Chapter One: Return to Hogwarts
Lily Evans stood beside her luggage cart on Platform 9 ¾, deep in conversation with her parents. Her older sister, Petunia, had her arms crossed, looking thoroughly disgusted at the scene before her. A flash of jealousy went through her as she watched her parents looking at Lily with pride, unable to remember the last time they had looked at her that way.
"See that group of boys over there, Mum? They call themselves the Marauders. They're the most troublesome, thick-headed gits in school!" Lily declared, pointing at a group of four boys across the platform. Petunia craned her long neck, trying to get a better glimpse of the boys.
"Surely they can't be that bad?" Mrs. Evans laughed.
"The only decent one is the boy with blond hair, Remus Lupin." Lily replied. Petunia caught sight of a handsome boy with black hair and glasses. Her stomach fluttered and she suddenly felt faint as she watched the boy laugh with his friends. Unable to control herself, she turned to Lily.
"Who's the bloke with black hair and glasses?" she asked as casually as she could. Her parents and sister looked at her in surprise. Petunia had not said a word since they came to Kingscross Station. In fact, for the past seven years, Petunia never spoke a word when they came to drop Lily off each September. She made it very clear that the wizard world disgusted her, and came only on her parents' orders.
"That's James Potter." Lily finally said, with a tone of utmost dislike in her voice. "He's the stupidest, thickest one of them all. You'll never meet anyone who loves himself as much as that boy does.
Petunia felt light-headed as she watched the four boys walking towards them. James looked even more handsome up close. She watched in awe as James tossed a small ball high into the air and caught it behind his back effortlessly. As the boys walked past, James flashed Lily a cocky smile. Petunia, thinking it was for her, grinned with glee and felt as if she were melting. Lily rolled her eyes at James, and turned back to her parents.
"I guess I should get going then," she said. Mrs. Evans nodded and hugged her daughter tightly.
"Have a lovely time, dear! After all, it's your seventh year!" she said.
"Yes, do have fun! You make us so proud, Lily." Mr. Evans smiled, kissing his daughter on the forehead. Lily turned to Petunia.
"Well, see you then," she said awkwardly. She and her sister hadn't gotten along ever since Lily had found out that she was a witch. Petunia looked at her sister for a few moments.
"Bye," she said quietly. Then she directed her attention back to James and the Marauders. Lily said goodbye to her parents one last time, then pushed her cart towards the Hogwarts Express.
***
"SIRIUS!" James Potter bellowed, leaning against his trunk. Sirius Black turned his head away from the blond Hufflepuff girl he was flirting with, and looked at his best friend.
"What's up Prongs?" he shouted back.
"Come here!" James yelled. Sirius gave the Hufflepuff an apologetic, charming smile.
"I'll see you at Hogwarts," he winked. He kissed her hand, and walked back to the Marauders.
"Ooh did you manage to make her fall for you?" Peter Pettigrew asked eagerly, his round face shining.
"I was about to, before this idiot called me over." Sirius joked, clapping his hand on James's shoulder.
"Sorry Padfoot. But look who's here." James said, nodding at a boy with greasy black hair standing several feet away. Sirius's eyes lit up.
"Snivelly," he snickered. Remus Lupin shook his head wearily.
"School hasn't even started, and you guys are at it already," he said. James and Sirius ignored his comment and walked over to Snape, with Peter on their tail.
"Snivelly! How was your summer, old chap?" Sirius said loudly, coming up behind Snape. Snape jumped and whirled around to face James and Sirius.
"I see you haven't quite managed a bath yet. Your hair is still as oily as it was before summer holidays." James said, ruffling his own hair proudly. Snape glared at James, his hand reaching for his wand. Sirius swiftly grabbed the wand from Snape's hand.
"Come now, Snivelly! There's no need for this! Is there, James?" he said sweetly. He threw the wand up at James, who had already mounted himself on his broomstick and was up in the air.
"GIVE IT BACK!" Snape hollered, his face turning white and fists shaking with rage. James chuckled as he flew close above Snape's head in circles, lurching up each time Snape tried to grab him. People passing by stopped to watch in amusement.
"What's the matter, Snivelly? Don't know how to fly?" James sang, swooping down to face Snape. Snape lunged forward, but James was too quick. He soared back up, just inches above where Snape could reach. Suddenly the wide grin on Sirius's face disappeared.
"Prongs, get down!" he hissed, as he saw a woman approaching them. But James was too busy teasing Snape to notice.
"Oy, Prongs!"
"Come on, jump Snivelly! You can do it!" James laughed.
"MR. POTTER!"
James clutched the handle of his broom tightly as he almost fell off. He looked down in horror and saw Professor McGonagall. She was white with anger and had a murderous look on her face. James quickly dismounted his broom and faced Professor McGonagall.
"HOW DARE YOU?" Professor McGonagall screamed. "How dare you pull a stunt like this at the TRAIN STATION! And I actually recommended you to be Head Boy!"
James looked down at his Head Boy badge in guilt. He looked helplessly at Sirius, who gave him a sympathetic smile.
"Don't think for a second that you and Mr. Black will be able to find a way to get out of this. The instant the Welcoming Feast is over, I want to see both you AND Mr. Black in Professor Dumbledore's office!" Professor McGonagall hissed.
"But Professor, Sirius didn't do anything!" James said defensively. Professor McGonagall smirked.
"Potter, Black is like your second. He is a part of EVERYTHING you do and vice versa!" With that, she stormed away. Sirius laughed and swung his arm around James's shoulders.
"James, I'm touched! What did I do to deserve such a great best friend?" he asked, pretending to sniffle. James threw Sirius's arm off.
"Guess we got our first detention for the year," he mumbled.
"No worries, Prongs! You know were starting to miss them over summer holidays." Sirius said. James laughed and threw Snape his wand back.
"Right you are, Padfoot! There's nothing like a good detention to welcome us back!" James's guilt vanished completely as he laughed with Sirius. But right before boarding the Hogwarts Express, he saw something that made all his high spirits sink. Lily Evans was glaring at him with the most hateful and disappointed expression he had ever seen.
***
Lily checked her watch again and slammed her head against the seat. She was sitting all alone in the Head Boy and Girl compartment. The train had left over half an hour ago, and still whoever the Head Boy was hadn't shown up.
"This is not fair! He's probably not following the rules, and sitting with his friends while I'm sitting here alone like an idiot!" she muttered to herself. Just then, she heard loud voices and laughs from outside the compartment.
"Yeah, I've just got to sit in the Head Boy compartment for a bit.meet the Head Girl or whatever."
"Ooh, let's hope she's hot."
"Yes, seriously. I'll catch you later Padfoot."
Lily closed her eyes in horror. She knew that voice.she knew that nickname Padfoot. 'Please' she begged silently, 'please don't let it be.'
"Evans!" James had a surprised look on his face. Lily opened her eyes and groaned.
"Please tell me you're not the Head Boy!" she cried desperately. James flashed her a look of annoyance.
"So what if I am? What's so bad about it?" he demanded. Lily was a bit taken back by James's sudden flash of temper.
"Well unlike all your obsessive fans, I don't look forward to spending my time listening to you talk endlessly about you favorite topic," she replied.
"What's my favorite topic?" James asked in confusion.
"You!" Lily said coldly. James's eyes narrowed in anger.
"WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE YOU KNOW ME?" he shouted. Lily let out a small laugh.
"Because I do know you," she replied, "Everyone knows James Potter. Best Quidditch Seeker Hogwarts has ever seen, leader of the exclusive Marauders, most popular boy in school, object of many girls' affection.and oh yeah, t he most conceited bastard I've ever met in my life!"
James stood up so quickly that he did not even realize what he was doing. For a second it looked like he wanted nothing more than to hit Lily. Then as abruptly as he had stood up, he sat back down and took out a Chocolate Frog. Lily watched as he popped it into his mouth, and threw the empty box out of the window.
"Why did you just do that?" she asked with a frown. James continued to eat his Chocolate Frog, not regarding Lily whatsoever.
"THERE'S A GARBAGE CAN RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!" Lily shouted, her anger rising. James gave her an irritated look.
"Why do you shout over the stupidest things?" he asked. Lily was just about to tell James off when Sirius suddenly stuck his head into the compartment.
"Hullo! Thought I heard shouting," he grinned. Lily clenched her fists as she watched the two boys laughing.
"Sirius, you're not supposed to be in here," she said as calmly as she could. Sirius raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ooh, am I interrupting something?" he winked.
"Nothing except for Lily's little temper tantrum." James laughed. Lily looked as if she were about to slap him.
"Being in here alone with a lady and nothing happening? Well that's a first, eh Prongs?" Sirius joked.
"Yeah well give it some time, buddy, I just got in here."
Lily stood up and walked to the doorway of the compartment. "All the time in the world wouldn't change the fact that I would NEVER have anything to do with a worthless piece of rubbish like YOU, James Potter!" she screamed, slamming the door shut behind her.
James stared dumbly at the door while Sirius collapsed onto the floor in laughter.
"That. . . was entertaining. . ." Sirius panted, trying to catch his breath. James glared at his best friend angrily.
"JUST WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?" he raged, slamming his fist against the wall. Sirius quickly picked himself up off the floor and sat next to James.
"Its like I told you, mate, she thinks you're a bit." Sirius struggled to find a kind word, ".stuck-up?" James looked at him furiously.
"Stuck-up! It's not my fault if I'm used to girls liking me!" he declared.
"Well, er, maybe you should just deflate your head a bit, Prongs." Sirius suggested, edging away in case James lost his temper again. But James just sighed and closed his eyes, wondering why on earth he was trying so hard to get Lily Evans.
{Author's Note: Well, that's the first chapter. Hope you liked it, please review or e-mail us! Stay tuned. future chapters include news about the Muggle world ;) --Bananas }
Lily Evans stood beside her luggage cart on Platform 9 ¾, deep in conversation with her parents. Her older sister, Petunia, had her arms crossed, looking thoroughly disgusted at the scene before her. A flash of jealousy went through her as she watched her parents looking at Lily with pride, unable to remember the last time they had looked at her that way.
"See that group of boys over there, Mum? They call themselves the Marauders. They're the most troublesome, thick-headed gits in school!" Lily declared, pointing at a group of four boys across the platform. Petunia craned her long neck, trying to get a better glimpse of the boys.
"Surely they can't be that bad?" Mrs. Evans laughed.
"The only decent one is the boy with blond hair, Remus Lupin." Lily replied. Petunia caught sight of a handsome boy with black hair and glasses. Her stomach fluttered and she suddenly felt faint as she watched the boy laugh with his friends. Unable to control herself, she turned to Lily.
"Who's the bloke with black hair and glasses?" she asked as casually as she could. Her parents and sister looked at her in surprise. Petunia had not said a word since they came to Kingscross Station. In fact, for the past seven years, Petunia never spoke a word when they came to drop Lily off each September. She made it very clear that the wizard world disgusted her, and came only on her parents' orders.
"That's James Potter." Lily finally said, with a tone of utmost dislike in her voice. "He's the stupidest, thickest one of them all. You'll never meet anyone who loves himself as much as that boy does.
Petunia felt light-headed as she watched the four boys walking towards them. James looked even more handsome up close. She watched in awe as James tossed a small ball high into the air and caught it behind his back effortlessly. As the boys walked past, James flashed Lily a cocky smile. Petunia, thinking it was for her, grinned with glee and felt as if she were melting. Lily rolled her eyes at James, and turned back to her parents.
"I guess I should get going then," she said. Mrs. Evans nodded and hugged her daughter tightly.
"Have a lovely time, dear! After all, it's your seventh year!" she said.
"Yes, do have fun! You make us so proud, Lily." Mr. Evans smiled, kissing his daughter on the forehead. Lily turned to Petunia.
"Well, see you then," she said awkwardly. She and her sister hadn't gotten along ever since Lily had found out that she was a witch. Petunia looked at her sister for a few moments.
"Bye," she said quietly. Then she directed her attention back to James and the Marauders. Lily said goodbye to her parents one last time, then pushed her cart towards the Hogwarts Express.
***
"SIRIUS!" James Potter bellowed, leaning against his trunk. Sirius Black turned his head away from the blond Hufflepuff girl he was flirting with, and looked at his best friend.
"What's up Prongs?" he shouted back.
"Come here!" James yelled. Sirius gave the Hufflepuff an apologetic, charming smile.
"I'll see you at Hogwarts," he winked. He kissed her hand, and walked back to the Marauders.
"Ooh did you manage to make her fall for you?" Peter Pettigrew asked eagerly, his round face shining.
"I was about to, before this idiot called me over." Sirius joked, clapping his hand on James's shoulder.
"Sorry Padfoot. But look who's here." James said, nodding at a boy with greasy black hair standing several feet away. Sirius's eyes lit up.
"Snivelly," he snickered. Remus Lupin shook his head wearily.
"School hasn't even started, and you guys are at it already," he said. James and Sirius ignored his comment and walked over to Snape, with Peter on their tail.
"Snivelly! How was your summer, old chap?" Sirius said loudly, coming up behind Snape. Snape jumped and whirled around to face James and Sirius.
"I see you haven't quite managed a bath yet. Your hair is still as oily as it was before summer holidays." James said, ruffling his own hair proudly. Snape glared at James, his hand reaching for his wand. Sirius swiftly grabbed the wand from Snape's hand.
"Come now, Snivelly! There's no need for this! Is there, James?" he said sweetly. He threw the wand up at James, who had already mounted himself on his broomstick and was up in the air.
"GIVE IT BACK!" Snape hollered, his face turning white and fists shaking with rage. James chuckled as he flew close above Snape's head in circles, lurching up each time Snape tried to grab him. People passing by stopped to watch in amusement.
"What's the matter, Snivelly? Don't know how to fly?" James sang, swooping down to face Snape. Snape lunged forward, but James was too quick. He soared back up, just inches above where Snape could reach. Suddenly the wide grin on Sirius's face disappeared.
"Prongs, get down!" he hissed, as he saw a woman approaching them. But James was too busy teasing Snape to notice.
"Oy, Prongs!"
"Come on, jump Snivelly! You can do it!" James laughed.
"MR. POTTER!"
James clutched the handle of his broom tightly as he almost fell off. He looked down in horror and saw Professor McGonagall. She was white with anger and had a murderous look on her face. James quickly dismounted his broom and faced Professor McGonagall.
"HOW DARE YOU?" Professor McGonagall screamed. "How dare you pull a stunt like this at the TRAIN STATION! And I actually recommended you to be Head Boy!"
James looked down at his Head Boy badge in guilt. He looked helplessly at Sirius, who gave him a sympathetic smile.
"Don't think for a second that you and Mr. Black will be able to find a way to get out of this. The instant the Welcoming Feast is over, I want to see both you AND Mr. Black in Professor Dumbledore's office!" Professor McGonagall hissed.
"But Professor, Sirius didn't do anything!" James said defensively. Professor McGonagall smirked.
"Potter, Black is like your second. He is a part of EVERYTHING you do and vice versa!" With that, she stormed away. Sirius laughed and swung his arm around James's shoulders.
"James, I'm touched! What did I do to deserve such a great best friend?" he asked, pretending to sniffle. James threw Sirius's arm off.
"Guess we got our first detention for the year," he mumbled.
"No worries, Prongs! You know were starting to miss them over summer holidays." Sirius said. James laughed and threw Snape his wand back.
"Right you are, Padfoot! There's nothing like a good detention to welcome us back!" James's guilt vanished completely as he laughed with Sirius. But right before boarding the Hogwarts Express, he saw something that made all his high spirits sink. Lily Evans was glaring at him with the most hateful and disappointed expression he had ever seen.
***
Lily checked her watch again and slammed her head against the seat. She was sitting all alone in the Head Boy and Girl compartment. The train had left over half an hour ago, and still whoever the Head Boy was hadn't shown up.
"This is not fair! He's probably not following the rules, and sitting with his friends while I'm sitting here alone like an idiot!" she muttered to herself. Just then, she heard loud voices and laughs from outside the compartment.
"Yeah, I've just got to sit in the Head Boy compartment for a bit.meet the Head Girl or whatever."
"Ooh, let's hope she's hot."
"Yes, seriously. I'll catch you later Padfoot."
Lily closed her eyes in horror. She knew that voice.she knew that nickname Padfoot. 'Please' she begged silently, 'please don't let it be.'
"Evans!" James had a surprised look on his face. Lily opened her eyes and groaned.
"Please tell me you're not the Head Boy!" she cried desperately. James flashed her a look of annoyance.
"So what if I am? What's so bad about it?" he demanded. Lily was a bit taken back by James's sudden flash of temper.
"Well unlike all your obsessive fans, I don't look forward to spending my time listening to you talk endlessly about you favorite topic," she replied.
"What's my favorite topic?" James asked in confusion.
"You!" Lily said coldly. James's eyes narrowed in anger.
"WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE YOU KNOW ME?" he shouted. Lily let out a small laugh.
"Because I do know you," she replied, "Everyone knows James Potter. Best Quidditch Seeker Hogwarts has ever seen, leader of the exclusive Marauders, most popular boy in school, object of many girls' affection.and oh yeah, t he most conceited bastard I've ever met in my life!"
James stood up so quickly that he did not even realize what he was doing. For a second it looked like he wanted nothing more than to hit Lily. Then as abruptly as he had stood up, he sat back down and took out a Chocolate Frog. Lily watched as he popped it into his mouth, and threw the empty box out of the window.
"Why did you just do that?" she asked with a frown. James continued to eat his Chocolate Frog, not regarding Lily whatsoever.
"THERE'S A GARBAGE CAN RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!" Lily shouted, her anger rising. James gave her an irritated look.
"Why do you shout over the stupidest things?" he asked. Lily was just about to tell James off when Sirius suddenly stuck his head into the compartment.
"Hullo! Thought I heard shouting," he grinned. Lily clenched her fists as she watched the two boys laughing.
"Sirius, you're not supposed to be in here," she said as calmly as she could. Sirius raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ooh, am I interrupting something?" he winked.
"Nothing except for Lily's little temper tantrum." James laughed. Lily looked as if she were about to slap him.
"Being in here alone with a lady and nothing happening? Well that's a first, eh Prongs?" Sirius joked.
"Yeah well give it some time, buddy, I just got in here."
Lily stood up and walked to the doorway of the compartment. "All the time in the world wouldn't change the fact that I would NEVER have anything to do with a worthless piece of rubbish like YOU, James Potter!" she screamed, slamming the door shut behind her.
James stared dumbly at the door while Sirius collapsed onto the floor in laughter.
"That. . . was entertaining. . ." Sirius panted, trying to catch his breath. James glared at his best friend angrily.
"JUST WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?" he raged, slamming his fist against the wall. Sirius quickly picked himself up off the floor and sat next to James.
"Its like I told you, mate, she thinks you're a bit." Sirius struggled to find a kind word, ".stuck-up?" James looked at him furiously.
"Stuck-up! It's not my fault if I'm used to girls liking me!" he declared.
"Well, er, maybe you should just deflate your head a bit, Prongs." Sirius suggested, edging away in case James lost his temper again. But James just sighed and closed his eyes, wondering why on earth he was trying so hard to get Lily Evans.
{Author's Note: Well, that's the first chapter. Hope you liked it, please review or e-mail us! Stay tuned. future chapters include news about the Muggle world ;) --Bananas }