Stubborn

The sky is gray with gusts of wind. Much of the snow on the grounds had melted away with the rainstorm's last light leaving the grounds muddy and full of puddles. Care of Magical Creatures led by Professor Kettleburn and Apprentice Rubeus Hagrid (the Groundkeeper of Hogwarts) is outside by one of the sheds near the Forbidden Forest.

They had been studying Porlock's small shaggy-haired creatures with large noses, and small arms with four stubby fingers. Porlock's walked on two cloven hooves but were rather shy creatures. They tended to live in grasslands (and ate grass). They guarded over horses often found nesting in a stable or with the herd that they were protecting. And as interesting as the lesson as it had been, the spirits of those in attendance were greatly dampened by the weather.

The 5th-year Gryffindors and Slytherins in the shared class miserably trek their way back to the castle. Lily's fiery hair flaps in the wind even smacking her in the face. Her emerald eyes wince in pain at a painful slap. She moves her red hair from her face only to have several strands flung back. Annoyed, she tries to tug her hair back with no effort.

"I've got a scrunchie you can borrow," said a voice filled with repressed laughter. Lily turned to face her friend/roommate the curly chestnut-haired, Willa Sands. Willa's hazel eyes are full of laughter, before handing over a red scrunchie to match her fiery redhead friend.

"Thanks, Willa," Lily sincerely said, before tugging her hair back into a ponytail. "You're a real-life saver."

Willa playfully rolls her eyes and bumps Lily with her hip, before glancing teasingly at their other roommate and friend, Mary MacDonald. The short dark, brown-haired Mary is rather quiet. Her tired golden-brown eyes are distant lost in thought. However, more worrisome are the growing eyeshadows and the constant flinching tendency Mary has developed for no apparent reason.

Willa's smile fades away at seeing Mary so withdrawn. There was nothing wrong with Mary, but she was quieter just as she had been before when they were in their first year. It wouldn't have been strange if Mary had not become so outgoing during their 4th and 5th year.

Frankly, it worried Willa that their friend had become so withdrawn and wasn't even willing to tell them the reason why. Frankly, it stung quite a bit coming from a close friend. Were they just not trustworthy enough to?

Putting her personal concerns aside, Willa tried to feign cheer she didn't feel. "Hey, what are you thinking about Mary?"

Mary's golden-brown eyes flutter in startlement and she takes a wrong step right sliding towards a thick puddle of mud. Lily and Willa barely managed to catch the flailing girl, before Mary falls face-first into the mud. Hauling Mary back by her robes, the two girls hold Mary steady.

"I'm so sorry, Mary," Willa frantically apologized, "I didn't mean to make you trip!"

"Ah, it's fine really," Mary said a bit out of breath. "It was my fault really; I wasn't paying attention."

Lily's emerald eyes gaze pensively at Mary as they resume walking "What is that you were so wrapped in?"

Mary warily shrugs and tugs on the tips of her short brown hair that was beginning to grow out again. "I haven't felt like playing Quidditch as of late. I was thinking about how to gain the courage to tell Sirius that I will be quitting the team."

"What?!" Willa gasped utterly aghast. "But you worked so hard to get on the team, Mary! You even outflew me in order to become the team seeker!"

Mary stiffened; her hands twitched of their own accord. The only measure of relief to be found in the fact that her hands are hidden by her robe sleeves. "I no longer feel comfortable playing." It was the truth; she no longer trusted her own body.

The silence stretched awkwardly between them, but Mary could not be bothered. She had far more pressing concerns. Mary chewed on her cheek in frustration rubbing her cheek even rawer. She thought she had retaken some measure of control, but she had been so very wrong. She had severely underestimated the tenacity of the other vessel at Hogwarts.

Mary's mind had begun to blur again and slowly she had begun to miss time again. Nothing drastic yet, but it was a severe warning to her. She had been barely sleeping as of late. She focused all her available time on finding anything that might help her. However, so far, she had found nothing except the use of crystals that are said to clear the mind and soul.

Desperate Mary had purchased a complete set from Hogsmeade. And though, the crystals seemed to clear her mind, they did nothing to prevent her from rejoining the collective. She felt that the carpet is being pulled out right from underneath her feet despite her best efforts. And the more desperate she struggled, the darker the thoughts crept in including the unthinkable.

"Hey," Willa loudly said startling Mary again causing Lily to nudge Willa in the ribs.

Willa winces but quickly gets the hint. Okay, she can be a good supportive friend. Though she wasn't very good at this gentle, quiet, compassionate stuff.

"Err, well, I was thinking Mary," Willa glanced at Lily, who nodded at Willa to keep going. Unconsciously Willa gets louder as she gets more enthusiastic. "I was thinking Mary, why don't we go and tell Sirius together? I mean the Gryffindor season is over for the year and tryouts aren't until next year!"

With a cheeky smile, Willa hugs Mary and roguishly winks. "And thanks, Mary. I will surely make it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year. I won't forget your valiant sacrifice!"

Lily shakes her head as Willa says, "C'mon Mary, we have no time to lose," before dragging Mary away. The 5th year Gryffindor's had Defense Against the Dark Arts next. There is still plenty of time before their class to find Sirius and tell him! What's the worst he could do, kick Mary off the team?! (Which is exactly what Mary wants!) And besides, the quidditch season is over for the school year!

Shaking her head ruefully, Lily watches her two friends quickly fade away into the distance. She makes her way across the ground thoughtfully. There had been a rather pressing matter as of late specifically the rift between Severus and Rowan.

Lily and Severus had been best friends since they were nine years old. Though Lily wasn't best friends with Rowan, they had always been good friends. Often when she and Severus had been playing in the fields, the brook, or the woods, Rowan would be found reading or intently studying something. Not that Rowan hadn't joined in because she had. They had plenty of fun playing tag, hide and seek, and other children's games. It's just that Rowan to an extent liked to be left alone at times. That's simply just how Rowan was.

Yet things had been off, especially over the past months between Rowan and Severus. Lily had tried to prod Severus both subtly and bluntly, but Severus wouldn't budge on the subject. And when Lily had tried to speak to Rowan about it, Rowan had crisply responded, "Severus believes what he wishes. Regardless, it is something that Severus must come to terms with on his own terms, Lily." (In other words, stay out of it, Lily!)

However, Lily was a stubborn Gryffindor, stubborn enough to even match Severus. That said something if nothing else. No wonder the two of them fit other like two peas in a pod!

With firm determination in mind, Lily marched into Hogwarts, but not before cleaning the mud off her clothes from her trek across the grounds. The class was already half full when she arrived at their Defense Against the Dark Arts class only to find Sirius shouting at Mary. "Where am I going to find as a good seeker as you, Mary?"

"Sirius, I think you'll do just fine without me," Mary solemnly answered to the amusement of all those in attendance except for Remus, her boyfriend, and surrounded by her best friend, Willa.

"Willa can fly just as good as me, Sirius. So, the problem is resolved!" Mary briskly said, before pulling her boyfriend, Remus over to sit with her instead of Sirius.

"Remy," Sirius protested seeing Remus glaring back at Sirius for shouting at his girlfriend. Remus's eyes vowed that he'd give Sirius a stern talking too when they got back to their dorms.

Seeing Remus's stern gaze, Sirius wilted like a kicked puppy dog. "You're with me on this one, right, Pete?" He pleaded with his second-in-command.

Peter barely refrains from rolling his chocolate-colored eyes. "Sirius, when are you going to learn that there is more to life than just quidditch?"

Sirius made a high-pitched protest, but Peter continued, "And besides as Mary said, we already lost the season. We have nothing else to lose. And if you really want to practice, well, just get Willa Sands to join us. If she's good, we'll know she'll do well in the try out's next year."

"Of course, you're right, mate," Sirius cheerfully said clapping Peter on the back. With all his woes forgotten, he happily sits down and begins to formulate Quidditch tactics much to Peter's chagrin. James warily shrugs at him, while Severus frowns and glares at Rowan, who enters their classroom.

Rather annoyed, Peter grumpily gathers things and stalks over to sit down next down to Rowan. "How come you aren't sitting with Lily and the rest?" He curiously asked.

"Remus is over there today," Rowan drily answered. "And besides I wanted to be alone."

"Right," Peter drily said. "Well, I'm already sitting here and I'm not moving."

"Fine," Rowan grumbled, but she was unable to hide the upward twitch of her lips.

Nothing further was said as crisp footsteps are heard, and Professor Ogden sweeps into the classroom despite his short stature. The plumb wizard adjusts his enormous thick glasses and says, "Today, we'll be learning the hex, Densaugeo, and the counter course." (A spell that caused the front teeth to elongate and grow at an alarming rate.)

The class quickly becomes silent as Professor Ogden begins to teach the hex. Either way, even the rowdiest of students, (Sirius) paid attention. Then again, it was a spell that could be used in a prank…