And here I was yet again, being chased by the world's biggest git. I had thought this would happen. In fact, I had expected it. But all you can do is hope. This, apparently, had been a waste of time, judging by the boy running after me. Yes, running. It might be because I am running too, but I wouldn't have to if he wasn't such a git!
'Evans! Wait up!' Merlin, that boy needs to get a life. And fast. After a whole summer of completely ignoring his owls, you'd think he would get the picture. But nooooo, James Potter is a stubborn and arrogant idiot who has no respect for other people's personal bubbles, and flat out refuses to leave me alone. In some places he would be arrested for that, but Professor Dumbledore finds the whole situation amusing.
Potter has been my stalker for three long years now. Three extremely long years, full of him asking me out, me rejecting him, him asking me out, me pushing him in the Black Lake, him asking me out, me slapping him, and, well, you get the idea. But he doesn't.
It all started back in third year. I had never talked to him or his friends, the so-called 'Marauders' (how old are they? Two?) and then one day in Herbology his best friend and right-hand man Sirius 'all the girls in this school want me because I'm awesome' Black got into a slight squabble with my friend Aria. Ry didn't take it all that well, and was determined to win the 'squabble'. To this day she still won't tell me what it was about.
Anyway, the whole situation got out of hand and Potter and I ended up having to pull them off each other. It took awhile, with everyone yelling, and Professor Bengles crying, but finally, I had Ry's hands behind her back. Potter had Sirius pinned down, and then Ry got so angry at me for putting an end to it that she pushed me on top of both of them. I was surprised to find that it went over quite well with both of them, especially James, who had cushioned my fall. Somehow, with all the yelling, angry pre-teens he ended up on top of me.
We were a very physical third year class.
I managed to stutter and blush my way through that situation, but then Potter took it upon himself to be my knight in shining armour. It did one good thing, and helped me become less shy, but that doesn't make it any better in my opinion.
Anyway, back to me running down the Hogwarts Express, desperately trying to find the compartment with Ry, Day and Bell in it. For some unexplainable reason, they hadn't been in our regular compartment, and so now Potter had found me. Usually at the beginning of each school year I can bolt onto the train and hide in my compartment for the whole ride, but this year was just one of those unfortunate times.
'C'mon Prongs! I don't want to chase Evans this whole train ride!'
'Then wait here Padfoot!'
'But Jaaaaaaames!' That was Sirius 'I'm hot and I know it' Black. Apart from being up himself, he's also very whiny. He kind of reminds me of a very needy puppy dog.
'Stay!'
See? He even knows tricks.
'Evans! Hey!' I attempted to speed up but there was no way I'd be a match for Potter, who's really quite tall. Damn me and my shortness! Wait, I'm sorry, my 'petite-ness' as Day says, just to make me feel better.
'So Evans, how was your summer?'
'You followed me all the way down the train just to ask me how my summer was?' I rounded on him.
'Well, I was a little worried when you didn't answer my letters, and so I-'
'I don't care Potter!' I said angrily.
And then, unexpectedly, he grinned at me. And not the 'My head is so big I can't even lift it off the ground' kind of grin either. It was an actual happy expression. How extremely odd.
'What?' I asked suspiciously.
'I've waited all summer to hear you emotionally bash me.'
I stared at him for a moment. 'You're really weird.' And then after that very intellectual statement, I walked off.
'Wow Prongs, she didn't slap you.' I heard Remus Lupin say.
I turned around for a moment and glared at him, and he looked at his shoes. He's such a wimp sometimes. But he's really nice. By far the best Marauder. Then Sirius, because I can handle his jerkiness, and then Peter Pettigrew, because he's a tag-along follower who worships Potter, and then, of course, is Potter himself. How anyone could be so arrogant is beyond me. He thinks he's the best and most awesome guy to walk the halls of Hogwarts. I think he's the stupidest.
Eventually, I managed to stumble my way into the compartment holding my three friends.
'Why are you guys in here?' I demanded of them before even saying hello. I was greeted with girly squeals and hugs, but soon I asked my question again sitting down, my trunk laying overhead.
'Well, our regular was taken by first years, so we couldn't kick them out otherwise they'd get freaked.' Bell said.
She is the sweet, shy, compassionate, and quiet one of our little group. She surprisingly hates homework and is not a big fan of school, but she does it without complaint.
Ry, on the other hand, does it with a lot of complaint. She's a bit of a tough girl. But it's all put on. With us she's nothing but a big old softie.
Day is my best friend. She has been since first year. She's outgoing, loud, a little weird, and crazy.
I'm a bit of everything. Actually, I have a lot of mood swings. But I, however, am a fan of school, and don't mind the homework. I think it's because the teachers love me. Honestly, you give them a little girl smile and they eat it all up.
'Well, while you guys were cosy and safe from the outside world, I was being stalked.'
'Potter again?' Ry asked, looking irritated. 'Was Sirius 'I love myself' Black there?'
I laughed. I really had gotten the middle name thing from her. She does it all the time.
'Yeah, he was. Potter treats him like a dog.'
'No, he doesn't!' Day said indignantly. 'I see them at practice all the time and they're like brothers!'
Another thing, Day plays Quidditch. A lot. And considering Potter is captain of the Gryffindor team, he and Day are actually quite friendly. Bell could care less about the Marauders and Ry just hates them. I'm half and half. Don't hate them (excluding Potter) but don't like them (especially Potter).
'So? Potter told him to sit and stay.'
'I bet he didn't tell him to sit.'
'Well, no, but he did tell him to stay.'
'They treat everyone else like dirt so I wouldn't be surprised if that's how they treat each other.' Ry grumbled. I've never quite figured what her anger is for when it comes to the Marauders. I'm allowed to hate them, because of the stalker thing.
'Guys? Let's just not talk about this, okay?' And there we have sweet-tempered Bell to the rescue before Ry jumps on someone.
'Fine. What have you guys been doing over the summer?' I asked.
Day grinned. 'Getting it nightly and ever so rightly!'
We laughed and I balled up my jacket and threw it at her. She continued grinning after dodging the missile. Day is sort of the female version of Black. She's a good friend, loyal and funny, but she thinks guys are sort of on display at the meat market. She's a funny one. A little over enthusiastic with the sexual innuendos.
'Did anyone go to see the Quidditch World Cup?' Day asked. Ry nodded excitedly, and then they got into a long-winded discussion of the match.
I don't hate Quidditch, but it's not on my list of top ten fun things to do.
Bell and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. This topic could probably last them the whole train ride. My friends are an odd looking bunch.
Bell looks kind of like Bell from Beauty and the Beast, the Disney movie. Actually, it's just that she has dark brown hair and the eyes to match. Her eyes are surrounded by long lashes and her face is heart-shaped. She's pretty in a quiet sort of way.
Day has honey-blonde hair and light green eyes. She has a fresh clean sort of look. It reels in the boys; make them think she's a sweet easy conquest. But then they're the ones who end up being played.
Ry has long and wavy black hair and blue eyes. Her skin is a pale colour, in sharp contrast with her hair.
I have dark red hair, pale skin and bright emerald eyes. I've been told I have very pretty eyes (*cough cough* Potter *cough cough*). I am, as aforementioned, the runt of the group. Day insists I'm not that much shorter than the rest, but I can be rather steadfast in my beliefs.
Finally, after several long and boring games of Exploding Snap that set Ry's hair on fire, we made it to Hogsmeade station.
'Ah, crap!' Ry exclaimed. She had still not gotten changed into her robes.
'Just do it later! We'll miss getting the best carriages!' Day urged her.
She shrugged and we all left our trunks in the compartment and went on a quest to find an empty carriage.
It was a cool night, but there was no rain or wind, more of a light breeze that somehow managed to find the holes in our robes and make us shiver. It was a bit of a pervy breeze.
I'm so glad no one can hear my thoughts.
We hopped into the nearest carriage and were about to close the door when a hand grabbed it.
'C'mon gents, in we go!' Oh wonderful. It was Sirius 'I keep a list of how many girls I've dated' Black.
And into the carriage after him were James 'bighead who unfortunately is my stalker' Potter, Remus 'I'm a prefect but I do nothing to discourage my friends from irritating harmless pretty redheads' Lupin and Peter 'I wet myself when aforementioned Potter scored a goal in Quidditch last year' Pettigrew. Seriously, I'm pretty sure he did.
'What are you doing?' Ry asked with no little amount of irritation.
'Why we're getting all cosy with our four favourite girls! What did you think we were doing?' Black answered. He actually looked somewhat surprised. The nerve.
'Well, I was hoping you had managed to fall off the train when it was moving but once again, you disappoint me.' Ry answered sarcastically.
'Oh c'mon Ry, let them stay. We all know that's what is going to end up happening. It's the same way every year.' Day interjected before Black could answer. He looked at her happily.
'Thank you, Matthews!'
'What to you mean 'every year'? I said angrily after shooting Potter an irritated look when he squeezed into the spot next to me.
'Well, we do ride in the same carriage with you at the start of every school year.' Remus said, raising his eyebrow at me.
'Don't tell me you hadn't realised that?' Potter said.
'Well, actually, no. That is really weird.' I said in a baffled voice, mostly to myself.
Bell stifled a giggle. 'Lily, you're so clueless sometimes.'
'I am not!' I said indignantly.
'Sorry love, but yeah, you are.' Potter said.
'No I'm not!' I cried. 'And I'm not your 'love'!'
James just shrugged, and turned helplessly to Day, the one person who would give him support on this matter.
'Lils, c'mon hon. We all know it. Heck, even you know it.' She said gently.
'Oh, can't you all just go find another carriage?' I said looking around at the Marauders.
'I rest my case.' Potter said smugly, gesturing outside to the rolling swiftly by scenery and then crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat.
I looked at him a moment, and then hit him on the arm.
'Hey!' he yelped, jerking upwards. 'What was that for?'
'For being an arrogant git.' I said, and then leaned back in my chair in imitation of him.
Ry smirked, but Bell looked slightly troubled. Day sighed.
Lupin leaned in towards Black and said, 'told you she's gone too long without hitting him.'
'More like hitting ON him.'
'I can you hear you, you know!' I exclaimed. Everyone was silent.
'So James, you got any ideas for the team this year?' Day asked Potter in a slightly awkward voice.
'Hell yeah! Me and Padfoot have been working on strategies all summer!' He said enthusiastically, launching into his game plans for this year. He and Day started chatting amiably and I sighed, looking out the window.
Sometimes I wished Potter would act like this towards me. Then maybe I wouldn't hate him as much. Actually, he'd be a decent guy if he wasn't asking me out every five minutes...... WHOA, LILY DANGEROUS WATERS HERE!
Oh, right. What am I thinking? James Potter really is an arrogant git. The only things he cares about are Quidditch, the Marauders and pranking people.
'I'm so hungry.' I heard him say to Black. 'Hope they hurry up with the sorting this year.'
Oh right, and food. He's such a boy. What a- HOLY SMOKES!
Merlin. My poor, sweet, little Bell. '
SHE'S SMILING AT BLACK! This is a crisis! She isn't gagging, or looking indifferent! But actually smiling! In no way is this good. Out of all the people she could've liked, it had to be Sirius 'playboy' Black. Spectacular.
Wait a moment.
Just because she's smiling at him, doesn't necessarily mean that she likes him. She could've been smiling at the wall for all I knew! Or day dreaming! Yes, that must be it. She's a heavy day dreamer.
But honestly, that was scary.
I looked around the carriage. What is happening here? Day is talking happily with Potter, Bell is smiling (maybe) at Black, and Ry is answering (albeit stiffly) to something Remus just asked her.
Pettigrew looked hopefully at me. 'No way. No way in the world.' I said to him, and looked back out the window.
Yes! I could see Hogwarts! Now everything would be alright. Everything would be back to normal. Us girls would sit at one end of the Gryffindor table, and the Marauders would be at the other end. This is not the end of the world! I would survive this travesty, and go back to frantically studying and pushing Potter in lakes. Speaking of Potter, I think this is the first year that he hasn't been pestering me this entire ride. Even on the train, he only bugged me once. Odd, that. But definitely not unwelcome. Perhaps he'd gotten the message somewhat? All I can do is hope. Hope very, very hard.
Why am I talking to myself inside my head while my friends chat happily to the Marauders?
How sad for me.
