Silver Lining

Chapter 6

I trusted Olivia's advice, that was for sure. I knew she was right and that I should follow her advice for my own good. Her recommendations generally ended in my favour, and it was good advice.

That didn't mean I liked it.

Olivia had told me that I should talk to Remus and his friends if I thought what they had to say was worth listening to. As much as I hated to admit it, what Remus and I had to discuss was pretty important, which meant I was supposed to talk to them as soon as possible. I decided that the best way to avoid that happening was to avoid them altogether, so that's what I did.

Lily and I were walking happily down the stairs from the girls dormitory, stepping into the common room when I realised my mistake. I quickly ducked back up the stairs, peering slightly around the corner to see if the coast was clear. Only a few students mingled in the cosy room, none noticing me. When I saw none of the Marauders, I returned to Lily's side, sighing in relief.

"What was that all about?" The fiery-haired girl asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm avoiding your lover and his mates," I stated matter-of-factly, and grinned at Lily's instant reaction.

"James Potter is not my lover!" she snapped, stepping through the portrait hole determinedly.

"Half the girls in Hogwarts have said that at least once and you're the only one who's lying," I laughed and shoved Lily playfully as we joined the flowing crowds of students bustling their way to breakfast. Lily rolled her eyes, oblivious to my easy change of topic.

"I never got to ask, how was your detention?" she asked. I wasn't the only one who was happy to move on.

"Uh- fine." I was tempted to tell her all about the accident with Sirius, but the agreement I had made with the dark-haired boy left me with nothing to share with my friend. My pride was one thing I wasn't going to give up to ruin these boys' lives. "What about yours?"

"Dull," Lily groaned. "Lethbridge is as boring as his Quidditch complaints." I laughed and shook my head happily as we turned the corner into the Great Hall. I glanced around the room once, and suddenly realised the large amount of students in the Hall - the majority of the school seemed to be eating breakfast together. That meant the chances of the boys being inside were extremely high. I squealed and flipped around, my back to the stone frame of the large, oak doors. I heard Lily mutter something inaudible under her breath and stalked back around to face me, hands on hips.

"Are they in there?" I asked jumpily, peeking around the door slightly.

"Maybe," Lily said boredly. "Why don't you see for yourself?" I shook my head hurriedly.

"What's going on here?" Olivia skipped over, her short hair bouncing and a smile on her face. 

"Violet, here, is hiding from Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew," Lily explained exasperatedly. I crossed my arms defensively, confirming Lily's statement.

"Seriously, Violet? I thought we talked about this," Olivia sighed, though the corners of her mouth twitched amusedly.

"I know, but-" I jumped as a couple of students came out of the Hall, laughing loudly. "I want to avoid this particular conversation at all costs."

"Well, what's the point in that?" Olivia asked incredulously, folding her own arms in an attempt to match my stubborn approach.

"Come on, Vi. I know you don't want to do this, but it's for your own good. Besides, you need to eat. I believe in you," Lily grinned, lopping an arm around my shoulders and guiding me through the door. 

My protests were drowned by the loud chatter of students eating breakfast. Thankfully, no-one approached me straight away, and I let out a breath I forgot I was holding. I let Lily push me towards an empty spot along the Gryffindor table, and sat down quickly, leaning forward for a better view of the whole table. I could see the four boys much farther down the table, and though a bubble of nerves grew in my stomach at the sight, I relaxed significantly knowing where they were and that they wouldn't sneak up on me. They hadn't seen me yet - at least not that I could tell.