[Preview:]
The crash of thunder shook the Great Hall, and the silence following the thunder was filled with the pattering of rain as the cloudburst finally broke. Lily Evans looked gloomily up at the enchanted ceiling.
“Finally,” muttered Lily’s friend, Mary Macdonald, as Lily resumed eating her breakfast. “I thought that storm would brood until we had Care of Magical Creatures or Herbology or something,” Mary continued.
Lily shrugged noncommittally, her mouth full. The brooding weather had mirrored her mood for the last several days.
A loud conversation was taking place further down the Gryffindor table, and Lily, along with the rest of the table, couldn’t help overhearing James Potter debating with his best mate, Sirius Black.
“Ruddy conditions, Prongs,” Sirius had remarked. “Reckon Quidditch practice will be cancelled?”
“Not if we want to win the match,” retorted James grimly.
“What?” exclaimed Sirius. “You can’t be planning on making us try to fly in this weather, mate!”
“Blimey, Padfoot. We can’t choose the weather for the match. What makes you think I’ll let you lot off because of a little sprinkle?” asked James as there was a flash of lightning followed immediately by another ear-splitting rumble of thunder.
“Little sprinkle?” repeated Sirius incredulously. “You reckon getting blasted off our brooms by lightning is good training for the match?”
James shrugged. “Sure.”
“Blimey. Lighten up, Prongs.”
“You lighten up,” retorted James.
“No, you!” argued Sirius.
“I already am,” protested James.
“Prove it,” said Sirius.
There was a pause, when James just looked at Sirius, who was smirking at him. James looked up the Gryffindor table and called out.
“Hey, Evans!” he shouted.
Lily froze. He was calling to her. Her eyes automatically raked the Slytherin table for any sign of Severus Snape, before she remembered she was still not friends with him. She sighed, then turned a little to face James Potter.
“What, Potter?” Her exasperation at herself crept into her voice.
James hesitated for a second, wavering, then smirked and loudly proclaimed, “Go out with me.”
Lily rolled her eyes. How typical. She deliberately set her fork down, gave Mary an apologetic glance, gathered up her belongings and started to stride down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, towards James and his mates, towards the door. James was watching her apprehensively as she approached; she had been known to explode at him before. She made as if to walk right by the lot of them to leave the Great Hall, when Sirius called out.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” retorted Lily, still walking.
“What’s your answer?” demanded Sirius.
Lily turned to face them, still moving toward the exit. “The whole school knows my answer by now, Black. I don’t need to repeat it again and again.”
As she turned back around, she heard James mutter, “Well, you could just change your mind.”
“I heard that, Potter!” she called over her shoulder, as she walked steadily out of the Great Hall, not looking back and seeing James’s surprised smile, or hearing Sirius whisper maybe she was starting to fall for James, or hearing Remus Lupin change the subject to protest the plans for the boys’ newest prank.
She never slows down
She doesn’t know why
But she knows that when she’s all alone
It feels like it’s all coming down
Reply
