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A Vial of Phoenix Tears


Sirius had successfully created the potion and Lily bottled a vial for grading. They were packing up the potions kit when Sirius mentioned needing to get Remus from the hospital wing, where he’d left him. “Go on, I’ll finish up packing here,” Lily said, smiling, “Still need to wake Slughorn up, too. You go ahead.”

“You’re sure?” Sirius asked, “I can wait and walk with you up to Gryffindor Tower first…” But she could tell by the look on his face he really wanted to go fetch his Moony.

She nodded. “Go on. I’ll be alright.” She smiled and Sirius hurried out the door.

Lily finished putting away the ingredients they’d gotten from Slughorn’s store and closed the Potions kit, then washed out the cauldron dutifully and put Sirius’s book inside like he’d had it. Then she took the vial up to the front of the room and put it on Slughorn’s desk. She turned to Slughorn himself next. “Professor,” she said, tapping him gently on the shoulder, “Professor Slughorn. Wake up.”

He snorted and grunted awake and shuffled to sit up, “Oh my, I did fall asleep didn’t I?” He clucked in disapproval of himself, then saw the little vial on his desk, “Oh what a lovely shade!” he said and he pushed himself out of the chair with a groan and waddled over to pick up the vial and turn it over in his hand. “Very nice indeed. And Mr. Black did this all himself?”

“Completely by himself,” Lily nodded.

“Very good indeed! I knew all the boy needed was a bit of focus. You’ll help him improve marvelously, Miss. Evans.” Slughorn opened the cork and smelled the potion carefully, then, “Interesting. The figs are especially prominent! However did you achieve that?”

“We spent a bit of time on the figs… we, uh, we let them sit a bit. Longer than the recipe calls for,” Lily said, remembering the figs had sat on the counter for nearly their entire talk.

“Excellent! I shall teach that going forward, I think it adds a nice touch to the potion, don’t you?”

Lily nodded.

Slughorn capped the vial and put it back down on his desk, “I do wonder if this will be the first Exceeds Expectations that Mr. Black has received in his academic career,” he chuckled.

Lily smiled. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased when he gets it.”

Slughorn smiled, “It’s a good thing you’re doing, Miss. Evans, helping him. I’m certain that he appreciates your assistance.”

Lily flushed. “He’s one of my best friends, Professor, I couldn’t ever say no to helping him out when he needs it.”

Slughorn’s eyes twinkled with pride as he looked at her and he said, “You know, Miss. Evans, I don’t subscribe to the whole pureblood way of thinking that many of the students in my house do. I believe that we’re all equally gifted with magical talent, regardless of our blood… Now, granted many a time the purebloods appear more gifted - perhaps it’s because they’ve grown with magical roots, you know what I mean? - but you, Lily, you break the mold because you’re the brightest witch and also a muggle-born, aren’t you?”

“Yes sir,” Lily answered. She wasn’t entirely positive how she felt about this little speech, but Slughorn looked at her with such pride that she had a feeling he was trying to say something nice in his bumbling sort of way. “Thank you.”

“Of course! Of course!” He smiled and patted her on the shoulder, “You’re one of my favorite students, Miss. Evans. I really mean that.”

Lily smiled. She had a feeling he would’ve liked to hear that he was one of her favorite teachers but she didn’t quite want to lie about it. “You’re a grand teacher as well, Professor,” she said instead because she didn’t know what else to say.

It seemed to work well enough, though, for Slughorn’s mouth split wide and he patted his stomach, hooking his thumbs in the tiny pockets of his silk vest, looking quite like a pleased peacock. “I do my best, Evans, I do my best. I must attribute my greatness to having a very fine assortment of students…” he smiled, “I simply must take a photograph of the Slug Club next time we meet!” he added, “Be sure you come to our next little get together, it would be a shame not to have you pictured with the others. My very favorite students, you lot are…” he smiled and patted her arm. “Perhaps by the time you’ve finished with him, Sirius Black will be up to snuff to join us as well…” Slughorn’s face beamed as though he were extending an offer of a lifetime at the possibility that Sirius might be able to join the illustrious Slug Club.

Lily could just imagine the amount of scoffing, mockery, and snort-laughing that would come out of Sirius hearing about the offer.

“Perhaps,” she said, knowing even if Slughorn extended it, Sirius Black would rather die than attend a Slug Club dinner.

It just wasn’t his style.

“It would be nice, having both Sirius and Regulus attend,” Slughorn added, grinning.

The mention of the brothers together reminded Lily of her conversation with Sirius, and she realized she had places she needed to be. She cleared her throat, “Well, I best be going, it’s getting on in the evening and Filch will be checking the halls soon. Plus, it’s my birthday… I’m expected upstairs, I’m sure…”

“Yes that’s right it is, isn’t it?” Slughorn said, then, “Wait. Wait here a moment, Miss. Evans.” He turned and ducked through the door into his store and she heard him opening a cupboard and the clinking of vials for a few moments before he finally returned. “Here you are, Miss. Evans.” He held out his palm and in it was a small bottle filled with a shimmering white potion - such a small dose that it was barely the size of her baby fingernail. The little bottle was on a chain as though to be worn as a necklace.

She stared at it as it seemed to change colours - opalescent in sheen - and looked up at Slughorn. “What is this?” she asked.

“That, my dear, is genuine phoenix tears. There are four tears contained within that bottle, shed by a phoenix in the Himalayan Mountains. I procured that little sampling from Mr. Newt Scamander - before he was wanted by the Ministry for kidnapping, Newt was a good man, you see. Very bright - bit awkward, very bright. He was in one of my very first classes, one of my first Slug Club members.” He smiled brightly. “His brother had already graduated before I began teaching - his brother would’ve been a nice addition to the Slug Club, too - and before Mr. Scamander was expelled for that nasty incident with Lita Lestrange, well… he was a good student and we kept in touch. But it was him that collected this sample of tears from the phoenix. Said it was a magnificent bird.” Slughorn smiled, “Very powerful, Phoenix tears. Can heal any wound.”

Lily stared at the tiny vial as it spun on the end of it’s chain before her.

Slughorn said, “They’re mighty pretty, too, of course, very shiny. These are such old tears I doubt they would still be quite as powerful as they once were. I’m not sure about the aging properties of a phoenix bird’s tears, but it’s a lovely trinket if naught else.” He smiled, “Happy Birthday, Miss. Evans.”

Lily realized then that he meant for her to keep it and she looked up at him with wide eyes, “Sir, I couldn’t possibly accept --”

“You could, you can, and you will!” he said, “I insist!”

Lily smiled, “Thank you.”

“You are very welcome, Miss. Evans. Very welcome indeed. And thank you for being the charming, bright young witch you are!”

With that, Slughorn showed her out the door and into the corridor and Lily fastened the vial of phoenix tears ‘round her neck and tucked it into her shirt to protect it. She could feel the coolness of the bottle against her chest and she smiled and ran along through the hallways, up through the castle, her mind wandering over her next order of business as she wound we way through until she’d arrived at the hospital wing.

She stuck her head in the door slowly, holding the door steady so it wouldn’t creak as she stepped inside. The office was empty, the doors to the ward itself closed as well. Madam Pomfrey was no where to be seen - probably in her quarters - and Lily snuck across the office floor to the ward doors and pushed them open.

Pale moonlight flooded the ward, turning everything blue and she slipped inside. Remus must’ve already left with Sirius for there was nobody else in the ward besides James Potter, who lay there on the bed asleep, his head turned to one side, glasses on the nightstand beside him, along with his wand, his broomstick leaning against the wall. She glanced over her shoulder at the door as it slowly closed naturally, and she slid onto the stool beside James, looking over the features of his sleeping face for a moment.

He really was handsome, with kind, boyish features and his mop of thick, beautiful hair… She reached up and carefully moved a bit of the hair from his eyes, where it had fallen as he slept, and she felt his eyelashes flutter against her wrist as she was doing it and drew her hand back to find he’d woke up. He stared up at her, blinking his eyes groggily.

“Evans?” he asked, squinting.

“Shh,” she replied.

“What’re you doing here?”

“I came to check on you,” she replied.

James was quiet a moment, “I’m still dreaming.”

“You’re awake.”

“Are you sure? I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“Shall I pinch you, then?”

A dirty smile crawled across James’s face, “Oh Evans. Please. Pinch me. Pinch me hard, love.”

“Nevermind,” she said, laughing, “If you’re going to be a pig about it, you can go on thinking you’re dreaming.” She studied him a moment as he continued smiling up at her. She could tell the way his eyes moved that she was exceedingly blurry to him without his glasses.

James breathed sleepily… the draught was still in his veins. He coughed a little and she reached to the nightstand, where Pomfrey had left another shot of the Pepper Up potion for when he woke up. “Here,” she said.

James took the little shot and drank it down and handed her the cup, making a face as it burned down his throat once again and into his belly. He took a deep breath as the burning settled into a just a warm, comfortable feeling of relief and he smiled up at her, “Thank you, Evans,” he murmured.

“Thank Pomfrey, not me,” she replied. His hair had fallen onto his forehead again and she reached up to sweep it back once more. “Your hair is always a mess,” she commented. “Why don’t you ever brush it? You ought to give Sleekeazy a try.”

“Oh trust me, Evans, I’ve tried Sleekeazy,” he laughed.

“Couldn’t stand not looking windblown, could you?” she teased him.

“It’s my own personal rebellion, rather,” he said, “Or the closest thing to rebelling as I’ve ever gotten,” he laughed.

“Rebellion? Against what? Looking like a human being?”

“My grandfather’s the inventor, Evans,” he said, “It’s my Dad’s company. My dad’s the one that’s invented it as a gel like it is now. My grandfather discovered the potion that tamed the hair, and a few other personal care products of that sort, but --”

Lily stared at him in disbelief. “You’re telling me, Potter, that you are heir to the Sleekeazy kingdom and yet you’ve got the most unruly, untended mane in all of Hogwarts?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you, Evans.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not. I can have him send you a case of Sleekeazy if you like.”

“Alright.” She wholly thought he was lying.

“I will, then.” He nodded. “Be here within the week. You’ll see.”

“Right.”

James leaned back into the pillows and closed his eyes. “Besides, you like my messy hair.”

“I do not.”

“You do.”

“Don’t.”

“Why else would you have snuck all the way up here to the hospital wing for, if not to run your fingers through my hair like you’re doing?”

Lily suddenly caught herself. She hadn’t even realized she’d been doing it until he said it. She drew her hand away quickly and he chuckled and smiled.

“Actually, I can because I’m quite cross with you.”

“Cross with me?” James opened one eye to look up at her blearily again. “Why for? What have I done now?” His voice was ceeding, like he was willing to accept whatever reason she was angry with him for as his own fault.

Lily said, “You need to make up with Sirius.”

James raised his eyebrow, “Why?”

“He needs you.”

“Then he can apologize for being an arsehole to me.”

“Perhaps you need to apologize for being an arsehole to him, rather,” she replied.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You spoke to his brother after he specifically told you not to.”

James reached for his glasses. “What do you know about it, Evans?” he said, jamming them onto his face and struggling to push himself up. “First off, he never specifically told me not to speak to Regulus. He said that he didn’t want to speak to Regulus and he said a load of tosh about him being a horrible person and the like. Never once did the words James don’t speak to my brother ever come out of his mouth. Second off, his brother’s -- Regulus isn’t all the rubbish Sirius thinks he is. He’s a good kid and he has good intentions, really. He needs somebody to care for him is all and show him the right way. He’s reaching out and if somebody’s there for him… then… then maybe he won’t be all bad. Regulus deserves a chance as much as Sirius did.” James stared at her.

“Well he’s hurt by it,” she said.

“And I’m hurt by what he’s said to me. He was angry with me for saving the Minchum girl. Called me a traitor and a…” he paused, “A twatwaffle - his words, not mine.” James blushed at saying the dirty word to Lily Evans. “He accused me of always saving people without thinking it through, basically accused me of killing Maryrose. I didn’t know she wasn’t safe. I did everything I could. I told you that already.”

Lily nodded, “I know. I know and I don’t agree with what Sirius said. I don’t think he was right. But I think he’s hurting and he needs you right now and I think he’s too afraid of you saying no to try to ask for your friendship back.”

James stared at her, looking very disgruntled.

“Sometimes, you have to be the bigger man, James.”

He looked away, his face pained.

Lily slid off the stool and patted his leg and then she left, closing the ward door behind her. James stared at the doors, then let out a long, streaming sigh and threw himself backwards into the pillows.