"What do you mean? You found somebody else?" a very angry girl declared
with her hands sassily fisted on her hips. Her goddess green eyes flared
brightly with hot anger. She flicked the fiery red hair the fell in her
face back with a toss of her head. Presently, all her anger was directed
precisely towards the boy in front of her. And the boy knew he'd have to
tread carefully on this ground.
"I met Lola over the summer. And I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I don't want to be with you anymore. I love her," the boy said, as if this little statement solved all the current problems.
"You met this bimbo over the summer and you're finally telling me about it?" the girl asked hotly. "I bet if I hadn't come to see if you already had a compartment, you wouldn't have told me until we got to school!"
"She's not a bimbo. And besides, that's not true at all, Li -" the boy began, but quickly was cut off as the girl slapped him across the face. As hard as she possibly could manage.
"Goodbye, Amos Diggory. I hope that every time you see me, you run and hide, because next time I'm not going to be satisfied with just a slap across the face." On this note, the girl spun around, slammed the door behind her, and stomped to her compartment. As she shut the door behind her, she sank weakly to the floor. All the anger left her eyes now and was rapidly being replaced by tears. The girl lowered her head to her knees and let the tears come as her hair formed a curtain around her.
After a few minutes, she felt the train began to move and she stood up on shaky knees. She wiped the moisture from her face and sat down next to the window. With a sigh full of self-pity, she watched the trees pass through the window as the Hogwarts Express picked up speed steadily. A knock on the door brought her out of her dazed contemplation of the trees.
"Come in," she called in the direction of the door and looked up to see four boys standing in the doorway.
"Hey, if you don't mind, could we sit in here? All of the other compartments are full," one of the boys asked politely.
"Go ahead. There's plenty of room," the girl replied and gestured expansively to the otherwise empty compartment, hiding her hurt at the boy's last statement. Of course this was the only non-full compartment. She was always alone. She turned her gaze back out the window as the boys shuffled into the room. The girl knew exactly who these boys were. Everybody knew who these boys were. As a group, they were known as The Marauders. They were masters of pranks, procrastination, and Transfiguration. And they were also the most popular and sought after boys in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
James Potter, the leader of the group, sat across from her with Sirius Black at his side, like always. James had unruly black hair that begged for a woman's hand to run through it. She guessed that many hands had. And thought that she would probably never have a chance at that luxury. Behind his black rimmed glasses, his eyes were a warm, chocolate brown surrounded by think, dark eyelashes that gave his eyes impossible depth.
Sirius Black, James's best friend and right-hand man, was - in a word - stunning. But the only problem with that was he knew it. Sirius had think black hair that grazed the tips of his ears and top of his eyes. He had deep blue eyes the color of the ocean that were always filled with a slight arrogance. His mouth was quick to smile and even quicker to scowl. And he looked sexy either way.
Remus Lupin, the boy who had spoke earlier, sat next to her. She didn't have to look at him to know that his dirty blonde hair was longer than Sirius's and fell carelessly across his eyes, giving them a shadowed and mysterious look. His eyes were a bright blue, not as deep as Sirius's, but just as captivating. Possibly even more. One could loose oneself in such eyes. Too often, Remus seemed sick, but in good spirit nonetheless. However, the only time he looked truly happy was when he was in the presence of The Marauders.
The last boy was Peter Pettigrew, who seemed more than a little out of place. He had black hair, but it was somehow dull in color, and brown eyes that could not compare to James's. And he held the overall appearance of just rolling out of bed. Not very pleasing. He sat slightly away from the rest of the group, leaving a gap on the seat between him and Sirius.
The girl felt as if someone was staring at her, but tried to ignore it. In the reflection of the window, she could tell that all the boys, except Peter who had suddenly begun to snore, were gazing intently at her. Undoubtedly trying to figure out who she was. She had a feeling they weren't going to work out this puzzle any time soon. The girl specialized in keeping to the shadows and remaining unseen by those who might hurt her if they saw her. She had a feeling she should have kept Amos as far away from her as she kept everyone else. He had done nothing but cause her pain. But in the beginning it had been so sweet! He had been nice and kind, until about three months before school ended. Amos started to become cruel and mean, ordering the girl about. Of course, she didn't realize all this when it had happened. She had been trapped into thinking that she had been in the wrong, that she had deserved to be punished. She had been an idiot, and she could admit it now that she wasn't blinded by stupid love. She shouldn't have let him push her around like that. Right then, she vowed she would never let anyone - male or female, lover or friend - hurt her like that ever again. She would simply never put herself in a position where it could happen.
And she would never love again.
"You're in seventh year, aren't you?" James asked, startling the girl out of her harsh self-evaluation.
"Yes, I am," she said softly and reluctantly turned around to face the boys, although she was careful to avoid looking any of them directly in the eyes. Peter continued to snore as James, Sirius and Remus regarded her with interest.
"Wait, aren't you going out with Amos Diggory?" Remus asked, speaking just as quietly as she had. She looked away from him as she heard a rude snort from across the compartment. Sirius was sitting there with a look of true hatred unhidden on his face. James at least had the decency to try and hid the fact that he hated Amos, despite that fact that it wasn't working.
"What are you hanging around him for? The man doesn't have a speck of sense in his head. And he's a bad Beater at that," Sirius said, as if this was an insult to him directly. But perhaps it was, considering the fact that he was also a Beater and clearly thought that one unskilled Beater was an insult to the rest.
"Sirius . . ." James admonished, his voice full of warning.
"It's okay, James," the girl said softly. James jumped at the sound of his name. He seemed surprised that she knew his name. Why, the girl couldn't fathom. Everyone at school knew exactly who he was. "We aren't together anymore."
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Sirius grumbled and earned a jab in the ribs by James and a stomp on the foot by Remus.
"It's okay, Lily," James said with a sheepish smile on his face. Now it was Lily's turn to be startled. How did he know her name? "He didn't deserve you anyway."
"Yeah, Lily. You deserve better," Sirius said, making sure he used her name. He had a feeling that the only people who knew and used her name were the teachers. He also gave her a clearly flirtatious smile.
"So don't lower your expectations and go out with Sirius, Lils," Remus said, liking the sound of the nickname. It just rolled off his tongue. "You don't mind if I call you 'Lils', do you?"
"No, not at all." For the first time since she talked to Amos, Lily Evans smiled. The smile simply transformed her face. It seemed as if it was brighter and healthier. That she had some substance to her. And it made her plenty more approachable. Unconsciously, Remus moved closer to Lily and turned to her, making his leg brush against hers. He thought the blush that crept up her neck was simply charming. "But how did you know my name in the first place?"
"We know everybody in the school, Lily dear. It's our business," Sirius said and leaned forward as he focused his attention entirely on her.
"Oh? But I thought your business was to prank people?"
"That, too, Lily flower," James said as he leaned in as Sirius did, only he managed to get closer as he was sitting directly across from her. "But you have our solemn promise as The Marauders that we will never prank you, unless we are forced by some evil force." He had the feeling that she needed friends, not pranksters.
"Yeah, don't worry, Lils. We won't change your hair some horrid color of green or anything along those lines," Sirius said and loved the way she beamed at the nickname.
"Or perform any pranks on you along any other lines," Remus added and put his arm around her shoulder, making the other two boys feel uncharacteristic pangs of jealousy. "I have the feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
"So do I, Remus. So do I," Lily agreed and sighed.
"I met Lola over the summer. And I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I don't want to be with you anymore. I love her," the boy said, as if this little statement solved all the current problems.
"You met this bimbo over the summer and you're finally telling me about it?" the girl asked hotly. "I bet if I hadn't come to see if you already had a compartment, you wouldn't have told me until we got to school!"
"She's not a bimbo. And besides, that's not true at all, Li -" the boy began, but quickly was cut off as the girl slapped him across the face. As hard as she possibly could manage.
"Goodbye, Amos Diggory. I hope that every time you see me, you run and hide, because next time I'm not going to be satisfied with just a slap across the face." On this note, the girl spun around, slammed the door behind her, and stomped to her compartment. As she shut the door behind her, she sank weakly to the floor. All the anger left her eyes now and was rapidly being replaced by tears. The girl lowered her head to her knees and let the tears come as her hair formed a curtain around her.
After a few minutes, she felt the train began to move and she stood up on shaky knees. She wiped the moisture from her face and sat down next to the window. With a sigh full of self-pity, she watched the trees pass through the window as the Hogwarts Express picked up speed steadily. A knock on the door brought her out of her dazed contemplation of the trees.
"Come in," she called in the direction of the door and looked up to see four boys standing in the doorway.
"Hey, if you don't mind, could we sit in here? All of the other compartments are full," one of the boys asked politely.
"Go ahead. There's plenty of room," the girl replied and gestured expansively to the otherwise empty compartment, hiding her hurt at the boy's last statement. Of course this was the only non-full compartment. She was always alone. She turned her gaze back out the window as the boys shuffled into the room. The girl knew exactly who these boys were. Everybody knew who these boys were. As a group, they were known as The Marauders. They were masters of pranks, procrastination, and Transfiguration. And they were also the most popular and sought after boys in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
James Potter, the leader of the group, sat across from her with Sirius Black at his side, like always. James had unruly black hair that begged for a woman's hand to run through it. She guessed that many hands had. And thought that she would probably never have a chance at that luxury. Behind his black rimmed glasses, his eyes were a warm, chocolate brown surrounded by think, dark eyelashes that gave his eyes impossible depth.
Sirius Black, James's best friend and right-hand man, was - in a word - stunning. But the only problem with that was he knew it. Sirius had think black hair that grazed the tips of his ears and top of his eyes. He had deep blue eyes the color of the ocean that were always filled with a slight arrogance. His mouth was quick to smile and even quicker to scowl. And he looked sexy either way.
Remus Lupin, the boy who had spoke earlier, sat next to her. She didn't have to look at him to know that his dirty blonde hair was longer than Sirius's and fell carelessly across his eyes, giving them a shadowed and mysterious look. His eyes were a bright blue, not as deep as Sirius's, but just as captivating. Possibly even more. One could loose oneself in such eyes. Too often, Remus seemed sick, but in good spirit nonetheless. However, the only time he looked truly happy was when he was in the presence of The Marauders.
The last boy was Peter Pettigrew, who seemed more than a little out of place. He had black hair, but it was somehow dull in color, and brown eyes that could not compare to James's. And he held the overall appearance of just rolling out of bed. Not very pleasing. He sat slightly away from the rest of the group, leaving a gap on the seat between him and Sirius.
The girl felt as if someone was staring at her, but tried to ignore it. In the reflection of the window, she could tell that all the boys, except Peter who had suddenly begun to snore, were gazing intently at her. Undoubtedly trying to figure out who she was. She had a feeling they weren't going to work out this puzzle any time soon. The girl specialized in keeping to the shadows and remaining unseen by those who might hurt her if they saw her. She had a feeling she should have kept Amos as far away from her as she kept everyone else. He had done nothing but cause her pain. But in the beginning it had been so sweet! He had been nice and kind, until about three months before school ended. Amos started to become cruel and mean, ordering the girl about. Of course, she didn't realize all this when it had happened. She had been trapped into thinking that she had been in the wrong, that she had deserved to be punished. She had been an idiot, and she could admit it now that she wasn't blinded by stupid love. She shouldn't have let him push her around like that. Right then, she vowed she would never let anyone - male or female, lover or friend - hurt her like that ever again. She would simply never put herself in a position where it could happen.
And she would never love again.
"You're in seventh year, aren't you?" James asked, startling the girl out of her harsh self-evaluation.
"Yes, I am," she said softly and reluctantly turned around to face the boys, although she was careful to avoid looking any of them directly in the eyes. Peter continued to snore as James, Sirius and Remus regarded her with interest.
"Wait, aren't you going out with Amos Diggory?" Remus asked, speaking just as quietly as she had. She looked away from him as she heard a rude snort from across the compartment. Sirius was sitting there with a look of true hatred unhidden on his face. James at least had the decency to try and hid the fact that he hated Amos, despite that fact that it wasn't working.
"What are you hanging around him for? The man doesn't have a speck of sense in his head. And he's a bad Beater at that," Sirius said, as if this was an insult to him directly. But perhaps it was, considering the fact that he was also a Beater and clearly thought that one unskilled Beater was an insult to the rest.
"Sirius . . ." James admonished, his voice full of warning.
"It's okay, James," the girl said softly. James jumped at the sound of his name. He seemed surprised that she knew his name. Why, the girl couldn't fathom. Everyone at school knew exactly who he was. "We aren't together anymore."
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Sirius grumbled and earned a jab in the ribs by James and a stomp on the foot by Remus.
"It's okay, Lily," James said with a sheepish smile on his face. Now it was Lily's turn to be startled. How did he know her name? "He didn't deserve you anyway."
"Yeah, Lily. You deserve better," Sirius said, making sure he used her name. He had a feeling that the only people who knew and used her name were the teachers. He also gave her a clearly flirtatious smile.
"So don't lower your expectations and go out with Sirius, Lils," Remus said, liking the sound of the nickname. It just rolled off his tongue. "You don't mind if I call you 'Lils', do you?"
"No, not at all." For the first time since she talked to Amos, Lily Evans smiled. The smile simply transformed her face. It seemed as if it was brighter and healthier. That she had some substance to her. And it made her plenty more approachable. Unconsciously, Remus moved closer to Lily and turned to her, making his leg brush against hers. He thought the blush that crept up her neck was simply charming. "But how did you know my name in the first place?"
"We know everybody in the school, Lily dear. It's our business," Sirius said and leaned forward as he focused his attention entirely on her.
"Oh? But I thought your business was to prank people?"
"That, too, Lily flower," James said as he leaned in as Sirius did, only he managed to get closer as he was sitting directly across from her. "But you have our solemn promise as The Marauders that we will never prank you, unless we are forced by some evil force." He had the feeling that she needed friends, not pranksters.
"Yeah, don't worry, Lils. We won't change your hair some horrid color of green or anything along those lines," Sirius said and loved the way she beamed at the nickname.
"Or perform any pranks on you along any other lines," Remus added and put his arm around her shoulder, making the other two boys feel uncharacteristic pangs of jealousy. "I have the feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
"So do I, Remus. So do I," Lily agreed and sighed.
