The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

About Bleeding Time

About Bleeding Time

On the way down to breakfast in the Great Hall, Meg Johnson pushed past Lily in the corridor, McKenna, Carly, and Annalee close to her side, Annalee glaring back at Lily with a sneer as they went.

"Do you know what's wrong with your sister? She was glaring at me this morning for no reason." Lily asked Marlene McKinnon when she and Emmaline Vance ran into her on the fifth floor landing, where the Ravenclaws and Gryffindor paths merged.

Marlene raised an eyebrow, "You haven't heard."

"Heard what?"

Marlene looked at Emmaline.

Emmaline said, "Meg Johnson and James Potter broke up."

Lily tried very hard to keep her face straight. "Why's that?"

Emmaline's voice lowered, "They were fooling around, if you know what I mean, and -- and he said your name instead of hers."

Lily's mouth twitched as she held it as straight as she could. "He... he did, did he?"

"That's what Meg told Annalee, who told me," Emmaline said. "Yesterday morning."

In the Great Hall, Frank waved for Lily to sit with him and Alice at the end opposite of where Meg and the other girls were and Ali whispered, "Did you hear?"

"Marlene and Emmaline have just told me," Lily replied.

Alice raised an eyebrow at Lily suggestively as Frank grinned at her, too.

"What?" Lily asked.

"Are you going to talk to him about it?" Alice pressed.

Lily said, "Talk to who? To James?"

"Of course James!" Alice replied.

Lily flushed, "I doubt very much that James Potter will want to discuss such a thing."

"Lily, don't be an idiot! He loves you."

Lily busied herself by smearing jam upon toast to avoid Alice's stare.

"And I know you like him."

Lily looked up, a flicker of panic in her eyes. "Shut it. I don't. I - I don't."

Frank snorted as Ali smirked. "C'mon Lily, even I know you do!" Frank said.

"Even a blind man can see it," Andy Woodhouse intoned from the other side of Frank with a smirk.

Frank grinned and thumped Andy on the back, "You bleeder," he laughed, "Always with the blind jokes."

Andy grinned.

Lily's face was hot. "You're mental, the lot of you."

Alice nudged Lily, her eyes sparkling, "C'mon, Lil. Just admit it that you like him."

Lily stared at her food as Alice continued to prog and persist and finally, unable to take anymore, Lily hissed, "Okay. So I like him. I like James Potter! So what?"

A look of surprised triumph flickered over Alice's face. "Wow," she said, "You've actually said it."

"Yes, I actually said it, are you happy now?" Lily asked.

Alice's smile grew, "Yes, actually, I am quite happy about it."

"About bleeding time," agreed Frank.