29 October 1976, Girls' Dorm
Lily lets herself into her dorm room very quietly, expecting that at least some of her roommates will have turned in for the evening, only to find that she needn't have bothered.
Not only are none of her roommates in bed already, the only one there at all is Glynis, who is directing her wand in the hemming of a skirt. Glynis grins at her, and then looks at the clock and adopts a mock stern expression.
Lily laughs. "I can't be in that much trouble," she says. "No one else is back, either. Where are they?"
"Perdita went to see if she could borrow the new issue of Young Witch from someone, Mary is brushing her teeth, and Raquel came to get Cliona. Joanna had some kind of night-before-the-match panic attack."
"Must be going around," Lily says, mostly to herself.
Or at least, that was the intent.
"What's going around?" Cliona asks, arriving with her usual impeccable sense of timing.
"Nothing," Lily says, just as Glynis says, "Quidditch panic attacks."
"Who's having a panic attack?" Cliona says.
"No one," Lily says. "How's Joanna?"
"She's all right," Cliona says. "I think. She went to bed early, you know, good night's sleep before the match, and woke up an hour later screaming. She had a nightmare about Quaffles with teeth."
"Quaffles with teeth?" Lily asks.
"Really mean ones," Cliona says.
For a moment, the three of them look at each other, and then they all start laughing.
"We really shouldn't laugh," Glynis says.
"No, of course not," Lily says.
"She was very upset," Cliona adds.
"But ... Quaffles," Glynis says.
"With teeth," Lily finishes, and they all start laughing again.
For a moment, Lily hopes that this has proven to be a sufficient distraction from anyone else's pre-Quidditch nerves.
But ... well, it's Cliona.
"So, who else is worried?" she asks, settling cross-legged on her bed.
"It's nothing," Lily says.
"What's nothing?" Mary asks, coming into the room. Perdita is right behind her.
"Nothing is nothing," Lily says.
"How profound," Perdita says, airily, and Lily throws a pillow at her.
"Well, obviously it's James," Cliona says, rationally. "It would have to be. Who else would it be?"
Mary's eyes widen a little, and she turns to Lily. "Wait. What about James Potter? Do you have a date with him or something?"
"No, that's not what we're talking about," Cliona says. "Lily said someone else had Quidditch nerves, and if it were a Hufflepuff she'd probably tell us who it was, and we know it wasn't Joanna or Raquel, and she doesn't know Eugene or Aurelius or ... " Cliona trails off, getting a good look at Lily's face. "And you do, don't you? You're going to go out with James, aren't you?"
Lily rather uselessly tries to will her face back to a color not usually found in poppies and strawberries. "Well, actually, yes. I am."
All four of her roommates stare at her. Glynis' skirt carries on hemming itself.
"Well, you might have told us," Perdita says. "We are your best friends."
"I was going to," Lily says. "I just didn't have a chance. He only asked me a few minutes ago."
"He asked you just now?" Cliona says. "Lily, it's the night before a match. You've probably completely destroyed his concentration."
"Well, probably not as badly as she would have if she'd said 'no' again," Mary says, practically.
"That's not why you said 'yes,' is it?" Cliona asks.
"Of course not," Lily says.
"Why did you say 'yes' this time?" Glynis asks.
"I guess I got tired of saying 'no,'" Lily says, and then nods at Glynis' skirt. "That's going to be a belt before much longer," she says.
Glynis turns to her skirt, gasps, and waves her wand to end the hemming charm.
Cliona slides off the end of her bed, pulls her dressing gown on over her pajamas, and heads for the bedroom door.
"Where are you going?" Lily asks.
"Just need to check on something," Cliona says. "Back in moment."
"She's going to talk to James, isn't she?" Lily says.
"Probably," Mary says.
"And she's going to blame me if they lose tomorrow, isn't she?" Lily asks, mostly kidding.
"Probably not," Mary says, with mock uncertainty. She comes over to sit next to Lily, taking both her hands, and looking her in the eye. "But if you are going to go out with James Potter, you have to promise us all one thing," Mary says.
"What's that?" Lily asks.
"That you will never, ever, for any reason, start addressing him as 'Jamesikins.'" Mary says, and they both have to dodge the pillow Perdita throws at them.
Not only are none of her roommates in bed already, the only one there at all is Glynis, who is directing her wand in the hemming of a skirt. Glynis grins at her, and then looks at the clock and adopts a mock stern expression.
Lily laughs. "I can't be in that much trouble," she says. "No one else is back, either. Where are they?"
"Perdita went to see if she could borrow the new issue of Young Witch from someone, Mary is brushing her teeth, and Raquel came to get Cliona. Joanna had some kind of night-before-the-match panic attack."
"Must be going around," Lily says, mostly to herself.
Or at least, that was the intent.
"What's going around?" Cliona asks, arriving with her usual impeccable sense of timing.
"Nothing," Lily says, just as Glynis says, "Quidditch panic attacks."
"Who's having a panic attack?" Cliona says.
"No one," Lily says. "How's Joanna?"
"She's all right," Cliona says. "I think. She went to bed early, you know, good night's sleep before the match, and woke up an hour later screaming. She had a nightmare about Quaffles with teeth."
"Quaffles with teeth?" Lily asks.
"Really mean ones," Cliona says.
For a moment, the three of them look at each other, and then they all start laughing.
"We really shouldn't laugh," Glynis says.
"No, of course not," Lily says.
"She was very upset," Cliona adds.
"But ... Quaffles," Glynis says.
"With teeth," Lily finishes, and they all start laughing again.
For a moment, Lily hopes that this has proven to be a sufficient distraction from anyone else's pre-Quidditch nerves.
But ... well, it's Cliona.
"So, who else is worried?" she asks, settling cross-legged on her bed.
"It's nothing," Lily says.
"What's nothing?" Mary asks, coming into the room. Perdita is right behind her.
"Nothing is nothing," Lily says.
"How profound," Perdita says, airily, and Lily throws a pillow at her.
"Well, obviously it's James," Cliona says, rationally. "It would have to be. Who else would it be?"
Mary's eyes widen a little, and she turns to Lily. "Wait. What about James Potter? Do you have a date with him or something?"
"No, that's not what we're talking about," Cliona says. "Lily said someone else had Quidditch nerves, and if it were a Hufflepuff she'd probably tell us who it was, and we know it wasn't Joanna or Raquel, and she doesn't know Eugene or Aurelius or ... " Cliona trails off, getting a good look at Lily's face. "And you do, don't you? You're going to go out with James, aren't you?"
Lily rather uselessly tries to will her face back to a color not usually found in poppies and strawberries. "Well, actually, yes. I am."
All four of her roommates stare at her. Glynis' skirt carries on hemming itself.
"Well, you might have told us," Perdita says. "We are your best friends."
"I was going to," Lily says. "I just didn't have a chance. He only asked me a few minutes ago."
"He asked you just now?" Cliona says. "Lily, it's the night before a match. You've probably completely destroyed his concentration."
"Well, probably not as badly as she would have if she'd said 'no' again," Mary says, practically.
"That's not why you said 'yes,' is it?" Cliona asks.
"Of course not," Lily says.
"Why did you say 'yes' this time?" Glynis asks.
"I guess I got tired of saying 'no,'" Lily says, and then nods at Glynis' skirt. "That's going to be a belt before much longer," she says.
Glynis turns to her skirt, gasps, and waves her wand to end the hemming charm.
Cliona slides off the end of her bed, pulls her dressing gown on over her pajamas, and heads for the bedroom door.
"Where are you going?" Lily asks.
"Just need to check on something," Cliona says. "Back in moment."
"She's going to talk to James, isn't she?" Lily says.
"Probably," Mary says.
"And she's going to blame me if they lose tomorrow, isn't she?" Lily asks, mostly kidding.
"Probably not," Mary says, with mock uncertainty. She comes over to sit next to Lily, taking both her hands, and looking her in the eye. "But if you are going to go out with James Potter, you have to promise us all one thing," Mary says.
"What's that?" Lily asks.
"That you will never, ever, for any reason, start addressing him as 'Jamesikins.'" Mary says, and they both have to dodge the pillow Perdita throws at them.