Clothes were strewed around the room, two oak trunks opened and sitting in the center, a line of shoes and ties trailing to the mirror. Lily stood behind Mildred, the back of her legs resting against the edge of her bed. She looked at her friend with slight bemusement on her face, critical of Mildred's fashion choice. The girl wore their usual Hogwarts uniform, but with a bright pink blouse over and unbuttoned. The knee-high stockings of the same colour were also a distraction.

A muffled voice screeched laughter through the wall, and Lily allowed herself to scrowl briefly, walking over to bang on the wall. "Keep it down, Petunia! We don't care what colour your knickers are today!"

"STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS!"

“Do you think I look better with lips?” Mildred asked suddenly, turning from the mirror to look at Lily for an answer. Bright red lipstick covered her lips, slightly smeared on her teeth and at the corner of her mouth. She obviously wanted to take Lily's mind off her sister.

Lily rubbed the back of her hand over the bottom of her face, trying to hide the smile that was breaking through. “You’ve always had lips, Millie. They are just - redder now.”

Rolling her eyes, Mildred turned back to the mirror to stare at her own reflection. Her eyes moved to look at Lily again, and Mildred stuck her tongue out at her. “You are a right bitch, calling me that name. You know I hate that name. I’m not modern nor thoroughly.”

Lily laughed at her Muggle reference. “I think it’s cute. It fits you.”

“Whatever. I don’t want people to think I’m cute.” She glanced at her reflection again as she said this, focusing her eyes to form intensity, then batted her eyelashes. “I want people to think I’m dramatic. A great bird, you know?”

Shaking her head, Lily responded, “Those sound kind of fake to me. Like someone you can’t really be friends with.”

“You can be friends with me.”

“But you aren’t like that.”

“What am I like, then?”

Lily thought for a moment. “I dunno - like funny and charming. You’re great fun, Mildred. Honest.”

“You think Sirius Black would think so?”

“Oh, Christ!” Lily exclaimed, falling back onto her bed and throwing her arms over her face. “Please stop it. Just the thought of him makes my head pound.”

“Well, he makes my loins pound. Same thing, right?”

“God,” she breathed, smashing her head into the pillow to hide her reddening cheeks. “He looks unclean. Like he does drugs or something. You know?”

“Hmm,” Mildred said, pressing her lips together and blowing herself a kiss. “I think it’s sexy. Drugs, whatever. I can take anything if he’s a good shag.”

“What? You don’t even know what shagging feels like!”

Mildred rolled her eyes once more. “I think I have a good idea. I bet you he’s good at fucking.”

Lily started at her, shocked. Fucking. That way of describing it. Wow, it had such impact and excitement. Danger and a thrill - just the thought of fucking made her mouth grow dry and her eyes water, for some reason or another.

Mildred was staring at her. “Don’t you want to?”

“Do what?” She was determined to play coy about the subject.

“What? You know what. Fuck, shag - have sex. You think about it, don’t you?”

She felt her whole face redden, burning heat making her uncomfortable. “I - I dunno.”

“You don’t know?” Mildred wouldn’t stop staring at her. “Are you a rock?” She paused, then smirked quickly. “Or maybe you are too embarrassed to admit who you think about.”

“Don’t you dare-- ”

“What? So what if you can’t admit it. You have to!”

Lily groaned, her mind flashing to the deepest part of her thoughts. A vision of black hair, unruly and set against a pale forehead and round glasses, hazel eyes staring at her with dark passion. She gulped, and then blinked away the image.

Mildred had a look of satisfaction upon her face. “Who is it? Don’t you dare tell me it’s him.”

“No, no,” Lily said, staring down at her hands, which were clutched together in her lap. She sighed deeply, not masking the sound from Mildred. Maybe it was time to confess her - well, her attraction to one certain nasty bastard. The downright fucker. She groaned at the word.

“Who is it?” Mildred didn’t restrain the excitement in her voice. “Come on, who is it! You can tell me.”

Lily gnawed at her bottom lip, her heart racing within her chest. It was ridiculous that she couldn’t tell the person closest to her. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again after a moment.

“Come on!”

“God, fine. Fine! It’s Potter, okay. God forsaken Potter!”

Mildred shouted with laughter, falling to the ground dramatically and clutching at her side as fits of giggles consumed her. Lily blinked down at her, embarrassed.

“Oh, stop the show. You probably knew all along.”

“I - I - of course I did! I was just worried that Snivellus would get in the way!”

“In the way of what?”

“Don’t you see it? You are destined to be with him! No way you can say no to him now.”

Lily huffed indignantly. “Yeah? You just watch me. There’s no way I’m allowing that boggart anywhere near me!”

“Oh, stop being such a priss,” Mildred responded, waving her hand in the air. “What’s so bad about him, really?”

“He’s a bastard! He starts unnecessary fights! He never pays attention in class - disrespectful - his best friend is Black!”

Mildred shrugged. “That doesn’t make him a bad person. It just makes him a teenage boy.”

“So, what? He has some sort of license to just be a bastard all the time? I’m sorry, but I won’t stand for it! I won’t be like you - one of their - their fans!”

Silence formed around them, then Mildred whispered, “You sound like someone I will not name.”

“Who?” Lily asked quickly, her voice rising, “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?”

“Well, close enough.”

“Oh, come off it, Mildred! He chose his path. We have nothing in common now!”

Mildred stared at her. “I think we should sleep now. You know, clear our heads for tomorrow.”

Lily slid off her bed and banged loudly on the wall, waiting for Petunia to stop talking before yelling, “Quit it! We’re going to bed now! Talk to him later!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Petunia screeched back, her voice echoing through the walls.

Picking off her trainers from the pillow, Lily flung herself onto her bed, kicking off the remaining clothes to the floor. She watched as Mildred pulled out her blow-up bed, staring as the mattress grew from the size of a knut to the standard, single-size sleeper. Mildred positioned it on top of their mess, shrugging as she heard a crunch when she sat down.

"It must be those crisps we were eating," she said, pulling out her pillow and blanket. "Goodnight, Lily."

Lily groaned and stood up to switch off the light. Walking back to her bed, she answered, "Night back."

XXX

The store was crowded, with people from all different directions walking through the aisles, pushing past each other without looking back. Mildred rested her head against the dressing room mirror, as Lily inspected the way a certain red jumper fit her chest and shoulders. She feared it was too tight -- her breasts had grown over the summer, which both surprised and scared her. This was not her body -- she had found nothing wrong with herself before the growth. What now? Would other people notice?

Mildred sighed beside her, eyeing the way Lily tried to stretch the fabric around her chest. "I bet you Potter will like it."

Scrowling, Lily turned from the mirror and rested her hands on her hips. "Do you think I care? I - I feel awkward. This isn't suppose to be me, Mildred."

"Sure it's you. It's just the more womanly you."

"Womanly? I doubt that's even a word."

Mildred waved her hand in the air. "Whatever -- I'll tell you something -- I wish I could grow some bigger tits."

"Why?" Lily asked, her voice astonished. "You really don't know what you are asking for. They are uncomfortable." She motioned to her breasts. "They jiggle when I walk!"

Snorting, Mildred stood up. She moved next to Lily and looked at their reflections in the mirror. "I look like some sort of twelve-year-old. You, on the other hand, look like what you're suppose to."

Lily licked her lips and looked away from the mirror, grumbling, "Fine, I'll get the jumper."

"Now, let's get some ice cream from Fortescue's. Maybe the fat will collect around here," Mildred said, making a circular motion with her hands around her chest.

Lily couldn't stop herself from laughing loudly, making people around them shoot dirty looks at the two girls.

The shop was very crowded, but they managed to find a table way in the back, small and unsteady, forgotten by most and positioned next to the toilets. Once they were settled and their orders taken, Mildred pulled out the bangle earrings and scarf she had bought. Both items were the colour of cheap gold, crusted but still fashionable -- Mildred flung the scarf around her neck, allowing it to drift down her back. The earrings were big and round, hitting the side of her face whenever she turned her head.

She tilted her head upward, batting her eyelashes in a comedic way, and smacking her lips. "What do you think, darling?"

Lily threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing over all the chatter in the room. "You look quite the sphinx, I tell you."

"I'm so glad, Cleopatra," Mildred responded, her voice purposefully dead-panned. Her smile was wide, allowing her front teeth to rest on her bottom lip. "Here," she continued, pulling out her make-up bag, "do my face, darling, before our ice cream comes."

"All right, scoot closer so I can reach. Don't laugh if I bollocks it."

"I'll be sure to tease you forever," Mildred said as she slid her chair over and settled into a comfortable position for Lily to start. Lily sat up straight and began to apply a horrendous bright pink lipstick, a colour that Mildred had sworn was fashionable. Her hand jerked slightly, and some of the lipstick got on Mildred's chin.

Lily tried to surpress her laughter as she apologised. "Sorry, sorry," she said, licking her napkin and wiping the mistake away.

"Gross, Lily germs," Mildred responded, looking up at the ceiling and feigning boredom.

"Shut it, Evita," she responded, satisfied at her own cleverness.

Mildred snorted and twisted her lips tigher, trying not to laugh at Lily's Muggle reference. Her eyes began to water as Lily applied some mascara, the muscles in her cheeks twitching. She looked sort of like a maniac.

"I knew I would find you here." The voice was very familiar and it made Lily looked up, focusing her eyes on a round girl with bright blue eyes and blonde hair that was past her shoulders and curled at the ends.

"Eugenie, how are you?" Lily asked in greeting, surprised at her friend's sudden appearance.

"Yes, please tell, darling," Mildred added, her voice taking on a snobbish tone.

Eugenie laughed and pulled up a chair, sighing once she placed the packages she had been holding onto the ground, flexing her sore hands. "I just got all my shopping for school done. I can't believe everyone waited until the last minute. We must be on the train tomorrow!"

"Oh, God. School," Mildred groaned, leaning down and resting her head against the table. It almost toppled over from the weight.

Lily ignored her. "Well, why did you wait?"

Shrugging, Eugenie responded, "I've been busy. Just got back from holiday."

"How was it?"

"All right -- same old part of France, as always."

"I wish I could visit France," Mildred added, raising her head slightly to look at Eugenie. "I bet you the boys were all foxes."

"Not really," Eugenie sniffed, "they didn't seem to be interested in any girl who wasn't French."

"What bastards," Lily agreed, her voice filled with humor, "I sometimes wish I could be French. It seems romantic, you know?"

"Right, so you wouldn't have to shave your armpits?" Mildred asked.

"They shave their armpits," Eugenie said quickly, "but I doubt they bathe very often."

Mildred laughed. "Those dirty French!"

Their ice cream appeared then, two silver spoons popping into their hands suddenly, and both girls didn't hesitate to begin eating. Eugenie looked on disdainfully, pursing her lips as her eyes moved away from the table with a slight ugly expression upon her face.

Lily began to giggle uncontrollably when Mildred's scarf dropped into her bowl, snorting into her spoon with a mouthful of ice cream numbing her tongue. Mildred mumbled something incoherent, but definitely obscene, and continued eating.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow on the train," Eugenie said, leaning down to grab her bags before standing up. She sighed heavily, then turned to leave but collided with a boy all three girls knew very well.

Mildred laughed at the surprised and ruffled look upon her face. Eugenie reddened considerably as she stared at Pettigrew, waiting for him to apologise. The poor boy was flustered, his watery eyes round with embarrassment.

"Are you going to apologise or not?" Eugenie asked quite rudely, but with confidence because she knew Pettigrew would never answer cruelly.

"I -- yes, sorry," he said with a voice that didn't represent his age. He had a fidgeting air about him, shifting from foot to foot, searching their faces for a comforting welcome.

Lily smiled at him, determined to supress the pity which had a history of appearing within her features. His mouth twitched eagerly, but before it could widen into a complete smile, Mildred snorted and forced his gaze upon her.

"Eating again, Pettigrew? Don't you think you had enough?"

Pettigrew redden suddenly, and he stumbled to answer her. Lily felt that familiar anger within her, quick like a whip and without warning.

"Shut up, Mildred," she responded, her own face going red, "that's mean."

Mildred side-glanced her, then laughed forcibly. "I'm only joking, Lily."

"Sure, right." She looked at Pettigrew. "You wanna sit down, Peter?"

He shook his head quickly, his cheeks still blazing. "No, no -- I was just on my way to the toilets. I really wasn't going to buy some ice cream." His voice shook with nervousness. He turned on his heels suddenly, and walked away without a farewell.

Lily's eyes flashed to Eugenie, then Mildred, her mouth parting to say something very loudly. Though, Mildred responded quickly, "Jesus, I was just kidding. If that boy had a brain he would have known it."

"It didn't seem like it," Eugenie answered.

Mildred rolled her eyes. "I thought you were leaving."

Eugenie glared at her. "I'm definitely now."

"Oh, Mildred," Lily groaned, her shoulders slouching, "you really need to think before you speak." She bit the side of her mouth, and focused on calming her anger.

XXX

The sun was warm against the back of her neck, a tingling feeling of burning skin that made sweat collect around her collarbone and soak into her lilac-coloured blouse. She squinted her eyes against the light as she searched the platform for Mildred, her head turning from the numerous voices around her that emerged to form one high hum of sound.

She felt exposed with so many people around, as if every student had focused their eyes on her, critical of her appearance. She had the urge to head for the little nook behind the ticket booth where she usually met Severus, but flexed her hands instead, pretending to inspect her fingertips as the feeling that she was being watched grew stronger.

The tingling on her neck began to spread down her arms and to her stomach, twisting the muscles and creating a beating pain within her lungs. She turned her head to the side instinctively, spotting Potter to the right with his mother and father. They were speaking quickly with one another, as their son looked around, most likely searching for Black.

He pivoted on his toes, hands shielding the sun from his eyes, the light reflecting against his glasses. His eyes moved slowly through the crowd, flashing to each face, a bit of guarded expectancy within his expression. A small frown appeared on his lips as the seconds passed, until finally his gaze fell upon Lily, brows rising in surprise.

After a moment he tilted his head down, eyes still focused on Lily, but with hesitancy and what seemed like embarrassment. She shifted her feet and looked away suddenly, as if to forget the fact that she had been gawking at him. She felt her cheeks redden on their own accord, and she crossed her arms over her chest in obvious abashment.

"I say, you really are a loyal pup," Mildred said, her familiar voice a relief to Lily. "I go to speak to Michael for a moment, tell you to wait, and you actually do."

Lily shrugged. "I wondered where you had run off to. Been standing here for ages." She glanced to the girl next to Mildred. "How was your holiday, Michael?"

"Just fine, been spending it with my mum. How about you?"

"God awful," Mildred answered for her, throwing her arm around Lily, "been moping around all summer, haven't you?"

"Well, only you would know, Millie."

Mildred glared at her. "Let's get on the train and leave the pup here."

XXX

"So, what's this business with this Evita woman?" Michael asked, as she licked the chocolate from her fingers, bunches of discarded wrappers around her feet. "Why do you have a photograph of her taped to your bed?"

"It's not just any photograph!" Mildred said, standing up on her bed and smacking the photograph with her wand.

There was a loud noise, such as a screeching owl, and a woman's voice with a thick accent began to say, "Evita Peron, May 7, 1919 - July 26, 1952, was a Muggle slut who subsequently became the First Lady of Argentina. Little is known about how she accomplished this achievement, though many believe it was due to her expertise in the bedroom."

There was silence, then Mildred said quite dramatically, "My hero!"

Lily couldn't help but snort loudly, lifting her head up from the bed to look at Michael's reaction.

"That doesn't sound like someone you should idolize," Eugenie said, disdain clear in her voice. "She sounds dirty."

"I must agree, sorry, Mildred," Michael responded, her voice thick with exhaustion.

"Whatever, you girls don't know true brilliance."

"Can we just go to sleep?" Lily asked.

Nodding, Mildred dropped down to her bed and turned off the light, whispering, "Nox."

The room fell into darkness, and Lily was left staring up at the draping red cloth around her bed, blotches of white flashing within her vision as her eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light. She listened to the steady breathing of her friends, her mind reviewing the day's events. The train ride had been exhausting -- she couldn't stand the rocking of the compartments, her head pounding within the first hour of travel.

She hadn't seen Severus, which made her uneasy, even if she didn't want to admit it. Maybe he would leave Hogwarts all together. She shuddered to think of the possibilities. Within her thoughts, Potter began to materialize without her permission, the memory of him on the platform still drumming inside her consciousness.

Strangely, he had never approached her alone and somehow his reaction to her that morning was evidence as to why. He had almost seemed shy to stand there in view of her, the way he had cocked his head downward, almost avoiding her gaze. He had looked appealing - she had to admit that much. His cheeks flushed because of the sun, his eyes soft behind those glasses of his.

Twisting her eyes closed, she tried to escape her own thoughts and ignore the pounding within her stomach. She rolled to her side and allowed herself to squeeze her thighs together, just a little.