the_debt_of_time

outcast from her peers, which made her assume that even if Slytherin House was that
discriminatory in this decade, that they had learnt acceptance with time.
"She's right." James gestured to Lily with a smile. "And she knows everything. So
I'm going to walk you down to the dungeons myself. When you go inside, you're going to
go and find the seventh year prefect, all right? His name's Snape. You tell him that you're
half-blood, and he'll take care of you. Now, he's a bit of a tosser―"
Mia covered her mouth and nose to stop the snort that threatened to leap out of
her just as Lily reproachfully snapped, "Potter!"
"—but Slytherins happen to be pretty good at looking after their own." James
looked up at Lily with a tiny grin. "Plus, he's a half-blood himself, I hear. And if
anyone does cause problems for you, you come and tell us, and the Head Girl will hex them
silly, right?"
The girl actually smirked at that, though she eyed Lily questioningly.
"You don't think she could do it, do you?" James asked the tiny witch. He pulled
up the robes on his left leg, showing a small scar on his shin. "See that? That was in third
year when this lovely witch set my trousers on fire."
"Which you should never do," Lily insisted to the small Slytherin, eyes wide. "It's a
very bad thing. I was awfully regretful."
The tiny witch finally laughed out loud. "Okay."
"Wait for me just there," James told the girl, pointing to a set of armour propped
up against the wall as though it were guarding the entrance to the dungeons. When the first
year followed his instructions, he turned back to Lily. "I'll come and find the Head rooms
when I'm done with the party. That all right?"
"Fine," Lily said with a smile. "Thank you for... for taking care of her. I know how
you feel about Slytherins and... and Snape."
He winked at her. "Well, I've been told recently that I've got to grow up and start
taking responsibility for things."
She chuckled. "Prat."
"Oh, here." He pulled a folded piece of parchment from his robes and handed it to
her. "Will you take this with you to our common room and pin it to the wall? Just a
reminder for me to take care of something later. I don't want to lose it."