44 ~ It Started Again

A circle has no end

Lily's POV:

     "Very good, Miss Evans," Professor Heffordson praised me. I smiled, afterwards he continued making his rounds. Today we were practising nonverbal spells. The lesson was unusually quiet and Mare beside me was just managing to move a feather. For the nonverbal spells we had focused on very simple magic in order to get a feeling for it.     At least everyone was trying to get a feeling for nonverbal magic, except for Phil, because she was staring at her feather as though it were having a conversation with her inside her thoughts. In general, Phil had been absent-minded since this morning. It seemed to me that I had woken her from a nightmare, yet she had not wanted to talk about it.     Since the last full moon, Phil had seemed more thoughtful to me, although things between her and the Marauders had improved somewhat. Yes, I did not like the boys, but if Phil liked them, then she should. Likewise she should like Lestrange, even if something inside me tightened even more at that thought.

You were friends with Sev too, my conscience whispered and it was right. Yes, I had been friends with Sev. It still hurt that that friendship was over. But it was better that way.

     "Psst, Evans!" a voice demanded my attention.     I pretended not to hear Potter. However, he had a voice that caught in my ears. He repeated his words: "Evans, hey, Lily!" and at my name I looked up. To Potter I was still Evans.     Therefore I shot him a nasty look, afterwards I looked at the bespectacled boy. As always, the boys sat in front of us in Charms and Potter had tilted his head back. I caught sight of his brown eyes, my right eyebrow raised.     "What!" I hissed. He straightened up, then turned around.          "You look beautiful today."     Beside Potter, Black started grinning because he was watching his friend. Remus too, who for me would soon be Lupin again, wore a grin on his lips while the feather floated before him.     "Stop annoying me, Potter!"          "Since when is it annoying when I tell you that you look beautiful today? Don’t get it."     "When it’s during class."          "So I’m allowed to tell you again after the lesson?"     "No!" I replied sternly and hated my life since Sixth Year. It was obvious that Potter liked me, or wanted to get me into bed. I thought the second more likely.          "Okay, then I’ll keep it short," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and putting on a smug smile, "When Gryffindor plays against Hufflepuff on Saturday, will you cheer for me?"     I did not know what to answer to that, because on the one hand I would cheer for my House, but on the other not Potter personally.

Bloody hell, that grin is so annoying!

     Luckily for me I did not have to answer, because Phil’s feather suddenly moved upwards, then sank to the floor. Potter caught it above my head. He had stood up for it and looked at the feather, then at me.     "See, I saved your life, Evans, you have to thank me," Potter teased and beside him Black started laughing. Likewise a certain Remus Lupin was amused and his eyes sparkled. In that moment I realised again that since this year Remus found his friends even funnier than usual.

Yes, a fine prefect.

     "A hero wouldn’t expect thanks, otherwise he wouldn’t be a hero," I hissed, snatched the feather from Potter’s hand and placed it in front of Phil. Her blue eyes observed the situation, but she turned her attention back to her brown feather.     "I just like saving pretty girls," Potter said and this time Remus burst out laughing, causing his friend to shoot him a sidelong glance, though Remus calmed down immediately. Phil’s gaze, however, had lifted at Remus’ laughter.     Luckily for me Professor Heffordson rescued me, because he suddenly stood in front of James Potter’s desk. The annoying boy had his back turned to him.     Therefore the professor cleared his throat and Potter turned around, though before that he shot me a disgusting wink.          "Yes, Sir, Professor?"     Heffordson replied dryly: "If you have enough time to speak with your neighbours, then you will surely be able to give me a demonstration of a nonverbal spell, Mister Potter, or am I mistaken?"     "No, you are not mistaken, Professor," Potter answered far too confidently and raised his wand, afterwards he performed the wand movement. In the next moment the feather lifted up. The Gryffindor moved it through the air.

Yes, I do not understand myself why Potter can always do everything.

     "Nevertheless, you should concentrate on the lesson," Heffordson said, afterwards he disappeared and thankfully Potter left me alone for the rest of the lesson. From the girls I still received pitiful looks, although Alice was staring at a certain Longbottom far too much, so I kicked her beneath the table.      Yes, since the beginning of Sixth Year she had not run him over again, nor told him that she thought he was handsome, but nothing more had happened either. At least I believed that Longbottom wanted to speak to her about it. He kept trying to talk to her, yet Alice had fled, several times. I hoped something would happen between the two of them, even if the girls and I would have to help along.

Phil's POV:

     After Charms, later in the day we still had two hours of Potions and my mind had not been present. Luckily Slughorn had only done theory at the beginning, nevertheless the recent events during full moon were confusing me. Today I had had a nightmare about my father. Now I wondered whether I was making the biggest mistake by telling no one.     In the Forbidden Forest, near Hogwarts, with innocent children around, I had seen my father. A murderer and psychopath, werewolf. What had I done?

I have done nothing...

     With those thoughts I ran a hand through my face and felt like shit. Somehow I had to think about the argument I had had with the Marauders when they had called me naive. I was not naive, however, because I knew that it was the wrong decision. I still did it, so what did that make me? Was I simply stupid?     I did not know.

     "Phil!" came alarmingly and someone grabbed my hand in order to stir my cauldron with it. I had been stirring absent-mindedly because the potion required constant stirring while boiling. Apparently it had just been boiling over. Well, almost, because Remus had been the one to pull me out of the world of my thoughts. In that moment he stirred. His hand enclosed mine, the potion foamed.     Instead of concentrating on the potion, I had to look at our hands. Briefly my mind considered pulling my hand away. But because I would have tipped over the cauldron by doing so, I did not. Strangely enough, the fear of the touch disappeared as well.     I was too tired to think about it. For that reason I let him control my hand. Once my potion had calmed down, Remus let go of me again.          "That was close," he stated.     "Thanks," I replied quietly and once more ran a hand through my face.          "Everything okay?" Remus asked beside me and the other Marauders looked up as well. They quickly looked away again and acted as though the few arm lengths between us made it impossible for them to listen to the conversation.     "I'm tired," I explained with a shrug and it was the truth; I had not slept well.     After my words faded away, I examined my potion. Remus had stepped in just in time. It would not become outstanding anymore.Remus did not answer my words and was probably thinking about a reply, but James Potter had a reply, even if it was a stupid one: "Sleeping helps against tiredness."     Emotionlessly I looked at him and no longer wanted to endure the last twenty minutes of class.

What have I done to deserve sitting beside them?

     "Would never have thought of that myself, thanks," I replied sarcastically and looked into brown eyes. Those eyes realised that my words had carried sarcasm, then danced in the eye sockets intended for them.     Meanwhile I took care of my potion and one could read the question Remus wanted to ask, but did not. He wanted to ask me why I had slept badly, but he did not know whether I had forgiven him enough for him to even receive an answer. He would not have received one.     For that reason he said nothing. For the rest of the lesson I took care of my potion, then handed Slughorn a vial of it for grading.     "Do not forget, those of you who are in my club, that we are meeting on Friday evening!" Slughorn made clear, but I did not care. I strolled towards my table where an immature Sirius Black had just shot his friend Potter with a wet cloth.

Yes, I do not have to understand it...

     Namely, Slughorn was not allowing us to use our wands for tidying up, which was no wonder considering the strange preserving jars on the walls.          "Black, Potter!" came immediately because of it, "You are young men, behave like it!"     Naturally they did not, and when Potter tried to shoot Black, the latter dodged. The wet cloth flew against Slughorn, into his face.It made a loud splat and among the girls I saw Lily press a hand over her mouth. Shocked, I stared at Slughorn as the cloth slid down from him. The Slytherins too observed the situation with tense curiosity because Slughorn appeared speechless.     He looked at the two Gryffindors, who were now standing side by side with their hands behind their backs. Black had to suppress a laugh and Potter was likewise trying to appear guilty. Slughorn simply looked too funny, even his cheeks had turned threateningly red.     "Forty point-"          "Forty?!" Black asked in disbelief.     "Fifty points from Gryffindor," Slughorn corrected himself.     When it looked as though Black was about to answer something, Potter stepped on his foot and both apologised. Meanwhile I went back to the table where Remus and Pettigrew were holding back laughter.     No idea why the four of them were in such a good mood today.

     After Potions my day was finally over. At least as far as lessons were concerned and only for me. The girls and the others still had classes. I would be going to bed.     "You look tired," a voice beside me sounded, belonging to Elizabeth. I knew that she was free now.She walked beside me and then I received a chocolate bar. Yes, I did not understand what that was about either. Nevertheless I accepted the chocolate because firstly I did not know whether I was allowed to refuse it and secondly because I liked chocolate.          "I'm tired too," I answered the Slytherin, "that’s why I’m going to my bed now."     "Shame, I thought we could terrorise the castle together now," the girl beside me said in a mysterious tone, but she did not seem to have a problem with me wanting to go to my dormitory now. She could not say anything more either because we were greeted by the lovely Marauders, namely by Black’s voice: "I wouldn’t take that way," he said when we stood at a fork. One way went straight ahead, the other to the right.     The boys had suddenly appeared in the corridor to the right. Black leaned against the wall. Potter stood beside Remus and Peter. Together they examined us.     "Should I be afraid of a corridor now?" Elizabeth asked, crossing her arms over her chest, "Come on, Phil."     We started moving and I looked at her alarmed.

This is revenge for our prank and we are walking straight into it...

     I told the black-haired girl beside me exactly that and she stopped. We had moved some distance away from the boys and when I looked over my shoulder, I could no longer spot them. So the trap was still a bit further away.          "Where’s the nearest secret passage?"     Now I understood; Elizabeth wanted to go around the traps. Perhaps the boys would then think their prank was broken and walk into it themselves.          "And what if the trap is exactly inside the secret passage?" I asked, but Elizabeth waved it off.     "How often have the stupid Marauders seen you using secret passages?" she raised an eyebrow and she was right. Only the girls knew that I explored the castle during summer.     For that reason I then pointed at a tiny portrait on the wall. It was so small that it resembled a shaft, though later it became a corridor.     "The brainless idiots won’t know that one," Elizabeth said when I showed her the tiny shaft. She climbed inside first, then I did, pulling the portrait shut behind me.     We crawled forwards and then Elizabeth suddenly fell in front of me in the darkness. I had forgotten to tell her that it went steeply downhill.          "Sorry..." I mumbled because of it and reached the bottom without falling.     "Lumos," she said and we had light, "Yeah, the boys definitely won’t know this passage," she repeated. The opening was far too small, meaning the boys could get stuck.     I agreed with Elizabeth and together we continued walking.

What if there is no trap at all and the boys are only playing with our minds?

     But that question answered itself when we came out of the passage. Another portrait swung aside and we found ourselves at the end of the corridor the boys had not recommended.     "They won’t only have one trap..." Elizabeth muttered, "Probably another one in the corridor where they were standing, and a few more besides, but look at that."     The Slytherin had gone back down the corridor and discovered something. I saw it too; small green glands had been attached to the walls and ceiling. Hidden so well that one could only see them from this side.     "Zonko’s slime glands," Elizabeth explained with a shrug, "Let’s go."     So we did and no longer bothered with the stupid prank of the Marauders. Only once we had moved away did a scream sound out. It very much sounded as though the boys had walked into their own trap while checking it for flaws. Yes, wonderful.