A/N: Hey everyone. I haven't been writing a whole lot lately, but I really wanted to do a new story. So, here it is. I don't really have a plan for it, so I'm just going to go with whatever I can think of. This probably won't be one of my greatest stories...

A Midnight Rose

Chapter One

I pulled a yellow shirt over my head and stretched, before picking a brush up off my desk and running it through my hair. My trunk sits in the corner. It's been packed for a week, proof of how ready I was to return to Hogwarts. After pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I hurried downstairs, where my mother was putting pancakes on a plate for me. I slid into my seat and grabbed a fork. My sister, Petunia, was already seated at the table, eating her breakfast. "Pass the syrup, please," I said. She looked up and glared at me, but pushed the syrup towards me. I still had to stretch for it.

When I finished eating, my mom grabbed her keys and I lugged my trunk downstairs. "Bye," I called to Petunia. She ignored me and disappeared into the living room, where I heard the television click on. For a seventeen-year-old, she didn't do much. I rolled my eyes and followed my mom outside, where we shoved my trunk into the backseat of the car, and I crawled into the seat next to hers. At the station, she turned the car off and opened her door. "Mom," I groaned.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm sixteen now. I think I can manage to get myself to the train, thanks," I said. She laughed as I got out of the car, and I went around to hug her. "I'll miss you."

"Oh, I'll miss you too, Lily," she said. "Have a good year."

"See you at Christmas," I promised. I opened the door to the backseat and pulled my trunk out. Waving goodbye to my mother, I wheeled it into the station, where I headed for Platform 9 ¾. It took me only seconds to pass through the barrier, and then I was standing in front of the Hogwarts Express. It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, having been away from my favorite place in the world for so long. I missed my parents like any other kid, but Hogwarts was the most fun I had ever had in my entire life.

I picked up my trunk and hauled it onto the train. I wandered down the hall, looking for a compartment. When I found an empty one, I left my trunk on the seats and then went back out onto the platform. I looked around, trying to find my friends, Natasha, Claudia, and Karen. I heard someone call my name, but it definitely wasn't one of my friends. "Lily!"

I'm almost afraid to turn around. I closed my eyes and prayed that he would go away. It's hopeless, because he came over and wrapped his arms around me. It was all I could do to keep from shuddering. "Get off me," I said, shoving him away. James Potter is the most annoying person I have ever met.

James puts on a wounded expression. "Lily, I am hurt," he said. He wiped away a fake tear.

I rolled my eyes. "Please," I said. "Just go away."

"Fine," James said airily. "I'll see you later." He winked. This made me want to throw up. James walked away and I was free to continue looking for my friends. I finally found Claudia over by the platform entrance. We squealed and hugged each other like any other group of teenage girls would, though I felt like I was in some sort of stupid teen movie the entire time. Of course I was happy to see her, I hadn't seen her all summer, but still, the feeling was a bit overwhelming.

After only a few minutes, Karen and Natasha materialized, and we all hugged. The feeling of being in a movie increased, but I pushed it away. "Come on," I said to them. "Let's go get seats. I saved us a compartment."

They followed me to the train, where we ran into James again, this time with his best friends, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Remus I got along with quite well, but I could stand Sirius about as much as I could stand James. In other words, not at all. "Remus," I said, nodding. "Nice summer?"

"It was pretty good," Remus said, in his quiet voice. I ignored Sirius and James and moved on, into the train, but I could hear Karen behind me, greeting all three of them. She had no problems with any of them. I always felt slightly betrayed, but at least Claudia and Natasha hated James and Sirius as much as I did. We pushed our way down the hall of the train, searching for the compartment I had saved for us. I let out a sigh of relief when we got there and it was still empty. We entered and sat down, making ourselves comfortable.

"What are we suppose to do all day?" Karen groaned. She hated the train ride to Hogwarts. She got bored easily.

"Eat?" Claudia suggested. "Play games?"

"What kind of games?" Natasha asked, her head tilted to one side. Her curtain of black hair fell over her shoulder.

Claudia shrugged. "When was the last time we played Truth or Dare?"

I laughed. "That is so sixth grade," I said, but Natasha's blue eyes twinkled. "I think it's an awesome idea," she said.

"Who are we suppose to play with?" Karen asked. She twisted her honey blond hair into a bun on the top of her head, then pulled her glasses off. She hated wearing them, and I was surprised she'd left them on for so long. She stuck them in her pocket and then leaned back.

"How can you even see?" Claudia asked. She pinned her curly brown hair back with a barrette and then pulled it over her shoulder, so it was out of the way.

"It's not that bad," Karen said. "I only really need them to read."

Natasha changed the subject suddenly, grinning. "We could always play with the boys."

"What boys?" Karen asked sarcastically, but I knew exactly who Natasha was talking about.

"No," I said firmly. "No way. Count me out."

"Oh, come on Lily!" Natasha pleaded. "It would be fun. Just this once?"

"Never," I snapped.

"Are we talking about James Potter?" Claudia asked, narrowing her brown eyes. I nodded, and she immediately agreed with me. "No. No way."

"Why not?" Karen asked. "It would be fun."

"No." I shake my head. "It wouldn't be."

Karen put on a pleading face, and she clasped her hands together. "Please?" she asked sweetly. "I'll be your best friend." This was a joke between the four of us, something we'd been saying for years, since we first met each other.

I sighed. I hated myself for doing it, but I gave in. "Fine. But I'm not speaking directly to either of them."

"I'm sure they'll be so disappointed," Claudia said sarcastically. "Lily, how could you? We can't stand them."

"I know." I turned to Natasha. "Since when did you enjoy their company?"

"Well, we're older now," she said. "They've grown up."

"James Potter will never grow up," I said. They ignored me. Natasha stood up. "I'll go find them," she said.

She left and I relaxed in my seat. I didn't have long though, because Natasha would be back with James, Sirius, and Remus soon. I wouldn't have a moment of peace after that. Usually I liked to read on the ride to Hogwarts, examine my school books a bit, so I had a general idea of what was in them before class started. This would be impossible today.

The train began to move before Natasha returned with the boys. I stared out the window, watching the station fall away behind us, getting smaller by the second. I rested my head against the cool window of the train, feeling a headache coming already. Just the thought of being around James made my head hurt. I regretted agreeing with Karen and Natasha, but I knew they would have brought the boys against my will. I might as well consent to their idea, rather than fight against it and make everything worse.

I heard them come in before I saw them. "Good morning, ladies," James said smoothly. He dropped into the seat next to mine. I lifted my head and glared at him. "Lily." He smiled.

"James." I grimaced and turned away. I noticed that Sirius had positioned himself next to Karen, while Remus stood rather awkwardly by the door. I shoved James off the seat, and he fell to the floor. "You can sit with me, Remus," I said sweetly, smiling at him. I ignored James, who was glaring at me from the floor. He stood up, brushed his clothes off, and sat down next to Natasha. Remus smiled kindly at me, and sat down beside me.

"So what are we here for?" Sirius asked from Karen's side.

"I told you," Natasha said. "We're going to play Truth or Dare."

"Isn't that a little sixth grade?" Remus asked.

"Thank you!" I cried. "See?" I asked my friends. "I'm not the only one."

"I think it's a brilliant idea," James said. He glared at me again. Obviously he was still burned from my shove.

"Fine, whatever," Claudia said. "Who wants to start?" I could tell she was starting to warm up to the idea of the game. Was I the only normal one around here?

"I think I'll start," Sirius said with a wolfish grin. This worried me a little. Anything that made Sirius happy could not possibly be good. He glanced around, and his gaze landed on Natasha. "Truth or dare?" he asked her.

Natasha turned red and said, "Truth."

Sirius' grin widened, if that was possible. "All right," he said. "Who is the first boy you ever kissed?"

"What kind of question is that?" I objected. "This is stupid."

"Just let her answer the question," Karen said, sticking up for Sirius. Obviously I'd seen it coming.

Natasha had gone even redder, if that was even possible. "Bobby Yarsh."

Claudia let out a bark of laughter. "Are you joking?" she asked. "Bobby?"

"Yes," Natasha said defensively, while James and Sirius rolled around on the floor, laughing. "What's wrong with Bobby?"

"Nothing," Claudia snickered.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Okay, is it my turn?" Sirius nodded, and Natasha looked around. "Lily." My head shot up in surprise. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare?" I said tentatively. It came out as more of a question than an answer. Natasha grinned wickedly. She enjoyed torturing me whenever she got the chance, so I was rather afraid to hear what she had to say.

"All right," she said. "I dare you... To kiss James."

A/N: The end... I'll post a new chapter soon. Thanks for reading. Please leave a review, let me know what you think.