Thicker than Water (Marauders Era)

9 May, 1978 - Bell Tower

The first week of May passed relatively uneventfully and as the second week progressed, several things happened in a short space of time that left Lavinia somewhat baffled about how quickly her life had turned around. Not that everything was perfect, not by a long shot. She still heard whispers down the halls, though they were somewhat dimmed as everyone focused on the approach of exam season. She still had fresh cuts, but they were fewer and farther between. And her old worries were now compounded by the realization that she didn't know where she was going to go after Hogwarts. She didn't know the first thing about living on her own because she'd never had to worry about such things and she honestly didn't know who to ask.

The only part of her life which she had even slightly together was in the application she had sent to St. Mungos. She hadn't heard back, something that was causing her additional stress because even that small ambition seemed to be in limbo right now. She still hadn't told anyone either, mostly out of fear of rejection, she supposed. She didn't want to deal with anyone's pity on top of her own disappointment if they denied her outright. Which she honestly thought they might. She didn't know if her mother's sphere of influence extended as far as the hospital's board of directors.

Otherwise, however, things continued much as usual. Lavinia spent her time in classes or studying, often joined by Remus or Evans. The latter of the two was usually silent, which Lavinia didn't mind. It was strange enough that Evans even sat at the same table as Lavinia did, though she supposed it might have been in part because Lavinia always snagged a table towards the back of the library by a window so it was quiet and peaceful and by all accounts one of the best places to do homework. Still, Evans joined her more and more often.

And that was the first thing that made Lavinia wonder at how fast things had changed. Evans was being friendly with her. And Lavinia, though she couldn't entirely explain why, was being friendly back. They exchanged pleasantries and on occasion even complained about teachers. Evans, it turned out, was willing to be surprisingly cheeky for someone Lavinia had always thought was a bit of a teacher's pet. Not that she herself was one to talk.

One day, much to Lavinia's surprise, Evans even sat next to her in Potions, though she insisted it was just because the other seats were full. Lavinia hadn't said anything and had decided to ignore the empty seat next to Greta Catchlove in the back row. Oddly, Slughorn didn't comment on it either, for all that he commented on seemingly everything. But perhaps that was simply because he was oblivious by nature and probably thought that they were friends by default due to their participation in the Slug Club, which was most certainly not the case. Lavinia had just never been overtly rude to Evans in front of Slughorn because she knew better than to insult his favorites within his earshot.

But whether Slughorn was surprised or not, it was a strange thing to everyone else, this odd relationship that had sprung up between Lavinia and Evans. Neither of them said much to the other and what conversations they did have never lasted more than perhaps five minutes. But there was something almost like solidarity between them. Of everyone Lavinia knew, she supposed Evans was most likely to understand what it was like to be hissed at as she went about her day. She herself had been part of the insults Evans had experienced, which made it even stranger that the other girl lent Lavinia her silent support.

'Uncommonly kind,' was what Lupin had called Evans when Lavinia had mentioned this strange new phenomenon to him and she had silently agreed. It made her feel even worse that she'd treated Evans as poorly as she had in the past. But, then, she supposed, the only thing to do about that was make it up to her. Which was why Lavinia, without any comment at all, silently offered Evans access to the stacks of books she herself used for her homework, the result of years of combing the library for extra resources in a desperate bid for top marks. And just as Lavinia never said anything about Evans's company, so Evans never spoke about Lavinia quiet offers.