Disclaimer: I owe it all to Jo

Chapter One:

Back To The Muggle World

Bright flashes of light whipped past her head and a roar of noise reached her ears. She turned and saw a masked face, black and twisted and gruesome, grow closer and closer to her. The body it was attached to raised an arm and green light was issued from the wand it held-

"Lily, Lily wake up!"

Lily opened her eyes to see her best friend shaking her arm with wide worried eyes, and to feel the Hogwarts Express shaking as it rushed through the countryside. "What was happening? You looked terrified!"

Lily winced as she removed her arm from Veronica's grip, then smiled at her friend. "Don't worry Ver, it was just the usual. I'm never going to forget it, but don't worry about it."

Veronica's worried face disappeared and her blue eyes began to twinkle as she said coyly, "Oh really? I'll bet you a Galleon the only reason you don't want to forget it is because of the certain someone who saved you…"

"Oh, shut up Ver," said Lily, as she poked the dimple in her friend's cheek, and thought back to the moment when James Potter had leapt to her rescue, pushing her out of the way of the spell and then turning to duel the Death Eater himself.

"It's not like I had any choice- if I did I would have chosen someone else, anyone else to help me. You know, he used it as an excuse to ask me out again when we were in the hospital wing, being given shock potions."

She screwed up her face "'Come on Evans, I just saved your life. Isn't that a good enough excuse to go out with me?" Lily intoned in a voice at least two octaves below her usual tone.

"Very good Evans, I didn't know I sounded so manly," came a voice from the doorway. Lily's head snapped up. At the compartment door he stood, flanked by his friends, the Marauders, Remus, Peter and James' best friend, Sirius Black. As she made eye contact with James for a split second, his hand jumped to his black hair, ruffling it up, making it even messier than it originally was.

"Shove off Potter. I was only demonstrating what you ishould/i sound like by now. Unfortunately," she sighed dramatically, looking at Veronica, "I don't think you're quite there yet. Hey Remus," she added, looking at her only Marauder friend.

Sirius began to chuckle, his bark-like laugh resounding around the compartment, and Remus grinned too. They both stopped when James turned to glare at them.

"Maybe, Lily, we could have a talk some time, and you could tell me what I'd need to do to make you go out with me," James told her.

"Maybe if you just grew some brains, you'd figure out that going out with you is the last thing I would iever/i do!"

Veronica grimaced on behalf of James, her first friend at Hogwarts, as the bickering continued. The other Marauders were leaning back against the door, watching the scene their friends were creating.

"Maybe-" started James.

"NO, Potter, just leave!" snapped an enraged Lily.

Remus tapped James on the shoulder, "As funny as this is, I think we should get out of here, Prongs."

"Come on, Moony, what's a train trip without a little fun? And Evans here loves it, she just doesn't want to show it!"

Lily gave James her most venomous glare, and then turned to Veronica with a look of desperation.

"That's it, guys, up and out," Veronica said, standing up and taking out her wand. "You've got ten seconds to get out of here before we start using magic."

The boys just ignored Veronica, so Lily flicked her wand at them. A neat Trip Jinx had them all lying on the floor and a non-verbal Aguamenti had them all drenched.

"Nice work Lil," said Veronica, as the Marauders picked themselves up from the floor and headed out the door, moaning about their wet clothes.

"Thanks," Lily smiled at her friend as she closed the door, "we'd better get changed soon, I can see London."

As the Hogwarts Express pulled in a Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Lily and Veronica grabbed their bags and cloaks and joined the crowd of people in the corridor waiting to depart the train. When the train stopped, there was a mad rush for the doors as the students ran to greet their parents on the platform.

Veronica spotted her parents straight away, and dragged Lily over to say hello. Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt were good friends of hers, and took a keen interest in Lily. She greeted them warmly, answering their questions, agreeing that the two girls should meet up in the holidays, and then noticing Remus waiting off to the side, she excused herself and went over to him.

"I'm sorry about what happened before," began Lily as she reached him.

"That's alright," said Remus. "It would have looked a tiny bit odd if you jinxed the others, and not me. James is jealous of me anyway, he'd love to have a proper conversation with you," he continued, as they both looked over at James and his parents. Remus was right; James was looking at them strangely.

"Don't worry about him," Lily said consolingly "he'll get over himself."

"Are you sure you won't go out with him just once, Lily? I mean, when you're yelling, your voices do chime together rather well..." asked Remus slyly.

"Not a chance," said Lily firmly, "there's Dad, I've got to go now."

She stood on her toes, gave Remus a hug then ran over to her father, who was waiting with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Dad!" Lily squealed as she squeezed her father.

"Good to see you, Lily," replied her father "let's go, your mother and Petunia are waiting in the car."

Lily linked arms with her father, who pulled her trunk and they walked together through the barrier back to the Muggle world again.

Author's Note: Heya

This is my very first fan fic, so if you're bothering to read it, I thank you

Please review this chapter, I'd love to know what you think!

xx