Lily wondered about what Demeter said. Was she right? Was it now her turn to say sorry to her friends? Fear gripped her stomach as she imagined herself walking up to the twins. They might whirl back, sneering at her coldly. Now that Albus had rebelled and James was up to whatever prank, she couldn't bear to lose any more close friends.

 

"They meant a lot to me," she murmured. Then why I am I so afraid to apologize to them? She stepped out of the Gryffindor common room. Her arms were tightly clutching her textbooks.

 

"Charms today!" she said brightly to Demeter.

 

The blonde girl hardly looked at her as she answered. "Yeah. Let's go. I wouldn't want to be late." She quickened her pace, and Lily's face fell. Biting her lip she quickly followed, hoping Demeter would cool down soon.

 

Demeter was icy all the way to Charms class. She barely glanced at Lily as she pulled open the door. She whisked in, letting the door close behind her. Reflectively Lily gripped the heavy wooden door and slipped inside, heaving. The first thing she spotted when she stepped inside were the yellow robes. Confusion gripped her at first, and then she realized with a feeling like icewater drenching her to her chest and heart: Today they would have Charms class with the Hufflepuffs.

 

Normally she would've been overjoyed at this. She would be able to sneak winks at Lysander and Lorcan! But this was not a normal day. She was tight with Demeter and even more tight with them.

 

"This is your chance," Demeter said stiffly. She hadn't put her bag on Lily's usual seat, then. Awkwardly Lily sat, staring at her books.

 

"Page one hundred and sixty seven!" squeaked Flitwick. The old Charms professor blinked at Lily. "Quickly!"

 

Lily nodded nervously. "Yes, sir," she whispered. She then spotted Lysander and Lorcan tip-toeing into the classroom. Their eyes met for a second. Lily didn't dare look away first. She hoped, somehow, that they would flash her reassuring smiles.

 

But of course they did not. Instead, they wore stony expressions on their faces and looked away grimly. Feeling mortified, Lily stared at her book's text. The wand.... That was all she could read. She could read nothing else, for her eyes were misty. She blinked hard, and spotted a drop of water splattering on her page. She sighed and wiped her face, hoping nobody saw it. Her face was hot with embarrassment and shame. Lily wished for nothing else than to be able to run out of the room that very second.

 

"Class!" came Flitwick's squeaky voice. With that, class started.

 

Lily could only remember practicing Wingardium Leviosa the whole time. Flitwick had said he saw some certain students failing in that very simple spell and they would focus on that simple spell this session. He had eyed Hazel Barry and Johnny Wilson the whole time.

 

She was the first to scamper out, not meeting anyone's gaze with her red eyes.

 

"Potter's kid, right?" murmured a voice as she hurried her steps in the hallway. She briefly turned to see some older students, two boys and three girls, eyeing her suspiciously.

 

"I reckon."

 

"She doesn't look that special," grunted a blonde boy.

 

"Not at all," snickered a brown-haired girl. She stared coldly at Lily's eyes. "What are you looking at?" she snarled, narrowing her blue eyes dangerously.

 

"I'm sorry," mumbled Lily, lowering her gaze.

 

"See? She's a wimp!" laughed a blonde girl. "She's nothing. Perhaps we can blackmail Harry Potter?"

 

The blonde boy laughed. "Yeah. He's rich. Maybe he'll be willing a few Galleons for his girl?"

 

"A few hundred!" exclaimed the brown-haired one.

 

A girl with dark ginger hair snorted. "That'll work just right. Who says he'll give us his money? He'll probably get his band of Aurors, catch us, and throw us in Azkaban!"

 

"Surely he can't do that," said a boy with pale ginger hair, blinking anxiously.

 

"He's Harry Potter," snipped the dark ginger girl. "He can do anything."

 

They began to argue, and Lily quickened her pace, her eyes feeling steamy and misty. I just got bullied, she thought miserably. All because I'm Harry Potter's daughter. Oh, whatever. I'd just have to avoid them my whole year. She saw Demeter walking ahead, and wondered if she should catch up and apologize for not apologizing to the Scamander twins. No. Let her realize what she's done. Sudden anger flared up in Lily, and she strode ahead, "accidently" bumping into Demeter. She kept walking proudly, as if she were daring Demeter to call her back.