Late Stumbles [OPEN]

[zeel]

<sub>8:59 am. That was what the clock had said when Amos Diggory had pryed his eyes open this morning. Amos had never been late to class before. He wasn't a role model student, but he didn't disobey his teachers. He did his homework and he did it well. He always did what a teacher asked, never getting detentions or getting in trouble like his class mates. In fact, the only reason Amos had ever went to the headmaster's office was when he was being told his Mother was in the hospital his third year. In fact, Amos was pretty sure the headmaster didn't even know Amos still went to Hogwarts.

By the time Amos had thrown his uniform on his body and brushed his teeth, the clock read 9:06. What was the worst, Amos had Transifguration in the morning, which meant Professor McGonagall was his teacher. Though Amos had never been yelled at by her personally, he knew how she wroked with anyone late. They miswell have had killed someone for the punishement they would receieve from her. Even first time offenders got it as bad as people who came in late every single day. It was not something Amos was going to look forward to.

Leaving the Hufflepuff common room, it was a long trek to the Transfiguration Class room, which meant he would be an additional ten minutes late. Amos had to wonder if McGonagall would get more severe with her punishments as the minute hand ticked on the clock. Maybe fifteen minutes late, but that could mean fifteen detentions spent in the Forbidden Forest with only a flashlight. Amos shuddered at the thought. Of course McGonagall wouldn't send him to the Forbidden Forest. She'd more likely send him to the dungeons surrounded by Slytherins without his wand on him.

Amos tied his tie around his neck as neatly as he could, his shoes hitting the stone floor in a rythmic pattern that made him only speed up more. He checked his watch and saw that it was already quarter after nine. He imagined McGonagall's stern face looking at him as he opened the door, the silence that would follow, and the punishment that would already be set in her head before he opened the door. Amos turned a corner, ready to take off into a sprint if he had to, when he crashed into someone. He was bigger than a lot of people at Hogwarts, so he still stood where he was, but he was blinded by the person's books that were everywhere. "I'm so sorry!" Amos said as he bent down to help the person with their books.</sub>

[Lily Evans]

Maybe sometimes, we've got it wrong, but it's alright
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same

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Of course she'd been up a good hour and a half before her class. Of course she'd walked out of her dorm room with a perfectly plaited braid and perfectly pressed outfit. Of course she'd reread and rewritten all of her homework, just to make sure that it was to her liking. Of course she'd eaten a healthy breakfast. And of course she made it to classes with fifteen minutes to spare. Every morning was like this to Lily, and it wasn't just because of her paranoid personality--it was because she functioned best when she had a schedule to follow and when she was actually alive in the morning. That wasn't always possible, because pulling all nighters to study and such usually made being completely awake in the morning a difficult task, but having her morning set up in such a way made it a possible task at least. This morning it was especially wonderful, as she had gotten a proper amount of sleep that night.

She had Transfiguration this morning, a thought that kept a smile beaming on her face. Professor McGonagall was one of her strongest role models and friends; she often had tea with the Professor throughout the month even. McGonagall was strict but fair, and she did not show favoritism to anyone. She did reward as well as punish, though some students would deny this vehemently, and today seemed to be one of those moments.

"Ms. Evans?" Lily took her eyes off the quill that had been frantically scratching notes on her page, following Professor McGonagall's every notation. She assumed the Professor was about to ask her a question about the lesson, and Lily mentally stocked up everything she knew about the topic in her head. But she was confused for a moment, when she realized that Professor McGonagall had her back to the class. She never turned her back to the class, because chaos would definitely ensue....especially with a few individuals she would not mention by name.

The teacher turned back around and placed a few books and rolls of parchment on Lily's desk. Lily stared up at her in question.

"Do be a dear and take these to Professor Dumbledore, would you? Oh, though this book is for you. I think you might highly enjoy it."

"Absolutely, Professor. And thank you so much for the book too. I'll probably start and finish it tonight, it looks so interesting." Lily scooped up the parcels and headed towards the door, secretly brilliantly happy for the break. Though Lily tried very hard, she was just as thankful as any other student for a break. Leaving class even for the span of fifteen minutes was like a blessing, and--though Lily's blessings came much less often, since she did not ever ditch class--they were cherished just as much, if not more so.

The halls were quiet as she walked, the soft murmuring of portraits holding a conversation echoing with the click of each shoe that hit the floor. Lily was walking on autopilot; she'd been to Professor Dumbledore's office so many times in the years for favors like this that this walk was but second nature now. Her thoughts were a mangled collection of what she had just learned in class, when she should schedule the next Hogsmeade visit, and what plans she could make this weekend. She did have a paper due in two weeks, but maybe she could just have a bit of time with Mary and Alice to roam around the grounds and catch up...

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she forgot that she was rounding a corner, and before she knew it, she was flat on her butt and all of McGonagall's books to Dumbledore were spread on the ground around her. She blinked slightly, trying to comprehend what happened, when she realized that whoever had knocked her over was frantically trying to pick up all her books with a miserable expression painted through his bright blue eyes.

"Amos?" she asked, once she realized who it was she was speaking to. It was his eyes that gave him away first; Lily used to stare into those eyes for hours at a time and she still felt a bit relieved whenever they were on her, even though they were just friends now. Lily sized him up to conclude that he was having an awful morning, and she laughed as she reached over and fixed his ridiculous collar, which had not been folded over at all and made him look like he was trying to take vampire up as a new lifestyle.

"Shouldn't you be in class right now?" her tone was light and conversational, though curious all the same. Amos was a good guy: never late for class, never acting out just to be stupid, always trying his best to be nice to everyone around him. Being out of class like this was entirely different to him and Lily was curious to the reason why. His disheveled appearance gave her a hint, but she wanted to confirm her sentiments from his words.

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Maybe sometimes, we feel afraid, but it's alright
The more you stay the same, the more they seem to change.
Don't you think it's strange?