Lust, Lies, and… Love?
A/N: This is my second Marauders story, and I will use the same characters from my other story, but with a new plotd. I was not happy with the other story, but fell in love with the characters. This story is going to begin in 1977 with the Marauder's Lily finding out that James is Head Boy and end with their Graduation. (Oh, and I DO plan of finishing this one, no matter what/ how long it takes. I have everything planned out… and this story's going to end with a BANG that I really want to get to. And reviews would be simply lovely and greatly appreciated.) I also incorporated a lot of parts from my old story that I liked a lot, if some parts sound familiar.
Disclaimer: I do not, and have never owned any of the characters in this story; they all belong to J.K. Rowling, the brilliant woman who created the Harry Potter series. The only characters that I own are ones that you will not recognize, such as Lily's friends. Besides, if I did own Harry Potter, I would not be writing fanfiction, I would be finishing the actual Harry Potter books. And in my free time, I would be swimming in a big pool full of money…while trying to avoid paper cuts.
Chapter One: Lies
"DON'T do it, Prongs! This is a stupid idea!" Remus said desperately.
Sirius grinned. "Don't listen to him, he doesn't know what he's talking about. It's a GREAT idea. I came up with it."
"I agree with Padfoot on this one. It's the first good idea he's thought of in years. It just MIGHT actually work," James said laughing.
Sirius glared at James as Remus said, "Lying never works, James, and just leads to more lies. Someone's going to get hurt, I know it…"
James rolled his eyes. "Nobody's going to get hurt how could they? It's foolproof! I tell Evans I don't like her anymore, she relaxes around me, gets to know me better, and falls for me. What could possibly go wrong?"
James smirked as he saw the one and only Lily Evans, with a Head Girl badge pinned to her robes just as he expected. This is going to work, I can feel it, James thought.
James Potter was one of the most wanted men in Hogwarts. He was 6'1" with jet black untamable hair, which most girls loved. He was very handsome and had silver rimmed glasses. Behind his glasses were gorgeous hazel eyes; and James was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team for his second year, so he was pretty fit, but not too fit. James was a loyal friend, but had a temper. He used to be an arrogant, pompous ass, but he changed during the summer. James was a member of the Marauders, a group of four pranksters that ruled the school. He was a leader, along with his best friend Sirius Black. James usually dated girls for around two weeks before he dumped them, because he always had eyes for Lily Evans… and still does.
Sirius Black was the official man-whore of Hogwarts. He was the best looking of the Marauders (and he knew it); he had black hair that always fell perfectly into place, and he, like James, could charm his way out of any situation. Sirius used to be an arrogant, pompous ass, and… really, he still is an arrogant, pompous ass. He was 6'2" and a beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; he was more muscular than James. He had stormy gray eyes that all the girls loved and he could make some girls swoon just with a smile. He was also very loyal to his friends.
Remus Lupin was a man hiding a horrible secret. He had sandy blond hair and ice blue eyes. He was the thin and gangly one of the group; he was around 6' tall. A lot of girls wanted to date Remus, just because he was a Marauder. Remus was the calm and wise one of the group; and he usually never got caught during the pranks. Everyone thought James or Sirius was the brains and got the ideas for all the pranks, but this wasn't true; it was all Remus. He seemed like he wasn't very outgoing, but he really was; he just didn't act like it often.
Peter Pettigrew had pasty skin, thin colorless hair, and watery eyes. He was 5'4" and had a squeaky voice; nobody really knew how he became a Marauder. He always worshiped the ground that James and Sirius walked on, and he was very annoying.
Lily Evans had just arrived at the Hogwarts Express, late thanks to her lovely sister who thought it would be nice to unpack and hide all her school books. Lily was surprised Petunia would actually touch any wizard-related object, really. But it took her half an hour to realize that she could use magic to get them back… and on her sister. Lily grinned at the thought of Petunia's room smelling like dung… from something she had confiscated from the one and only James Potter. At least Potter came in handy for something, Lily thought.
Lily Evans was also one of the most wanted girls in school, along with her best friend Marlene McKinnon. Lily was 5'5" and had very pale skin and gorgeous red hair. The hair, of course, came with a fiery temper. She had beautiful green eyes that were to die for, and overall, she was very pretty. She didn't date nearly as much as James, but when she did, it was much longer than James.
Suddenly, she was attacked from behind by someone. She screamed and heard the familiar laugh of Marlene. Marlene McKinnon was the other most wanted girl in Hogwarts, and unlike Lily, she was a bit more outgoing… so she dated like James. But not like Sirius. Marlene was also 5'6" and had fair skin and pretty dark brown hair. She had the most beautiful dark blue eyes. Overall, she was so pretty that she was the most envied girl in Hogwarts (and because Sirius Black kept asking her out). She, like Lily, had a fiery temper that flared up whenever someone insulted her friends or family… but she couldn't manage it nearly as well as Lily.
Lily hugged her best friend and laughed. "Hey Marley, how have you been?" she asked.
"Fine, you?" Marlene said smiling.
"Well, I'm a bit anxious about whom the Head Boy could be; I think it could be—"
Lily was cut off by her other good friend, Vanessa, tickling her neck. That was a usual greeting from 'Nessa.
"'NESSA!" Marlene and Lily screamed in unison, hugging their other best friend. Vanessa grinned and hugged them back.
Vanessa Johnson was the practical and logical one of the group. She was also very pretty, but she never dated; so guys gave up on her. Vanessa had perfect dark skin and beautiful black hair and was 5'4". She also had gorgeous hazel eyes. She was much calmer than Lily and Marlene, and usually had to calm them down. Everyone came to her for advice or help.
Suddenly there was a flash and they broke apart. "Did you see that?" Lily asked the others.
"No," they both said. "You're just seeing things again, Lil," Marlene said.
Lily huffed and said angrily, "I am NOT seeing things! I'm TELLING you, I saw that damn shoe! I don't CARE if you don't believe me, but that thing was FLOATING!"
Lily was of course remembering a time in Fifth Year when she claimed to see a floating shoe in their compartment. It was James, desperate to see if Lily truly did like him. Unfortunately, he didn't get anywhere. All he found out was that Travers, one of Snape's slimy little friends, enjoyed creepily staring at Marlene. When Sirius heard this, Travers mysteriously was covered in warts two days later…
Marlene and Vanessa giggled, which only frustrated Lily more.
"Anyway…" Lily said, desperate to change the subject, "Where was I? Oh, who do you think the Head Boy will be?"
"I suspect its Remus," Vanessa said.
Marlene grinned. "Of course you think it's Remus…"
"Shush, Marley," Lily said smirking as Vanessa blushed. "Just because she fancies him doesn't mean—"
Lily was cut off by someone jumping on her back and covering her mouth. "Shut UP, Lily!" Vanessa said in a loud whisper. "The Marauders are just over there, they could hear you!"
Marlene rolled her eyes and pulled Vanessa off Lily. "No, they can't Vanessa. Quit being so paranoid."
"But how do you KNOW that!" Vanessa asked terrified.
"HEY, EVIL SPAWNS OF SATIN! CAN YOU HEAR US ALL THE WAY FROM THERE?" Marlene screamed to the Marauders.
Sirius smirked. "YES, WE CAN HEAR ALL ABOUT HOW MUCH MCKINNON FANCIES ME, AND HOW—" Sirius was cut off by a smack in the head.
"NO," Remus yelled, "WE CAN'T HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING…" Remus grinned wolfishly. "BUT WHY WOULD IT MATTER?"
Vanessa blushed furiously as Lily and Marlene rolled their eyes. "IT WOULDN'T," Lily yelled back and she grabbed Vanessa and her things and dragged them onto the train. Marlene followed.
When they finally found their compartment Lily said, "Well, I'm off to the Head Compartment to meet the Head Boy. 'Nessa has to come too, as the new Gryffindor Prefect. Sorry Marley, we're leavin' ya." Lily ended smiling sweetly.
"What!" Marlene asked horrified. "But what if I'm attacked—"
"By who, Black?" Vanessa asked smirking. "I think you'll live."
"That's what you think…" Marlene mumbled. "You haven't been subjected to his absolutely horrid cologne."
Lily burst out laughing. "And we don't plan to. We'll be back, don't worry."
Lily and Vanessa left a sulking Marlene alone in the compartment. When they reached the Prefect Compartment, right across from the Head Compartment, they separated.
"Have fun," Vanessa commented, as she could see who was in the compartment already. Lily just rolled her eyes and entered the compartment, not seeing who was in there.
Inside was a grinning James Potter, Head Boy badge pinned to his robe. Lily's eyes got huge. "YOU!" Lily screeched pointing to James.
James stopped smiling and drew the curtains so nobody could see them if they ended up fighting. He heard Lily mumbling before a loud thump. He turned to see Lily on the ground, unconscious, and sighed.
Well, THIS is a great way to start off the year, James thought as he stared at Lily on the ground, her chest raising and falling lightly. Every time she exhaled a piece of her gorgeous red hair flew up and landed back on her face. She really is beautiful… but I think I should probably get her off the ground before this thing starts moving.
James gently picked her up and laid her down on the couch which happened to be in the compartment. He moved her hair out of her face and gently shook her. "Evans," he whispered. He was kneeling on the floor next to the couch, and it took all his willpower not to kiss her, as his face was just above hers as he whispered into her ear. "Evans," he tried, a bit louder.
Unexpectedly the train jumped to a start. Lily screamed and attempted to get up, but her forehead smacked into James'. His glasses flew off at the sudden impact, and he quickly got up to search for them. Lily, however, was furious.
"What did you think you were DOING!" She yelled.
"You fainted," James said as he found his glasses and put them on. "And I didn't think you should just be on the floor, so I put you on the couch. Then I tried to wake you up," he said simply, however his heart was hammering in his chest.
"So how did you plan to wake me? Kiss me and then I'd magically fall for you like Snow White or something?" Lily asked crossly.
"Snow what? And no, I—"
"This is just great," Lily said more to herself than to James. "YOU'RE Head Boy… I have to patrol with you, work with you, and share DORMS with you—"
James' eyes got big and he interrupted her ranting. "We share DORMS!"
Lily rolled her eyes and said, "Yes. AND you'll be asking me out every five minutes, so—"
"LILY!" James interrupted again, this time a bit frustrated. Lily was stunned at the mention of her first name. "Listen. I won't be asking you out anymore, you don't have to worry about it." Lily just stared at him. James continued, "I know you don't like me like that, and I've finally realized that. I don't like you like that anymore either."
Lily's breath caught in her throat… she was not expecting that. And although she would never admit it, she kind of missed him… it felt nice to be liked.
A minute later, James asked Lily, "Are you okay?" She looked into his eyes… they looked pained, like this hurt him to say.
Lily tried to smile to break the tension. "It's about time…" she said, and James reluctantly smiled too.
"Well…" he said, "Since we have to do SO much together this year," Lily grinned at that, "I was thinking that we should try and be friends. And maybe call each other by our first names?"
Lily bit her lip. Bloody Hell, that is so cute… James thought. "Okay… James."
James smiled bigger than Lily had ever seen before. "Great!" James said enthusiastically.
James looked into Lily's green eyes, and she looked into his hazel ones behind his glasses. Suddenly, James did something unexpected and completely unplanned. He hugged her.
Lily was surprised, to say the least. Then, she hugged back. She inhaled and smelled James… he smelled strange. Familiar… musky. He was so warm, and Lily closed her eyes so as to remember this moment forever, although she didn't know why.
James, meanwhile, was doing the same. She smells like lavender, James thought. It was an amazing smell that he knew he'd never forget. Lily leaned into him, and James resisted a groan. You finally have her in your arms. DON'T screw this up, James… he thought. He also resisted the urge to feel her up. But that would be impolite.
Lily unknowingly ran her hands down James' back, resting them around his lower back. Wow… Quidditch must be a great work out, Lily thought. James, on the other hand, was thinking of Snape in a bikini so as not to get… 'distracted'. This bird is trying to KILL me! And she doesn't even know it! He thought.
"Ahem," they both heard from the compartment, breaking them away from their reveries. They broke apart quickly to find Remus staring at them, grinning. James sent a 'thank-you-because-you-just-saved-this-friendship' look to Remus, whose grin turned into a smirk. "Er… we were just getting worried that something was going on in here. Like murder."
Lily looked frazzled, as if she was looking for something. Probably an excuse, not only for Remus but for herself.
"I, uh, hit my head. Hard. Much harder than I thought, apparently…" Lily said to Remus, who laughed. James winced.
Hard! James thought, she couldn't just say 'badly'? It had to be 'hard'?
Remus looked like he was about to cry, he was trying so hard not to laugh. "Oh-kay… well can you make it to the Prefect meeting?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Lily said. I hope… she thought as they all left the compartment.
The Prefect meeting was… awkward, to say the least. They were both too polite, and didn't fight at all which was strange. Everyone in the room knew there was something wrong between the both of them, especially Snape. He looked between them disgusted.
At the end of the meeting, Snape stayed behind with Lily, James, Remus, and Vanessa. "Finally get the Mudblood, Potter?" he asked disdainfully.
James had a feeling that Snape was going to say something. James lunged at Snape, but stopped when he felt a small, familiar warm hand on his shoulder. The same hand that had smacked him multiple times, give him the finger a few, and that was on the small of his back 15 minutes before.
"Don't, James," Lily said softly. James stopped and backed up next to Lily.
"10 points from Slytherin," James said, obviously hiding a lot of anger.
Snape turned to leave, but then said, "Well, at least she's got you whipped."
This time Remus stopped James, barely. James was much stronger, and it took all of Remus' power to hold James back as Snape slinked away, grinning from ear to ear.
"REMUS LET ME GO! NOW! YOU HEARD WHAT HE SAID!" James yelled.
"Yes, I heard," Remus said as calmly as possible. Then he whispered something inaudible to James that neither Lily nor Vanessa heard, and James calmed down before leaving the compartment wordlessly.
"What did you say to him?" Lily asked.
Remus shook his head before saying, "Something he needed to hear." The girls accepted the answer and they all left.
"Jealous…" James muttered as he made his way down the hall to find his friends. "'Snape is jealous because of you and Lily'," he mumbled aloud the same words that Remus had told him minutes earlier. "That's bloody sick… The thought of Snivellus and Lily is—"
"Prongs, over here!" James heard Sirius exclaim from a different compartment. James walked into the compartment to see Marlene alone with Sirius' arm around her waist, and Peter in the corner of the compartment. Marlene did not look pleased. James sat down on the seat which had Lily's things stowed above him. A few minutes later Remus, Lily, and Vanessa entered the compartment. Remus sat on an empty seat, and Vanessa sat next to him. Lily was plagued with a decision: to sit next to James, or to sit next to Peter. She chose the former.
She looked at Marlene and Sirius. "Comfy, are we?" she asked. James laughed next to her.
"Extremely," Sirius answered, smiling.
Marlene closed her eyes. "Black, last warning. Get your bloody arm OFF of me if you wish to keep your family jewels!"
Sirius' eyes widened and he quickly let go of Marlene and scooted away. Everyone in the compartment burst out laughing, bar Marlene who was smirking and Sirius who was scowling.
10 minutes later after small talk and a lot of flirting on Sirius' part (and a bit on Remus', too), Lily gave each of the girls a significant look before saying, "Why, look at the time! I think it's about time we change."
The Marauders just stayed there. "Well?" Marlene asked, a bit ticked.
"So?" Sirius said smirking. All the Marauders grinned.
Lily glared at James, who raised an eyebrow suggestively. Marlene glared at Sirius; however she was also holding her wand. Vanessa tried to glare at Remus without laughing, but he just had a silly grin on his face.
"Go," all three girls said at the same time. All the boys left.
While changing, Marlene said, "Okay, Lil. What is it? You MUST be pissed that Potter's Head Boy."
"Well…" Lily said while putting her skirt on, "I'm really not. You see, he said he didn't like me anymore, and that he just wanted to be friends. I think this might actually work, and now I can act like my usual self around him."
Marlene smirked. "Like, overly-flirting, fun Lily?"
Vanessa rolled her eyes at the two, who were smirking knowingly at each other. "Shut UP Marley… Lily, are you sure you're not feeling any different after what James admitted?"
Lily frowned. "Well… It's nice to know that someone likes you, ya know? And I could just kinda… TELL that he's changed over the summer. And although I hate to admit it… I think I like it."
"Oh, Lily…" Marlene mock-sighed. "Naïve little Lily… you do realize that James is lying." They had all finished changing, and were just talking.
"What?" Lily asked confused.
Vanessa had caught on. "Yeah… that would make sense, I mean there's NO way he could ever stop having feelings for you, after everything he's been through to get you."
Lily smirked in a rather scary looking way. "Well then, two can play at that game."
"What?" Vanessa asked.
Marlene had caught on, and grinned. "Let's just say, 'Nessa that Potter is finally going to see the overly-flirty, fun Lily. Now THIS should be fun."
Meanwhile, the boys had gone to get their things and change in the Head Compartment, with the girls taking forever in the other compartment. They were changing in silence until Remus broke it, with a big grin.
"So what was with that desperate look after I broke you away from Lily's hug, Prongs?"
James glared at Remus, as Sirius asked, "She HUGGED you, Prongs, and you wanted Moony to break it?" He was genuinely confused, as was Peter, who just shut up when he didn't get things. Which was often.
"Erm… yes," James said, wincing as he knew the up-incoming question.
"WHY!" Sirius asked.
At this, Remus was desperately trying not to laugh. "I believe he was getting… distracted." 'Distracted' was a Marauder code word for… well, you figure it out.
James blushed furiously as Sirius tripped out of trying to pull on his pants, he was laughing so hard. "You mean you got distracted just because she bloody HUGGED you, James? You've got it bad."
James glared at Sirius. "I swear, she's trying to kill me."
"How could a hug possibly kill you?" Sirius asked, in-between laughs.
"Well, it's what she—HEY, I don't have to tell you ANYTHING. She just gives good hugs," James said.
"Fine…" Sirius said. "I have GOT to get her to hug me, then…"
James scowled. "In your dreams." Sirius, Remus, and Peter (who didn't quite get it) burst out laughing at James' possessive nature.
They had all finished changing and were on their way back to the girls' compartment. Sirius was just about to open the door when Remus slapped his hand away and knocked instead. "You guys done yet?" he asked.
"Yeah, come on in," Lily said.
They all took our respective spots. "You girls took FOREVER to change, what were you doing in here?" James asked.
Lily smirked. "Having a secret make out party. Sorry you missed it." Where the bloody HELL did THAT come from! James thought.
All the guys in the compartment were speechless, except for Sirius. "Really!" he asked eagerly.
All the girls rolled their eyes and grinned. "Gosh, guys…" Lily began, "You make it sound like we're all promiscuous or something." This is gonna be FUN… Lily thought.
"Eh," James said. He could only speak one-syllable words.
"So, Lily how was your summer?" James asked after 5 minutes of silence.
Lily scowled. Marlene and Vanessa shook their heads at the look on Lily's face, knowing that she was about to start ranting. "Petunia was being annoying as usual. She has this new boyfriend… too bad he's (literally) five times her size and looks like a bloody WALRUS!" Sirius tried not to laugh at that. "And they tried their best to make my life a living hell by making out whenever I was around… it looks like he was trying to eat her face. Or her. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen… And to top it off, I was almost late today because she decided it would be funny to turn off my alarm clock and hide all my school books. I'm surprised she'd touch them, really…but anyway, it took me 30 damn minutes before I remembered I could use magic to get them back. So before I left I left her a little present in her room." Lily ended smirking.
Marlene laughed. "What did you do?"
"Dung bomb. One confiscated from you, James," she said smiling roguishly. Everyone burst out laughing.
Half an hour later, James got up saying that he and Lily had to patrol. Lily got up and they both left the compartment, wands in hand.
After only 5 minutes of small talk and patrolling, a Sixth Year Ravenclaw girl named Greta Catchlove came out of her compartment, bumping into James. "Oh, hey James," she said flirtatiously. "How've you been?"
James rolled his eyes, and so did Lily. Stupid girl… Lily thought. Well, I'll just have to help a 'friend' out. Lily put her arm around James' waist and pulled him to her. James looked more surprised than Greta, not that he was planning on making any objections.
Lily ran her hand through James' hair, and looked at him fondly. "He's been just fine, Greta. I've been making sure of that. Now was there something you wanted?"
Greta's jaw dropped. "No… I'm fine," she said as she stumbled back into her compartment. James grinned and turned to Lily, putting maybe an inch between them. He could easily just lean down and—
"You owe me, Potter," Lily said smirking. "I've heard about Greta. Never gives up, does she?"
James smiled and shook his head. Lily regrettably took her hand off of James' waist, tickling his lower back all the while. James closed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, when he was interrupted.
"I suppose you DO owe her, don't you Potter?" Someone behind them asked menacingly. Strangely, the voice sounded familiar…
"Oh be quiet and go back into your compartment, Snape," Lily said angrily without even turning around. However, when she did, she and James found out that Snape wasn't alone; he was joined with Regulus Black, Sirius' brother.
Regulus stared James in the eye unflinchingly. Oh. Shite. James thought, but didn't move.
Lily stared between them, confused. Both of them looked very angry to see at each other. Then she looked at Snape, who was smirking. Well that's not good news Lily thought. "Don't even start, Snivellus," James said, yet he did not even look at Snape; it was like a staring contest between James and Regulus.
"Start what, Potter?" Snape asked, still grinning maliciously. "I just have a little question. How the bloody hell did a Mudblood like Evans become Head Girl?" James stopped staring at Regulus and drew his wand. He pointed it at Snape. Oh, he's pissed. Lily thought.
"Take it back!" James said. Wow, he looks scary. I've never seen him like this before. I wonder what's different…
"No, James," Lily said as she sighed. "10 points from Slytherin. You know, I don't believe any house has ever been in negative figures this early in the term: We haven't even arrived yet. You might have set a record, Snape."
Regulus drew his wand. "I beg to differ, you filthy little Mudblood!" Lily drew her wand.
"That's it!" James yelled. "20 more points from Slytherin. Get back into your compartment, Snape. You too, Black." James narrowed his eyes at Regulus. Wait… Lily thought. Black… as in Regulus Black? Sirius' brother? No!
Snape and Regulus went back into the compartment, unwillingly so. Once they were gone, James and Lily put away their wands.
All of the sudden, James grabbed Lily by the shoulders. Lily looked really scared. What is he DOING! Lily thought frantically.
"Listen to me," James said harshly. "Do NOT tell Sirius about this; he can't find out. I don't care about Snape, but I DON'T want him to hear about Regulus, understand?" He looked her in the eyes.
Lily nodded and James let go of her, but she was angry anyway. "Fine," she said. "I get why you don't want to tell Sirius. But don't you dare grab me like that again! Do YOU understand?" James sighed and nodded, not even looking at her. "Good," she said before she struggled to get away. When he let go, Lily stalked away, leaving a deeply regretting James in her wake.
When James and Lily came back to the compartment, Remus was there but Vanessa wasn't. James sat back down in his previous spot. Lily, however, asked annoyed, "Where's Vanessa?"
"She went to the bathroom," Remus replied quickly; he saw that Lily wasn't in a good mood. "Lily, what's wrong?" he asked kindly. Oh no, Remus. Don't get me started.
Lily shot James a look that could kill. "Nothing," she said snappishly. "Absolutely nothing." She sat down next to Remus and crossed her arms, not looking at anyone. The Marauders, excluding Peter who had no idea anything was wrong, shot James a quizzical look. Marlene, however, shot James a spiteful look. Vanessa came back, looked around, and wordlessly sat down next to James.
After a few minutes of complete silence, Sirius decided to break it.
"Anything interesting happen during rounds?" he asked cautiously.
James smiled nervously. "Er… Lily scared off Greta for me."
Sirius grinned. "Congrats, Evans. I think you've done the impossible… scare off Greta Catchlove. Mind helping me out next time she comes around?"
"No," Lily said simply, arms crossed.
James and Lily were supposed to get off the train first to help the First Years get to Hagrid, and their friends all said they'd save them a seat as they'd have to enter the Great Hall last, before the Firsties of course.
James and Lily both saw Hagrid and waved. He gave a giant wave back, and Lily laughed. James just watched her, happy. He wished he could make her that happy one day.
"Lily," he said quietly, "There's something you have to understand…"
"Be quiet, Potter." James winced. "We have work to do."
James nodded and looked at all the small First Years. They're so… tiny. We were never that small, he thought. They were all running around, lost.
"First Years, this way!" Hagrid yelled. "Follow me!"
They all looked at Hagrid, terrified. James laughed, Lily grinned.
"Hey, guys," he said smiling. They looked at him, the girls giggling. "That man's name is Hagrid. Now I know he looks really big and mean, but he's not. Don't worry. He's going to take you to the castle, where you'll get into your houses."
A little boy raised his hand from the middle of the crowd. "So he's not here to eat us?" he asked quietly.
James laughed again. Lily watched him, her head tilted to one side; he was actually being nice to the firsties. It was sweet, if you thought about it… and cute.
Lily walked over to James' side, and put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. James looked down at her as she said, "No, Hagrid isn't going to eat you. He's a good guy." Lily momentarily looked up at James as she said the last part, and he knew what she meant. He was also very grateful for it.
The First Years filed off to Hagrid, as everyone else made their way to the carriages. James and Lily were last to get in, as they watched the First Years and Hagrid sail off to Hogwarts.
They were alone in the carriage, and for a minute neither of them spoke. They just looked at each other.
"Look, Lily…" James started.
"No, James," Lily interrupted. "I get it, you were just defending Sirius. It's okay." Lily was speaking very quietly.
"But I can explain."
"You don't have to."
"But I want to," James said desperately, then sighed. Lily nodded.
"Okay. Sirius is a Gryffindor."
There was a pause where James tried to think of what to say next.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Lily said. James smiled.
"The Black family is a whole line of Slytherins. Gryffindors and Slytherins are enemies, you know that. When Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor, his family started to disown him. They began to call him 'blood traitor' and Sirius became the family outcast; the bad son. He didn't agree with his family's views on blood purity; he never cared about that stuff even though he was raised to think that. I don't care about it either, and neither does my family. Last summer, he finally left; he couldn't stand it there anymore. He came to my house, so my parents and I kind of, well, adopted him. Sirius is like my brother.
"But," James continued, "Regulus, as you know, was sorted into Slytherin; and Sirius was devastated. Sirius tried so hard to change his views, as they were friends before Hogwarts, but it didn't work. Sirius really thought that Regulus would be sorted into Gryffindor, and it was horrible to watch Sirius' face fall as he found out he didn't even have his brother on his side anymore. They tried to stay civil around each other, but it didn't work. The family finally just… fell apart in the summer of Sixth year. So, Sirius doesn't have his family anymore, but he'll always have his friends. That's why I got so mad when I saw Regulus there, and I'm truly sorry."
Lily smiled a little. That's really sweet… "It's okay, James. I understand."
James sighed. "Good… and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this."
Lily smiled bigger. "Don't worry. You can trust me."
The rest of the ride went fine. They talked about their families, and James learned a lot about Lily. Lily learned a lot as well. I think we may actually be on the way to becoming friends… Lily thought.
As they entered the Great Hall, Dumbledore was just announcing the new Head Boy and Girl. Well that was convenient, James thought sarcastically.
Girls were screaming, guys were wolf-whistling, but the Marauders, Marlene, and Vanessa were the loudest. Lily blushed, and James grinned. He was used to the attention, and put his arm around Lily's shoulders. Lily slapped his arm away, and the whole Great Hall burst out laughing, even the Slytherins. Lily was about to turn and walk away to her friends (who were sitting next to the Marauders, of all people) when she heard someone whisper something in her ear.
"Feisty, eh?" James whispered smirking. Lily turned and winked, and James was the only one who saw it. Did she just…? James thought confused. No, I'm just seeing things… but I could have SWORN I saw her wink!
Lily smirked and strutted toward her friends, which was most unlike her. Her friends smirked and winked with her. James was running behind her, simply stunned.
Lily sat down, and James sat next to her. It was the only open seat, of course.
"And let the sorting begin!" Dumbledore said loudly.
Sirius, not paying attention to the sorting, asked James, "Prongs, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
James' eyes were far away, he wasn't paying attention.
"Prongs?" Sirius asked again. With no answer, Sirius was a bit annoyed. "PRONGS!" he said loudly as he stepped on James' foot.
"OUCH!" Lily yelled. "You stomped on MY foot, you bloody wanker!"
James' head snapped up. "What? Were you saying something, Padfoot?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Sorry Evans. And James, what is WRONG with you?"
"Nothing…" James said. All of the girls smirked, and Remus gave them significant looks that they didn't notice.
"Oh, and Evans…" Sirius grinned. "I don't need to take care of myself, thank you."
Lily, Vanessa, and Marlene looked disgusted. The Marauders just laughed. "Shove it, Black," Marlene said.
Sirius smirked. "Where?" he asked.
Marlene mimed gagging as the feast began.