Enchant Me, Then

Enchant Me, Then

Sunlight beams pleasantly onto the nape of my neck, warming my body delightfully whilst Alice blows bubbles somewhat dreamily into that un-containable Zen that floats above us. I watch as they float towards the higher atmosphere, those higher realms before -Pop! They vanish. A bit like some of our dreams, really.

We are enjoying one of the very last beautifully summery days that exist in this unspecified location, Scotland that Hogwarts just so happens to situate itself in. Being Scotland, Alice and I are quite aware that tomorrow, all summery beautifulness will very suddenly end. In the morning we will wake to find grey clouds and endless buckets of rain. It's all a bit depressing, really. But this is precisely why we are wasting time on the Hogwarts grounds - to capture these last warm moments before they disappear alongside carefree hours and are replaced instead by stress, homework, study and NEWTs.

"Free periods are such a luxury," Alice comments, her eyes closed, her mind evidently far, far away from bubbles and cloud free blue skies. Far away from the fact that it will rain horribly tomorrow and we will not be able to chance our free periods outside on the Hogwarts grounds in this fashion ever, ever again.

"Yes," I reply serenely. "Too bad Frank's not here to enjoy it with you."

For that comment, I receive a sparsely torn out clump of grass thrown viciously at my head. Yes, I know it's just grass - but Alice can get very fierce.

"Ho hum - Miss Head Girl, what about you, then? Where's your admirer?"

"What on earth are you talking about, Alice?" I flush. Damn it. Why did I flush? And why does Alice feel the need to bring up Potter? The very shadow of a thought of him pricks me in an uncomfortable way.

I can't see her face, but I know she is smirking. Damn her smirking. I tell her this.

"Don't damn my smirking, my beautiful, butterfly-esque friend! I love you!"

"I don't love you. Because, Alice, I have to tell you something drastically important." I sit up, employing mock theatrics.

Alice plasters a mock horrified expression across her face. "Oh! No, Lily! What is it?"

"I'm cheating on you."

Her bottom lip quivers.

"With my books," I end emphatically.

Her face clouds over, lips drawing into a thin line which reminds me very disturbingly of Professor McGonagall. "Well, if that's how it is."

Neither of us is able to hold up the charade any longer, and burst into irrepressible laughter, Alice throwing more clumps of grass at me, which are undoubtedly settling in my hair and clashing horribly with the red colour.

Alice pauses mid-motion in her throwing. "Lily, my dear, I can forgive your cheating for I too have a confession to make."

"And what is this, Alice Eston, oh butterfly-esque lover of mine (and Frank)?" This earned me another clump of grass in my hair.

"My confession, dear Lilykins, is this: I have been cheating on you too!"

"With Frank?'

"Wench. No, I have been cheating on you and your dear, dear love surpassed only by my love for -"

"Frank, surely?" asks a deep and heavily amused voice from my left.

Trust, it's James Bloody Potter. Here to annoy me, undoubtedly.

Alice rises to her feet, and sighs in the fashion of an exasperated saint. "My love for chocolate, Potter." She turns to me, brown hair glinting in the sun. "Lily, I need to head off to my Care of Magical Creatures class-"

"You're leaving me? For -"

"Frank's taking that class," James cuts in, smirking at my best friend.

Usually, I would have verbally abused him, but this is an opportunity not to be missed. "Frank! Alice, how could you?"

Alice ignores James, and half turns to leave before adding, "Well, you go on cheating with your books then, Lily Evans. And I'll run off to -"

"Frank," James and I state in chorus.

"Chocolate and Care of Magical Creatures, actually," she calls over her shoulder. "We're over, Lily. Farewell!"

James smirks after her retreating frame before turning his hazel eyes to me. "You know, grass in your hair really does set off your eyes."

"Potter," I say dryly, standing to my feet, "just because we were, for once, in the same mind regarding Alice and Frank, does not mean we are on friendly terms."

He shakes his head in a manner that suggests that he thinks that I am hopeless. But then again, I am the one with grass settled through out my hair.

"Actually, Lily, I wanted to discuss with you something important,"

"Potter, are you feeling alright today? You never call me Lily."

He brushes my comment aside. How rude of him! "Look, Dumbledore has asked us to review this year's number of student-founded communities and clubs in the school, and seeing as we both have free time, I thought you might want to do it now."

"How do you know when I have free time, Potter? I might have class now," I point out in, what I believe is, a logical manner.

He snorts. "We have the same timetable; except for when I take Muggle Studies."

"You take that subject?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I heard that it was a bit of a joke."

"Well, it is. How else did you expect me to get an Outstanding OWL for it?"

"Remus helped you?" I offer weakly.

"Task at hand, Evans."

I scowl. I like being Head Girl, I do. But what I don't like is James Potter pretending to be all concerned and mature about his duties. I tell him this.

He stares after me strangely. "I may be able to pull off a lot of things, but pretentious maturity is not one of them."

"Oh, so you're telling me that you indeed have returned from Never-Never Land, Peter Pan," I jibe.

"Only, Wendy, if you'll promise me you'll learn how to fly." He smiles. I can tell he is going to do, or say something vaguely romantic.

I brush the grass out of my hair. "Sorry, no can do."

He shakes his head again.

"Would you quit that already?" I demand.

"What?" He looks up at me, startled. Those hazel-coloured eyes are really starting to attract me. Shut up! Shut up, Lily Evans!!!

"Shaking your head, James... It's rather annoying. You haven't turned into a dog anytime recently, have you?"

"No..." He sounds slightly worried; as though he was afraid I have uncovered some great secret of his.

"Then there should be no reason for your constantly shaking head."

He seems inclined to shake his head once more, but in seeing the look in my eyes decides against it.

I proffer a hand.

"Look, I know it's a record for me to have not said one remotely romantic thing to you," James begins as he takes my hand and uses it to help haul himself off the ground. To his credit, he lets go immediately.

"Keep it that way." I retrieve my bag from the ground and sling it over my shoulder.

"You don't find me enchanting in the slightest, do you?" He asks, somewhat despondently.

I turn to look at him properly. He isn't immature, conceited James bloody Potter who has no tact and a rather exhausting obsession with me anymore. He looks as though he'd really grown up over the summer. I had heard vague whispers about his parents having contracted Dragon Pox in the last month whilst I was on the Hogwarts Express. The Potters are an influential pureblood family with a large inheritance - hence some of the girls seem to be paying James a lot more attention of late. Disgustingly, these include the Slytherin girls, such as Narcissa Black. And I can't deny he is very handsome, what with his messy black hair, hazel eyes and those lips which are very, very kissable. As opposed to Severus Snape - who has greasy black hair, despondently dark eyes and thin, very unkissable lips? But Snape and the word 'kiss' in the same sentence is somewhat disturbing, and so I shall never mention it again.

I smile wickedly. "Enchant me, then." And at that, leave him behind half stunned while I walk on towards that looming castle where my last year of Hogwarts awaits me.

Finis