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The Tribute of Bilius Weasley


The entire school was positively ballistic. When they got back inside, the Great Hall was decorated with bright banners featuring the Hogwarts crest and colours and people kept coming up and slapping James on the back as the tables were covered with the end of term feast, sent up from the kitchens by the house elves. The difference in the room from the night before to now was incredible - the somber attitude of the loss that weighed heavily on their chests was replaced today by a unifying pride that seemed to engulf most everyone (aside from the Slytherins, that is). They’d honored the memory of Derek Bell in the most perfect way possible for him. Everyone seemed thrilled about the Hogwarts win.

Everyone, that is, except Bilius Weasley.

Bilius rejoined the Gryffindor table, but he sat at the very end, sort of apart from everyone else, and as they talked and made James retell the story of flying up above the game and the glinting of the brass bell in the tower, Bilius just stared at his plate, pushing about his roast pork and potatoes with his fork, not eating hardly anything at all.

Lily glanced over and spotted Bilius’s quiet attitude and chose a moment to slip away from the loud crowd of happy-to-have-won Gryffindors to sit down beside him. “Hey there, Bilius,” she greeted him.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

Lily smiled a little, sad sort of smile, “It wasn’t a bad game today, huh?”

“Yeah, not bad,” Bilius replied.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” Lily said quietly. “I know he was your best mate.”

Bilius nodded, biting his lips into a tight line and pushing his plate away resolutely. He put down his fork. “Yeah, ever since we were kids. I don’t really remember a time before I knew Derek... “ Bilius’s leg was moving beneath the table, shaking with nerves as he tried to hold back his emotions. He took a deep breath, “He would’ve liked the game today.”

“Yeah, he would have,” Lily agreed. “And if Alice had been here, she would’ve been rolling her eyes at how much importance we all put on the tourney all year.”

Bilius nodded, “Yeah,” he laughed - and then seemed to catch himself and his mouth very quickly set back into the hard line he’d had it in before, an almost guilty expression in his eyes.

Lily said, quietly, “It’s alright to smile, Bilius.’

He shook his head. “You don’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t entirely, but I do have a pretty firm idea. Alice was my friend and she’s gone, and my best friend in the world is Severus Snape, who everyone in Gryffindor hates and the Slytherins all hate me so we’re basically separated all of the time, and then there’s my sister, Tuney, who hates me for being a witch.” Lily shrugged, “None of that is the same thing as losing a best mate the way you did, but… I do understand loss.”

Bilius’s voice was low, “I think Derek died for me - protecting me, I mean.”

Lily stared up into Bilius’s eyes.

“I can’t… I can’t remember much. I hit my head on a rock, and - I feel horrible because Derek’s last few minutes are lost. I’ve lost the last of him I had. But I remember the green sparks. I remember something pushing me down. And I think… I think it was him. I think Derek took the spell that was meant for me. I think --” Tears were in Bilius’s eyes now and he snuffled, “It should’ve been me that’s dead, not him.”

Lily put a hand on his shoulder as Bilius caught up a napkin and pressed his face into it. She leaned closer, “Oh Bil, that’s not true. It shouldn’t have been anyone at all, that’s all there is to it. This never should’ve happened in the first place. None of the deaths that have happened because of Voldemort should’ve happened. They’re all horrible nonsense.” She rubbed his back gently, “Don’t go blaming yourself for what happened. If Derek did push you down… if the spell was meant for you… then it only means that it wasn’t your time yet. You’re meant for something more than this.”

“So was Derek,” Bilius said.

Lily nodded, “But for whatever reason, Derek’s time had come.”

Bilius swept the napkin over his eyes, capturing a thick tear that was about to slide over his cheek. “I just wish it hadn’t. I wasn’t done being his friend yet.”

“I know,” Lily answered. “It’s unfair. But that’s why we need to all work together to defeat the Dark Lord.”

Bilius nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” She patted his back.

Bilius sighed, “I just wish I’d gotten to play in the tourney. I would’ve liked to be a part of honoring him, too.”

Lily thought for a moment, “Well, I’m sure there’s something you could do to honor him yourself, Bilius, something just from you. Think.”

He thought for a moment, the skin between his eyebrows wrinkling in thought. And then he had it. The perfect way to honor Derek Bell. He looked at Lily, a weak smile - but a smile none the less - playing tremulously on his lips. “I’ve got it. I’ve got to go,” he said, standing up abruptly, abandoning the plate of food altogether. “I’ve got to get them - and then - to the tower… Tonight…” He looked at Lily, “Thanks again, you’re a genius.” And with that, Bilius dashed away.

“Where’s he off to in such a hurry?” asked Sirius, having seen Bilius bolt off from the end of the table.

Lily shrugged, “He didn’t exactly say.”

Sirius’s curiosity on the matter was squelched fairly quickly as Dumbledore took the podium at the front of the room and announced, “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is quite proud of the fine trophy that we shall be adding to our trophy room for having won the tournament. We are most humbled and grateful for the hardwork of our All Star Team - each one of you have done a magnificent job, of course, in your various roles on the pitch, but one of you have stood out exceptionally well and has therefore been named the Most Valuable Player. The honor goes to -- our seeker, James Potter of Gryffindor.”

“GOOD ONE, JAMES!” shouted Sirius, clapping James on the back heartily.

James grinned as all the Gryffindors started stomping their feet and clapping and making a general load of noise that shook the Great Hall. The other houses cheered, too - Slytherin a bit grudgingly - and Dumbledore even clapped a bit at the podium, letting the noise go on for several long moments before quieting them down.

“And to think you were just sooo ruddy nervous,” Sirius said, rolling his eyes at James.

James’s eyes caught Lily’s across the table. “I wasn’t that nervous,” he said quickly, afraid she’d heard Sirius’s statement.

Sirius smirked, and nodded, “Yeah. Okay, Potter.”

Dumbledore started going on with his speech, but he had not gotten much out when there was a sudden boom, followed by a very loud whistling sound, and then a rather loud explosion. All the heads in the school turned to look up. Out the high windows was a colorful light. Dumbledore even looked surprised. A moment later, there was a second boom… whistle… boom… more color. Hagrid’s voice carried across the hall - the excitement in it quite clear, “Somebody’s settin’ off fireworks!”

Lily’s eyes widened.

Sirius turned about to look at James, Remus, and Peter. “Bilius,” said Peter, remembering the files they’d looked through, “Bilius has a thing for Filibusters.”

“Let’s go!” Sirius leaped from the bench, followed by the other three Gryffindor boys, Lily, Frank Longbottom -- and soon everyone else in the entire Great Hall. All the students and staff shuffed and pushed their way across the entrance hall and out through the doors onto the grounds just in time for a burst of gold light high over their heads. Sirius pointed up at the west tower. “There, look!” A flash of light from the tower was followed by the booming and the burst of another Filibuster, this one brilliant blue, streaking through the sky like glitter.

On the steps, Filch moved to go and apprehend the offender, murmuring about the illegality of the fireworks, but Dumbledore caught his shoulder. “I think we shall allow it, just this once, Argus,” Dumbledore murmured.

Filch looked positively peeved, crossing his arms over his shoulders insolently and frowning.

The students oohed and ahhed loudly, pointing and laughing at curlicue fireworks and ones that fizzed and rolled across the sky. There were Filibusters shaped like stars and dragons, and ones that sent sparkling confetti down over the crowd. They were brilliant fireworks and when they finally stopped, after an impressive twenty minute show, the entire crowd on the grounds cheered and whooped and clapped and waved. “Brilliant!” shouted a Ravenclaw boy loudly, “Ruddy brilliant!!”

Lily smiled. Bilius had certainly thought of a wonderful tribute.

All the students turned and started back into the castle, McGonagall herding them in from the stairs, calling out for everyone to return to the Great Hall, when a shout went out from the far end of the crowd. “There! What’s he doing?!” someone cried out.

Lily turned back, along with Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter, and saw, silhouetted against the pale blue moonlight, the form of Bilius Weasley, aboard his broomstick, flying away from the castle over the forest. Tears filled Lily’s eyes - “Wait, he’s leaving?” she gasped, “But -- no, why would he leave?”

“We’re all leaving tomorrow,” Sirius pointed out.

“But why is he leaving now?” she cried.

James said, “Probably there’s nothing left here for him, is there?”

Remus put his arm around Lily’s shoulders.




That night the common room was a bittersweet sort of happy. They’d hung a photo of Derek up on the bulletin board next to the one of Alice. They toasted to Derek and to James and to each of the Hogwarts players over their butterbeers and talked for hours about the brilliant display that Bilius Weasley had put on. They hoisted James up onto their shoulders at one point, raising him up and cheering for his catching the snitch, chanting his name and lording him as the reason they’d won.

“He’s amazing,” murmured one of the third year girls dreamily from the table.

“And he’s really cute, too,” agreed another.

Lily rolled her eyes, sipping a bottle of butterbeer quietly.

“Hey you know him, don’t you, Lil?” asked a girl Lily only barely knew. “Do you think you could introduce us? I’d love to get to know him better.”

Lily shrugged, “I dunno him that much. He’s sort of a toerag when you talk to him anyway, trust me, he’s better off looking good from a distance.”

“Please?” the girl begged, “On the train perhaps?”

Lily shrugged noncommittally.

Later, in the dormitory, she was brushing her hair, sitting on her bed and staring out of her window at the silhouette of the trees and mountains beyond, when she heard something going on downstairs. She put her brush down on the nightstand and snuck out to the stairwell. Halfway across the common room, nearly to the portrait hole, were Sirius and James. “Where are you lot going?” she demanded.

“The trophy room,” Sirius answered.

“I wanted to see my name on that trophy,” James explained.

Lily rolled her eyes.

“Do you want to come along, love?” James asked, smirking.

Lily shook her head, “No. I do not. And don’t call me that.”

“Sorry, Evans,” James replied, “It’s just very hard to resist.”

“Well do your bloody best,” she answered.

Sirius snickered and waved as James, smirking widely, climbed through the portrait hole, unfolding the invisibility cloak as he went, pulling it on over his head. Sirius waved as he made to follow James through, “Night, Evans,” he called.

“Night,” she answered.

When the portrait hole had closed behind them, Lily shook her head, rolling her eyes once again at the memory of James’s smirking face. She turned and went back to her dormitory, muttering to herself about what an ego he had.

She was very tired and they would be leaving very early in the morning. She’d packed her trunk and it sat ready to go by the door. She laid in her bed, staring up at the canopy, thinking about all that had happened over the term and wondering what the summer holidays would be like, what Hogwarts would be like next term. She would have new classes, meet new people as the houses mixed more in the later years. She may even have some classes that didn’t have the four Gryffindor boys in it (‘thank Merlin,’ she thought).

She drifted off to sleep shortly after she overheard the two boys come back - though she never would’ve admitted she’d been trying to stay awake to hear that they’d returned safely. That night, she dreamed of chasing a pearly white stag through the forest, laughing as she followed along behind the surefooted creature, which kept turning and looking back to be sure she was still there.