Jily: Hogwarts Love Story; The Beginning Of A War

Chapter 6

CHAPTER WARNINGS- Mentions of sucide and death, some violence.

Rewind: 18 hours ago...

Lily stood amidst the crowd, aghast. Deafening silence. All she could hear was deafening silence and the drop of a body shooting down from the astronomy tower. At first, everyone thought the person was going to stop midair and fly down, greeted with applause and cheers. But it wasn't a trick, it was deliberate. It all happened so fast and then suddenly, time slowed and she could see every detail. Their limbs twisted, their face splayed to the side as a red liquid spread out on the floor. Lily internally thanked Merlin that most of the student body was in class and it was only around five people, including her, that witnessed that.

Lily knew absolutely nothing about the girl who lay dead in front of her except for the fact that she was a hufflepuff. The same Hufflepuff they found crying on the first day. Lily felt the students around her quickly scurry away and she turned back and witnessed some of them in tears, which is when she noticed that her cheeks were wet too. There was one person left with her, who she recognized as Dorcas Meadowes.

Dorcas stepped forward past Lily and used a cleaning spell to clean the blood around the fallen student. Dorcas stood up and looked at Lily. Lily stood frozen, unsure of what had to be done.

"Well, aren't you going to help me get her to Madam Pomfrey?"

She shuffled forward and helped Dorcas lift what she was quite sure was a corpse, through the way, after being stared at, as people probably thought they were carrying a hurt student (which they weren't) they reached the hospital wing.

"I know hoping that she's just injured is wrong and illogical, but I hope she's only injured."

"She's dead, but I don't know how she did it exactly," Dorcas replied worried.

"I saw her jump off the astronomy tower, but shouldn't we be wondering why?" Lily questioned.

"I know why, her parents are dead Evans, just like mine," Dorcas said, "Actually, half the people that should've been at Hogwarts didn't show, it doesn't seem exactly safe with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on the rise and adults with 'impure' descent dying left, right and center,"

"I'm sorry," Lily said at a lack of words.

It was perplexing, the people dying. Lily had seen it back home with the muggles too, although, if anything, her parents were more likely to die because of natural circumstances, judging from the fact that her father's health got worse as time progressed.

Almost to Madam Pomfrey, Lily saw the strangest thing; James leaving the hospital wing, battered and bruised, half his clothes ripped off. Lily wasn't going to lie, it reminded her of last year, except it was more ripped. Lily wasn't stupid — she knew James was extremely hot but now, as in when she's holding a supposedly dead body- wasn't the best time to be perving over James.

James looked at her incredulously, "Are you carrying a dead body?"

"Yes, I might be." Lily answered in all seriousness, shocking James.

"I'll take her to the hospital wing. You explain the importance of the situation to your boyfriend,"

Lily didn't even bother denying the last claim anymore, why would people think they're in a relationship, it made no sense. The two started walking off towards the common room, since they could tell that neither was in the mood for classes today. A year ago, Lily would've been worried that missing classes would risk expulsion but after one eventful year she's realized that you can only get expelled if you commit murder which she wasn't planning any time soon.

"So, Evans, what's the story behind the dead body? Someone got hexed? Or maybe you're getting pranked? What is it that's happening?" James asked, still nt believing that it was a dead body.

"Someone jumped off the astronomy tower," Lily said, turning towards him, certainly annoyed that he didn't believe her.

James wished he still didn't believe this, but Lily was extremely serious. It was jarring.

"Why did she do it?"

"He killed her parents," Lily said, mad at the man who thought he had the privilege to go around killing people, "Voldemort," She spat his name, venom in her voice.

He stopped in his tracks and held Lily by her shoulders, "You're not supposed to say his name Evans,"

Lily thought for a second before answering, "Saying his name takes away his power. He's a MAN Potter, we don't need to be scared of him,"

"I'd suggest you listen to your stupid boyfriend for once Evans," Again! What is it with people thinking she was in a relationship with Potter.

"He's not my boyfriend,"

"I'm not her boyfriend,"

"He's not her boyfriend,"

Three people denied Bellatrix at the same time. Just lovely, Severus Snape was there right next to Bellatrix.

She looked annoyed but quickly recovered, "Wanna duel Evans?"

"In the middle of a corridor, no, absolutely not," Lily deadpanned, pushing Bellatrix to her tolerance, "And Severus, I didn't know you were hanging out with Voldemort's closest now," She pushed further and saw all three, take out their wands.

"You don't get to comment on the people I accompany myself with when you hang out with jerks like Potter," Snape said, shooting a stunning curse at James, which he deflected. "And I don't need to be taking advice from a good for nothing mudblood,"

'Oh no, you made a mistake buddy,' James thought to himself as Lily's face fell and Bellatrix laughed. In Snape's defence -- words he never thought he would think of -- James wasn't the best person for Lily to hang out with. Lily was an amazing person who cared for others and deserved everything and James was far from everything. He used to hex people for fun, make the teachers' lives impossible and brag every chance he got, but he likes to think he was a changed person. He still wasn't the person Lily deserved and he didn't ever think he'd be, but he wasn't going to let Snape take her away from him before time and fate did.

So, James did what people usually do in this situation.

word count: 1030