In April, the frequency, as well as the intensity, of the Quidditch matches rose to an insane level. “Does this always happen?” Lily asked Chris one night, as he came into the common room, looking exhausted, after a long practice. He grinned at her.
“Yep,” he said. “It’s exhausting, but I love it. Besides, I think this year we really have a chance at winning.”
“Really?”
He nodded enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up. “Yeah. Jen’s a great captain.”
“Yeah,” Lily mused. “So, how do you get into the championship game? When will you know?”
“Can’t tell yet, but I’m pretty confident we’ll make it in. On the other hand, Slytherin’s our biggest competitor, and they’re pretty strong.” He yawned. “I’m wiped. See you later, Lily.” He brushed by her and disappeared up into the boys’ dormitory.
It was almost scary, Lily thought, the way the school was practically transformed. And not just with Quidditch. The students, especially the older ones, were getting spring fever, and it was completely understandable, what with the gorgeously sunny days, flowers bursting into bloom (sometimes with explosive side effects in Sprout’s greenhouses), and days warm enough to make you seriously consider swimming in the lake.
The teachers, however, weren’t greeting the season change with the same enthusiasm. In fact, they didn’t seem to be affected at all. Wait, no, there was a change in the teachers’ behavior”they were starting to talk about finals.
Finals. Lily hated the word and she was already worried about the exams, even though she had two months to study.
* * * * * * * * * *
One night Lily was sitting in the common room with Alex and Cadrian (as usual), flipping through her Charms notes. Alex and Cadrian were sitting on the couch laughing about some incident involving Danielle, Jeniece, James, and an exploding cauldron, but Lily was already reviewing for exams.
“Can you guys be quiet?” she asked irritably, as Alex burst out laughing. “I’m trying to study here.”
“Relax, Lils. Exams aren’t for two months yet,” Alex replied lazily. “We’ve got plenty of time.” Suddenly her eyes opened wide and she sat straight up. “Look!” she whispered, pointing across the room.
Lily and Cadrian followed Alex’s finger, which was pointing to Melanie Garrow, the third-year that Chris liked. She was sitting with the boy who’d asked her out before Chris, a curly-haired boy named Jack. But neither of them looked very happy.
“Melanie,” Cadrian observed. “I wonder what’s wrong with her.”
Alex’s eyes gleamed. “Maybe she and Jack are going to break up!”
“So?” asked Lily, turning back to her notes. “Not important.”
“It’s important to Chris,” Alex replied. “He probably still likes her. And if she and that other guy break up, then he can ask her out!”
Lily shrugged. “Whatever. He’ll find out if they do break up. We don’t have to tell him.”
“We’ve got nothing better to do, though,” said Cadrian. “Come on, we can go sit over by them and listen in.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Cadrian, Alex is having way too much of an effect on you.”
Alex laughed and Cadrian smiled. “It’s true,” claimed Alex. “Everyone wants to be like me.”
“Except people who don’t have a death wish,” Lily grumbled. “You guys go. Have fun. But I’m going to stay, because I don’t really care.”
Cadrian shrugged. “Okay. Fine.” She looked at Alex. “Let’s go.”
Her two friends left, crossing the common room to an empty couch near where Melanie and Jack were sitting. Lily grinned, shook her head, and went back to her notes.
She jumped when somebody tapped her shoulder and looked up into Chris’s face. “Alone tonight?” he asked, sitting down across from her. “Where are Alex and Cadrian?”
Lily gestured vaguely. “Over there. Spying, kind of. They think that Melanie girl’s going to dump that Jack guy.”
“Melanie? Really?” asked Chris, perking up. He twisted around. “Blimey, she doesn’t look happy, does she?”
“No, she doesn’t,” agreed Lily.
“So I guess the rumors were true,” Chris mused. “I mean, I’d heard that Melanie wasn’t happy with Jack, but you know how rumors are, always flying around.”
Lily nodded. “Yeah. But I guess it was true.”
Chris shrugged. “Well, whatever. Whatever happens, happens,” he said. “Now, I’ve got to go. Jen’s been getting on me about polishing my broom.” He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I just want to strangle her…” he got up and walked away, taking a route so that he passed right by Melanie and Jack.
About ten minutes later, Alex and Cadrian returned, looking disappointed. “They were fighting before,” Cadrian informed Lily, “but it seems like they made up.”
“That’s too bad,” said Lily absently. “Chris still likes her, I’m pretty sure.”
“Yeah,” agreed Alex, “he walked right by the two of them. I saw him looking at Melanie. I don’t think she noticed him, though.”
Cadrian yawned. “I’m going up to bed, guys.” She checked her watch. “It’s nine-thirty…I thought it was earlier. Night.” Yawning again, she loped up to the dormitory.
Stuffing her notes away, Lily got up, too. “I’m going up with Cadrian. Coming?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right there,” said Alex, bending over to retrieve her things. “Just gotta pick up my stuff.”
Lily ambled slowly up the stairs. Her bag was stuffed with books today. The bag’s seams were threatening to break. Luckily they held out long enough for her to dump the bag’s contents onto her bed.
That was when she noticed Cadrian.
Her friend was lying on her bed, eyes closed, her dark hair fanning out over her pillow. “Cadrian?” Lily asked uncertainly. Could she have fallen asleep that fast? No, she didn’t look like she was sleeping. Besides, she hadn’t even kicked off her shoes.
Hesitantly, Lily touched Cadrian. Her skin was ice cold. Then Lily screamed.
“Whoa! What’s with the screaming, Lily?” Alex asked, coming through the door. Then she saw Cadrian. Dropping her things, she rushed over to Lily’s side. “Oh my gosh. What’s going on? Lily, go get McGonagall!”
Lily ran out the door and raced out of the common room. She collided head-on with someone short and dark-haired. “Sorry,” she gasped, hardly looking back, as she kept running towards McGonagall’s office.
The person, whoever it was, only laughed. Lily looked back. It was Severus Snape, that weird Slytherin kid. What was he doing down here? Lily decided it didn’t matter, and kept running.
By the time she reached McGonagall’s office, she was breathless and red-faced. “Professor!” she gasped as she burst in, not bothering to knock. “Professor”Cadrian”she’s””
McGonagall peered at Lily disapprovingly over her spectacles. “Miss Evans. Calm down. What is going on?”
Lily smoothed her hair down with one hand. “Something’s wrong with Cadrian,” she said. “She’s unconscious and freezing cold.”
In a flash McGonagall was striding out the door. “Miss Evans, go to the hospital wing and bring Madam Pomfrey up to the dormitory.” Lily nodded and ran off towards the hospital wing.
As she was turning a corner, a hand snagged Lily’s arm, almost wrenching it out of her socket. It was James. “Whoa, Evans, where’s the fire?”
Lily pulled her arm out of his grip. “Something happened to Cadrian and I have no idea what.”
Was that a flicker of concern in James’s eyes? Lily couldn’t tell. It hardly mattered. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“She’s unconscious,” Lily snapped. “I have to go get Madam Pomfrey!”
“I’ll go,” James volunteered. “I can run a lot faster than you. Go back to Cadrian and Alex.”
Lily hesitated. “Well…bring her straight to the dormitory,” she said. “I’m serious…no jokes.”
“No,” he agreed, his tone very, very serious. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Now go.”
She nodded. “Okay.” He started to go. “James, uh…thanks.”
“Sure,” he called over his shoulder, then turned a corner and he was gone.
There he goes again. Being that nice guy.
* * * * * * * * * *
Seven minutes later, Lily was back in the dormitory, sitting with Alex on her bed and wishing she knew what was happening. James had brought Madam Pomfrey in record time. Now she, McGonagall, and even Professor Dumbledore himself were crowded around Cadrian’s bed and Lily could hardly glimpse her friend’s body.
She and Alex were sitting next to each other silently, both scared and both not having much to say. James had hovered by the door for a bit, but he’d left a few minutes after.
Finally McGonagall turned to Alex and Cadrian. It seemed like they’d been waiting there on Lily’s bed for hours, but it had only been about thirty minutes in reality. McGonagall looked tired and maybe even a little bit scared.
“Professor, what’s wrong with Cadrian?” Alex asked anxiously. “Is she okay? Will she be alright?”
“She will be fine, Miss Parker. Madam Pomfrey knows exactly what to do. She’ll be fine after a few days in the hospital wing.”
“But what happened?” asked Lily.
McGonagall answered, her features tight and her voice sharp, “She was poisoned.”
Lily, Blossoming by halfbloodprincess22
Chapter Notes: If this story keeps going as planned (not likely, but you never know), then there will probably be about 3 or 4 more chapters. Still, I might change it. But, just so you know, it’s almost done.
Now read! And review!