Chapter 19
It was night in the dorm room. Marlene and Mary were sound asleep their giggling late-night conversation ended maybe an hour ago at this point. Lily found herself lying awake most nights now.
Always restless.
It had been about a month and a half since Lily had started losing weight, but still, she was frustrated with the sight of her reflection.
The numbers were going down, but no physical changes had happened.
The weight was dropping a little faster, at least.
Since Lily had gotten a charm to read calories, it was easier than before.
It all came down to numbers.
How many times she'd chew her food.
How many pounds did the scale show missing each week.
How many calories in every food that touched her lips.
Emmeline was hesitant at first to give Lily the charm.
Lily supposed she didn't blame her.
Emmeline had the secret to perfection, and it was probably something a person wouldn't be too eager to share.
But Lily practically begged. Seeing Emmeline's thin waif-like body made her more determined than ever. She had seen Emmeline before looking thin in the past few terms. But the difference was before she looked sick to Lily. Her gaunt frame is a cause for concern and discomfort, but now, Now she looks beautiful.
Lily imagined waking up with her own body looking similar.
(Maybe not as stick-like but just right).
Being able to check the scale and finally feel satisfied, doing the routine check of her body, and seeing it looking beautiful for once.
Having her uniform fit chic and loosely the way Emmeline's did.
Then she'd be done.
Then she'd be perfect.
With the charm Sanitas Caloritra
All Lily had to do was touch a plate to see a number appear above every food on it.
As Lily took a piece of the food, the amount of calories in that forkful would show.
It made it very easy to track everything she kept a notepad with her so that after the meal, she could calculate it all.
She started to eat no more than 1000 a day.
That sounded like a big number, but Hogwarts food seemed extremely fattening.
Half a bowl of oatmeal 200 calories.
With an apple that made breakfast 300!
One Caesar salad with chicken and dressing (the only way it was served) nearly 500 calories!!
Palate of roast veg, which Lily assumed must be covered in some sort of oil, came to roughly 300!
The average cup of milky tea added 150 Lily. Lily felt disgusted to think she had drank nearly 4 cups a day for the past weeks.
Lily had thought all these foods were healthy.
But it turns out she was still eating too many calories.
No wonder she still looked huge!
She thought to herself.
She skipped at least one meal a day anyway just to avoid going over her limit.
Most of the time, that meal was breakfast.
She would always find James Potter in the common room eager to see her.
As reluctant as she was to admit, she really did enjoy his company.
James Potter was a surprisingly pleasant person to be around. Lily had hated him for so long with his constant torment of Severus and his immature jokes about asking her out as a laugh.
But now that she spent more time with him, it was really hard to hate James Potter.
He was still a little immature and impulsive yes but that didn't mean he wasn't intelligent or caring. He really did care about people, Lily thought. He was fiercely protective of all his friends and strangely empathetic to people. A side of him she had never seen before
He could make mature and even interesting conversations on current events in the wizarding world. Talking with her about news in the ministry and such.
This topic always interested Lily, though learning about the tension over blood purity did scare her a little.
It had always been there. That divide she knew that better than most being muggle born herself. But she was always optimistic that one day it wouldn't be as bad.
But now it was worse than ever.
Lily tried not to focus on that, though.
She knew Hogwarts was a safe place.
The next morning, Lily woke up to a chaotic-looking Marlene leaning over from the top bunk. Shaggy blonde hair dangling around her upside-down head.
"Good morning, Lilypad!" She said loudly.
Then smiling cheekily.
Lily felt completely bewildered, half asleep still, and the room barely lit with the light of the sky. Showing the shadow of light reflecting on it from the not yet risen sun.
In her daze, Lily looked eyes half open at the clock by her bed.
6:00 am
Lily suddenly felt pissed.
"Marlene, it's 6 o'clock in the bloody morning on a Friday. Why the hell did you wake me up." She moaned.
"Not just you," Mary grunted. Makeup smudged into bags under her eyes and a tight-lipped look of discontent on her. "At least she woke you up nicely. She threw a slipper at me."
"Well, Lily's slave driver of a boyfriend called for practice at 6:20 in the morning. And if I have to suffer and get up at this ungodly hour, I'm not suffering alone!" Marlene said, crossing her arms and raising her brows.
"That's why you woke me up???!"
Mary screeched. "You little pest, I swear to Merlin if I wasn't half asleep right now. I'd beat you out of here with your own broom."
Mary Mcdonald was a kind person
Mary Mcdonald was a pretty friendly person.
One thing she was certainly not was a morning person.
Marlene frowned.
"What about solidarity?" She said guilty, obviously regretting her decision to wake up the room.
"Sorry Marls but Solidarity doesn't start till 7 am earliest." Lily shook her head.
Even though she would have liked a lie in, she didn't have the heart to tell off Marlene properly. It was like hitting a puppy on the nose with a newspaper.
Then Lily paused a moment, finally tuning in fully.
"Wait, did you say my boyfriend?!"
Marlene cheeky smile returned.
"Your boyfriend, my Quidditch captain, same difference." She shrugged.
Even a ticked-off Mary giggled at that
"How many times do I have to say it seriously? James Potter is not my boyfriend." Lily said exasperated.
Just then, possibly the worst timing, known to man a snowy speckled owl started to peck against their window.
A neat-looking letter was held in his beak.
The three girls looked at each other all at once in confusion.
"What kind of nutcase sends a letter this early in the morning." Mary asked.
"God only knows, but we should let the poor thing in its freezing out." Lily said, getting out of bed to open the window.
"I'm the poor thing that has to practise in that freezing cold." Marlene huffed, hopping down from the top bunk already dressed in her Quidditch gear.
Lily opened the window, letting the owl in.
Before coming inside, he gracefully ducked his head, then politely hopped inside onto the window sill.
"Aren't you well trained." Lily said, going to stroke the creature gently on his feathery head.
He was very clean-looking. But still managed to have these feathers stick up in the way a younger owl would. Despite this owl being fully grown. He seemed proud to have found the right window.
He nuzzled into Lily, happy to be getting attention. And let her pet him more.
"Aw, look how sweet he is," Lily said, turning to the others who she didn't notice and were laughing together hysterically.
After finally catching her breath, Marlene spoke. "You do know who he belongs to, don't you." Marlene asked
"He seems pretty fond of you, Lily," Mary giggled. "Like owner like an owl, I guess."
And the two burst into laughter again.
Lily looked at them confused.
"What's so funny, guys?" She was getting a little tired of being out of the joke, honestly.
Marlene gasped for air like she had been underwater. Temporarily stifling her fit of laughter.
"Well, Lily, there is one nutcase who would send an owl images early. Because there's really only one nutcase awake this early."
Lily looked shocked, and her eyes widened.
"No! ....surely not?"
Mary started giggling again, looking at Lily's expression of disbelief.
Lily looked at the owl, hair sticking up messily, eager for attention, proud of doing his job. Oh god.
"Come here. " Lily said, gently putting her hand under his beak, allowing him to promptly drop the letter into it.
Lily opened it almost nervously.
She pulled out the parchment reading:
Hey Lily,
I was wondering if you might like to go check out the three broomsticks this weekend. I hear they do great herbal teas, and Remus mentioned you like those.
My Pita(mom) usually makes good chaii, but I haven't tried many other teas. Maybe you could recommend some.
-James Potter
On the other side as if scribbled quickly as an afterthought
Was :
P.s This isn't me asking you on a date because I know you hate that. Unless you maybe don't?
P.P.S Just to be safe it's not a date.
Now it was Lily who giggled.
She shook her head and looked up from the letter. "He really is a nutcase." She said this despite smiling and blushing as she looked up.