For You?

Chapter 7

The castle was eerily still and quiet as I made my way towards the trophy room from Ravenclaw Tower. Every sound I heard made me more and more paranoid until at last I reached it.

I tiptoed through it, hardly daring to breathe, when at last I heard a faint whisper of "Evie?" I turned to see Lilly, in a blue dressing gown and bunny slippers, her face wide with fear. 

"Evie I'm-" I cut her off with my finger on her lips.

"No, it's me that should apologise." I replied at the same, hardly audible volume. "I'm so, so sorry for everything. I should have listened to you when you were going to tell me about her, not just walked off. You've been through so much with her and you're so incredibly strong, Lilly. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you I'll do it." I was waiting silently for her answer when she grabbed me in a rib-breaking hug.

"Promise me something, Evie" she asked.

"Anything"

"Promise me you'll never do what she did. That's all I want."

"Never" I squeezed her back. "Lilly?"

"Yes?" 

I didn't say anything for a few seconds, then let her go from the hug, took her face in my hands and pulled it into mine. I felt lost in our embrace, so much so that I'd forgotten that it was the middle of the night and we were meant to be hiding. Until I felt a sharp tug on the back of my dressing gown as I was lifted off of the ground and away from Lilly only to find myself staring into the pale eyes of the school caretaker, Argus Filch.

"Well, well, well. Students out of bed. You're coming with me, straight to Professor Snape's office."

He put us down and we looked into each other's eyes, panic filling our brains. I could hardly imagine Snape was the most tolerant teacher. Filch led us down corridor after corridor, all the while my heart rate was rapidly quickening. It felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest when we turned a corner only to be met by Professor McGonagall, wearing a tartan dressing gown and an unimpressed expression. She stopped when she saw us.

"Argus, what's happening?" she asked, looking from me to him to Lilly.

"Students out of bed" he grunted. "I'm taking them to Professor Snape's office."

"I hardly think that will be necessary, Argus, given that neither of them are in Slytherin. I shall take them with me" Filch could hardly argue with her so he, reluctantly, allowed us to follow her through the castle. Nothing was said but I saw dread in Lilly's eyes that matched mine. Professor McGonagall was better than Snape, but still very strict. At last we reached her office and she gestured us through the door.

As we walked in, I was engulfed by the warmth radiating from the fire. We took seats behind her desk, which was covered in papers, a quill in an inkpot and a tartan-pattern biscuit tin. McGonagall sat down at her desk and began to speak.

"Miss Allen, Miss Stebbins. Explain why you were caught hiding in the trophy room. It's 1 o'clock in the morning!" I tried to speak but nothing came out. Instead, Lilly's trembling voice filled the silence.

"Well...it's a long story. After the Quidditch match in January, a Howler came from my father, telling me...what he thought of mine and Evie's relationship. Staying together would have only brought us more trouble, so we had to break up. But neither of us wanted to, so we agreed to keep seeing each other secretly. I swear tonight was the only night we've ever met that late." I slid my hand through the side of my chair and grasped Lilly's.

Professor McGonagall looked grave for a few seconds. "Well ladies, I understand your unfortunate situation but that does not excuse the fact that you were out of bed and roaming round the school out of hours. 20 points will be taken from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw."

I looked at my lap. Usually I won points for my house not lost them. 

"You will also be receiving detention. I will speak to your heads of house." There was a brief pause when I imagined she was expecting us to gasp or object, but both of us were just relieved that it wasn't anything worse. "You may go."

We stood up and were about to leave when McGonagall spoke again.

"Miss Stebbins, who was it that told your father?" Lilly's hand, still in mine, shook.

"L-Lisa Newman" she stuttered. There was silence.

"Girls, have a biscuit" she said, holding the tartan tin of ginger newts out to us. "I will have to take you to Professor Dumbledore. This matter has become much more serious than I imagined."