I thought I knew my ending - Year 1 and 2

Chapter 9 - A new professor Defence Against the Dark Arts

After the sorting ceremony and the feast, we were led to our sleeping quarters by Narcissa and Lucius, who were both proudly wearing their brand new prefect badges. Narcissa gave me a wink as I walked past and I smiled at her, glad that I wasn't looking like an angry lunatic anymore.

Just before we got to the Slytherin common room and I yawned, ready to get into bed, I felt someone tugging at my arm.

"Severus? What are you..." Severus had pulled me a little further into the hallway.

"I feel like you've been keeping something from me for a while, Lily," he said in one breath. Then he was silent for a moment, looking at me, his cheeks flaming red.

"What do you mean?" I whispered, I was aware that there were people walking in the corridor less than five feet away. My heart was pounding in my throat. I knew what he meant, but the problem was that I did not know where my behaviour, my knowledge and everything I found strange about myself came from.

"How... how is it that you can see thestrals? How do you know all these spells and incantations even before we are taught them?" He was silent again and looked at his feet. I could not answer his question. After an awkward silence, he asked:

"Why are you lying to me," he picked at his nail, "when I ask you where you know those spells from?" I bit my lip. It was terrible to see my best friend so distraught. He must have wanted to ask this all summer holiday.

"I don't know, Sev," I finally said. "And I don't mean the lying, but I don't know why I know all these things." We looked at each other. "I don't know anyone who has died..." I whispered. "Maybe there is something wrong with me that makes me not quite function correctly as a witch." I tried to smile and Severus did the same.

"I would never lie to you for no reason, Sev, but I just can't explain what's wrong with me."

"Hey, are you guys coming?" asked Evelyne who had remained standing in the doorway. I felt my cheeks burning. Could she have heard everything? But as we walked towards our dormitory, she put an arm around me.

"Well... that Huffelpuf from earlier seemed interested in you." I ducked out from under her arm.

"No, thanks, I'm not interested."

"Hmm," said Evelyne, "because you're already interested in someone else?" She looked at the boys' dormitory across the hallway. I rolled my eyes. I didn't feel like starting a discussion with her about my relationship with Severus, so I kept silent and just shook my head.

The next morning, Evelyne, Severus and I sat in silence at breakfast. For the first time, Evelyne's presence bothered me. Severus and I had so much that was unspoken, that lingered between us and Evelyne seemed to misinterpret this tension completely. I scanned her to death as she looked at me with an all-knowing grin.

Both Severus and I were relieved when we got our class schedules so we had something to talk about.

"Ugh," Severus sighed, "you can't be serious. We have almost half our classes together with the Gryffindors." I had only focused on the lessons and time slots, but as I ran my finger over our timetable, I realised Severus was right.

"We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Evelyne remarked with a big smile on her face. I furrowed my brow. Our previous teacher was a middle-aged woman who had looked perfectly healthy during her last lessons of the school year.

"That's odd," I said, "surely she is far too young to retire? Could something have happened to her during the summer holidays?" Severus shook his head.

"She was probably just tired of teaching. Her lessons weren't exactly... interesting." He grinned. Evelyne and I laughed. Professor Oakwood had a peculiar way of teaching a subject that could be incredibly fascinating. She did not believe in practical lessons and, like Professor Binns, liked to read off her notes in a monotonous manner. We had to take a theory exam for her subject in which we had to list all the legendary wizards who had meant something in the field of Defence Against the Datk Arts and their deeds. That's all we had to do. No spells, no real defence against the dark arts.