Lily Evans and the Marauder's Secrets

Chapter 13: Sneaky

After Charms on Thursday, Emmeline and I plan to head outside to study. We'd moved onto the Protective Charms unit in class today and Emmeline was having a spot of trouble, so I offered to give her a few pointers since we both had a free period next.

As we're packing up to go, Emmeline asks Alice if she wants to join us.

"Oh, umm, no. I have... erm... well, Professor Sprout's expecting me in the greenhouses, so I suppose I will just see you at dinner." She whisks out the door without looking at me once.

"You guys still haven't made up?" Marlene asks, coming up, bag slung loosely over her shoulder.

"I don't know what you mean," I say lamely. Alice and I have been perfectly civil to each other since Tuesday night, speaking politely when required and sitting on either side of Emmeline and Marlene at meals.

"C'mon, Lils," Marlene says. "We're not stupid. You and Alice can barely stand to look at each other."

"Yes, that, and Alice told us the two of you had a bit of a row the other night." Emmeline says as we head out into the hallway.

"And I suppose you two agree with Alice, right? Snape deserved it and Potter was justified?" I say grumpily.

Emmeline bites her lip but Marlene just shrugs. "James was an idiot. Snape's an idiot," she says. "The way I see it, they kind of balanced each other out."

Emmeline laughs but I just walk along in disgruntled silence. Marlene rolls her eyes. "Calm down, Lily. The point is, we're not taking sides. And you shouldn't be so mad at everyone. We're all friends here."

"Hmph," I say, although it would be nice to not be so mad at everybody, if only because it would make my classes less uncomfortable. Alice and I have nearly every class together, and while we've continued to sit by each other out of habit, we avoid each other's eyes and only speak if we have to. And Potions yesterday...! Potter was supposed to have been my buffer from Severus, and now I wasn't talking to him either! I deliberated in the dungeon doorway about where to sit for a very long time. In the end, I'd deemed Potter the lesser of two evils – barely – and plunked down into a seat at his table again. But I'd crushed his momentary look of hopefulness when he opened his mouth to greet me by snapping, "Don't talk to me." His mouth snapped shut and we spent the next two hours in absolute silence while I tried to pretend not to notice Severus's devastated expression.

"Well, I'll take sides, and I think what James did was fantastic," someone says from behind us.

I turn to scowl at Carol as we all walk onto the grounds through the front door. "No one asked you."

She shrugs. "Just thought you could use another opinion. Maybe your poor muggle-born addled brain couldn't tell, but James's charm was very impressive. Doubt you could pull off something like that."

"Just because I don't go around hexing people doesn't mean I can't," I say. "And you're giving me quite the strong desire to try. Better leave before I show you how much better than Potter I could do."

"Whatever, Lily," Carol says, but she does break away from us, heading for a group of other seventh year girls chattering together near the lake.

"Would you really hex her, Lily?" Marlene says, her eyes sparkling. "Because if you really are going to, please please please make sure I'm there to see it."

"One of these days, I really might," I say. "Right around the same time I'm ready to turn my Head Badge back in to Dumbledore."

Emmeline gives Marlene a side-long look. "Are you joining us for Charms practice, Marlene?"