Of Chocolate and Raindrops

Failed Potions

Marlene was complaining about their last class on the way to Potions. She had been beaten by Sirius Black, and she was very angry. Lily, on the other hand, had beaten Potter, and she was quite proud of herself. Not that he’d ever won in a duel against her before, but he was one of the most accomplished duelers in their class, besides Sirius and Lily.

                “And you know what he did afterwards?” Marlene demanded as they walked into the classroom. “He-“

                She was cut short by the very same person winking at them. “Hello, ladies,” he grinned.

                They ignored him, and walked past to their desks.

                Slughorn began the lesson within a minute. “Today class, we’re going to jump right in, and review some stuff from sixth year. You will be brewing some Felix Felicis, and in six months, we’re going to pull them out and have a look. Most of you can pick your own partners, but I will inform you if I assigned you a partner. Go!”

                Marlene scrambled to get the supplies, before all the good stuff was gone, and they were left with bent or old ingredients. Lily began to ready their cauldron, so they could start immediately. They needed as much time as they could get.

                Professor Slughorn wandered over to Lily. “Hello, Lily, m’dear! So, I would like it if you could go work with Mr. Snape over here,” he pointed over to Snape, who was beginning to work with Avery.

                “Oh, no,” Lily said desperately. “Please, I could work with anyone but him!” she was starting to get frantic.

                “Sorry, Lily, but I would like you to go over there. Ms. McKinnon can work with Mr. Potter, and Mr. Black can work with Mr. Avery,”

                Lily forlornly collected her things and left, without bothering to tell Marlene what happened. She would figure out soon enough, when Potter replaced Lily at their table.

                She looked at him with a mix of sadness and anger. He looked the same as he did when they were still friends. The longish, greasy black hair, and the seemingly permanent scowl. Nothing had changed on the outside, but everything had changed on the inside.

                She sat down in Avery’s previously vacated seat, and quickly began the potion without speaking to him, or even acknowledging he was there.

                “Lily, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for calling you that. It just slipped out, honestly,”

                She ignored him, fighting to keep her emotions in check and to stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks.

                “Lily? Please listen to me, I didn’t mean it!”

                Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him, ignore him, she repeated again and again in her head. She dropped the vial of lacewing flies she had been holding.

                “Lily, you’re still my best friend,”

                She snapped. “No, I’m not, Snape, and you did mean what you said. This is ridiculous. We are no longer friends, and I wish you would stop trying so hard to get me to believe you still want to be friends and that you didn’t mean to hurt me,”

                The tears were coming now, thick and fast. Lily was embarrassed to be crying on the first day of classes, but it seemed that the worst stuff would always happen to her.