Disclaimer- Yada, yada, don't own anything, yada, yada, yada….
AN- This is (I hope) going to be a GREAT story. Lily and James sharing a flat… What could be more funny? Whatever, please read and review. I really don't feel like writing AN at the moment. You'll just have to take my word for it I guess.
Flatmates
By Berrygelato
Chapter One
"I can't believe you trusted that stupid jerk!" Lily said vehemently kicking the sofa and staring at her best friend.
"Well I didn't know he would take all our savings" Naia said angrily, clattering some pans into the sink a bit more violently than was really necessary. Naia had a history of bad boyfriends; she always seemed to choose the perverts, dickheads or robbers. And sometimes, if she was feeling particularly stupid, the commitment-phobics.
"Well now we can't even afford our rent! I don't want to move, I love this place" Lily lowered her voice as she looked around at the big apartment. The two girls had lived there since they had started their job training. Nearly four years now… She didn't want to give it up.
"I have an idea" Naia said slowly, the washing up now abandoned "and I know you're going to freak but it's the only way we can keep the apartment" she paused and rolled her eyes around the apartment. Lily's eyes narrowed.
"Spit it out already, I'm listening" Lily said impatiently.
"We could share our apartment, we have those two extra bedrooms that we never use" Naia said quickly, looking at her friend anxiously.
Lily was about to start screaming when she realised that her friend was right: this was the only way to keep the apartment.
"Ok then… fine" she assented, slowly "but no weirdos. We have to phrase the ad just right, and we're putting it in the Daily Prophet"
"Sure, whatever you say"
"James! Sirius! Come down her for a sec!" yelled Mrs Potter, James's mother looking excited. They came swooping down from their Quiditch game in the back yard. Mrs Potter was waving the Daily Prophet in her hand and grinning.
"Listen to this:
Two non-smokers to share apartment with two females. 2 bathrms, 4 bedrms, kitch, living room, close to transport. Wizard-friendly unit. Fireplaces, apparation spots. Close to Diagon Alley and other amenities.
Doesn't that sound just perfect!" Mrs Potter enthused, somehow looking incredibly exited and earnest at the same time. She smiled generously at the two boys, "it's not that I don't LOVE you boys staying with us for the last few months, but you need to get your own place"
"We understand Mrs Potter, we're not cute anymore, you just can't stand the sight of us, it is a cross we will have to bear" Sirius said dramatically clutching at his heart and starting to mock cry. Mrs Potter rolled her eyes and threw the paper at them.
"Ever since you two were kicked out of your unit for bad behaviour you've been hanging around here" Mrs Potter's voice was rising, "and it's just not normal! You're 21 years old, you're supposed to be out there partying, drinking and doing drugs. Well maybe not the doing drugs thing but all the other stuff, definitely. Not hanging around your parent's house pulling pranks on your unsuspecting parents. Remember the tutu incident, and the time you had a party and trashed the west wing of our house? Remember the garden gnome incident?" Mrs Potter voice broke on the word gnome and ran to her house screaming her frustration.
"Um, maybe we should get our own place" James said hesitantly.
"Yeh, and did you hear, that place had two girls! The chances are one of them's going to be hot!" Sirius said predictably grinning from ear to ear. James rolled his eyes, athough he couldn't stop the grin that spread across his own face. It wouldn't hurt to go check out the apartment (and the girls). His mum was on her last thread and if they pulled another prank she would probably explode, or at least order them out of the house. And the apartment sounded good: wizard-friendly apartments were hard to come by.
"I think we'll give them a call" James said walking over to the phone and dialling the contact number. A woman's voice answered.
"Hi Lily speaking"
"Hello, I am replying to the ad in the Daily Prophet about the apartment"
"Naia, we've got another one. Ok, is tomorrow around 2pm alright?"
"Yeh, sure. My name's James Potter and my friend is Sirius Black"
"Wait a sec; did you used to go to Hogwarts?"
"Yeh. Graduation class '72."
"I was Graduation class '73! I remembered your name because you were Head Boy the year before I was Head Girl!"
"Well, it's a small world after all" there was an uncomfortable pause "see you tomorrow at 2."
"Ok, yeah sure"
James hung up and shook his head. The girl sounded like his mother when she was talking to friends on the phone. She seemed a little dumb. Aw well we've got a meeting now, can't get out of it.
"He was such a loser at Hogwarts!" Lily said laughing with her friend, "remember how he used to always prank Snape and the Slytherins?"
"Yeh! Remember how all the girls would follow him around?" Naia asked.
"Yeh. I don't know what they all saw in him" Lily said shaking her head.
"Ok, let me just say that we only choose him and Sirius if there is absolutely nobody better" Nia asserted.
"I totally agree, I'm only letting James Potter and Sirius Black live in this apartment under dire circumstances"
AN- Ok, this was just a short chapter to set up the scene and let you know where they all stand. Next chapter, James and Sirius go for the interview and Lily and Nia get a whole lot more than they bargained for. Thank you to preoperative, my basis of the Naia character and my beta extraordinaire.