Jily | I Can't Love Him

The Surveying of Boris the Bewildered

By the second week of term, the snow that coated the grounds had begun to melt and the sprawling lawns were left sodden and squelchy. Late Saturday morning Alice, Jackie, Lily, Mary and Marlene found themselves trudging up the lawns, disheartened and covered in mud, towards the warmth of the castle.

"I ache," Mary groaned, rubbing a spot on her hip that had connected with the ground moments before. "Who decided we need to know how to Apparate anyway? I mean, what's so wrong with walking?"

The slick grass was not exactly ideal for spinning on the spot at top speed. Mary had spent more of the lesson amongst the mud than not. As a result her usually glistening hair stuck up at odd angles and her scarf was indistinguishable from her school cloak.  

Reaching the echoey Entrance Hall, Lily pulled out her wand, said "Tergeo," and began syphoning the mud off their clothes.

A mouth-watering aroma was wafting temptatiously through large open doors. Stomachs grumbling, they followed it into the buzzing Great Hall where they nestled into a space at the Gryffindor table.

"The house elves have outdone themselves today," Jackie said to murmured agreement as they all piled their plates with food.

James collapsed onto the bench before Lily as she reached for the ladle of a warm lamb stew. He looked worse for wear; hair sticking up more so than usual at the back, glasses askew. Remus sat neatly beside him. Sirius and Peter were the last to reach the table and squeezed between the girls and a group of third-years who complained openly.

"Shut it," Sirius snapped at them as he ran his fingers through his wet, limp hair. A whimper escaped his lips, "My poor hair."

Soon their plates were piled high with food and the group was deep in conversation about their first Apparition lesson.

"And how did he stay so upbeat? We were terrible!" Marlene laughed, taking a gulp of pumpkin juice.

"He's probably used to it," Remus shrugged. "How long do you think he's been teaching?"

Peter, who had been laughing and nodding along with the conversation said, "Years, for sure. He looked in his fifties."

"You'd think we could've done it inside." Jackie stabbed a piece of roasted sweet potato. "I'm sure there's a room large enough."

"The Great Hall! Just like for our exams; push the house tables up against the walls and hey presto." Lily waved her spoon about, mimicking levitating the tables with her wand.

They peered around the room trying to imagine everyone in the sixth year spread out in front of worn wooden hoops, trying their hardest to spin out of existence and hopefully reappear a mere metre away. Lily recalled how Alice had gone beetroot red in the face with the effort and how Marlene's nose and eyes had scrunched up in concentration.

"Maybe we should mention it to Professor McGonagall," Lily said as she absentmindedly leant across the table and straightened James's glasses—they had been profusely annoying her.

James sucked in a breath and promptly choked on his steak and kidney pie, turning a concerning shade of plum as Sirius began to belt him on the back. Peter pressed a goblet into his unsteady hands.

"You're meant to chew before you swallow," Remus instructed James in a casual tone.

James fixed Remus with his meanest glare and Marlene frowned at her plate.

"I feel terrible for Lottie Finch," Alice said halfway into lunch.

Mary nodded, "Everyone was laughing at her; it must have been so embarrassing." She looked pointedly at James and Sirius who had begun to snicker thickly.