PROLOGUE
September 2
Dear Diary,
What is it with boys? I will never understand them!
Before I waste any breath (or rather, paper) on the extremely inappropriate doings of James Potter and Co., the first thing I need to do is tell you who I am.
My name is Lily Evans. I've never kept a diary before. I am in sixth year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and if you haven't guessed, I'm a witch. I'm sixteen years old, I have dark red hair and almond-shaped green eyes, and, as my best friend Katie Reiner insists, I am not bad-looking. At least, I don't cringe every time I look in the mirror, like that stupid Slytherin, Rosie Perkler. She has a face like a pug and she realizes it. Don't ask how she managed to get her equally stupid boyfriend, Ferlus Parkinson.
But I'm getting off the subject – me, obviously. I'm not a bad student, and I'm especially good in Charms. My parents support me in my witchery (is that even a word?). My sister, Petunia, doesn't. She hates me and calls me a freak. We used to be so close. Why does she have to be jealous of me?
Now there's a Dark wizard trying to rise to power. His name is Lord Voldemort and he's gathering followers (almost everyone's afraid of saying his name. I think that's ridiculous. If we're afraid of a mere name, we've lost half the war already!). He's been killing people – everyone says that he's after Muggle-borns. I'm a Muggle-born (from a Muggle family, who can probably be killed)! And I'm not any less of a witch than Rosie Perkler – better, in fact, and she's pure-blood! Apparently he hates Muggles, and half-bloods, and quarter-bloods, and - well you get the gist.
I suppose, with a Dark wizard threatening my family, I shouldn't even care less about the antics of James Potter and Co. But, Voldemort is out there – there's nothing I can do about him. James Potter is right here and sometimes it feels likes he's the bane of my existence.
Well, not just James Potter. James Brian Potter and Co. (Co. being his three best friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Actually, Remus isn't so bad. He's Katie's boyfriend and he's a prefect. But the others…).
James Potter is – well – I'll tell you his obvious traits. He has very, very, very untidy black hair which he makes even untidier so as to look like he just got off his broomstick. He has hazel eyes and glasses, pretty good-looking, and he's very good at Transfiguration. In fact, he's good at pretty much everything. And he's amazing at Quidditch (I give credit where credit is due).
But that's the whole problem. He is extremely arrogant. Along with Black, he hexes people just to show he can, and he has a crush on me. AARGH! He has been asking since fourth year to go out with me. I've always told him that I'd rather date the giant squid. But he keeps on asking. Does he think that if he persists, I'll finally get so tired of it that I'll go out with him to get him off my back?
I'm not so sure about that.
Anyway, do you know what he and his merry men did today? It was the FIRST DAY OF TERM, mind. We had Potions first thing with the Hufflepuffs and Potter went and stuck Filibuster Fireworks in each cauldron, and they exploded. It was bad luck that we happened to be making a Shrinking Solution, and it went all over everybody, shrinking whatever body parts it hit. Actually, Potter and his friends did get a bit hurt, so serves them right!
Bloody Potter, bloody Black, bloody Lupin, bloody Pettigrew.
I didn't tell you about the others. Sirius Black has black hair, gray eyes, and he's very good-looking. All of the girls in the school (including the ones in seventh year) have crushes on him. Except for me and Katie. Katie because she's got Remus, and me because I don't have a boyfriend, don't plan on having one in the near future, and because I think it's ridiculous that people fall all over others just because of how they look. Sirius is a very good student, and manages to get perfect marks on every test in spite of playing pranks in every class along with James. But he's also extremely arrogant.
You know, it really annoys me that Potter and Black can pay absolutely no attention in class, almost never take notes, and get top marks on tests! I mean, the last time I saw them really study for a test was when we were taking the O.W.L.s!
Remus Lupin is an extremely clever wizard. And he does work hard in class. He's always one of the first to discover the quirky hexes, and the teachers all love him. He's very gentle and kind, but watch out! He has a devilish streak that is fairly funny to see. You'd never guess by looking at him, or even speaking to him briefly, that he's involved in half the pranks in the school. He's also a very good student. He adores Katie, who in turn adores him, but that's the whole point of having a boyfriend, isn't it? He's also very nice to me. What does bother me about Remus is that he's a school prefect, and he just lets his friends get away with EVERYTHING! I really don't understand him. It's almost like – like he's worried that they're the only friends he's got. What is it – has he got a deep, dark past or something?
Peter Pettigrew is short, chubby, and has watery eyes and a pointed nose. He isn't much of a leader, but he follows the other three around and they've become quite good friends. I don't know how, actually. He's completely unlike them! The only thing I know about him is that he's very good at drawing cartoons (he did a really excellent one of Gryffindor's enemy, Severus Snape).
Bloody, bloody, bloody boys.
Love,
Lily Evans
LILY
August 1
Dear Diary,
Well, I have good news and bad news.
The good news is, now that I'm in seventh year, I'm Head Girl! I really, really am! I can't believe it! Imagine, what an honor! (This is much too full of exclamation points, but I'm too excited).
Mum and Dad were thrilled. Petunia was disgusted (why am I not surprised?). I really don't know why she has to be so mean to me. I mean, why act that way? She isn't a witch. Period. She can become Head Girl in her own school (she didn't, so that's beside the point, but she could've), and it's not my fault I put an effort into school and she doesn't. She keeps muttering about me 'putting on airs' and 'strutting around like a peacock'. Alright, I am excited and proud about it, but I am not putting on airs, and I do not STRUT!
The bad news is – James Potter is Head Boy.
Imagine, what a horror!
I am going to be responsible for the entire school along with HIM. That stupid, arrogant, bloody, BOY!
I wonder why he made Head Boy. I mean, he's not a prefect. To be perfectly honest, I expected it to be Remus. Doesn't Dumbledore realize that Potter is irresponsible, a prankster, and an arrogant prat to boot? Did Potter do something to get into Dumbledore's good graces? I suppose I'll never find out.
I guess I should look at the bright side.
At least it wasn't Snape.
Love,
Lily
September 1
Dear Diary,
Well, we've started the new school year. It really was great seeing Katie again. And of course, Hogwarts! I missed the castle.
Anyway, Dumbledore called me and Potter into his office after dinner. He said that he trusts us to be responsible for the welfare of the students and some other things, but we were both too tired to listen. The only time Potter woke up was when Dumbledore said that he expects us to have a new sense of responsibility, and he looked at Mr. Troublemaker Head Boy especially.
We walked back to Gryffindor Tower together and we said a total of four words in all:
"Good night. See you."
Love,
Lily
September 5
Dear Diary,
Well, what do you know? Potter actually seems to behave himself. He and Black managed to get through the first day of school without playing their usual back-to-school prank. It's always been my theory that the boys are BURSTING to play any prank all summer, so they start on the first day of school to make up for lost time. But they didn't. They're probably saving up for a really BIG prank. Oh well. School's been great. I'd forgotten how bracing it is to wander through Hogwarts' halls. And it's still beautiful outside. I'm sitting by the lake right now. The Marauders (guess who that is! They call themselves that, and it sort of caught on with the other students. Now we're all calling them that. They have the weirdest names for themselves. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Loony, Pigtail, Loudfoot, and Wrong would be more appropriate.) are sitting under the big tree a bit away from the lake and are conspiring vigorously. Probably planning another way to make Snape's life miserable. Not that I disagree that he deserves to be made miserable, but it does seem a bit unfair to have four against one. Well, actually, against Snape and HIS gang, Rosier, Wilkes, Avery, Nott, and all those slimy gits. So it's fair. Actually, Potter's writing something in a book, and the rest are talking. I wonder what he's writing.
Professor McGonagall told me to tell him that she wants to see us in her office at seven. Don't ask how I'll get through it. Though, to be honest, since about May last year he hasn't been as annoying to me as usual. Maybe he's growing up. And he's stopped hexing people, except for Snape, of course.
I'll write in here later.
Love,
Lily