Lily Evans suspects she has just disappointed her Head of House.

But the simple fact of the matter is that she has only vague notions of what she might want to do after she leaves Hogwarts, and reading a few dozen careers brochures has done more to muddy those waters than make them clearer.

In the end, about all she'd been able to say with certainty was that there were six subjects she'd like to continue at NEWT-level, if she can -- Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

And at least that would leave her options fairly open.

Finally, after a half an hour, Professor McGonagall sends her on her way, telling her she needs to give serious thought to her future.

Lily emerges into the corridor to find a worried-looking Peter Pettigrew, clutching a handful of brochures, waiting with Remus Lupin.

"It's not that bad," Lily tells him, and he nods and scurries into Professor McGonagall's office, the door closing behind him.

"That was kind of you," Lupin says. "But I had mine yesterday, and it is that bad."

"Yeah, I know," Lily says. "It was awful, but what good would telling him that be?"

Lupin smiles. "Are you headed back to the Tower?"

"Yeah."

"D'you mind if I walk with you?"

"No, that's fine," she says.

The hallways are largely deserted. A number of classes are in session, and the students who are free are likely taking advantage of the fact that it's a nice day, and escaping out of doors.

Unless, of course, they are fifth or seventh years. In which case, they're probably studying.

She and Lupin round a corner and --

"What the hell is that?" Lupin asks, wand appearing in hand.

Up ahead, a figure is dangling upside down in midair, like she's caught in an unseen snare around one ankle.

She's eerily and unnaturally silent.

Lily, her own wand in hand, approaches her, and then recognizes the Gryffindor second year. "Oh, God, it's Elinor Perks."

Closer now, she can see Elinor's tears, running down her forehead and splashing onto the floor.

"It's going to be all right," Lily says. "We're going to get you down, okay?"

Elinor sniffs, and manages to nod.

"Can't talk?" Lily says, and Elinor shakes her head.

"Silencing charm, maybe. Unless it's part of the other ... " Lupin says. "Did you see who did this? Or hear anything?"

Elinor shakes her head again.

"Okay," Lily says. "Just give us a minute, and we will figure out how to get you down." Elinor nods again, sniffling, and Lily takes a few steps away, Lupin following her.

She drops her voice, so that Elinor won't be able to hear. "Have you ever seen anything like this, Remus?"

"No, never."

"What do we do?"

"Finite Incantatem, I guess," Lupin says, raising his wand.

"And if that brings her tumbling down onto the stone floor?"

Lupin looks over at Elinor. "Well, I guess you're going to have to break the spell, and I'm going to have to try to catch her." Off Lily's incredulous look, Lupin says, "Don't worry, I'm stronger than I look, and I room with James and Sirius, so I've got very good reflexes."

"Or we could cast a cushioning charm on the floor," Lily says.

"That's a better plan," Lupin says.

"Maybe I should go get McGonagall," Lily says.

"We can't leave her here, Lily, and I think we should stay together until we know what's going on. Just in case this is some kind of set up."

"Need help?" a voice asks.

Lily, startled, turns to see Severus coming down the corridor.

"Sev? What are you doing--?"

"I just finished meeting with Slughorn," he says. "What's going on here?"

"We were about to get try to get Elinor down," Lily says.

"Have you tried the counter-jinx?" Severus asks.

"There's a counter-jinx?" Lily asks.

"Of course."

"We don't even know what the jinx is," Lily says. "Do you?"

"Well, yeah," Severus says. "It looks like Levicorpus." And then his eyes dart from Lily to Lupin.

"What's the counter-jinx?" Lupin asks, speaking for the first time since Severus arrived.

Sev clears his throat. "Liberacorpus," he says.

"Let's try it, then," Lupin says, briskly. "Lily, could you take care of that cushioning charm?"

A moment later, Sev casts the counter-jinx, and Elinor Perks tumbles down to land on the cushioned floor, bouncing lightly like she's landed on a mattress. Lily sits down next to her, and quickly has a slightly hysterical second year sobbing into her shoulder.

Behind them, she hears Lupin use Finite Incantatem to break the silencing charm and braces herself for Elinor to get a lot louder.

But Elinor doesn't, just goes on crying into Lily's shoulder, and occasionally hiccoughing.

"Remus, I think you'd better get McGonagall now," Lily says.

Lupin looks at Severus, then back to Lily.

"We'll be fine," Lily says, before he can object, and Lupin nods, and goes.

Lily spends a moment trying to get Elinor to calm down, murmuring It's okay and you're safe.

Severus leans back against the wall. Lily looks over at him, over the top of Elinor's head.

"It's a good thing you were here," Lily says to him. "And knew the counter-jinx."

"I'm glad I could help you," he says.

"Very fortunate," Lily says, eyes on his face, "that you arrived when you did."

Severus shrugs. "Just luck."

"Of course."

And then Lupin returns with McGonagall.

It takes half an hour to get Elinor calmed down, to get the story from the four of them. Elinor neither saw nor heard who attacked her. She had not been there when Lupin and Pettigrew had passed through ten minutes before he and Lily did. And then Severus had arrived and known the counterjinx, they'd gotten her down, and gone for McGonagall.

McGonagall listens to the whole story, awards them each twenty points, and says she is going to take Elinor to the hospital wing. She sends them on their way, then calls back, "Oh, and Lupin? Tell Pettigrew I'll let him know when we'll reschedule our meeting."

"Of course, Professor," he says. And then adds, quietly, just to Lily, "Pete will be thrilled."

Lily smiles. The three of them walk down the corridor in silence, then pause where it splits, up and to the left for Gryffindor, down and to the right for Slytherin.

"Well, thank you for your help, Severus," Lupin says.

"You're welcome," Severus says, but his eyes stay on Lily.

"Yeah, thank you," she says.

He stands there for a moment, like he's waiting for something.

Finally, Lily says, "See you, Sev," and turns to go back to her dorm. Lupin follows her. There's no sound of footsteps behind them.

Lupin waits until they've reaches the stairs before he says, "Lily ... "

"You don't have to say it," Lily says. "I know. That was incredibly suspicious, Sev turning up like that, knowing the counter-jinx."

"A little bit," Lupin says.

"Maybe ... maybe he knew someone had done it, some other Slytherin or something, and he was coming to help. He just didn't want to get them in trouble or something."

"Maybe," Lupin says, but without much conviction.

Lily sighs and sits down on the steps. Lupin hesitates for a second, then sits down next to her.

"What do you do, Remus," she asks, turning to look at him, "when you're not sure you know who your best friend is any more?"

His eyes get very distant, and then he blinks, like he's bringing her back into focus. "You figure it out," he tells her, quietly. "And you remember that one swallow doesn't make a summer."

"What?"

"Look, Lily, we all make mistakes, and sometimes they're big and stupid ones. But you can't judge someone you've been friends with for years too harshly over one thing, and ignore everything else."

"One swallow," she says.

"Yeah, one swallow."

Lupin stands and offers her a hand. She takes it, standing as well. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The problem, Lily thinks, as they climb back to Gryffindor Tower, is that she doesn't have one swallow.

She has a whole bloody flock of them.