The Rise And Fall Of The Stag And The Doe

Marching On

Dorcas Meadowes let out a loud sigh as she dragged Lily through the Leaky Cauldron to the alley behind it. "Would you move faster, Lils?"

"Why are you in such a rush?" Lily huffed as her short legs fought to keep up with Dorcas.

"I want to get my books, and get the hell out of this place. Every time I'm here I run into Amos Diggory, and if I see that smug bastard today, I might kill him."

Lily frowned as she tucked her wavy crimson hair behind her ears. "What did he do to you that made you hate him? You've never said."

"Let's just say he's an asshole and leave it at that," Dorcas responded briskly as they moved through the crowd.

Lily's frown deepened, but she didn't say anything. She'd been friends with Dorcas for years, but there was always this mysterious side to her. Though it didn't happen often, there were random times when she would know or say something that would throw Lily off and make her wonder where these things were coming from. Of course, Dorcas was more Marlene's friend and even she had trouble reading her, so Lily just figured it was the way Dorcas was.

As they walked, that thought made her incredibly sad. She was close to Marlene, Dorcas, Alice, and Mary, but none of them were her best friend. Marlene and Dorcas were best friends, and Alice and Mary were best friends, leaving Lily all on her own. When she was little, her sister was her best friend, but as soon as that relationship soured Lily became best friends with Severus…but now that didn't exist anymore either. It wasn't like she had a lot going on that required someone to fill the best friend position, but it still made her lonely. Quietly she trailed behind Dorcas as she raced through the street to get to the potions shop.

"Lily?" Dorcas paused and put her arm around Lily. "You okay? You look a bit peaky."

Lily ignored her stupid secure thoughts and smiled at Dorcas. "I'm fine. Let's go."

They spent around a half hour in the potions shop. After about five of those minutes, Dorcas had Lily laughing. And after ten minutes Lily forgot what she was upset about in the first place. By the time they went to the bookstore, they had already hit every other stop they needed, so they were both quite relaxed. Dorcas tipped her hat down on her curly brown hair. She wore shorts, heels and a muggle band t-shirt. Lily, who just wore some jeans and a tank top, wondered why Dorcas always felt the need to wear heels wherever she went. It seemed odd to Lily, but after a while she just figured that it was just another weird thing about Dorcas.

"Okay, you get the first half of our course books, and I'll get the second half. Deal?"

"Well, if we're doing it that way, I think we should make a bit of a sport out of it," Lily smirked, knowing she would win. "I mean, what's the incentive to rushing if we aren't meeting a goal?"

Dorcas rolled her eyes. "You and your 'goals'…fine. I'll play. What are the stakes, ginger?"

"I don't know. You're better at that part than I am."

"True…How about this? If I win, you have to do whatever I say for a day."

Lily tensed, and her eyes squinted as she felt this was a very large trap. "…Damn, D…You really went for the kill, didn't you?"

"I play to win. What do you want, Lil?"

"I want you to pay for my quills for a week."

Putting out her pale hand, she shook Lily's. "Deal, here's the line. Ready? Set? Go!"

Cheating slightly, Lily tried to trip Dorcas as she raced across the store. Laughing, Dorcas evaded Lily and bolted to the charms section. Running, Dorcas' curls bounced as she tried to move as fast and as carefully as possible without falling, which was a feat in three-inch heels. Just as she was about retrieve the last book and win world domination, she halted in hatred.