Elder Brothers

“Freedom!” I cried, entering my sixth year at Hogwarts. “No annoyingly overprotective brothers this year!”

“I take it you’ve had a good summer,” a voice said behind me, chuckling.

“Hey, Luke,” I smiled at he and his girlfriend of the last two weeks - we’d been owling each other, keeping in touch. He was currently my best non-family friend. My second best non-family friend was Selena, a Hufflepuff girl in our year, who knew of my infatuation with Luke. “How was your summer?”

“You should know,” he snorted, not noticing the incredulous look that Maria - his girlfriend - shot him, “but it was all right. And you never said how yours was.”

“It was okay,” I shrugged. “Kind of boring. I’m just happy my brothers are out of my hair. Maybe I can finally have a boyfriend again!” I laughed, and he rolled his eyes at me. Maria snorted.

“Like brothers could stop you from having one,” the Slytherin sniffed. “Maybe you just aren’t their type.”

I pretended not to hear her, and Luke was distracted by one of his buddies, so he didn’t hear what his girlfriend was saying.

“Don’t ignore me, Potter,” she said, leaning closer. “Don’t think I can’t see that you fancy him. You’re not his type, you’ll never be his type.” she leaned back, and continued what she’d already started. “Most of them just don’t like the red hair, probably. After all, it’s getting to be common, along mud bloods and half bloods. And honestly, Potter, who could like someone like you? You haven’t had a boyfriend - not because of your brothers, but because of you.”

“What the hell - Maria, what the bloody hell did you just say?!”

I heard Lucas’ voice practically shout, but I had already turned heel and ran before Maria had even started her last sentence.

Those were the exact insecurities I’d had the last several years, and Rose’s reassurances a year ago hadn’t helped as much as they’d seemed to at the time. After failing to have a boyfriend, and me being sixteen, I was losing hope and really, truly beginning to think that I, Lily Luna Potter, was ugly. So horrifyingly hideous that no guy could stand to look at me, and my brothers had come to interrupt the date to give him an excuse to run…

As embarrassing as it was for me as a sixteen year old girl, I ran to the train, not bothering to find my family and say one more goodbye, with tears streaming down my cheeks. Forget the prefect meeting - I locked myself in one of the train’s girl’s bathrooms and slid down to the floor, sobbing.

It was either my good fortune or my ill fortune that it was at least fifteen minutes before the train left, and Rose came onboard to find me before the train left.

“Lily?” I heard her call.

“Bathroom, Rosie,” I managed, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I was ugly, wasn’t I? I was nothing compared to Maria, who had pale, flawless skin and shining, long, straight black hair.

“Alohomora,” I heard, and she came in and locked the door behind her. “Lily, what is it?”

“I’m just not good enough,” I said, staring at my reflection. I had slightly tanned skin, with freckles splattered all across my cheeks, Mum’s straight, fire red hair, and I wasn’t as…proportioned…as the other girls. The one thing I liked that I had were Dad’s green eyes - he said they made me look just like Grandmum Lily - and I had to agree.

“Lily Luna Potter,” Rose made me face her, even though I could barely see her through my tears. “You are gorgeous. Whatever that little skank said that made you cry - she’s wrong. D’you hear me? Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not good enough, understand? You are beautiful, and there’s a guy who will see that soon, and without your brothers to torment you, you’ll be just fine, and--”

She, however, broke off as running footsteps came to the door and banged on it.

“Lily? Lily, are you in there?! Please answer me, Lily,” he cried through the door. I flinched at the sound of his voice.

“Rosie, don’t --” I started, but she’d already unlocked the door.

“Hey, Luke,” she said glancing back at me. I knew I must look utterly disgusting.

“Rose,” he nodded, craning his next to see past my older cousin. “Lily, Lily, I’m sorry!” he said, gaze meeting mine.

“For what?” I asked, almost emotionlessly.

“For Maria,” he said as Rose stepped aside to allow him into the girl’s bathroom with us. “If I’d noticed sooner, I would’ve stopped her - I’m sorry, I should’ve paid attention. I knew she didn’t - er, I kind of noticed she wasn’t particularly fond of you, but I didn’t think she’d go that far and I’m sorry!”

“It’s - it’s not your fault,” I said, averting my gaze. “You can’t control what she says or does.”

“I know, and I won’t have anything to do with what she says or does anymore,” he said, hugging me. “I wasn’t going to let her say things like that to my best mate without ending things between us. I’m sorry, Lily, I really am.”

“It’s not your fault,” I repeated, guilty in a slight part of myself that I felt a leap of happiness when he’d said he’d ended things between them.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, and Rose winked at me.

“I’ve got to go,” Rose said, “I have to be at work in ten minutes, but I thought I’d come see you lot off. I’ll see you for Christmas, Lily!”

“Later, Rosie,” I said, sniffing. When she was gone, I asked Luke, “D’you mind if we get out of the girl’s lavatory?”

He turned a nice shade of red and chuckled. “Let’s, please,” and we stepped out.