The term's end arrived swiftly, marked by the frantic packing of trunks and a palpable buzz of excitement for the approaching holidays. Echo, however, had a mission before the Hogwarts Express departed, and he was left all alone in the castle with the staff ghosts and house elves. He'd meticulously planned his approach, rehearsing various opening lines in his head, each one more awkward than the last. He spotted Lilly by the Gryffindor common room entrance, laughing with a group of friends, her vibrant red hair a beacon in the bustling corridor. Now or never.
Taking a deep breath, Echo approached, feeling a familiar tightness in his chest. His rehearsed lines flew out of his head. "Uh, Lilly?" he began, a little too loudly.
She turned, her emerald eyes widening slightly in surprise. Her friends, a gaggle of Gryffindor girls, immediately quieted, casting curious glances between Echo and Lilly. "Oh, hey, Echo," Lilly said, her smile faltering a touch as she caught the unreadable expressions of her friends. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, fine. Great, actually," Echo stammered, trying to appear nonchalant, which was difficult when his hands felt clammy and his heart was hammering against his ribs. "Listen, I, uh… I know this is out of left field, and it's practically the end of the year, but… would you, um, want to hang out more often? As friends, I mean. When you get back from the break?"
Lilly's eyebrows, a shade lighter than her hair, arched. Her gaze sharpened, sweeping over his face with a sudden, knowing intensity. "Hang out? Echo, are you feeling alright? We barely talk. And you did yank my hair that one time." A faint, amused smile touched her lips, but her eyes remained wary. "What's this really about?"
Echo felt his carefully constructed facade begin to crumble. He tried to act cool, shrugging a shoulder. "Nothing! Just, you know, expanding my social circle. Broadening my horizons. Being… friendly." He trailed off, knowing how unconvincing he sounded.
Lilly crossed her arms, her expression now fully suspicious. "Echo. Spill. This isn't like you. Did James put you up to this? Is this some kind of prank?" Her voice dropped to a low, serious tone. "Has he… has he hurt you, Echo? Gotten physical?"
The accusation hung in the air. Echo's eyes widened. "What? No! Of course not!" he blurted out, a wave of genuine indignation washing over him. "He hasn't sunk to that level. Your boyfriend wouldn't do anything that actually gets him into trouble, Lily."
Lilly blinked, her arms dropping to her sides. "My boyfriend?" she repeated, a flush rising in her cheeks. "James isn't my boyfriend! What are you talking about?"
Echo rolled his eyes, a flicker of his usual sass resurfacing now that the immediate pressure was off. "Oh, please, Lilly. Everyone knows. The whole… weird polycule thing you have going on with him and Snape. It's a bit much, honestly. You should really sort that out."
Lilly's face turned a brilliant crimson, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Her Gryffindor friends, who had been trying their best to look inconspicuous, suddenly burst into muffled giggles.
"Echo!" Lilly finally managed, her voice a mix of disbelief and indignation. "What in Merlin's beard are you talking about? Polycule? James Potter and Severus?" She threw her hands up, exasperated. "That's utterly ridiculous! And for the record, James Potter is absolutely not my boyfriend. He's an arrogant, insufferable toe-rag who won't take a hint, and I spend half my time hexing him for trying to annoy Severus!"
Echo stared, genuinely stunned. "Oh. Really? But… everyone says…and at Hogsmeade I saw…" He trailed off, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment wash over him. His face burned. He'd completely misread the situation, and spectacularly.
Lilly sighed, then her expression softened slightly, though her eyes still held a wary glint. She dismissed her giggling friends with a wave of her hand. "Alright, Echo. Out with it. The truth. Why are you really asking to 'hang out'?"
Echo swallowed, running a hand through his perpetually messy hair. The carefully constructed plan, the subtle manipulation… it all felt incredibly stupid now. But he'd started it, and he couldn't back down. He took a deep breath, the truth spilling out in a rush.
"Okay. Fine. It's…it's James," he admitted, his voice low. "He and Black and the others, they've been… they've been really antagonizing me lately. Pranks, public humiliation, the whole bit. And… and James said I couldn't be friends with you. He said you and I weren't even friends." Echo gestured vaguely in the direction of the Great Hall. "And I wanted to… I wanted to get back at him. To prove him wrong. By becoming your friend."
He winced, looking down at his shoes. "Which, now that I say it out loud, sounds completely dumb and selfish. I'm really sorry, Lilly. That's not… that's not fair to you." He risked a glance up at her, bracing himself for her anger, for her scorn.
But Lilly was looking at him, her emerald eyes thoughtful. The indignation had faded, replaced by a surprising understanding. "Antagonizing you, huh? That sounds just like them," she murmured, a faint frown creasing her brow. "And James said you couldn't be friends with me?" She shook her head, a hint of annoyance in her tone.
Echo nodded miserably. "Yeah. He called me the 'Slytherin sprout,' and then he said, 'Why are you even talking to Lilly? You two aren't even friends.'"
Lilly let out a short, humorless laugh. "Of course he did. He always thinks he knows best about everyone else's friendships." She paused, then looked directly at Echo, her gaze piercing. "So, you wanted to annoy James. Is that all it is? Or… do you actually want to be my friend, Echo?"
He met her gaze, his heart still thumping, but with a new kind of sincerity. "No! I mean, yes, I wanted to annoy him at first. But… but I do. I really do want to be your friend, Lilly. Genuinely. I don't… I don't really have many friends here. And even though we haven't talked much, I… I like you. You're nice. And you're smart. And you're friends with Sev, and he tolerates you, which says a lot." He managed a weak, self-deprecating smile. "And you didn't even try to send me to the Hospital Wing after I pulled your hair."
Lilly let out a soft laugh, a genuine, warm sound. "You pulled my hair, yes, but you also looked like you'd seen a ghost when you realized it was real. I suppose that counts for something." She paused, her emerald eyes softening. "So, you really don't have many friends, Echo? What about that Niffler I heard rumors about? Sniffles, wasn't it?"
Echo's face brightened, and he eagerly pulled back his robe, revealing a peeking, curious Sniffles, who promptly blinked his large, dark eyes at Lilly. "This is him! Sniffles, this is Lilly. Lilly, Sniffles." Sniffles gave a tiny, inquisitive sniff in Lilly's direction. "He's great, honestly. It's nice to have someone to talk to, and he never judges me, which is a bonus." Echo rubbed Sniffles's head affectionately. "But…it's not really the same, you know? Getting a response back. Even if I love him to death."
Lilly nodded understandingly. "I can imagine." She then tilted her head. "What about Hagrid? I've heard you spend a lot of time with him. Is he a friend?"
Echo hesitated, then shook his head. "Hagrid's… complicated. He's more of a mentor, I guess. He's teaching me about magical creatures, and… other things. It's not really a friendship in the normal sense, but he understands my magic better than anyone."
"And Severus?" Lilly asked, a faint, almost imperceptible blush touching her cheeks at the mention of Snape's name. "You said he was your friend earlier."
Echo snorted, a dry, humorless sound. "Snape? No, he's… he's more of a begrudging acquaintance. Forced labor, really. The professors and the Headmaster practically forced him to tutor me, and we share a room in the Slytherin dorms, so we're stuck with each other. He tolerates me, I suppose, in his own charming way." He paused, then added, "He tolerates you, too, actually. More than most people, I think."
Lilly stifled a smile. "That's high praise indeed from Sev." Her gaze then flickered around the empty corridor, as if searching for something. "What about the other Slytherins? Surely you've made some friends in your own house?"
Echo looked at her, his expression utterly blank, as if she had suggested he try befriending a particularly aggressive Blast-Ended Skrewt. His eyes held a mixture of genuine confusion and a hint of weary resignation. "The other Slytherins?" he repeated slowly, as if the words themselves were foreign concepts. He then let out a short, incredulous laugh. "You're joking, right?"
Lilly blinked, then a light of realization dawned in her eyes. "Oh. Right. Good point." Lilly considered this, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. "You know, Echo, you're not what I expected. Not at all. Everyone says you're… odd. Or dark. But you're just… honest. And a bit clueless, in a charming way." She offered a small smile. "And if James thinks he can dictate who I'm friends with, he's got another thing coming." She extended a hand, her emerald eyes warm. "Alright, Echo. Friends. On one condition."
Echo's eyes lit up. "Anything!"
"You have to tell me everything about your 'useful magic'," Lilly said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Starting with that gargoyle. That was incredible. And you have to explain why you thought I was in a 'polycule' with James and Severus. Seriously, where did you even get that idea?"
Echo winced again at the mention of the polycule, but a genuine grin spread across his face. "Deal! And it's a long story. Both of them."
Lilly laughed, a clear, bell-like sound that echoed through the quiet corridor. "I've got time." She glanced down the hall. "But not right now. The train's about to leave. We'll talk over the break, alright? Write to me."
"I will!" Echo promised, a surge of happiness bubbling in his chest. He had a friend. A real friend. And a plan. A subtle, strategic, utterly unexpected plan to annoy James Potter for years to come. The thought was almost as satisfying as a butterbeer.