WHIRLPOOL. ❪ Lily Evans ❫ ✓

five

"Today, we will be working in pairs in to conduct a Hiccoughing Solution," announced Professor Slughorn.

Lily turned to Ivory who sent her a thumbs-up and scurried away to Emmeline Vance. Lily sent her an offended look.

"Evanescence!" hissed Ivory, making gestures to emphasize her point.

Lily nodded, a bright determination on her face as she approached Effie. "Would you care to be partners?"

Effie nodded. "That'd be nice."

Without any other words exchanged, the pair set to work. They worked in mutual harmony. Effie would grab the correct amount of herbs and scales needed, then Lily would follow the instructions as to how to prep it.

"Are you good at Potions?" questioned Lily.

Effie hummed. "I suppose so. I'm passing, aren't I?"

"That's true. What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Look at music sheets. Nothing much else for me to do."

"That sounds lonesome. What if we spent some time together?" asked Lily.

"Like studying?"

"Uh - Yes."

"I don't really study. I retain information quite easily," said Effie.

"Oh. That sounds useful."

"It is."

Silence. Lily felt awkward once more.

"Do you like taking walks?" asked Lily.

"Why are you asking so many questions?" questioned Effie.

"You look like you could use a friend. Besides, you're a kind person," admitted Lily.

"Oh. Thank you," said Effie. "I suppose I could use a friend."

"Great," said Lily. "Uh - Shall we finish up the solution?"

Effie nodded. "Yes, that sounds good. I'm starting to feel lazy."

"That's not good."

"If I fall asleep while measuring, you'll wake me up as my new friend, right?" asked Effie.

Lily smiled. "Yes, I will."

"Having a friend is nice."

Lily nodded. "Yes, it is."

By the end of the class, the two conducted the best Hiccoughing Solution in the class. Lily thought they worked well together and she could only hope that Effie thought the same.

Lily had always thought that Effie was pretty, but the reason she first noticed her was because of how peculiar she was. She was always alone and it was easy to spot her in a crowd because people steered clear of her. At first, Lily felt bad for her. She wasn't one to judge someone on their appearance or rumors, so she couldn't understand why people were so frightened of her. To this day, she still couldn't understand why. Even more, she couldn't understand how fine Effie was with being alone and having people talk rudely about her behind her back.

Lily's fascination with Effie started because of her curiosity, and her friends had warned her of a Muggle saying that she always told them in the past; Curiosity killed the cat. While her friends non-Muggle friends didn't understand the saying very well, they knew to an extend what it entailed. They didn't want Lily to fall in too deep and get lost.

Lily's fascination with Effie turned into a crush. In a bit of a weird way, Lily sought out Effie and followed her every move whenever she had the chance. It wasn't meant to be weird or stalker-like, but it was hard for Lily to muster the courage to talk to Effie. It was only a year ago that she realized she liked girls and not boys, so that itself was new and frightening.

But Lily was making progress with Effie. She could tell.