Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 70: Dinner
"What? Are you saying that my cousin beat you all up?" Sirius asked.
"It wasn't like that," Alice hurried to say.
"No, I mean… it kinda was." Frank gave Lily a glance. She was still covering her eye.
"Here, take a sip of this." James offered her a small flask with some green liquid inside.
"This is?" Lily picked it up and examined it closer.
"Healing potion," James said simply. "It had a more complex name, but I forgot it, so I just call it that." He had also modified the formula decades ago, so it was hardly the same thing they used at the hospital.
Lily hesitated for only a second before uncorking it and taking a sip. She gasped as the pain vanished, and her face returned to normal almost immediately.
"Amazing!"
"Can you give me some of that? I fell on my butt pretty hard earlier," Alice said as her friend passed the vial.
"Wow…" Alice glanced at James. "You should sell this stuff."
"I'll consider it," James responded. Of course, he was already selling it. It had only taken one small sample before he began receiving dozens of requests for more.
"So, can you tell us what happened in a bit more detail? Why did you get into a fight with Bellatrix Black?" Remus asked.
"Yes, we still have five minutes of carriage ride left. Give us the brief version," Sirius said.
Frank and Alice both glanced at Lily.
"It's my fault… I'm sorry." The red-headed girl lowered her head.
"It's not your fault things got messy," Frank said softly.
"Yeah, those Slytherins are awful!" Alice exclaimed.
"Can you guys go back a bit? We're not understanding anything," Remus told them.
"Okay…" Frank nodded. "We were sitting in one of the cabins around the middle of the train."
"Why didn't you come sit with us?" Peter asked.
"Well…" Frank glanced at Alice.
"Sorry about that. I saw a friend of mine and wanted to speak with her for a while. Frank and Lily stayed with me," Alice said.
"Sorry, I meant to go see you guys before the end of the train ride, but…" Frank added.
"Okay, that's fine, Frank." Sirius didn't pay that part any mind. "What happened next?"
"We heard a commotion right outside our cabin," Lily said.
"And we went to check it out," Alice added. "Bellatrix and her older sister were arguing with some Hufflepuffs about their seats or something."
"When we stepped outside, it seemed like things were about to get resolved anyway, so… we weren't planning to...or at least I wasn't planning on getting involved," Frank said. "Nothing good comes from tangling with those sisters."
"Yes, but then…" Alice glanced at Lily.
"I'm sorry," Lily said.
"What did she do?" Sirius asked.
"She kinda… picked a fight with your cousin, Bellatrix," Alice said.
"I wasn't trying to pick a fight. I just… I had to tell her." Lily suddenly grew embarrassed.
"What did you have to tell her?" Sirius pressed.
"You shouldn't even be speaking with those sisters. They're always trouble!" Peter exclaimed. "That's what I keep telling James."
"You know… you don't have to say anything, Lily," James said, noticing how uncomfortable she was becoming. Whatever had happened, it seemed to be something she felt embarrassed about. "And we're about to arrive at the gates anyway. Get your things ready."
"Oh, come on. You can't leave us hanging like this," Sirius huffed.
"Sirius." Remus smacked him on the shoulder. "James is right. Lily doesn't owe us an explanation, so drop it." He, too, had noticed the girl's discomfort.
"That's probably for the best," Alice said.
"Yeah, and it doesn't matter anymore. Let's go enjoy a peaceful dinner," Frank said, adjusting his robes.
"You should get changed, Frank," Alice pointed out. His robe had a large tear around his right arm.
"Oh… yeah. Good thing I have a spare." Frank chuckled.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
The group walked past the metal gates and made their way to their common room, where they had a couple of hours to organize their belongings before dinner.
Sirius and Peter pressed Frank for details about the fight, but the boy was too upright and honorable to say anything. He only mentioned that this was mostly Lily's business, and if she didn't feel comfortable speaking about it, then he couldn't say anything.
In the end, they were left speculating about what could have triggered Lily to pick a fight with someone like Bellatrix, since it was very out of character for her to do something like that.
However, as soon as they sat down at their usual spots in the Great Hall and the delicious food appeared before them, they forgot about everything else and decided to enjoy their dinner in peace.
James scanned the Hall as he ate. He had always been observant, and after what had transpired during the Christmas break, he wondered how much the lifes of those present here will change in the near future...or had already changed.
The Headmaster appeared to be in his usual cheerful mood, making James question whether he truly knew what was happening behind the scenes.
One piece of information that James was lacking, was when the war had officially started, or even when Dumbledore had realized that the resentful student he'd once rejected for a teaching position had returned to the country, intent on building an army to take over everything.
His amber eyes then drifted to the Slytherin table. It was impossible to tell if the students there were aware of the brewing conflict...if they knew about the Dark Lord and their parents swearing loyalty to that madman.
One thing he did notice was that the atmosphere at the table seemed far more solemn than usual.
Bella was there too. One of her classmates seemed to be telling her something and she looked very bored, or distracted, thinking about something else.
James noticed that she was covering her cheek with her hand.
'It seems like Lily was not the only one to get hurt.'
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