Lilyflower: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter series (it's all J.K. Rowling's)

A/N: A long time ago I uploaded this story but then I took it off the site because I wasn't 100% happy with it and I uploaded it at a busy time for me. But now I'm uploading it again, with some changes, so I hope you enjoy it. This is my first story, so please give me any feedback (good OR bad). Ok, I'm done talking, now you can read.

The golden sun was just peaking over the horizon when Lily Evans sat down on a grassy hill overlooking Hogwarts Lake. She stretched out her legs and stared out to the vast and tranquil lake. Her long red hair blew back behind her as a breeze danced around her. She sighed mournfully. It was her sixth year at Hogwarts, and the following year would be her very last at this wonderful school. Oh, how she would miss it!

Lily could remember, quite clearly, the day she received her Hogwarts letter. She couldn't believe it at first (neither did her whole family), and then squealed with delight when she figured out it was real. She was so young, almost like a different. She had had no cares or worries back then. Well, no real cares or worries. Only stupid stuff like when her Levitation Charm essay was due or who to hang out with at lunchtime.

Looking back at these events made Lily feel much older than she actually was. It was so long ago, yet every detail was quite sharp in her mind. She wished she would never leave Hogwarts and stay there forever. But that is unrealistic. Lily sure would miss Hogwarts…

What am I doing? Lily thought suddenly, slightly disgusted with herself. It's not like I'm leaving forever tomorrow, I've still got a whole other year ahead of me. Why should I say my goodbyes now?

The sun was rising fast now, almost completely over the horizon. Lily checked her watch. It was almost six in the morning. She yawned and thought, maybe I should go back to the dormitory and get another few hours' sleep…

So she stood up and, with one last glance at the majestic lake, turned and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower.

The empty castle was eerie as she silently walked its corridors. Every now and then she thought she saw a shadow other than her own move for just a fraction of a second. She thought she heard footsteps too. Wait a minute, she did hear footsteps!

Lily stopped in her tracks. The only thing she heard now was her rapid heartbeat. Did she imagine it?

Then she saw something move about ten feet away from her. She whipped out her wand and yelled, "Lumos!"

Suddenly she heard a person's voice say, "Woah woah, hold your fire. It's just me, James."

James then stepped out of the shadows and presented himself to Lily. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Potter," she said fiercely. "What are you doing, trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry," said James as Lily lowered her wand. "I didn't think anyone would be here. What were you doing here, anyway?"

"None of your business," snapped Lily. "Why were you here?"

"None of your business," mimicked James. He smiled.

"I'm going back to Gryffindor Tower," said Lily. "Don't follow me, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm not," James replied hotly.

"Well, good," said Lily. She started to make her way in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

"Fine," replied James curtly. He headed the other direction. Lily then walked away without looking back, and then waited until she could not hear his footsteps anymore. She stopped and turned around. He was gone. Well, good riddance, she thought bitterly. But as she ascended the steps to her dormitory and climbed into her bed, she could not help but feeling guilty.

* * * *

Lily awoke with a start when she felt something thrown at her. She opened her eyes and saw that Elizabeth had thrown her pillow at her.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," ordered Elizabeth. She smiled. "We've got a big day ahead of us."

"What, you mean packing all day?" Lily asked.

"No," Elizabeth replied slowly. She tossed back her long, dirty-blonde hair. "Actually, that's what we'll be doing most of the day…but anyway, we have to pick up guys today!"

Lily gave her a look of confusion. "Are you serious?" Lily groaned groggily. "Why on Earth would we do that today? Summer break starts tomorrow."

"Exactly!" replied Elizabeth. She started to make her bed. "If we don't find boyfriends now, it will be a lot harder over summer because we won't be surrounded by guys. I mean, I will, but you guys won't." Lily threw her pillow at back at her. Then she pondered what Elizabeth said to her.

"Well, I guess that makes sense," responded Lily.

"'Atta girl," encouraged Elizabeth.

"Why must everyone talk so loud in the morning?" Mary had woken up and was annoyed. She was not a morning person. She grumbled something about "no sleep last night" and headed into the bathroom.

"Mornin', Alice," said Elizabeth as Alice sat up in bed and stretched.

"Hey," she replied sleepily. "Happy Last Day of Sixth Year."

"Same to you," answered Elizabeth as she finished making her bed. Clarissa snored loudly so Elizabeth picked up the same pillow she threw at Lily and threw it at Clarissa.

Lily, who was completely unaware of what was going on around her, was thinking about what she had thought of earlier that morning. Don't be all sad and mope around today, Lily thought. Have fun with your friends.

Friends…Lily thought about her friends. Elizabeth, who was spunky and outgoing, was the best out of all of them at picking up guys. She was somehow naturally good at it. She had a look of confidence in her dull blue eyes everywhere she went. She always tossed her long dirty-blonde hair back and cared the most about fashion and looks.

Mary, who was less outgoing than Elizabeth, kept more to herself. She did not have many boyfriends. She loved sports, especially Quidditch (she played as Chaser on the Gryffindor team) and would much rather be doing that than school. School was hard for her, and though she loved her friends very much she could not help feel jealous when they did better than her in school. She had long black hair and her skin was tanner than everyone else's. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black, and she did not really care about her looks as much as other girls her age did.

Alice, on the other hand, was the best in school. She was a walking encyclopedia. She liked being at the top of her class, but she sometimes gets overworked and stress out easily. Most of her weekends include studying and reading, much to the annoyance of Lily. But she was very nice and friendly to everyone. She had light brown hair in a cute bob and her large, round eyes were hazel.

And then there is Clarissa. Her shoulder-length hair was blonde like Elizabeth's hair, but hers was more yellow. Her eyes were also hazel like Alice's, but Clarissa's eyes had more green in them. She acted a lot like Lily. In fact, it almost seemed like she tried to copy Lily at times. But Lily did not mind because she knew her friend just wanted to "fit in." She was a fun person to be around, but she was not very social. Lily often wondered why.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted by a pillow being thrown at her.

"Stop staring into space and get ready!" commanded Elizabeth in a hurried voice. Lily could not help but smile as she thought about how wonderful her friends really are.

So? What do you think? Good? Bad? Terrible? Wonderful? So-so? Please rate & review!