Heyy!

This is my new story "Shattered Hope". I'm currently working on "James and Lily: Entwined" as well but I couldn't resist putting in this chapter, I worked really hard on it and I'm really excited about this new story.

This story, just like "J+LE" is also a bit non-canon, you'll see why at the end of this chapter. However, I don't think it's too off (OK - maybe a little bit!).The story is currently rated "T" because of some language but the rating might go up - I'll let you know if there any "mature" scenes in a chapter.

Anyways, hope you like it and don't forget to go read my other story as well!

xoxox

Sara

Nicole and Lucy,

How have your holidays been so far? You two are so lucky - you get to spend your time at Nicole's place while I'm stuck at home with my mum and him. This is boring as hell and it doesn't help that he's around. I swear, he's up to something and it isn't good. I think he's planning to do something illegal. I've told my mum but she just laughed about it. Yeah, I know, you'd think that she'd believe her own daughter. Apparently not.

We're going down to Devon next week and we're staying there for two or three weeks so that 'we can get to know each other better'. I begged my mom and she let me invite you two to come with us. It's the least she can do; she knew I hated him in the first place.

Anyways, come. PLEASE. Beg your parents, cry, scream, throw a tantrum, do everything you can so that you can come with us. If you don't, then by the time we get back to Hogwarts, I'll be dead. It kills me to be around him.

Hope you two are having fun!

Hugs,

Lily

P.S. I hate him. Did I say that already!

Lily nibbled her lower lip softly and, deciding that there was nothing else to add, she rolled up the piece of parchment and called her owl, Nefertari, who flew out of her cage obediently. Tying the letter softly around her owl's leg, she sighed. She really did hope that Lucy and Nicole came, just like she had suggested. July was coming to an end and Lily was already sick of him and his stupid tricks and oh-so-'witty' comments. He really did have nothing better to do than annoy her, did he?

"Take the letter to Nicole and Lucy – they're at Nicole's place." Lily said to the owl as she opened the window. She leaned on the window sill as the owl flew off, her wings rustling against the wind.

To be honest, Lily didn't know what she had done to deserve such punishment. She was always nice to people, handed her homework in on time and was always there to help – not the ideal description of someone who was being punished so 'severely' as she liked to put it. She was a good girl.

Lily sighed as she closed the window and went to lie down on her bed, hugging a pillow close to her chest. She'd thought that when Petunia went off to live with their father, things would get better but then her mother had gotten married again and he had moved in. She would spend her days in her room reading, writing letters to her friends, listening to music and lying on her bed, dwelling over her own misfortune, just as she was doing right now.

Life isn't fair.

Lily stormed up to her bedroom, tears in her eyes.

"Lily, come back, you haven't finished your dinner yet!" she heard her mother shout from downstairs.

"I'm not hungry, leave me alone!" she yelled as she slammed the bedroom door.

She threw herself onto the bed and burst out crying. This wasn't the first time that Lily had left the dinner table in tears, leaving most of her food behind. In fact, it had happened every single day since she'd gotten home from the holidays.

At first, it was just her natural reaction to his presence at the dinner table. However, once he had fully realised the effect that he had on her, he'd started taunting her, making jokes and stupid comments and deliberately trying to catch her attention in the most ridiculous ways. Sometimes he didn't even say anything. Sometimes, he would just smirk and eat his food, knowing that this infuriated her. It had, however, become unbearable for Lily, and the emotional overload had become too much for her. She would now take refuge in her room, crying and cursing her mother for doing this to her and him for purposely infuriating her this way.

Her bedroom door opened to reveal her mother who was leaning on the door frame. "Lily, when is this going to stop?"

"How about never!" Lily answered, turning away.

"Honey, you've got to accept it. They're here to stay, they're not going anywhere. Please. I know it's hard for you but you can't just give in like that, you're giving him the wrong message. Every single day you leave dinner table halfway through our meal and you spend the night crying. Sweetie, you know he gets a kick out of making you angry and if you react this way, he's just going to keep doing it."

"Leave me alone! Go away, I don't want you here!" Lily screamed, covering her ears with her hands.

"Lily, you're being terribly immature about this!" April - Lily's mother - said, starting to get irritated.

"And he isn't? You're there, mom, you see him do it every single night but you don't say a thing. You don't try to get him to stop. You let him do it over and over again. What am I supposed to do? Ignore him!"

"Yes! Just act as if it isn't happening and he'll stop! I promise!" Lily's mother pleaded.

"I won't do it, mom. I still have some pride left in me and I'm not going to let him run over me. I need to react and let him know I'm not taking it and this is the only way I can do that!" Lily responded. "Leave me alone mum, please."

April shook her head, disappointed, and left the room without saying another word.

Lily climbed under the covers, fully dressed, and lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. It couldn't get any worse than this, could it?

Lily woke up startled, looking around for the source of the noise she'd heard. Seeing her owl outside the window holding a letter, she quickly jumped up and ran to let Nefertari in.

She carefully untied the letter from the owl's leg and threw some owl treats into her cage whilst walking over to her bed. She quickly unrolled the piece of parchment and read what was written.

Lily,

Great to hear from you, we hope things have calmed down a bit. We're having fun here, gone swimming almost every day. You should have come to stay. How's stuff going with him? Is he being decent? Don't let him get to you Lily, you're better than that.

Anyways, we begged, screamed, cried, threw a tantrum and did everything we could to go with you to Devon. Our parents approved, they just need some more details from your mom about the trip.

See you soon (hold on!),

Hugs,

Lucy and Nicole

P.S. Yes, you've mentioned it a few times.

Lily sighed. Yes, she had mentioned it a few times. Many actually, she just couldn't stop thinking about it. She'd hated him ever since she'd started Hogwarts and it wasn't now that their parents were married that that was going to change. If possible, it even made her hate him more. But then again, she had a reason. Who wouldn't hate having James Potter as a step-brother?

OK, what did you think? Loved it? Hated it? Let me know - review!