#t:oct

Lily twiddled anxiously with her wand, occasionally dropping it in her anticipation. Not that anyone was around to take note of her clumsiness. The charms classroom was empty, as expected. And James Potter was late...also as expected. 

The thought of being alone with James was not normally a cause for anxiety — irritation, maybe, or annoyance, but never this sort of nervousness. She hadn't spent more than a few minutes around him in weeks, though, and she hardly knew what she would say now. Lily had done a rather commendable job of avoiding him since their spat at the beginning of the year. James, in turn, didn't seem all too keen on crossing her path either (perhaps, she mused, for fear of another slap.) 

If she'd known he was the student Professor Flitwick wanted her to help with Patronus charms, she'd have refused on the spot. But it was far too late to back out of it now. She had promised her help, and Lily was nothing if not a witch of her word. 

She paced the empty classroom, casting expectant glances at the door every time she heard a noise. Maybe he'd forgotten. Maybe he'd been injured in some freak accident, or maybe he'd —

The owlery was alive with the noise of low hoots, ruffling feathers, and the howl of October winds whipping through the windows. Lily was grateful for the cacophony — it drowned out the sobs wracking her body. She sank to the floor and drew her knees to her chest.

Ever since the attacks on muggles started, Lily had picked up a subscription to her  hometown's newspaper. Her owl would deliver her a copy each night and Lily would pore over it, searching for any news of mysterious occurrences close to home. 

Today's newspaper was still clutched between her fists. It was impossible to read through her tears, but Lily didn't need to read it again, really. She'd already committed the words to memory. A suspicious attack in Cokeworth — an entire family of muggles found dead under inexplicable circumstances, as if all their hearts had stopped all at once. 

in the lead for the House Cup!