Lily Potter And The Secret Bewitchment

Chapter Thirty-Five - The End of the Beginning

Lily left the hospital wing late on Thursday afternoon. Having spent the last week with Jayla, the two were quite happy to spend some time apart. Jayla wanted to start packing and so headed to Gryffindor Tower with Hugo and George. Lily and Oli made their way out into the grounds, as Lily was desperate to get outside and away from the confinement of the castle. It was a beautiful June day. The  early evening sunlight sparkled through the trees, making everything a gorgeous, golden silhouette. Lily sneezed as the sun caught in her eyes and Oli laughed as she recovered from it. The forbidden forest even looked almost cheerful as the outline of Hagrid's hut framed it. There were students sitting on the grass and flying over the mountains, reading books in the shade and chatting to each other.

"It's amazing to be outdoors again," Lily beamed as she breathed in the beautiful fresh air.

"You really love these grounds, don't you?" Oli inquired, smiling, and Lily nodded. "How far do you want to walk?" Lily couldn't really fathom running a marathon in her current condition, so looked around for somewhere that wasn't too far.

"Shall we go and sit by the lake again, like we did when it was cold?" Lily asked, and Oli agreed. They began to walk towards the visibly clear water, looking for a patch of clean grass. Lily decided to sit down at a spot that looked out towards Hogsmeade. She took off her shoes and socks and dangled her feet in the water. Instant relief from the heat of the day followed.

"Now we just have to hope the giant squid doesn't grab your ankles!" Oli said, laughing slightly.

"It's strange how much we - and everything else- has changed since the last time we were here," Lily wondered aloud.

"Isn't it," Oli agreed. "Almost dying, it puts the rest of myworries into perspective, you know?"

"I was more scared than I've ever been," Lily replied, "After everyone else was knocked out, I mean. It was just me."

"Yes," he replied. "I was so scared for you. I was woken up in the living room of your house, and the first thing I saw was you lying on the sofa. The first thing I asked was if you were alive," Oli looked down at Lily. "At least there were others there, though. Being scared and alone is always worse than being scared when you're with someone else," Oli pondered. Lily looked up at him.

"You could give Hugo a run for his money, Mr Hampden the philosopher," Lily smiled.

"As could you, occasionally, Miss Potter," the two of them laughed.

 Lily felt something she couldn't deny, young though she undoubtedly was. Something about him, she thought. It was impossible to pinpoint what it was, but it festered inside of her like a flower, spreading, growing with every minute. The two of them were drawn closer together by some magnetic force that neither could explain. Lily turned away and the moment was broken, but it had, undeniably, occurred, and perhaps continued to occur.

***

The two of them returned to the castle a couple of hours later, for dinner. They answered the inquisitions of their friends about their whereabouts with, "Went for a walk," and a hurried bite of something. The sun streamed through the high, cavernous windows of the Great Hall, staining everything blinding orange. Lily giggled to her heart's content at her friend's jokes. In the future, when bad days were passing and imminent, the five of them would look back and smile at each other, remembering their pure and untarnished humour. However, Lily had yet to conquer the seven flights of stairs, and it was not easy. She had to haul herself up every step, and almost everyone had overtaken the five of them by the time they had completed the first staircase. What Lily had not bet on was Fred, coming up behind her when she was on the first floor and lifting her up into the air.