Magic, not that it made a difference to how anyone looks in that class.”
“Yeah, you’d think the only class taught by a ghost would be interesting.”
They left Zonko’s, not having bought anything, and made their way towards the Shrieking Shack. Now an awkward silence had settled between them. They had had a lot to talk about in Zonko’s, but now neither of them seemed to know what to say to the other. They walked in silence up the street, stopping once in a while to hi to any of the students they met in their year.
“So,” said Jacob slowly. “What are you? Pureblood? Half-blood? Muggleborn?”
Lily thought for a moment, she wasn’t really quite sure actually. “I guess I’m a half-blood,” she said. “What are you when your dad’s a pureblood and your mum’s a half-blood?”
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’m a half-blood. Mum’s a Muggle and my dad’s a wizard.”
“Did she know that before they got married?”
“Yeah, she was fine with it though, thought it’d be more useful to get things done around the house.”
They made their way up towards the Shrieking Shack and admired it from the fence that surrounded it. The shack was old and rundown, the perfect place to hold Order meetings without being discovered. Trying thinking of something else to say, Lily blurted out,
“Are you named after anyone?” She didn’t know why she had asked, but she couldn’t think of anything else and the silence was bothering her.
Jacob also appeared to be shocked by the question, but he smiled and answered. “Nope,” he said. “My mum just said she always admired the name. What about you?”
“Yeah, my mum told me she named me after her friend from school “ Lily Evans, Harry’s mum.”
Snow had started falling, causing the air to become unbearably chilly.
“Want to go to the Three Broomsticks?” Jacob asked. “It’s getting kind of cold.”
Lily readily agreed and together the two trooped down towards the pub. When they entered they saw it was full to bursting with Hogwarts students, but they managed to find a table right in the centre where no one was sitting. Squishing their way through the crowd, they claimed the table just as Draco Malfoy was about to take it.
“So, I’ll get us some butterbeers, then,” Jacob offered, digging in his pocket for money. “On me,” he added when Lily started pulling some sickles out of her pocket.
She waited as Jacob went up to the bar and looked around the pub. She spotted her fellow Gryffindors, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, sitting with Padma Patil, Parvati’s twin sister. A few tables away from them were Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, talking to Terry Boot. Behind that table were Draco Malfoy (who had grudgingly taken the seat), Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise Zabini. She made a face at that group and turned to find Jacob had returned with two glasses of warm butterbeer.
“Thanks,” she said, accepting her mug.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, sipping some of his drink. “So, what’d you think about that lesson in Transfiguration where you had to change the colour of your eyes?”
“That wasn’t that hard,” Lily said, honestly she had found it quite easy.
“That’s only because you’re the best at Transfiguration in our year.”
“No I’m not, Hermione’s probably loads better.”
“Actually you get most of the stuff before she does; she even admits it.”
“Does she? She never bothered to mention it to me. Anyway… you’re not one to talk. I hear from Hermione that you can do Arithmancy so fast that it’s not even funny.”
“Yeah, well… it’s easy for me. My dad was really good at it when he came here. Guess I inherited it. Was your mum or dad really good at Transfiguration?”
“I don’t know really, my mum said her best was Defence Against the Dark Arts, and I never got to ask my dad.”
Jacob nodded, as everyone knew her father’s story. Then something hit her, why wasn’t he afraid of her if he knew her father was the infamous Sirius Black?
“Jacob,” she said slowly. “If you know who my dad is, why aren’t you scared of him? Everyone else is.”
“Well, because I believe you when you say he isn’t guilty. I mean the story makes sense when you really think about it. It’s easy for someone to get on as an unregistered Animagus and use it to escape death and go into hiding. Besides, why would you lie about it when already half the school was scared of you for being a werewolf?”
“I guess… but that’s another thing, you’re not scared of me for that either. I mean practically the entire school is.”
“Not really,” said Jacob, shaking his head. “Most people don’t care, or they know you too well to be scared. It’s mostly the Slytherins who use it to your disadvantage; I mean you saw what Malfoy did the minute he found out.”
Lily nodded grimly; she knew only too well what it felt like when she heard the howling that morning. They sat in silence for a while, sipping their butterbeers and gazing around the pub. It was emptying out now, as though snow was letting up, and the chatter was dying down. Lily fixed her attention on the group of professors that were standing outside the pub, one of them being Professor Snape. When he looked in the window he gave her a look that only matched the one Lily was giving him.
Jacob noticed her expression and looked to see what she was glaring at.
“Figures,” he said when he saw it was Snape. “He didn’t seem very happy the day you ‘disrupted’ his class. I had him the next period; he was giving us a hard time because of it.”
“Sorry about that,” Lily apologised. “But Snape should know people can’t help it when they have seizures… From what I’ve heard they’re supposed to be involuntary,” she added sarcastically.
“But you knew what was going on around you, didn’t you?” Lily nodded. “People usually don’t have that sense when they have seizures.”
“I know that, and that’s what makes it so weird. Dumbledore thinks it all stemmed from the last full moon, and I think he’s right. But I also think something else…”
“What?”
“No, you’ll think I’m overreacting. It’s stupid.”
“No I won’t.”
“Okay… well… the thing is… the day I took my Wolfsbane Potion before the full moon, I made Snape really mad. He was going on about how my entire family was one big joke and I exploded at him and McGonagall probably told him off for saying things like that to a student. So, I think maybe he tampered with it.”
Jacob was quiet as he mulled over what she had just told him. She was right in saying it seemed farfetched, but it also seemed very possible. There was something about Snape that made him seem like the type to tamper with a girl’s potion. He had been a Death Eater after all and had proven he was quite capable of such things. Then there was the fact that Professor Dumbledore trusted him and they owed Dumbledore their trust in his judgements. If Dumbledore trusted someone, they should too. Right now in this war, it didn’t seem like they could trust anyone.
Lily watched him as he thought over what she had told him. She knew he thought she was crazy for thinking in such a way, just by his expression, she could tell. When he next spoke, she was glad to hear that he thought just the opposite.
“That’s possible,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I mean, this is Snape we’re talking about.”
“But Dumbledore trusts him,” Lily moaned, a hint of defeat apparent in her voice. “I mean, even if I proved my theory no one would believe me, no one that mattered, that is. My friends would believe me, my mother would… but anyone who could stop him would think I was losing my mind. He’s a Hogwarts professor; they’re supposed to be trustworthy.”
“But look at the teachers we’ve had!” Jacob protested, hating the fact that Lily was bringing herself down in such a way. “Professor Quirrell had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head, Lockhart was a fake, Moody was a Death Eater in disguise and Umbridge didn’t want us to have a proper education. The only trustworthy Defence Against the Dark Arts professors we’ve had were Professor Lupin and Professor Westley. So you’re right in thinking like this.”
“Yeah but… Dumbledore’s always had this thing for trusting Snape.”
Jacob didn’t say anything in response to that, he merely looked around the pub and then at his watch. “We should be getting back to the castle,” he said, taking one last swig of butterbeer and standing up. “It’s getting late.”
Lily nodded and followed him out of the Three Broomsticks, back towards the castle. It was bone chillingly cold as they plowed through the snow that covered the cobblestone streets; they could see their breath as they breathed. They finally made it to the gates, only to be whacked in the back of the heads with snowballs. Swiftly looking around, they saw a group of Slytherins waving their wands and the snowballs were zooming at them. Getting a closer look at who the group was, they saw it was the typical group of seventh years; it didn’t surprise them in the least.
“Hey, Lawrence!” called Zabini, laughing as Jacob ducked as a snowball nearly hit him square in the face. “I thought you had better taste in girls! Why are you going around with this trash?”
“Probably for the same reason you and Bullstrode went to Hogsmeade together before Christmas!” Jacob yelled back, red in the face. “Least I have better taste,” he added, taking a snowball and chucking it towards Zabini. Ignoring the jeers and taunts that followed, they plowed on through the snow and up to the giant double doors, where they were glad to find themselves in the warm castle. It was dinnertime now and they made their way to the Great Hall. They stood to the side of the door and looked around uncomfortably.
“So,” said Jacob, wringing his hands as he glanced at his friends at the Ravenclaw table, who were watching him expectantly. “Did you have fun?”
“Yeah, loads of fun,” Lily replied, smiling.
“Good, I’m glad.”
He sighed uneasily and again glanced at his House table. “Well… see you in class then?”
“Yeah, I’ll help you whatever we’re doing,” Lily said smartly, earning herself a laugh from Jacob. She waited for him to leave so she could go and join her friends at the Gryffindor table. Before he left he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, his cheeks flaming red as he did so. Then he ran to join Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein, both of whom had wide eyes and their mouths were slightly open. That wasn’t anything compared to how Lily felt. She was completely shocked. She had not expected him to do that. They had only talked for an entire day and he had kissed her, even if it was just on the cheek; it was still surprising. She couldn’t blame Terry and Anthony for their reaction. Looking at the Gryffindor table and spotting Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting on the end, she saw that they, too, had seen what had just happened.
Her cheeks just as red as Jacob’s she made her way over to the table and sat down next to Hermione. Loading food on her plate and pretending to be far too immersed in her dinner to notice their looks, she looked up and imitated being surprised.
“Yes?” she said, placing her fork down.
“I take it you had fun?” asked Ron.
“Yeah… I did.”
“We saw you in the Three Broomsticks,” said Hermione in a business like fashion. “We were passing by, but didn’t go in.”
Lily nodded.
“So, that Jacob, he’s nice?” asked Harry, glancing over at the Ravenclaw table.
“Yeah, he’s really nice.”
“He doesn’t care about you being a werewolf or that your surname is Black?”
“No.”
“Harry, stop interrogating her,” said Hermione before Harry could get another question in. “He’s a good catch.”
Lily unexpectedly choked on the piece of steak she was chewing and, after recovering, looked at Hermione.
“C-catch?” she sputtered.
Hermione raised an eyebrow and looked at Lily strangely.
“Well, he kissed you,” she said, as though she was making perfect sense. “I thought it meant-”
“Look, it was an innocent thing… really… don’t make any more out of it than it already is.”
As the days wore on Lily began to wonder if she was underestimating the situation and that Hermione had the perfect measure of it. Jacob had been turning up everywhere she turned, even if it was just in passing as she went to Charms and he was heading down to Ancient Runes. She even managed to meet up with him as she was going down to Care of Magical Creatures and he was going to Herbology. He was a nice guy and all, but his presence was starting to make Lily feel uneasy. She had never been comfortable around boys who weren’t already her friends. During Transfiguration, he would ask her for help at least once in every class. He only stopped when he noticed how exhausted Lily seemed and realised he was becoming unbearable to her.
That really wasn’t the reason Lily seemed so tired. She had just woken up one morning, feeling like she had when she had the seizure, except no seizure followed. She had been going through her days a walking zombie, her eyes unfocused, her face pale, and her bones aching. She had to cancel Quidditch practise one time because she couldn’t even muster enough energy to get on a broom. The team strongly doubted if she would be able to play in the coming match in March. Even during the practises when she was able to fly around and play, she was flying terribly and when she shouted her calls her voice didn’t reach Ron at the opposite end of the pitch.
During Transfiguration, the day before their match against Ravenclaw, she was sitting on her desk with her face in her arms. She had completed the assignment and Professor McGonagall had seen how worn out she looked and told her if she really needed to she could take a nap during her class. Sleeping was useless, her body was tired, but her mind was awake. She knew she wasn’t going to be able to play in the match the next day, but she had to. She had already missed the last match; she couldn’t afford to miss this one. She didn’t care how nauseous she felt, or how much sweat had beaded up on her forehead from just sitting in a classroom.
“Are you okay?” Jacob asked, taking a seat beside her.
Lily raised her head off the desk and looked at him, not caring that she must have looked like a mess. He didn’t seem to care either though. “I’m sick,” she moaned miserably.
“What about the Quidditch match tomorrow? You’re not going to play are you?”
Lily shrugged. She wanted to play, but she knew if Madam Pomfrey caught her in this position than she wouldn’t be able to.
“Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing,” he suggested.
“No,” Lily said quickly. “I’m not that sick.”
“Who are you trying to kid? Look in the mirror, you’re really sick.”
“Look Jacob, I said I’m fine. I’ve just got a head cold or something.”
She was spared from answering another question as the bell as rung at the perfect time. She packed up her books as fast as she could and stormed out of the class, losing Jacob in the crowd and joining up with Harry, Ron and Hermione at the end of the hall. They walked up to the seventh floor to deposit their books in the common room and then went down to the Great Hall for dinner. As they were walking, Harry and Ron took this time to voice their opinions about Lily playing in the match the next day. It was an important match and they couldn’t risk anything happening, it was the game that decided if they would make it to the finals. Hermione, on the other hand, seemed more concerned with her friend’s health rather than Gryffindor’s chances of making it to the finals.
“Lily, just look at yourself,” she said, snatching up Parvati’s mirror when they reached the Great Hall. Lily glanced in it for a split second before sitting down at the table and closing the subject. She knew her friends were only concerned for her, but she couldn’t take it anymore. Their voices were like nails scraping on a blackboard and she just didn’t want to listen. Harry, Ron and Hermione dismissed the subject and ate dinner in silence.
Lily couldn’t eat though, just looking at the food make her stomach churn terribly. So she excused herself from the table and retreated to the dormitory. Her head felt like it would split in two as she walked up the stairs. She had felt fine for weeks and now all of the sudden she felt like garbage. She really was beginning to wonder if her theory was right, and when she had written to her mother about it, her mother agreed with her. In fact, she had already confronted Snape about it, but he had denied everything and acted as though she was losing her mind. She knew the idea seemed farfetched to most, but to her it was the answer to why she was so sick.
It had seemed to her that her sickness had gone into remission for the past few weeks, and she had been fine with that. It would buy her more time at least. Now it was back in full force and she was definitely getting the worst of it. This was what worried her, if this was its worst then wouldn’t that mean that the third solution to the problem would take place? It always went that way. First the victim would be incredibly sick and then they would just die in their sleep. It was this thought that scared her most, she didn’t want to go to bed one night and not wake up the next morning.
“Miss Black, may I talk to you for a moment?” Lily turned to see Professor McGonagall walking up the stairs behind her. Lily didn’t want to talk to the professor, she wanted to go and lie down, but she went with the professor anyway. Professor McGonagall led her down the third floor corridor towards the Transfiguration classroom. She gestured for Lily to sit down in one of the vacant desks and the professor took a seat at her desk.
“I don’t think you should play in the match tomorrow,” Professor McGonagall admitted.
“Professor, I’m fine,” Lily argued, even though she knew it was useless.
“No, you’re not. Ever since that full moon at the beginning of January, you have not been fit to play Quidditch. I’ve seen you during practises recently; you are in no condition to play.”
“Professor, I’m fine. I’ll be able to play!”
“Black, I am your head of house and therefore I am allowed to tell you when you can and cannot do things. This is one of them.”
Lily was quiet for a minute, thinking of any possible reason that she had to play. Then lightening struck… all of those new plays had come in handy after all.
“The team has all those new plays and stuff, no one else knows them except us,” she protested. “We can’t teach a different Chaser them in one night… we’ll lose!” She had done it; that was the clincher. Professor McGonagall wanted to win the cup just as bad as the team did; she didn’t want to lose. The corner of McGonagall’s mouth twitched as she thought the situation over. Lily knew she had gotten through just by how long it took before she received an answer.
“Fine,” the professor said. “You may play, but you must promise me that if you feel like something’s going to happen you will call a timeout.”
“I will. Thanks.”