For the rest of Christmas Break Lily-Kathryn spent time with Draco and her other friends. They would go outside and make snowmen or have snowball fights. Draco tried to teach her to ice skate though it just ended in wet clothes and bruised tailbones. She thought it would be easier considering she danced often, but dancing and ice skating are two completely different challenges. She sent lots of letters back and forth with Art, Ari, Grace, Pansy, Blais, and Theo. At one point Cedric came outside with them and helped Draco hold Kathryn up as they tried ice skating again. She rarely saw Harry but when she did, she did her best to avoid him, not wanting to get insulted again.

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Though she enjoyed the time taken off for break, Kathryn is absolutely ecstatic for school to start back up again. On the first day after break she rushes down to the station to greet her friends with Draco. Everyone eats dinner and goes to bed, trying to get rested before classes the next day. Due to the lack of attacks on the students for the past couple of weeks, everyone is very calm and at ease. Art, Pansy, and Lily walk to the Great Hall for breakfast discussing their summer plans. After eating a quick breakfast they make their way to their first class of the day. Pansy leaves them to head to her first class. As the two walk to Charms Lily has to use the restroom.

"Hey, Arty, I have to use the restroom. You go ahead, would you mind letting Professor Flitwick know why I'm late?"

"Of course, just make sure to hurry up, buttercup." They part ways and Kathryn looks for the restroom.

Entering the restroom she does her business and finds a sink that works. She is washing her hands when she hears something nearby, a whispering of sorts. Turning around she sees nothing. She doesn't make a sound for fear of letting the whispers know she was here, she turns around to grab her bag when she sees something in the mirror, causing her to scream.

Standing behind her is a girl with her hair in two bunches. She is wearing glasses and has a pair of Ravenclaw robes on. Lily turns to look at her and is amazed by how solid yet translucent she looks. She holds out a hand with a smile.

"Hello, I am Lily-Kathryn, but everyone calls me Kathryn. What's your name?"

"What are you doing here!? This is my bathroom, everyone knows that. Are you here to make fun of me? 'Stupid Moaning Myrtle, ugly Myrtle, fat Myrtle, crybaby Myrtle.' You're just like all of the rest." The ghost girl called Myrtle, flies off whaling into a cubicle.

Kathy rushes over to the cubicle and knocks on the door. "Please, I didn't mean to offend you. I was only using the restroom. I had no idea you were in here, and even if I did I would never make fun of you. I was actually just hoping to be your friend."

"My, my f-friend?" She sniffs, poking her head through the stall door. "You want to be my friend?" Kathryn nods. Myrtle zooms through the door and wraps her arms around the human girl. She expected to feel a rush of cold that has been described to her when ghosts pass through someone. Instead, she feels a solid cold form-hugging her tightly. Myrtle looks at her with shock and excitement.

"I can touch you! I haven't touched anyone in so long!" Myrtle exclaims hugging the girl close again. After hugging for a few moments Kathryn realizes she's been in the restroom for far too long. Wishing Myrtle, well she gathers her things and rushes off to charms with a promise to visit soon.

Entering the classroom Professor Flitwick looks at her in alarm, the class staring at her strangely. "Miss. Potter, where have you been? Everyone has been frantic?" Lily-Kathryn whirls around to face Professor Snape, who was behind her.

"I was in the restroom, Art and I split up in the hall, he came ahead to tell Professor Flitwick. Did he forget?" Kathy looks around the room for Art while the Professors exchange looks. "Miss. Potter, please follow me." Snape turns and leaves, Kathy scuttling behind him. "Is everything alright professor, is this because I'm late?" She stresses then remembers. "Sir, where is Art?"

The two reach the hospital wing and Snape leads the young girl to a bed near the window. Gasping, she rushes to the side of the bed where Art lays, eyes wide open, one with winged liner and the other a smudged mess. Madam Pomfrey walks out of her office and stops, seeing the girl crying over her friend.

"There you are dear, everyone was very worried about you. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about this?" She holds up a black pocket mirror.

She struggles to see what is in the woman's hand through the tears in her eyes but, as she makes out the item her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "That's Art's makeup mirror, he takes it everywhere." She reaches out and gently takes it out of her hands. "Where did you get it?"

Madam Pomfrey frowns in both confusion and sympathy for the poor girl. "He was found holding the mirror. You may keep it with you if you wish."

"Please, thank you Madam Pomfrey. Would you just," She pauses, breathing shakily as she runs her hand through Art's hair. It isn't crispy like one would think considering the gel in it instead, it is soft. Magic, she guessed. "Please make sure he'll be alright. I-I don't know what I would do if... if h-he," Not being able to say the words Lily turns away from Art, burrowing her face into her hands.

Snape places a hand on her shoulder, guiding her from the room. "Miss. Potter, I have already alerted your other teachers of this incident and you are not expected to report to class for the remainder of the day. You may do what you please, although I suggest you do not stay too long in the infirmary as it may be too much." He goes to leave when he is suddenly held back by his sleeve. Turning around he is met with a sight that nearly breaks his cold, calloused heart.

Lily-Kathryn refuses to look the man in the eyes as she speaks in almost a whisper, her voice breaking with a slight tremor. "I-I'm... professor I'm scared," She finally looks up, and Snape gasps, her eyes so filled with tears shining up at him, yet filled with so much fear. "What if whatever is attacking everyone comes after me when I leave? I don't want to be alone, please would it be alright if I stuck with you today?"

He frees his sleeve from her grasp, placing a hand on her head. Looking at her he sees his old friend who he misses so dearly, someone he betrayed for a man spouting empty promises. Sighing he pinches the bridge of his nose. "I suppose that would be alright. Though you must behave, I have classes."

"Of course, sir," She nods, walking closely alongside the man. "I met the most interesting person today in the restroom. I thought she was a ghost but I'm not sure. Her name was Myrtle, she scared me at first but she's really nice. She was floating and kinda transparent like a ghost but she didn't go through me as a ghost would, she went to hug me and she was so cold. She was really surprised that she didn't pass through me but she must be a defective ghost or something, you know?" Lily rambles on and on to distract herself from her frozen friend.

Severus glances down at the small babbling girl, his sleeve tightly grasped in her hand as they walk. Intrigued by her notions of touching ghosts, he goes to ask questions when she suddenly jolts forward shouting something illegible. "Draco!! The most terrible thing has happened," The boy exclaims in shock as he is glomped by the small child. He immediately wraps his arms around the upset girl and lets her rant, waiving off Blaise and Pansy. "Arty was petrified," Blaise gasps and takes off down the hall. "I was in the restroom and I was talking to this nice ghost girl who might not be a ghost because she didn't pass through me and we could touch. But anyway, when I get back to class I find out everyone's been freaking out because Art never made it to class, he was petrified. I didn't want to go back to the dorm 'cause I was scared so now I'm here." The whole while Lily-Kathryn refuses to take her face out of the crook of Draco's chest, unable to stand all the looks she knows she is receiving from his classmates.

Draco pulls her away from him and wipes her teary face. "Hey, hey, don't cry. He's going to be okay, I know he will. You know how I know that?"

She sniffles, "How?"

"Because, squirt, he's a fighter and he cares about you. Not to mention he and Blaise haven't even gone on a date yet." This causes her to giggle. He pulls her into a hug, running a hand through her wild curls.

Snape watches the interaction, intrigued. Opening his classroom door he waves everyone inside, directing Lily to sit next to Draco. Starting the class on a strengthening Solution he walks around watching everyone's progress. Severus is astounded by Lily-Kathryn's vast knowledge of potions, he observes as she stops Draco from adding powdered roots of Asphodel to the potion instead of powdered Griffin claws. Seeing Potter and Weasley's dark green potion he grins in sadistic glee.

"Potter!" Snape barks, stalking over to the two. Kathryn jumps, almost burning herself, thinking he is talking to her. She watches everything unravel from across the room. "What color is your potion?"

"Green," Harry says through gritted teeth.

"Green what, Potter? Show some respect." Snape sneers.

"Green, sir." If looks could kill.

"Exactly, Miss. Potter," He begins, in a much kinder tone, turning to look at the young girl. This causes everyone to turn to see her, some look confused, and others are shocked. "What color is your potion?"

"Blue, sir," she says in a small voice shrinking under Harry's glare.

"Blue, do you know what he did wrong, Miss. Potter?" Snape is playing a dangerous game and everyone knows it. Pushing Harry to see if he has enough self-control not to snap.

"I-I'm not sure professor," She lies, she knows exactly what Harry has done wrong. Though she is scared that if she embarrasses him Harry would never ever forgive her. And that's all she wants, really, that's all she's ever wanted. To know that even though she never had a mom or dad; Petunia and Vernon are very good to her, no doubt, but it isn't the same. Harry has always been there for her ever since she was little. If she fell, he would pick her up, when she scraped her hands or knees he was the very first person there by her side, kissing her booboos and saying that everything would be alright. He was her lifeboat, her rock, and now he can barely stand the sight of her. And that hurts her more than any bully, or any fall could ever hurt her.

"Come over here Miss. Potter," Snape waves her over. Lily gently gets out of her seat and walks over to the two. "Look closely, Miss. Potter, what could be the problem?"

Lily-Kathryn peers into the cauldron, whilst standing on a stool. He added the asphodel and stirred it in the wrong direction. "I'm not sure, professor."

Snape, realizing she isn't going to rat him out, lets it go. "Alright," He unconsciously sets a hand on her head, calming her nerves. It was something he didn't even think about. He had done it to Lily when they were children, and her appearance just made the habit resurface. "Mr. Potter, you and Mr. Weasley have once again failed to read the directions. You added powdered root of asphodel instead of griffin claws and you stirred the potion in the wrong direction."

Lily watches in awe as her Professor tears into Harry's potion without a care in the world. Snape then has everyone bottle their potions and leave. After waving Draco goodbye and giving Harry a slight look, Lily grabs a stool and drags it beside his desk. Plopping down she looks at him expectedly. "Yes," He drawls.

"What do we do now? That was so much fun!"

Severus sets down the papers he was grading and looks at the enthusiastic child. "What would you like to do?"

"Can we make a potion?" She looks at him with her best puppy dog eyes.

"I suppose, what potion would you..." He trails off, noticing something in Kathryn's bag moving. "What is that?"

Lily whirls around, letting out a shocked noise. "Claude! I'm so sorry I forgot you little baby." Rushing over she lifts the small struggling Chupacabra out of her bag, holding him in her arms. "This is Claude, he's my chupacabra. I take him everywhere."

Severus stares in surprise, reaching out he goes to pet him when Claude spits and hisses at him. He uses his six legs to crawl over Lily's shoulder and hide behind her curly hair. She really needs to find someone who can braid it for her. "Sorry about him, he gets cranky around other people. So, can we make a harder Potion?"

"I suppose so, anything in particular?"

Lily thinks for a second, walking around. Going over to a bookshelf she picks up an advanced potions book, flipping through it at random. Stopping on a potion she flips it around, pointing to scribbled notes in the margins and crossed-out words in the directions. "Did you modify the book?" Snape sits forward, "I have indeed. Have you picked a potion yet?"

"Cool, that's what I do too." She hands him the opened book. "Can we make a pepper-up potion?"

Snape raises one cool eyebrow, "Are you sure it is a fourth-year potion."

"I think we'll do great!" She smiles a blinding smile. Severus cannot help the small one he gives in return. They get to work making the potion. Their time spent before his next class talking and sharing stories. His Third-year class stands outside, stuck in shock, the air of the classroom is filled with the sound of deep belly laughs and sweet giggles. Noticing the time, Snape opens the door, his usual air of distaste quickly appearing. They enter to see Lily-Kathryn sitting in Snape's desk chair, working on her

schoolwork. Bottles upon bottles surround her filled with red potions. The two would take it before lunch. The rest of their day is spent together trying their best to ignore the dark cloud of dread hanging over their heads.