Absolutely lovely chapter image by Chocolate_Frog @TDA
Ten things I vow not to do my last year at Hogwarts:
1. Gain weight. Because then I'd be left loveless and single and will gain even more weight. Can't let that happen.
2. Slack off (Barely being able to pass Transfiguration last year is not one of my proudest moments.)
3. Get drunk an hour before my final Transfiguration exam because it would apparently "boost up my spirits and give me confidence"
- on the related note, I should stop listening to my best friend. She's generally a screw up at life. I don't even know why I keep her around.
4. Drop off any subjects (Sorry Professor Vector!)
5. Drink too much coffeine. (Having a nervous breakdown in front of the whole school is not something I want to repeat)
6. Procrastinate. (It's my last year and my last chance to do good and get into some decent program. My mother got me motivated by telling me that she'd stop supporting me if I don't get at least five NEWTs prefertably with Es and Os.)
7. Get back together with Nick. (sonotgoingtohappen)
8. Be mean to Lily Evans. (She'd be such a good influence on me if I get her to forgive me the six years of utter bitchiness.)
9. Skip another Quidditch try outs. (This year I'm actually going to show up at the try outs. Screw nerves. I'm going to ace this.)
10. Get into public fights that nearly get me thrown out of the school. Ahem.
...
"Do those jeans make my arse look fat?"
I sigh in utter exasperation and slap a hand to my forehead. My best friend, Nina Roberts, is going to yet another late night out with some guy I can't bother to remember the name of and is, as always, using me for a fashion consultant.
"I don't care." I answer her. She's been annoying me lately and it's finally my time to punish her. I return to my magazine but then a tanned hand with bright red nails grabs it and throws it across the room.
Nina sure has some temper issues to deal with. I glare angrily up at her and draw myself to a sitting position. "What the hell is your problem?" I snap.
Nina puts her hands on her hips and looks down on me. "You've been an awful bitch to me lately, Ella. What's
your fucking problem? "
"You are my problem." I mutter and flop back against my pillow. Nina purses her lips and her hazel eyes flash angrily.
"Oh, is that it? What, pray tell, am I doing so wrong that it annoys you so much? Please, enlighten me." Nina plops down on my bed and gives me a look full of exaggerated interest. I shake my head and turn my face away from her.
The truth is, I have no idea why Nina is annoying me all of a sudden. She hasn't changed since I know her and she has never annoyed me with her flippant attitude before. The problem is clearly in me but I can't tell her that, can I?
"It's nothing." I say and smile up at her. The smile is clearly forced but Nina makes no comment and just stands up.
"Fine, be that way." She throws her extreamly long black hair over her shoulders. "I probably won't be coming back tonight, so I'll see you tomorrow."
I nod and watch her awkwardly as she puts the final touches to her look, then disappears out the door. I stay in silence for several minutes, knowing that I won't be able to go back to reading my magazine. Finally, I let out a sigh and decide to find Lily Evans and ask her for help on my Charms essay.
I stuff the thick Charms textbook along with my unfinished essay, a bottle of ink and my favourite quill in my satchel and leave the dorm. I don't find Lily Evans in the common room but that's not so surprising. Since she's Head Girl this year, she now lives in the Head Dorms along with James Potter, the Head Boy. She's rarely in the common room, nowadays. I do spot her best friends sitting around the fire, so I walk over to them.
"Hey, guys." I say awkwardly. For years, Nina and I have purposely excluded ourselves from the other seventh year girls, thinking they're below us. I've never been outright hostile towards them like Nina but I haven't been a little angel either. Alice Jones looks up at me and smiles just as awkwardly while Marlene McKinnon gives me a glare. "I was just wondering if you could tell me if you know where Lily is." I say. I believe this is the nicest I have ever been to them. They both look surprised at my timidity and polite manner and Marlene opens her mouth, the old disdainful look appearing on her face but Alice speaks before she has the chance to say anything.
"She's in the library." She says and she smiles her famous warm and friendly smile.
"Thanks, Alice." I say with a smile and head toward the exit. I hear Marlene snapping at Alice for telling me and smile when Alice calmly shrugs off Marlene and changes the subject.
I haven't spent much time in the library and when I have been in there, I've almost always ended up getting thrown out by Madam Pince, the bloody cow. The minute I walk in and she catches sight of me, she glares and shakes her finger warningly at me. I roll my eyes and scan the room. I immediately spot the mane of auburn hair and head for the table at the far back. Lily is writing furiously on a parchment, only looking up once or twice to check something in the four thick tomes spread in front of her.
I clear my throat once I reach the table and stop uncertainly next to one of the chairs. Lily looks up startedly and her eyes widen upon seeing me. A second later the surprise is gone and a guarded expression takes over her features. "What is it, Ella?"
I glanced around me and notice Severus Snape sitting just a couple of tables away, glancing at us through his certain of long, greasy black hair. "Can I seat here?" I ask her. She seems more then a little surprised, shocked even and I can't blame her. Her eyebrows furrow and I almost expect her to say no.
"Um, sure." She gestures to the emtpy chair next to me. "Sit."
I drop my bag on the free space on the table and sit down. "Look, Lily, I know I'm not exactly in position to ask for your help-" Lily raises her eyebrows and her beautiful green eyes fill with both amusement and slight curiousity. "but I'll really appreciate it if you help me with my Charms essay."
Lily cocks her head to the side and stares at me for several short moments. I will myself not to fidged under her scrutinizing gaze and instead preoccupy myself with picking up the different shades of green in her eyes.
"Okay." She says eventually. "But let's go to my dorm. Severus staring is starting to get on my nerves." She winks at me and gets up. I blink in shock but a smile starts to pull at my lips and I stand up and help Lily gather her things.
"So, what brought this up? Last year you wouldn't even look at me - well, aside from the times when you and Nina decided to make fun of me for something." She brushes her fringe away from her eyes and glances at me. I'm surprised she isn't angry. I have been awful to her and If were her, I would've been angry at me.
"Er, well, things change." I say with a shrug of my shoulders. "I guess I matured a little bit, realized that I've been awful to you without any apparent reason and.. I'm sorry. I really am."
Lily's face softens. "It's okay. I never really took you two seriously anyway, although you did manage to piss me off a few times. It's good that you've realized you're doing a mistake while Nina.." She trails off and gives me a half-smile.
"Yeah, Nina won't change." I mutter.
"Well, I accept your apology and I forgive you. As long as you don't do it again, we're okay."
I grin. "Done."
Lily smiles. "To tell you the truth, I'm a bit surprised you're asking me for help - not only because is me but because it's for school." She smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry, you just never came across as a person who cares about her grades."
I laugh at her awkward and apologetic expression. "Yeah, I know. But it's my last year and better later than never right?"
"Right." Lily says with an approving nod. "I like this new Ella."
I smile. "You know.. I think I like her too."
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