Chapter One

"God sake Lils. This isn't frickin' hilarious. I've got bloody white hair."

"Come on Al, it's not white and it looks brill. So much more you." Lily replied as she painted her toenails midnight blue, a cascade of red hair falling onto her bare legs. Altaira stared at her reflection in the mirror. There were the long pale legs; a butt clad n bleached denim shorts, a fairly average bust covered by a Rolling Stones t-shirt, an array of jewellery on her fingers, wrists and dangling from her neck and then there was her newly dyed hair blonde hair that crept just below her shoulders. Her blue eyes were rimmed in black kohl that made them pop out all the more. She had to admit she did look awesome.

"I'm right, aren't I?" asked Lily as she glanced up at her best friend.

"Get lost Lils." said Altaira McLaggen as she threw a pillow towards Lily, narrowly missing her head.

"Do you want nail polish on your floor?" asked Lily, rolling her eyes.

"You dare." smiled Al.

It was then that Altaira actually looked at her best friend. Lily Evans was so different in "real" life to how she was at school. If only James Potter could see his Lilypad now. Lily was dressed in a bodycon skirt that reached three inches above her knees and a lace long sleeved top which underneath had a camisole. On her feet were no shoes as her nails were still drying but she had on a silver anklet which matched the bangles on her right wrist.

At school she and Lily played their parts well; everyone saw them as the dowdy dull bookworms of Hogwarts. They had fooled everyone but James had apparently fallen for Lily all the same. She wondered what would happen when they went back to school next week.

"Hey Lilydoll, fancy getting some sweets from the larder?"

Lily's eyes lit up, "Sugar?" Altaira nodded smiling, she knew her best friend so well.

Immediately Lily jumped up and ran out of the room with Altaira chasing after her down the stairs. Five minutes later they returned with their arms laden with Honeydukes' confectionary. They all their goodies out on Al's bed which they also sat on. As Altaira broke off a bit of chocolate she spoke, "Lils, we are going to have to be us this year. No more pretending."

Lily put down her chocolate, "Yeah."

"I think as your hemline retreats James is going to be more and more likely to jump you." Altaira laughed.

"I'd like to see him try."

"Oh sweetie, he will." Altaira raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Remind me again, why am I friends with you?"

"Because frankly I rock." grinned Altaira.

"True."

"Fancy going a drive?" Altaira couldn't wait to return to Hogwarts but she wanted to see as much of London as she could before she left.

"Your car downstairs?" Altaira's parents were cut of the same cloth as Mr and Mrs Potter who had abandoned the pureblood obsessive way of life a long time ago. This meant that she could drive her car and listen to muggle music. It also meant, thank god, that there was no arranged marriage in her future cause knowing her luck she'd get stuck with Sirius "God's gift to women" Black. "Yeah." Altaira slipped on a pair of old graffitied converse and grabbed her brown satchel while Lily tied her feet into a rather dangerous looking pair of heels. Lily, unlike Altaira, was vertically challenged so felt the need to wear heels constantly. Another thing James was going to learn this year as those heels were frickin' painful to be stepped on by, Altaira knew that feeling well.

Soon Altaira and Lily were driving along in Altaira's beat-up old convertible with music blaring out from the speakers. Altaira was wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses and Lily had hers perched on her head. They were driving along quite happily until Lily spoke, "I reckon you and Black would make a good couple." Altaira's foot went down on the brake pedal, "What the fuck!" she half screamed. Beeps came from the vehicles around them and Al took her foot off the brake.

"You guys are a bit similar that's how."

"He's a fucking man-whore Lily." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Cause you are so innocent in that department."

"Yes." There was a pause, "At Hogwarts I am anyway." Lily smiled. Altaira began to speak once more, "Actually if me and Black were together…"

"Altaira Black does have a ring to it."

"… You and Jamesiepie's kids are only going to have to go to one house to see their godparents."

"Shut up Altaira. Just you wait till you're not driving." glared an angry Lily.

"I think Lily Potter sounds lovely, don't you?" smirked Altaira.

"God I hate you."

"Don't lie Lily, good girls don't lie."

"Good thing I don't give a fuck what good girls do then." growled Lily who refused to look at Altaira for the rest of the journey.

Altaira pulled up in front of their favourite record shop and watched as Lily stomped in before her. Sighing; Al stepped out of her car, shoving her keys into her bag with them joining the mixture of crap that lived in all of her bags. She walked into the shop and went and sat upon the front corner, noticing Lily sulking at the back of the shop. She turned to face the shop assistant while shoving a stick of gum in her mouth, "Hey Kay."

Kay nodded his shaggy blonde hair, "What's up with Evans?"

"She's pissed with me. I mentioned her admirer from school, although…" She smiled, "In my defence I was provoked." Altaira ran her right hand through her hair all the while watching her grouchy best friend. "Just give her a minute." smiled Kay, his blue eyes gleaming.

"What do you know?" Al narrowed her eyes at him. This only left Kay smiling even more brightly.

"Fuck you…" muttered Al under her breath.

All of a sudden the door crashed open and there entered a tall dark haired teenager. Lily turned her head and a massive smile erupted on her face. Altaira glared momentarily at Kay before she jumped off the counter and ran towards the guy. She grabbed him in her arms and squeezed him tightly; she was soon joined by Lily who shrieked, "Dannyl!"

"Kay!" shouted Altaira, "Get your ass over here. I want a group hug."

"I love you guys." smiled Lily.

"Even me?" asked Altaira with puppy dog eyes.

"Yep; even you, Mrs Black." Lily laughed.

A few minutes later they hugging had ceased and they all were sitting on the vinyl floor discussing their summers. They had met 3 years previously when Lily and Altaira had fought them more the new Cryovers album. The girls had won of course. There and then a bond had been built, one that had only got stronger in the time that had passes. Dannyl was two years older than the girls and was Kay's older cousin by a year. They both shared the same blue eyes but apart from that they couldn't have been more different. Dannyl was tall with a mop of curly dark hair while Kay was shorter with floppy blonde hair. They both had girls fighting over them and Lily often thought of them as a nicer James and Sirius. The boys knew Lily and Altaira attended a boarding school in Scotland but knew nothing of their being witches.

"So girlies, are we going out tonight?" asked Dannyl as the sky was beginning to darken.

"Of course." nodded Lily.

"Why wouldn't we?" mocked Altaira.

They dropped off Altaira's car at her house with the boys ridiculing her for being "posh", "If they only knew." thought Lily. They then all filed into Dannyl's car which he then drove badly to this new club that he had heard about via a friend of a friend of a friend.

They walked into a world of smoke and blaring music. This world excited Al; it was so different to her wizarding way of life. "The usual?" asked Dannyl. The girls nodded, Dannyl was the only one of them old enough to get served legally, and soon they were dancing to a band they wouldn't remember in the morning with bottles of beer in their sweating hands. It wouldn't be long until Altaira would be leaning against the chest of the lead singer. He was twisting strands of her hair while she held his hand tightly. She could hear Lily flirting with the bassist, the giggles were unmistakable. Kisses were given out like sweets on Halloween but they meant nothing.

It was gone two in the morning when Altaira and Lily crept back up to Al's room. Soon they fell asleep on Altaira's bed; the duvet covering them both, their shoes still on. James and Sirius would never have imagined what had happened that night. To tell the truth, they didn't even know Altaira McLaggen existed. Not yet anyway.