The Year of the Revolution II. The Discovery of Friendship

13. Solstice

Lily, meanwhile, had read Sev's letter, answered it, and sent it off with the castle owl. She also wrote a short one for Remus thanking him for his loyalty and including the Arithmancy problems Sev sent for him, which she would send him with Puck when he got back and rested.

She did everything in the morning because she planned to ask her parents to take her to Diagon in the afternoon, she wanted to buy and send as soon as possible what Sev asked for the potions and parchment envelopes, which they barely weren't left to her either. Although it was Sunday, she knew that the shops would be open due to the approach of Christmas.

The rest of the morning she spent walking. At Cokeworth it was also a splendid day, and she visited the places that were significant to them, the park where they met, the river where they spent so many afternoons... As they would have done together that day had Sev traveled.

She missed him, but she was surprised she wasn't suffering. Sev's letter, sent at night, just before she took the berry, by the time it had taken the owl to bring it, was hopeful, if not cheerful, therefore he was fine, though he showed no sign of making up his mind to come.

After lunch she asked her parents to take her to the magical alley and on the way she told them, "Don't give me Christmas presents this year, because I'm going to need things for school and I prefer the money you plan to spend."

"Daughter, you had to have warned us before. Today the banks are closed," her Mum said. "Do you have enough for what you are going to buy now?"

Lily realized that she had been hasty and she should have waited for the next day, now she would have to bring her parents back another day. "I think so, I have some galleons left, and for the moment I'm not going to buy everything."

"Well, if you don't have enough, we'll change what we carry at Gringotts if it's open," her father said.

"Thanks Dad."

While her parents waited for her over coffee at Florean Fortescue's ice cream shop, she shopped, a pack of a hundred envelopes and parchment for wrapping at Flourish & Blotts, the potion ingredients at Draft & Beverage, a good deal, and food for the owls. She incidentally went to the shoe store to find out the price of some dragon hide boots for Sev. They were very expensive, she would have to buy them Muggles.

When she returned to her parents, he asked her, "Have you had enough for everything?"

"Yes, Dad, I even had some left over."

They went home, and at dinner Puck arrived with Sev's note, earning her a nasty comment from Petunia, which her Dad cut off even more sharply than the day before.

Lily was going to start studying, but she thought that taking a day off was okay, so she got into bed to continue with 'Pride and Prejudice'. When she got sleepy, she read again Sev's letter that had arrived that morning, rereading the parts she liked best. She turned off the lamp and fell asleep with it in her hand, thinking of him.

*********

Sev woke up in the afternoon, just before dark. 'I'm back to my old ways, yesterday I only had dinner, today I skipped lunch and also my sleep is mistimed. At this rate, I'm going to fall back into anxiety, hurt myself and Lily, not take advantage of the time, with all I have to study.

'At least I haven't woken up at night like yesterday, and I'm still a bit tired, surely today I'll pick up the pace again.' He took a shower to wake up. 'That way I am active the remaining hours of the day, so as not to think too much.'

Then he went to the kitchens to eat something. 'Not too much, otherwise I won't be hungry at dinner. I would study, but it would be better if I get physically tired, to sleep well tonight.