Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) - Book One (Marauder Era)

Chapter Forty-Five - Hexes and Jinxes

Lily didn't show up for study group that evening so Remus was forced to walk back to the tower with Twycross who kept asking him (as delicately as she could, as nosily as she could) what exactly he did have. He just remained silent until she snapped at him that he didn't have to be so rude, then stomped off ahead of him. Once in the common room Remus asked Colgate and Inkwood if they had seen Lily. They frowned at each other then Colgate said Lily had been in their dorm for a while.

He hesitated, partially wanting to ask them to go get her, partially not wanting to disturb her. "Wh--when you see her, t-tell her that..." But what would he have them tell her that he didn't already say? "That I h-hope to see her tomorrow."

The two girls giggled. "We have class together," Inkwood pointed out. "Of course you'll see her."

Now Remus began blushing. "Er, w--well I mean--"

"I know what you mean," Colgate promised, her brown eyes sparkling behind her horn-rimmed glasses. "I'll tell her."

They giggled more as he walked off, wishing he understood girls a bit better.

*

Remus didn't really get a chance to talk to Lily until between Charms and Herbology the next day. He lagged behind his other friends and Lily indicated for Colgate and Inkwood to walk ahead, so they were alone. They walked silently through the corridor for a moment or so then Lily finally said she had talked to Snape. It hadn't gone well. Remus wasn't surprised at all.

"He says I shouldn't be friends with you, that I'll get sick too," she said, arms folded tightly across her chest. "I told him it was genetic and not anything like that--like, catching, I mean--but he wouldn't listen." She hunched her shoulders, her red hair falling across her face. "He also said you were..."

"Were?" he asked. She remained silent but he easily guessed what the other issue was. "Crazy?"

Her head jerked a little. "Yes."

"He said as m-much in class, and lots of people call me that anyway." Remus thought he preferred Loopy to Baby in all honesty, but he decided not to say that. "Look, um, I'm n--not mad about it. I mean, I--I am a little but I know you're friends with him and I'm not going to ask you to choose between him or me, and I d-don't want you to be mad at him because of me."

"I'm mad at him because of him!" Remus recoiled back at how sharp her voice got. "I'm mad because he said those things! And he doesn't even understand what he said was so wrong! That's the worst part. He thinks it's perfectly reasonable. I just don't know what to do."

Remus had no idea what to say or how to help. He wished he did, but while he didn't appreciate what had been said he could understand why Snape didn't want Lily around him assuming he was all diseased. Really, deep down, the hardest thing was Snape was right. Lily probably shouldn't be around Remus.

"Maybe t--try talking to him tonight, after some time for him to cool down?" he suggested.

"I guess." She didn't sound too confident though, and looked sad the entire rest of the way to Herbology.

What do I do to help? he wondered. A very faint part of him knew it wasn't really his fault however he felt entirely at blame for what happened, for causing a rift between her and her friend.

*

Saturday was exhausting. The four boys stayed in their dorm pretty much the entire day, working on practicing the spell to put on a door so when someone walked through they were hit with a jinx or hex. They were practicing with a simpler spell: the tripping jinx, which they all had down pat, even Pete. Remus focused on making the doorway spell-activated while the other two put the tripping jinx on the door. They had to keep their concentration, and their wands pointed at the door... or so the book said for beginners at the activating spell. But no matter how hard they tried Peter was able to walk through the door normally.