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White Tulips by Mandarina Ballerina
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White Tulips

Mandarina Ballerina

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed, so nothing's mine 'cept for the plot and my characters. Kay.

Chapter Eight: Hogsmeade and The Letter
(Chapter's song: 'Amie' by Damien Rice)

"You guys are the weirdest people that I've ever met," said Kate.

Remus shrugged. "We get into the weirdest scenarios possible… I'm starting to think that Sirius has been paying people to do these things to us."

Textbooks, parchments and quills lay forgotten on the coffee table in front of us. Kate, Remus and myself have long since lost the momentum to finish our homework before the weekend began, so we decided to get ready for bed and then come back down to talk.

"You guys are inbloodysane," said Kate, curling up into a tighter ball.

"Seriously Kate. I can make a potion for you really quickly. It'll hardly take any thought," I said sympathetically.

"No it's okay. Just let me wallow in my misery," said Kate. She lay curled up in a ball on the couch with the hood of her sweatshirt up over her head and drawn tight, only showing her face and obscuring her hair.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Remus, getting up to prod the fire.

"Just the worst cramps known to mankind," wailed Kate.

Remus slipped and the log that he was holding in between the fire tongs fell. The part of the rug near the fireplace promptly caught fire.

"Fucking hell Kate! Was that absolutely necessary?" said Remus, jumping out of the way of the flames and extinguishing it with his wand. "What the hell is wrong with the two of you?" he asked.

The entire situation in front of us was just too much to handle. I mean, come on. My best friend just announced to the entire population of bloody Scotland that she has her period and is suffering from world-dominating cramps and one of our male friends freaked out, dropped a log and set the place on fire. It's enough to drive anyone to hysterical laughter. Especially when you're bored and delirious with exhaustion.

"You…rug…FIRE! HAHAHA!" giggled Kate, her entire body shaking with laughter. With a loud thud, she rolled off of the couch, bringing several throw pillows and a lamp crashing down with her.

"Kate!" I shrieked, laughing harder and peaking out from the hole of my throw rug-turned-shawl. I fell over and clutched my sides, aching from the absurdity of this entire ordeal.

My laughter slowly died down and I felt a cool, soothing sensation overcoming my senses, allowing me to sit up properly and remove my throw rug-turned-shawl.

I took a deep shuddering breath and looked at Remus. "What'd you do to us?"

"I placed a sedative charm on the both of you. Now, if you're quite done, I'd like to get back to normal conversation," huffed Remus, sitting back in his armchair.

Kate nodded vigorously, her blonde ponytail bobbing up and down as she tucked her legs under her. We didn't dare to make eye contact, otherwise we'd both end up tied to spits and roasting over the common room fire.

"Tell us another story," I said eagerly, settling myself back into the couch.

Remus brought his hand over his eyes and sighed. "Alright, fine," he said. He breathed in and then sat up straighter.

"So we were all at the Potters' house the summer after first year. James's dad was at work and his mum was somewhere in the house tending to one matter or another. James decided that it would be a good idea to go into his father's study and to look for things that could potentially tell us about all of the secret passageways at Hogwarts. Now, at that time, Peter, Sirius and myself, well, pretty much just Peter and I, were pretty intimidated by Morgan-"

"Who?" I asked.

"James's dad."

"Ah. Carry on."

"Right. So the three of us waited in Prongs's room while he searched the office. The next thing that we knew, James sprinted into his room stark naked and began to tackle Sirius."

Kate spit out the hot chocolate that she had just sipped. "I beg your pardon?"

"James, as naked as God made him, ran into the room and started tackling Sirius. Then he turned and went to the bed where I was and began jumping up and down. I swear to you, it was all a haze of jiggling parts and things flapping in the breeze…." broke off Remus, a look of nausea and disgust on his face suggesting the affect on his psyche of the painful images caused by this particular recollection.

"What happened to him?" asked Kate from the floor, from where she had fallen once again. I didn't bother to repair the lamp. I knew that it'd end up broken again anyway.

Remus shrugged. "Apparently one of the books released some powder or something in James's face when he opened it and he had an allergic reaction. Hence the streaking… and jiggling. Oh bloody hell. I don't know why I told you that story. I had to fucking relive it in my head." Remus shuddered.

A creaking over by the corner alerted us to someone entering the common room.

"I swear to god, if I have to see my name on one more trophy that needs polishing, I'll just resign from Quidditch to save myself the time," said James, stomping into the common room. He headed over to where I sat and promptly plopped down onto the couch.

"James, are you alright?" I asked, fighting to keep a straight face.

"Er… yes. Why?" said James, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes.

"Because it seems to me that you had an allergic reaction," I said.

Kate snorted and we caught each other's eye and jumped up. We began to shake our butts and then jump on the couch, chanting 'NAKED RUN! NAKED RUN!'

"Oh sweet Jesus," moaned Remus, dropping his head into his hands.

"SHUT UP!" roared James, red in the face. He pelted pillows at Kate and I and the impact of them caused us to crash into each other and fall off the couch.

"Ow…" I said. I wasn't as lucky as Kate who landed on the ricocheted pillows and instead I landed on the coffee table on top of our books and quills.

All of a sudden, I saw three faces hovering over me.

"Good job, you fucking idiot," said Kate, smacking James over the head.

"Oh my god, Lily I am so so sorry. I didn't think that you'd fall off the couch," said James, his face white.

"I don't think I can move," I said in a tiny voice.

"Okay, Lil. This is what we're going to do. On the count of three, I'm going to lift you up and then put you on the couch. Then we'll roll you over so that you're face down and I'll take a look at your back. Is that okay?" asked Remus.

"Uh huh," I said, blinking dazedly at him.

"Okay. One. Two. Three," said Remus, picking me up like a rag doll. I took a second to appreciate how comfortable I was in Remus's arms and how easily he picked me up. "Okay, now I'm going to flip you over. Alright, let's take a look," said Remus, once I was on my stomach. He lifted up my shirt and began to run his hands down my back.

I shivered. "Whoa there. What are you doing, Happy Hands?" I asked, but my eyes were involuntarily closing.

"I'm checking to see if you've broken anything," said Remus. "Do you moisturize?" he asked offhandedly.

I nodded.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Remus stopped.

"Well?" asked James, with a little too much aggression.

Remus ignored it. "Nothing's broken or misplaced. I felt some swelling down by the lower back, but with ice and a salve it won't be a problem tomorrow."

He Summoned something and began to rub it into my back and the pain immediately began to ebb away to a dull throbbing. I sat up and he handed me an icepack to put on my back.

"Thanks, love," I whispered softly and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Remus nodded. "Anytime."

"Well," I said, turning to Kate and James. "I'm going to go to bed now. Have a long day of shopping ahead of me. Cheers."

Kate followed me, but not before shooting a suspicious look at me and Remus. As we turned at the division between the boys' and girls' dormitories, I heard James's low voice and paused.

"Moony. We have to talk. Now."

"Oh, I'm so excited! Second Hogsmeade weekend!" said Sophie happily, bouncing up and down.

"But I have to do all of my shopping. Oy. Okay, wait let me just run through this quickly before we all run off and meet boys. So Sophie, you're going to Switzerland over holidays, Grace, you're going to Russia, Kate's staying in England, and Georgie's going to Indonesia. Am I right?" I asked.

Grace shook her head. "Change of plans. Mum says we're going to Ecuador instead. Hell, I don't care how much I was looking forward to Russia. It's too bloody cold out there."

"Okay. Alright then. Now I know what to buy for everyone," I said, nodding my head.

In a matter of about a minute, all of my friends left me alone in the Entrance Hall, all going to their respective dates or boyfriends.

"Hey Lily."

I spun around and saw James standing in front of me, looking sheepish. I looked over his shoulder and saw Remus, Sirius and Peter standing together, Sirius talking to Remus, who had a sour look hardening his features.

"Hi," I said coolly and crossed my arms.

James ruffled the back of his hair and I tried to not wince. "Listen, I'm really sorry about last night. I really didn't mean to hurt you."

I shrugged. "That's fine. Accidents happen," I said, a little more softly. Behind him, James friends were staring at us with hopeful looks on their faces. When they realized that I caught them staring at me, they quickly looked away, shoved their hands into their pockets and promptly began to whistle.

"Anyway," said James a little nervously.

I raised an eyebrow. He isn't… Oh god. No. He better not do it…

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me," said James quickly, looking anywhere but at me.

I closed my eyes briefly. Damn it. "James," I said softly. His head shot up and he looked at me with the most hopeful look in his eyes, but it was gone in a flash. "I'm really sorry. I really am. But… I'm already going with someone."

"Oh," said James. I felt horrible. I felt like I'd just kicked a puppy. "Oh," said James again. "Who are you going with, then?"

I waved my hand, dismissing the query. "That doesn't matter. But I'll find you around three and we'll have a butterbeer-"

"Hey Lil. Are you ready? Oh, hey Potter," said Nate, coming and wrapping his arm around my waist.

Shit. Shit! Oh God, I feel so horrible.

"Ford," said James, nodding his head stiffly in acknowledgment. He looked at me with something like… betrayal in his eyes? What the fuck… "I'll see you later, Lily," he said softly and began to walk back to his friends, who didn't bother to hide their looks of disgust.

"James! Three o' clock. I'll be there, I promise," I called after his back.

"What was that about?" asked Nate, as he guided me out the doors and to the carriages.

I turned around and saw the silhouettes of the Marauders, still in the castle. James was shaking his head and Peter patted him on the back. "Nothing," I said, my heart sinking. "Just a-a Potions project that we have to do," I lied.

"Ah, yes. The infamous McDougal projects. Good luck with those, love," said Nate, shaking his head as our carriage rumbled down the road.

When we got to Hogsmeade, the wind had picked up and the temperature dropped enough to make a noticeable difference. I popped the collar of my jacket up against the cold and tied my hair back.

"So. Where to first?" asked Nate, looking around.

"Okay, after I buy this present, I'm done," I said as we waited in the checkout queue.

"But you didn't buy anything for your friends," said Nate.

I shook my head. "I always get them Muggle gifts. Kate has a bona fide shoe fetish, Grace and Georgie are both going to warm places and Sophie's going skiing. I'm going to contact my grandmother and ask her to buy stuff for Grace and Georgie, since they're leaving the day we get off and I won't be able to spare Oleander for such a long time."

"What are you getting them?" asked Nate curiously, as we moved along in the queue.

"Some really nice Muggle stuff. See, when you're related to a socialite as well connected as my grandmother is, you only have to pay like a third of the actual price of the stuff. So that's why I can get them expensive presents for their birthdays and things without them feeling guilty for getting such nice gifts. They know that I don't have to pay regular prices and that it costs me the same amount a suitable magical gift would cost me. So really, no foul no harm, hm?"

When it was my turn, I promptly paid the salesgirl, had her gift wrap it and continued on my merry way outside.

"So where to next?" asked Nate.

I looked at my watch. 2:34. "Well, we're both done and I don't have to be anywhere just yet, so you want to just hang out somewhere?"

Nate's entire face lit up. "Yeah, sure. Come on."

Nate took my hand and began leading me down High Street, away from the busy road. "Are you warm enough there? That jacket doesn't look quite toasty enough."

"No, I'm perfectly fine. I've got my hat and scarf and you, and that's more than I can ask for," I said, smiling.

Nate grinned and kissed the top of my head. "I'm really glad that you agreed to spend the day with me, Lil. We haven't really been able to speak since… the last time that we saw each other."

I nodded and looked down. The last time that we really got to talk was the day that I broke up with him. I closed my eyes at the memory and Nate put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. I really appreciate how we made it so that things aren't awkward between us. I mean, we're just here as friends. Yeah. Two friends shopping in Hogsmeade together.

In a couple of minutes, we walked into a quiet little coffee shop that we discovered when we were still together and sat down on the floor in the corner, putting our purchases in a collective bunch on the end of the futon.

"Do you remember when we first found this place?" I asked nostalgically, leaning my head against Nate's shoulder.

Nate laughed softly. "It was sometime around the end of last year and we had to run away from your crazy friends."

"And we've been coming here ever since," I said, looking up at him.

Nate looked down and smiled and my stomach fluttered.

The next thing I knew, Nate's lips were on mine and his coat found its way off of his shoulders.

"Lily, I really miss you," said Nate hoarsely as I kissed his neck.

"I know, me too," I said, trailing kisses along his jaw.

"Do you want to get back toge-?" asked Nate.

I nodded and grabbed his lips in a kiss. I opened my eyes briefly and caught a glimpse of the face of my watch. 2:56.

I broke away from Nate and began to bundle up to go back outside. "Shit, I have to go."

"You have to go? Where?" asked Nate dazedly, reaching out and pulling me back to him. "Why?"

"I promised James that I'd meet him at 3-"

"James? You're going to meet Potter right now? Can't it wait or be rescheduled or something?"

I shook my head and stood up. "Love, I really have to go. I'm sorry."

"Wait. You're leaving me to go to Potter."

"I'm sorry. Did I stutter?"

"Lily, you can't!" said Nate angrily.

"Why the hell not?" I said, anger flaring up inside of me.

"Because you're going out with me."

I snorted. "That's a lame response. James and I are just friends, nothing more than that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late."

I ran out of the coffee shop and sprinted all the way to the Three Broomsticks, found an empty booth and slid into it. Thank god James isn't here yet. I have a feeling that he definitely would've killed me if I was late.

A couple of seconds later, Sirius slid into the seat across from me, his cheeks rosy and his eyes light blue and glowing. I'll never understand his eyes. While they're always blue, they range from the palest shades to the darkest ones.

"Hey there, little lady," said Sirius smoothly. "Good day shopping?"

I smiled. "Hey. Yeah, it was good. And you?"

"It was bitchin'," he said enthusiastically. He looked around and then smiled. "Rosie, can we have two butterbeers, please?" he asked, touching the bartender's arm.

"Of course, Siri. Just call me if you need anything else."

I raised an eyebrow. "'Siri'?"

Sirius shrugged. "I come here a lot. And Peter thinks that she has a crush on me, but really I think that it's Remus that she fancies."

"Here you are," said Madam Rosmerta, coming back.

Sirius watched her click away in her sparkling turquoise heels. "She wouldn't be a bad catch, I'll say."

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway. Is James coming?" I asked, taking a sip of my butterbeer. Aaah. Warm, buttery goodness.

"Ah, yes. Yes, James is indeed coming. He said to go and meet you here and tell you that he'll be running a little late, as he was stuck in a monstrously long queue. What?" asked Sirius, setting his tankard down.

I giggled. "You have just a bit of a foam mustache going on there. I rather like it."

Sirius wiped his mouth and raised an eyebrow, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Are you… flirting with me, Miss Evans?"

I leaned forward and dramatically looked to my right then to my left, mock-checking to make sure that no one was watching or listening. "I believe I am, Mr. Black. Got a problem with it?" I replied in a whisper.

Someone cleared his throat to my right and Sirius and I sat back.

"Alright. I'm going to leave you two alone. I see someone who looks like they need talking to," said Sirius, getting up.

James slid into the recently occupied seat and we both watched Sirius Black saunter over to Georgie, kiss her cheek and sit down across from her. I made a mental note to talk to her about her date and then looked up at James.

His electrifying eyes latched onto mine and without breaking eye contact, he signaled for another butterbeer.

"Here you are, JP. Just the way you like it," said Madam Rosmerta, popping up a second later.

"Thanks," said James, still staring at me.

I stubbornly stared back, but mostly out of curiosity. What, does he think that he's going to pull a Jedi mind trick or something?

"May I ask why we're having a staring contest? My eyes are starting to sting," I said, breaking the silence.

James smiled. "I just love looking at your eyes. They're… mesmerizing," he said, his own eyes twinkling in an all too attractive way.

"James, I… Nate and I got back together," I blurted out. My eyes widened. Oh my god. I didn't mean to say that. I did not mean to say that. I just ruined such a sweet moment. Shit.

James set down his bottle of butterbeer. "Oh. How, er, nice for you," he said uncertainly, but smiling nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that. Just thought that you should, er, know," I said, putting my hand over James's. WHAT AM I DOING?!

James's eyes flicked down to our hands and then back to my eyes. He flipped his hand over and then closed his fingers over mine. He shrugged. "That's fine, whatever."

His eyes went back to our hands and I looked at them too. My mind flashed back to that moment at the party, when I got this huge shock when James held me close. "Okay, what the hell are we doing?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, his head shooting up.

"It's a gorgeous day out and we're wasting it in this stuffy, overcrowded and way too loud restaurant. Let's go stretch our legs." I reached down to grab my packages, but James was too fast. In a second, he gathered all of my stuff and carried it for me.

"Oh," I said, taken aback. "Thanks," I grinned.

"No problem," said James, leading the way out of the Three Broomsticks.

"Well, aren't you quite the gentleman?" I said as he held the door open for me.

James shrugged. "Just the way I was brought up. My mum's crazy about manners and etiquette and whatnot."

I laughed. "She should talk to my grandmum, then. Quite the debutante."

"You know, I actually think that it's rather unfair, the way society plays into the hands of women," said James thoughtfully.

I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's look at the evidence, shall we? Men open doors for women, women get asked out on dates, men pay for meals and tickets, girls get bought drinks, they get into clubs easier. It's really a rather extensive list. You have it all," said James.

"Oh, really? I beg to differ. See, we females have a standard to uphold. We always have to look impeccable, we can't be too boyish or too girly, we can't wear bloody trousers to a party. And then what if no one offers to buy a drink for you? Then what?"

"But you get to receive flowers-"

"You don't get hit on by sketchy guys-"

"You don't need to make the first move-"

"You can pee in more places-"

"You- what? Ew Lily, that's gross."

"It's true! It's entirely gross for us girls if we have to pee in a public place that's absolutely filthy. And if you're in like the middle of nowhere in France, you have to pee into a fucking hole. A better experience for you." I smiled cheekily at him.

"Ugh. Anyway, you can wear skirts and pants."

"You don't need to worry about the right shoes."

"I have to bust my ass remembering things like anniversaries, birthdays, food allergies, favorite color, etc."

"That comes easily to you."

"Oh yeah. But still-"

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Pompous Potter and his little Mudblood girlfriend," said a sickeningly sweet voice from behind us.

James and I turned around and were greeted by the sight of Snape, looking ghastly and pallid in the sunlight, creating an image of someone who hasn't seen the sun in months. I felt James's entire body tense beside me and I placed a hand on his back to warn him against doing something stupid.

"What do you want, Severus?" I asked coolly.

"You know, it's a shame that you have such low and filthy parentage. It would have been nice to see what you hide underneath those clothes," said Snape, his lips curling into a malicious smile.

My insides seethed and I felt my blood boil. "Don't you dare insult my parents," I said in a low, threatening voice.

"Oh, that's right. Didn't your whore of a mother die? It's a shame that it hadn't happened sooner, otherwise we would have been-"

I whipped my wand out and had it at his sallow throat so fast and with so much anger that red sparks flew out the tip, landing on Snape's neck and leaving little burn marks wherever they made contact with his greasy skin. I brought my face up close to his and narrowed my eyes. "I told you to not talk shit about my parents, you fucking little obnoxious asshole. You should never have seen the light of day. I don't care how fucking 'pure' your ancestry is. I couldn't give a rat's fucking ass. If it weren't illegal and we weren't still in school, I would rip you apart, piece by piece. I would make you feel your intestines be pulled out of your-"

But I never got to finish what I had to say because James pulled me off of Snape.

Snape straightened out his robes and leered at me. "I bet you don't have the gall to do that to me. My father could make your life very uncomfortable."

"Don't underestimate me," I said in a dangerous voice and gave him one of my death glares. "And do you think that I honestly care about your high and bloody righteous father?" I snorted.

"As I said. My father could make things difficult for you."

"What, you can't do anything on your own? You need to rely on good old Daddy to save your hide?" hissed James, speaking for the first time. His voice dropped to a low, gravelly pitch and his eyes flashed black and gold. His entire body was tensed, on the offensive and ready to attack if he was prompted.

I blushed. I kind of like this James. It's rather… sexy.

Snape's eyes flicked to James and once again, his thin lips curled into a smile. "My, my, my. Aren't you the touchy one, Potter? What, you didn't get your daily fuck from your faithful boyfriend?"

"Why, what ever are you talking about?" asked James, mock pleasantly. "Where's your own? He never seems to leave your shadow," he said, referring to Judas Fontaine.

"James, Lily, come off it. Just let him bugger off," said Remus quietly, who had just appeared.

Snape's eye now turned to Remus. "You," he whispered dangerously.

Remus raised his eyebrows as though he were amused with the situation at hand. "Me."

"I will find out whatever it is that you are hiding. And trust me when I tell you this, it will be known by all and you will regret it."

Remus scoffed. "I don't think that I need you to regret anything." He turned and began to walk down the street.

James and I looked at each other, and without a moment's hesitation we followed him.

"Remus, are you sure that it was alright to talk about your secret so openly like that?" I asked, jogging to keep up with him.

"Wait, you know?" asked James, stopping and grabbing my arm.

I nodded. "I found out last year. Remus and I were doing Prefect patrols and we were talking, and I sort of just pieced together patterns that I had noticed, what werewolf detections I knew and Remus's symptoms at the moment, and I confronted him about it."

"And you're okay with it?" asked James.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I am! What do you take me for, you twat? I love Remus," I said, threading my arm through his.

Remus grinned and shook his head. "Don't know why she does, though. Crazy wench."

"Do any of your friends know?" asked James, and we began to walk towards the horseless carriages.

"I know that Kate knows. She figured it out shortly after I did. And I think that Georgie has her suspicions, but we're not confirming or denying anything that she says. As for Sophie and Grace, I don't think that you guys are close enough for them to really take it into consideration, but they could definitely figure it out. Needless to say, none of us are narrow-minded enough to be afraid. Maybe a little unnerved at first, but nothing that won't pass," I said.

Remus sighed and shook his head. "You guys are all batty, you know that? Thank you," he said, and I knew that he meant it with his whole heart.

James and I grinned at him. "Anything for you, Moony. You're our mate," said James, clapping him on the back.

We slowly made our way to Gryffindor Tower, stopping and chatting with portraits when we fancied. Finally, after about 40 minutes of walking about the castle, we stretched out lazily on couches in the common room.

"Oh James, another thing that sucks about being a girl. The portrait hole! If you're wearing a short skirt and there's someone behind you, you need to worry about someone seeing up your skirt while you're crawling through. And it's even worse when you're carrying a bag or anything in your hands in general."

James grinned lazily. "Would that be so bad?"

I laughed and threw a pillow at him. "You randy arse."

Remus stood up and stretched his long body. "I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap. Send Peter in my direction when he comes in, will you?"

"Yeah, no problem," said James. He reached out his hand and James and Remus did this complicated handshake thing and then Remus left in the direction of the dormitories.

I closed my eyes and smiled to myself, settling comfortably into the couch. You don't know how refreshing it is to see such a close bond between people. In our entire class, there is not a single group of people as close as Peter, Sirius, James and Remus are. I guess that they have Remus's condition to bond over. All of Hogwarts watched while those four became as close as brothers. They would never do anything to purposely hurt one another. And if something serious did happen, all four of them would lock themselves in their dormitory and talk it out and not leave until everything's been resolved. To the best of my recollection, the longest that they've ever been holed up in their dormitory is maybe 5 hours.

The cushions of the seat next to me sank down and I opened my eyes to see James sitting there, running his hands through his hair.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked me, taking his glasses off and setting them on the table.

"You and the boys. The Marauders. You guys are like brothers," I said softly, smiling.

James smiled as well and sighed, pulling my feet out from under me and resting my legs on his lap. "They're great. They really are… I don't know if I would be able to handle things if it weren't for them. How's your back?"

"It's good, thanks. Much better than last night, anyway," I said, settling down so that my head and back comfortably rested against the arm of the couch.

"I'm really sorry, Lily."

"Yeah, I know."

"I think that I need to go flying. Care to join me?" asked James, turning his head.

I shook my head and curled my legs up again. "Nah, it's okay. I think that I'm just going to put all of this stuff away and finish up my homework."

"See you later, then."

"Ciao."

After James left, I lay on the couch for a while, losing myself in my thoughts. When people started coming back in from Hogsmeade, I made my way upstairs and began to put my purchases away while listening to Sophie's wireless. Just as the bridge in The Switchblades' song 'Can't Get Enough of You' began, an owl tapped its beak against the window.

I frowned, not recognizing the owl, but opened the window and let it in.

"You can drink some of that water there," I said absent-mindedly, gesturing over to a saucer of water that we keep in the room for owls.

It hooted, drank a little bit and then gracefully flew out the window. I watched as it slowly turned into a small dot in the sky and then disappear altogether, then I finally looked at the envelope in my hands.

'Miss Lily Evans

6th Year

Gryffindor House Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'

The words written on the front of the envelope was in beautiful midnight blue ink, written in elegant cursive. I flipped it over and stared at the seal. It was from the Ministry of Magic.

I held my breath and broke the seal, pulling its contents out. I scanned the first couple of lines and gasped.

Holy shit.

…..
Nothing unusual, nothing strange
Close to nothing at all
The same old scenario, the same old rain
And there's no explosions here
Then something unusual, something strange
Comes from nothing at all
…..