Lily in the Shadows

Chapter 18 (Edited)

Ah, Valentine's day. A day when couples recount and prove their affection for one another and single people either rejoice in their singleness or mourn their lack of a partner. Lily-Kathryn however, is a member of the former singles group. She doesn't care that she is single or that she always has been. She believes that before she wants someone else to accept her and love her for who she truly is, she kind of needs to figure out who she is first. The whole morning is spent in her dorm, cutting out paper flowers and pasting cards together for all of her friends. She finishes up within twenty minutes till breakfast ends. She quickly pulls on her light blue knee-length dress with little heels and white lace socks. She pulls her robes on overtop and gathers her cards and flowers, rushing up to the Great Hall. The hall has been decorated to the max with pink and red hearts handing from the cealing, the candles having been turned different cute colors. Entering the hall she speeds over to the Gryffindor table handing her cards and flowers to Harry and Ginny, after that she hands Luna at Ravenclaw table one. She drops Cedric's card off on the way to the Slytherin table where she passes out all ten of her friends'.

They shower her with compliments on her skillful craftsmanship. As they finish eating and set up to go about their day Lockhart stands up and taps a glass with a spoon; gaining everyone's attention. "Good morning everyone, it is a good morning, isn't it. I know it is a good morning because you all are being graced by my presence, I'm only serious. Ha ha ha." His slimy little laugh has most of Slytherin reeling. "Happy Valentine's Day! And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all - and it doesn't end here!" He claps his hands and the doors of the entrance hall slam open. Out walks a dozen upset-looking dwarfs wearing golden wings and carrying harps. "My friendly, card-carrying cupids! They will be roving around school today delivering your valentines!" He beams at the crowd, "And I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

Slytherin's table erupts into laughter and Pansy leans close to Lily-Kathryn. "I will give you five galleons if you ask Professor Snape to teach you how to make a love potion."

"You've got a deal," They all look at her in horror as she stands and begins walking towards the teacher's table.

Before she can get too far Draco grabs her elbow, stopping her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to ask Professor Snape to teach me how to make a love potion?" She wonders what's up with him.

Draco seems to go an even lighter shade of pale, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

She smiles, "Yeah, it's going to be funny." She giggles and turns to walk back towards the front. Arriving at the teacher's table she stands in front of Professor Snape.

Once he sees his favorite student standing in front of him, he sends her a genuine smile, shocking everyone who stopped to watch what was happening. "How can I help you, Miss. Lily?" He asks, preferring the name of her mother to the surname of that brat she married.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to teach me how to make a love potion?" She holds in her laughter at the face he makes.

"Why would you need to know how to make a love potion?" He asks, his face stern yet embarrassed. "Not planning on using it, are you?" He raises an eyebrow.

Lily-Kathryn almost shrieks with laughter, "I was going to see about putting it in some of the Weasley's cups, I wonder what happens if someone takes a love potion and then looks into a mirror?"

Severus smirks at her way of thinking. "I'm still not sure that is a good idea, it would be humorous, but it crosses my teacher's code of conduct. How about we make a potion that won't get me fired?"

Lily nods her head, thinking about the consequences of a love potion epidemic. "That makes sense, which potion can we prank them with instead?"

Severus thinks for a moment, "How about a hair-raising potion? We can still put it in the pumpkin juice and it'll still be funny." She nods in agreement. Standing Severus gestures to The Hall doors and the two make their way to the potions classroom. They spend a good few hours making their potions, once it is ready the two swiftly and quietly make their way down to the kitchens. When they enter the house-elves are setting up for lunch, they walk from table to table, adding the potion and turning the orange pumpkin juice a darker orangey-brown color. Once they are set up they rush back upstairs and wait for mealtime. Due to hiding in the potions room most of the day Lily-Kathryn was able to avoid being harassed by the dwarfs like the rest of her classmates.

Though now that she is walking to her dorm she hears a shuffling behind her, she turns to see a dwarf waddling up to her. "Miss. Potter is yeh'?" He rasps.

"Yes sir," She answers, looking down at the short creature. "How can I help you?"

"I've gots a letter for you, " He sighs in irritation, he shuffles through his satchel of letters, pulling out a couple. "Oh, I has a lot of letters for you."

She takes the stack of letters he hands her with a thank you, then walks down to her common room. She is ecstatic at the thought of Valentine; she never gets Valentine but Dudley steals a lily from his mother's garden every year and tells her a lovely little poem. She sees her friends sitting at the leather couches and makes her way over. Plopping down between Draco and Theo she snuggles into Theo's side, stealing his warmth. He looks down at her as she shuffles through her cards.

"What are those?" He asks, looking at the many cards.

"I got some valentines!" Lily says excitedly, she never gets any Valentine's.

Draco and Theo exchange looks before leaning in and reading the cards over her shoulders. One has a poorly drawn picture of a sheep and it says I am wooly glad you're my friend, Happy Valentine's Day ~Ginny. She giggles and sets it off to the side, she gasps at the card that is next, and a very realistic drawing of a lily is on the cover with a lovely light blue trim. She opens it to see, A lily or a rose never pretends, and its beauty is that is what it is. I know it isn't the same as a real one but, I think this is a close replacement. I miss you and will see you soon. Love, Dudley.

The boys finish reading right as Lily bursts into tears. She turns her face into Draco's side, sobbing roughly. He looks up, horrified, at Theo.

What should I do? He mouths and Theo just shrugs. They are saved by the sound of four girls rushing over and falling to their knees in front of the sobbing girl.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" "Why are you crying?" "What happened?" "What did you two do?" They bombard her with questions and try to draw her face from Draco's side but she refuses to move. Draco tells them about the valentine and they all understand.

"Poor baby is homesick," Astoria says, caressing her hair. "Come on, let's get some food in that tummy, wouldn't that be nice?" She tries to remove Lily, but she holds on and cries even harder. "Hey, hey no, don't do this," Draco says, picking up Lily-Kathryn, and wiping her face. "You're going to make yourself sick," He takes the tissue Pansy holds out, wiping her nose. He stands with his friends, carrying Lily out of the common room as she starts slowing her breathing back to normal. They all enter the Great hall and sit at their table, Draco sets Lily on his lap, fixing them each a plate. He goes to pure his pumpkin juice when she reaches out and stops his hand. He looks at her confused. "Don't drink the pumpkin juice, Professor Snape and I put a hair-raising potion in it." She whispers. He quickly sets down the juice and passes the message along to their small friend group. They are eating their meal and talking quietly, now and then Draco will wipe some of Lily's stray tears. It hasn't even been five minutes when they start hearing people scream in shock and see lots of hair standing up all around the hall. The final straw is when Dumbledore himself drinks his juice and his beard and hair stand so straight it knocks his hat off of his head.

Their group giggles, and laughs hysterically. Leaving dinner they re-enter the common room, sitting in their group by the fire. Lily-Kathryn is lulled into a half-asleep state due to the warmth of the fire, her blanket, her classmates' quiet chattering, and the bubbling of different creatures in the Great Lake. The last thing she remembers as she falls asleep is the feeling of being picked up by strong arms and the scent of cedar.