sometimes it's easier to be invisible

Back to Hogwarts

Pandora is having the best summer break she could've imagined. When Lily wrote to her about her dreadful sister and how she was making her break horrible, she knew she had to go get her. Pandora feels this connection to Lily that she can't explain. It's different from her other friends. She wants to be with Lily at all times.

So, that's what they've been doing. They rode bikes around the village, studied the magical creatures that roamed the grounds at her home, stayed up late talking about their favorite books and spells, gave each other makeovers, and sang old folk songs with Pandora's mother. Lily has the most beautiful voice. Pandora wants to bottle it up and listen to it forever.

That's what she's thinking right now, as Lily sings a soft tune while the girls lay in the sand, Lily's head resting in Pandora's lap. They're at a small beach near Pandora's home, trying to soak up the last bit of sun they can get before they have to head back off to school.

Lily's singing along with a muggle song playing from the radio that they enchanted to play a multitude of wizard and muggle music. Pandora doesn't recognize the artist, but Lily makes it her new favorite song that she wants to listen to for eternity.

"What song is this, Lily?" Pandora asks, mindlessly twisting Lily's hair around her finger.

"It's called Songbird by a muggle band called Fleetwood Mac. They're my favorite right now. Some think the main singer is a witch." Lily says with a small smile.

"It's quite wonderful," Pandora says.

Lily nods, closing her eyes and singing along again. Pandora continues brushing through Lily's hair absentmindedly, watching the waves approach and retreat. She's never felt so at peace in her life as she does at this moment with Lily.

Pandora finds herself breathing deeply, savoring the smell of Lily's hair. She uses a muggle shampoo that's scented with roses, which Pandora finds funny. A Lily smelling like a rose. It suits her. She also always rubs a vanilla perfume on her wrists, and those smells mixed together created an intoxicating mixture that Pandora couldn't get enough of.

"Have you ever thought about how lovely it is to be a girl?" Pandora asks.

Lily opens her stunningly green eyes and makes a thoughtful expression.

"Yes. It's terrible and wonderful. It's painful and exciting. It's something inexplicable to men. I think being a woman is humbling, I mean our bodies put us through hell every month, and we're built to create life. We have the capability to grow a human inside us and birth it into existence. How brilliant is that?" Lily says, a grin growing on her face.

Pandora stares at her, completely in awe.

"And we love so deeply. There's nothing comparable to a mother's love. We nurture and care and keep the world running, really. What have men done that a woman didn't do first?"

Pandora just grins down at Lily. She was something else, really.

"Right you are, flower."

"We are beautiful beings. We can be delicate, but we're so strong at the same time. We can be empathetic and loving, but cruel and cold if need be. I-I think women are the most fantastic creatures created." Lily finishes, her cheeks flushed slightly.

"You certainly are," Pandora says quietly.

Lily sits up suddenly, much closer to Pandora. There's a moment where both girls stare at each other in silence, fizzling energy surrounding them. It's broken by the song changing to a loud, rock song that startles them both.