When Daylight Breaks…The Potter Encounter
A few notes before starting:
""- indicates dialogue, of course
''- indicates thoughts
CAPTIALS- indicate stressed words within a phrase/sentence
"Come ON, Lily, are you there?" Arabella Figg, Lily Evans' best friend, shouted quickly.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," muttered Lily, tagging along.
It was a fine day, and students were gathering around the platform at the London train station to get onto the Hogwarts Express. A friendly head bobbed near the crowd, and Lily waved.
"Oy, Sirius! Get over here!" She laughed, seeing Sirius attempt to get over the muggles to join his friends. Sirius Black, a fourth year, was a good friend of Lily's, as they were neighbors.
Black's best friend was James Potter, a dashing young man with unruly black hair that quickly became his trademark, a flair for Transfiguration, full of charm and a love for pranks, and was the current "sweetheart" of the school. Tall and slender at 6'2", he was the Captain of the Quidditch team already, and a fine Seeker. Sirius, a beater on the house team, was known for his infamous jokes and quick charm. Lean and "mean" at 6'4", he was the charmer, and was accustomed to a hoard of girls floundering at his feet. He would usually laugh, hug and charm then, and then take off. Joining them was Remus Lupin, the responsible and kind boy. A bit shorter than the others at a mighty 6', he was the moderator of the group, quick and clever, and considered "impossibly cute" by the fourth year girls. Lastly was Peter Pettigrew, a short and plump boy round off at a mere 5', the poor dear. Though it seemed he was a member of the group simply out of pity, there was always the occasional girl admirer for his diligence and intelligence.
The four boys called themselves the Marauders, a group of loving boys who charmed their way out of the pranks they pulled throughout Hogwarts. The entire student body loved them, loathed them at times, and worshipped them. Having the Marauders against you was agony and despair, for any number of horrid tricks could be pulled upon your instantly! Obviously being WITH them rather than AGAINST them was for the best.
James hopped over a crowd of muggles, landed at Sirius' side, and looked at Lily up and down.
"Uh…are you…Lily? Lily Evans?" He stuttered.
"Why of course I am, James Potter! Who would you expect, Severus Snape?" She said knowingly, smirking.
"No, of course not. I just didn't recognize you. You look so….different," he finished slowly.
The three years before, Lily had been somewhat of a tomboy: minimal makeup for special occasions only, very loose black robes, no added charms or jewelry, and quiet talking. She seemed much more enigmatic now, poised, and lovely. James goggled a bit, and she smiled.
"Sirius helped, isn't that right? He gave me "classes" during the summer on how to act more appropriately. He apparently had no faith in me before," she said playfully and shoved Sirius.
Sirius, getting out of a daze, nodded slightly, and suddenly dropped to one knee, extending his hand.
"My dear Arabella, may I say that you look more radiant that the morning sun," he said in his most charming voice with the infamous mile-wide Sirius Black smile.
Arabella simply smiled cheerfully, accepted his hand, and hit him with a confusion charm. He was staring numbly into nowhere very quickly. James, Arabella and Lily just laughed and continued chatting until it was time to board the train. Remus and Peter soon arrived, carrying bags filled with sweets and grinning.
"We thought that they might not have decent snacks on the train, so we picked up a few bags of Zonko's Never-Ending's before coming," Remus explained.
At hearing his voice, two nearby girls swooned, then stood back upright, and promptly walked over to him. They chatted for a minute, and left, disappointed. Remus tended to ignore the superficial people. Quite frankly, he had his eye set on someone in particular.
"Are you guys coming or not?" Laughed Arabella, grabbing her trunk and bags. With a deft hand she shrunk the trunk with the hard-to-master shrinking charm and, clutching her bag, boarded the train. Lily, a charms expert, followed suit. The Marauders were unable to complete such a task though, and simply hefted their heavy luggage onboard.
While boarding, Lily received quite a few whistles at her new "look". 'Such superficial people,' she thought. 'They only SEE me. Not one of them cares to KNOW me. If only someone cared to know the girl underneath. So, I know I'm considered a "geek" and "bookworm" and "nerd". I know I might not be especially pretty, or witty or clever. I know I'm not popular, or especially talented at something interesting. People ignore me, people tease me. Why doesn't anyone like ME, except a few? Why doesn't anyone try to talk to me and break the shy shell to see the carefree, smirking and happy girl I am! Why does no one except for a few know of my love of peppermint cream ice cream, or my fear of dragons? Why does no one KNOW me?'
Shrugging aside her doubts, she moved towards the back of the train, where she found a large empty compartment. After having laid down her trunk and bags, she sat on the plush red leather and looked out the window. Arabella followed her inside the compartment and let down her bags as she sat next to Lily. Within the context of a few minutes, the Marauders had joined the two girls and everyone was chatting happily.
"Ah...mind if I join you guys?" asked a timid-looking girl. She seemed to be 5'6" tall, with raven-black hair and the complexion of a fairy tale pixie. Her eyes, a brilliant blue, pierced through the group with sharp intensity, rapt worry, and sorrowful brilliance. Her slender body was clad in a black dress, with her hair swept in two silver clips. She was a quiet beauty, and had Remus turn around quickly to hide his blushing face at her innocent radiance.
"I just got here late because of my cat, Cinnabon (one might have wondered where the muggles learned the amazing secret and tempting sweetness of the cinnamon bun! Quite naturally the recipe came from a witch.) and my uncle Sedikus, and just, well, all the compartments are full…might you have an extra seat?" she finished quickly.
Remus nodded vigorously; the others smiled and said their variances of "of course", "why not", and "empty seat, right there."
Lily smiled encouragingly and gestured to a space next to Arabella.
"I'm Lily, this is Arabella, that's Remus, Peter, Sirius and James," Lily introduced everyone, pointing to each one in turn.
"And your name is…?" Sirius inquired. (Sirius delightfully would point out to any by passer that he solidly refused to 'question' but always 'pondered' or 'inquired'.)
"Ah, right," the girl replied, keeping her hands intertwined behind her back and leaning forward and to the side, a shy gesture. "I'm Rebecca."
"Well, nice to meet you, Becca!" Sirius shouted suddenly, grabbed her arm, shook it for what seemed to be hours, then enthusiastically sat back down, earning many-a-look from his friends.
"Has to do with a camp in Albania from second year and some plumeria," he muttered, suddenly downcast. It seemed that ever since Sirius (or Siri, as James often preferred calling him) was prone to sudden mood-swings and bouts of temper upon Arabella's arrival. This could only mean one thing: that Arabella, or Bella, was Sirius' new conquest. Though he thoroughly enjoyed his "fan club" and many female admirers, he had made a habit of having one "conquest" (or, rather, "victim", as suggested by Peter) per year. His success rate with these "conquests" thus far was very low. So low, in fact, that they had resulted in dramatic scenes and wishes to be moved to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
As the group was busy staring inquisitively at poor Sirius, James and Remus went into an interesting game of Exploding Snap, Lily and Bella started writing lists of what they wanted to do this year at Hogwarts, and Becca began reading a very thick novel.
'Well, I was just trying to be FRIENDLY…' thought Sirius. It was just that she reminded him so much of Maura. He tried to shake away his unhappy thoughts of Maura. Maura was from a long time ago after all, two years! But he couldn't very well forget her, and now here came Becca, practically her duplicate. James caught Sirius' eye, understood his best friend's serious state, and offered a comforting look and smile. Sirius smiled back, thankful to have such a wonderful and understanding friend.
"So, who's winning Prongs? Bet you Remus wins this round, and the next, but loses on the third," Sirius said suddenly, rubbing his hands together and eyes glowing with a twinkle.
Arabella noticed this twinkle and quickly averted her eyes back to her list, but not before having another quick glance. 'My, what deep eyes he has…and when he has that little twinkle in them, he's being mischievous, but I love it…' she mused, then stopped herself. What in Merlin's name was she thinking?!?! Of COURSE Sirius' "twinkle gaze" was nice, but she hardly knew the guy. They were just really, really good friends, that was all. There was nothing more than a special friendship. Sighing and chastising herself, she absentmindedly wrote "#14. Become more to Sirius than a friend" on her list without noticing, then tucked it away in her robes.
Meanwhile, James was unhappily paying Sirius his dues for winning their bet. Remus, looking quite content with having won so much, sat back.
"Anything off the trolley, darlings?" asked the witch who pulled a cart of snacks and sweets through the train. James, Remus, Peter (who had just come back from his brother's compartment) and Sirius all grinned, reached into their pockets, pulled out hands full of coins and shouted simultaneously, "WE'LL TAKE THE LOT!" The girls just smirked and sat back, awaiting their chance to sneak away a sweet or two.
Finally, the train ride came to an end, and the whole compartment, now with everyone dressed in their school robes, gathered their belongings and stepped off. With one turn of the head, they could see the majestic castle with its cresting balconies, black elegance and crashing waves. 'So, another year at Hogwarts," thought Lily Evans. 'I wonder what will happen.'
A few notes before starting:
""- indicates dialogue, of course
''- indicates thoughts
CAPTIALS- indicate stressed words within a phrase/sentence
"Come ON, Lily, are you there?" Arabella Figg, Lily Evans' best friend, shouted quickly.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," muttered Lily, tagging along.
It was a fine day, and students were gathering around the platform at the London train station to get onto the Hogwarts Express. A friendly head bobbed near the crowd, and Lily waved.
"Oy, Sirius! Get over here!" She laughed, seeing Sirius attempt to get over the muggles to join his friends. Sirius Black, a fourth year, was a good friend of Lily's, as they were neighbors.
Black's best friend was James Potter, a dashing young man with unruly black hair that quickly became his trademark, a flair for Transfiguration, full of charm and a love for pranks, and was the current "sweetheart" of the school. Tall and slender at 6'2", he was the Captain of the Quidditch team already, and a fine Seeker. Sirius, a beater on the house team, was known for his infamous jokes and quick charm. Lean and "mean" at 6'4", he was the charmer, and was accustomed to a hoard of girls floundering at his feet. He would usually laugh, hug and charm then, and then take off. Joining them was Remus Lupin, the responsible and kind boy. A bit shorter than the others at a mighty 6', he was the moderator of the group, quick and clever, and considered "impossibly cute" by the fourth year girls. Lastly was Peter Pettigrew, a short and plump boy round off at a mere 5', the poor dear. Though it seemed he was a member of the group simply out of pity, there was always the occasional girl admirer for his diligence and intelligence.
The four boys called themselves the Marauders, a group of loving boys who charmed their way out of the pranks they pulled throughout Hogwarts. The entire student body loved them, loathed them at times, and worshipped them. Having the Marauders against you was agony and despair, for any number of horrid tricks could be pulled upon your instantly! Obviously being WITH them rather than AGAINST them was for the best.
James hopped over a crowd of muggles, landed at Sirius' side, and looked at Lily up and down.
"Uh…are you…Lily? Lily Evans?" He stuttered.
"Why of course I am, James Potter! Who would you expect, Severus Snape?" She said knowingly, smirking.
"No, of course not. I just didn't recognize you. You look so….different," he finished slowly.
The three years before, Lily had been somewhat of a tomboy: minimal makeup for special occasions only, very loose black robes, no added charms or jewelry, and quiet talking. She seemed much more enigmatic now, poised, and lovely. James goggled a bit, and she smiled.
"Sirius helped, isn't that right? He gave me "classes" during the summer on how to act more appropriately. He apparently had no faith in me before," she said playfully and shoved Sirius.
Sirius, getting out of a daze, nodded slightly, and suddenly dropped to one knee, extending his hand.
"My dear Arabella, may I say that you look more radiant that the morning sun," he said in his most charming voice with the infamous mile-wide Sirius Black smile.
Arabella simply smiled cheerfully, accepted his hand, and hit him with a confusion charm. He was staring numbly into nowhere very quickly. James, Arabella and Lily just laughed and continued chatting until it was time to board the train. Remus and Peter soon arrived, carrying bags filled with sweets and grinning.
"We thought that they might not have decent snacks on the train, so we picked up a few bags of Zonko's Never-Ending's before coming," Remus explained.
At hearing his voice, two nearby girls swooned, then stood back upright, and promptly walked over to him. They chatted for a minute, and left, disappointed. Remus tended to ignore the superficial people. Quite frankly, he had his eye set on someone in particular.
"Are you guys coming or not?" Laughed Arabella, grabbing her trunk and bags. With a deft hand she shrunk the trunk with the hard-to-master shrinking charm and, clutching her bag, boarded the train. Lily, a charms expert, followed suit. The Marauders were unable to complete such a task though, and simply hefted their heavy luggage onboard.
While boarding, Lily received quite a few whistles at her new "look". 'Such superficial people,' she thought. 'They only SEE me. Not one of them cares to KNOW me. If only someone cared to know the girl underneath. So, I know I'm considered a "geek" and "bookworm" and "nerd". I know I might not be especially pretty, or witty or clever. I know I'm not popular, or especially talented at something interesting. People ignore me, people tease me. Why doesn't anyone like ME, except a few? Why doesn't anyone try to talk to me and break the shy shell to see the carefree, smirking and happy girl I am! Why does no one except for a few know of my love of peppermint cream ice cream, or my fear of dragons? Why does no one KNOW me?'
Shrugging aside her doubts, she moved towards the back of the train, where she found a large empty compartment. After having laid down her trunk and bags, she sat on the plush red leather and looked out the window. Arabella followed her inside the compartment and let down her bags as she sat next to Lily. Within the context of a few minutes, the Marauders had joined the two girls and everyone was chatting happily.
"Ah...mind if I join you guys?" asked a timid-looking girl. She seemed to be 5'6" tall, with raven-black hair and the complexion of a fairy tale pixie. Her eyes, a brilliant blue, pierced through the group with sharp intensity, rapt worry, and sorrowful brilliance. Her slender body was clad in a black dress, with her hair swept in two silver clips. She was a quiet beauty, and had Remus turn around quickly to hide his blushing face at her innocent radiance.
"I just got here late because of my cat, Cinnabon (one might have wondered where the muggles learned the amazing secret and tempting sweetness of the cinnamon bun! Quite naturally the recipe came from a witch.) and my uncle Sedikus, and just, well, all the compartments are full…might you have an extra seat?" she finished quickly.
Remus nodded vigorously; the others smiled and said their variances of "of course", "why not", and "empty seat, right there."
Lily smiled encouragingly and gestured to a space next to Arabella.
"I'm Lily, this is Arabella, that's Remus, Peter, Sirius and James," Lily introduced everyone, pointing to each one in turn.
"And your name is…?" Sirius inquired. (Sirius delightfully would point out to any by passer that he solidly refused to 'question' but always 'pondered' or 'inquired'.)
"Ah, right," the girl replied, keeping her hands intertwined behind her back and leaning forward and to the side, a shy gesture. "I'm Rebecca."
"Well, nice to meet you, Becca!" Sirius shouted suddenly, grabbed her arm, shook it for what seemed to be hours, then enthusiastically sat back down, earning many-a-look from his friends.
"Has to do with a camp in Albania from second year and some plumeria," he muttered, suddenly downcast. It seemed that ever since Sirius (or Siri, as James often preferred calling him) was prone to sudden mood-swings and bouts of temper upon Arabella's arrival. This could only mean one thing: that Arabella, or Bella, was Sirius' new conquest. Though he thoroughly enjoyed his "fan club" and many female admirers, he had made a habit of having one "conquest" (or, rather, "victim", as suggested by Peter) per year. His success rate with these "conquests" thus far was very low. So low, in fact, that they had resulted in dramatic scenes and wishes to be moved to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
As the group was busy staring inquisitively at poor Sirius, James and Remus went into an interesting game of Exploding Snap, Lily and Bella started writing lists of what they wanted to do this year at Hogwarts, and Becca began reading a very thick novel.
'Well, I was just trying to be FRIENDLY…' thought Sirius. It was just that she reminded him so much of Maura. He tried to shake away his unhappy thoughts of Maura. Maura was from a long time ago after all, two years! But he couldn't very well forget her, and now here came Becca, practically her duplicate. James caught Sirius' eye, understood his best friend's serious state, and offered a comforting look and smile. Sirius smiled back, thankful to have such a wonderful and understanding friend.
"So, who's winning Prongs? Bet you Remus wins this round, and the next, but loses on the third," Sirius said suddenly, rubbing his hands together and eyes glowing with a twinkle.
Arabella noticed this twinkle and quickly averted her eyes back to her list, but not before having another quick glance. 'My, what deep eyes he has…and when he has that little twinkle in them, he's being mischievous, but I love it…' she mused, then stopped herself. What in Merlin's name was she thinking?!?! Of COURSE Sirius' "twinkle gaze" was nice, but she hardly knew the guy. They were just really, really good friends, that was all. There was nothing more than a special friendship. Sighing and chastising herself, she absentmindedly wrote "#14. Become more to Sirius than a friend" on her list without noticing, then tucked it away in her robes.
Meanwhile, James was unhappily paying Sirius his dues for winning their bet. Remus, looking quite content with having won so much, sat back.
"Anything off the trolley, darlings?" asked the witch who pulled a cart of snacks and sweets through the train. James, Remus, Peter (who had just come back from his brother's compartment) and Sirius all grinned, reached into their pockets, pulled out hands full of coins and shouted simultaneously, "WE'LL TAKE THE LOT!" The girls just smirked and sat back, awaiting their chance to sneak away a sweet or two.
Finally, the train ride came to an end, and the whole compartment, now with everyone dressed in their school robes, gathered their belongings and stepped off. With one turn of the head, they could see the majestic castle with its cresting balconies, black elegance and crashing waves. 'So, another year at Hogwarts," thought Lily Evans. 'I wonder what will happen.'