Chapter One: Bad weather and changing moods
The wind blew through her hair as Lily Evans looked over the placid lake across from Hogwarts. The winter breeze bit at her nose, but she paid no attention looking solemnly out onto the icy waters. She was a pretty girl, with green eyes and long auburn-red hair, but she looked troubled, her feelings mimicking the weather. A lot was happening at this unusual school at the time, causing stress to run through everyone. It was the January before the O.W.L.'s and school had just resumed from the winter holidays, and the teachers were giving the most homework there's ever been in her five years at Hogwarts. Lily was having no trouble being at the top of her class, and so homework was the least of her worries. Times were hard, and the Dark Arts were rising. This especially worried her not only because she was muggleborn with unprotected family, but also because some of the Slytherine students were getting to be hostile. There was crunching in the snow behind her and she reluctantly turned around, tearing her eyes off of the view.
"Lily! What are you doing out here?" It was Elsa, her best friend. "The storm's getting rough!" She yelled over the howling wind. "You should really come in!" Lily nodded and fell into step with her companion.
Once they were inside, Elsa turned to Lily. "What were you doing out their?!" she chided. "You could have been blown away!" Lily chucked at her friend's protectiveness.
"I was fine! Really! I can take care of myself." Elsa eyed Lily.
"Fine. Maybe you were. But what about me?" she cried, "You left me to do ASTRONOMY all by myself!" Lily raised her eyebrows. "It was hard!" Laughing, they hooked arms and pranced up to their dormitory.
They got there without any trouble. But there, standing at the picture of the fat lady was the definition of trouble. Sirius Black and James Potter scheming their evil doings. Elsa cleared her throat. They both looked up and Sirius stood up and saluted. "My ladies! May I help you?" He bowed.
"Actually, yes!" She said. Black tipped his head in question. "MOVE!"
"Say the magic words!" Potter said, now standing also.
"Okay," Lily smiles and then suddenly frowns, "Will you get out of our way!" They stand firm with a smirk on their faces. Silence, an angry silence, passes between the four pairs.
"JUST MOVE okay!" Elsa was getting mad. She and Potter were notorious for fighting. It was, like most of Potters enemies, made over a dating mishap. Most though are cured in one night. Elsa wasn't that superficial though. Even if it was in first year.
James made a disgusted face and stepped aside. "Yes master," he mumbled bowing to her as they stormed through the door and into the common room.
"Ugh, I can't believe him! They are so inconsiderate!" Elsa went on with her daily rant about the Marauders. "I can't stand- what!" She bursted and spun around to face Lily who had tapped her on the shoulder.
"The whole common room is looking at you," Lily whispered. Her friend flushed and muttered 'sorry', before shuffling up the stair to the girls' room. Once safely inside, Lily broke out laughing.
"Ha ha! You should have seen your face! You were beat red!" she giggled hysterically only receiving an embarrassed to almost mad look on her face. "What?" Lily asked. "It was funny!"
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"Well, that went well!" James said looking displeased at his performance.
"Yes I would say it did. I especially liked the end part where you said that thing about the master..."
"Will you shut up Prongs?" James and Sirius were standing outside of the Gryffindor Tower after watching Lily Evans and Elsa Loid stomp through the portrait hole. James, as girl crazy as ever, was trying to get the attention of Elsa, trying to , we'll say repair, their relationship. It wasn't going according to plan. "Where were they all afternoon any way?" James asked.
"Outside probably. Where we would have been if you hadn't gotten that detention for snogging that Hufflepuff in between classes."
"I was trying to get the homework!" James tried to defend.
"Were you really? Too bad we already had done the homework!" Sirius replied wittily.
"Will you shut up Prongs?" They walked down the stairs toward the Great Hall for an early dinner before trying to go snow-skimming on the new brooms before it got too dark. As they approached the two large doors, a commotion was growing. "Excuse us! Coming through!", James yelled shoving his way toward the source of the hold up. "Move it! The Great James Potter and Sirius Black coming through! Make way!" There was a poster on the doors which stated:
"ALL WILL HAVE DINNER AT 7:30 p.m. TONIGHT FOR SOME SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS! EVERYONE MUST ATTEND THIS EVENT OR THEY WILL BE SUBJECT TO A DETENTION!"
The pair stared at the sign before saying, "This is crap! We're going to miss an evening of fun just because they couldn't tell us the 'SPECIAL ANNOUNCENENTS!' some other time!"
James groaned. "AND to top it off, we're not allowed outside either! They just closed the doors!" So they sulked off to go scheming again in the library.
Around seven o'clock, Lily, Elsa, and their other two roommates, Mimi and Kate, all skipped down the stairs for the feast. It was just about to start when they hurried over to the Gryffindor table. Professor Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat. All went quiet. "My dear staff and students," he started, "We have all gathered here tonight on behalf of my request. For I bare good news and bad." He said all of this quite solemnly. You could have heard a pin drop it was so silent. "First the good news. This feast is held for the returning of our beloved caretaker, Argus Filch." Dumbledore was just about the only one applauding.
Sirius leaned over to James and whispered, "If THAT'S The good news, I don't even want to think about the bad."
The Headmaster continued. "And now for the bad news." He said this with a funny little twinkle in his eyes. "Classes, regretfully, will be canceled tomorrow because of the persisting storms." At this everyone broke out in cheers. Lily, on the contrary, groaned. This was a day missed of studying for the O.W.L.'s.
Sirius once again leaned over to James, this time yelling over the clapping. "I think the old loon got the good and the bad news mixed up!" he laughed, "Missing class? Bad news? Never!" At this, the plates filled up with food, and they spent the night eating in celebration of their day off. And The return of Argus Filch.
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Lily woke up early the next morning, despite there being no classes. She always lived by this saying: "If I were a bird, I'd be an early bird to gather food for my breakfast plate. If I were a bird, I'd be an early, early bird, but if I were a worm, I'd sleep late." To her it seemed like a good enough guideline. She took a quick, warm shower and headed down to the library for to study even though she had already completed her homework.
James rolled over in bed and watched with pleasure as the midmorning sun stream in the windows, waltzing with the dust suspended in the chilly air. Sirius was still snoring quite loudly to his right. He was always a late sleeper. James got up and quickly changed into his crisp, clean robes. Glancing at his watch, He estimated he could probably catch breakfast.
"Well good morning!" the only other Gryffindor at their house table said cheerfully. Everyone else was probably still snoozing. It was Lily who was sitting there with a large smile on her face, and an even larger book sitting open in front of her. James smiled inwardly. A perfect chance to get help with Elsa. "What brings you down here this fine morning? I'm sure it's not studying."
"I woke up and was hungry, that's all," James replied yawning. "So you're studying eh? Didn't you finish your homework yesterday?"
"Yes, well, I need to keep up with my studies if I want to do well on the O.W.L.'s." James snorted and sat down across from her. She didn't need the extra practice. She was smarter than most of the seventh years already. "Can I do anything for you?" she asked.
"Yes, actually," his said smiling mischievously. Lily frowned.
"I will NOT tell you anything. Elsa is my friend and your conquest that I am not willing to help you with." She stood up and swiftly cruised away, leaving James stunned. He always thought Lily was quite nice to him. Then another thought came into his head. She must be the only girl in the whole year that he's never kissed.
Lily stormed into her dorm room slamming the door behind her, waking up the only person not awake, Elsa ("hey! whuhdya do that for?!"). Kate, very disturbed at this irregular action, said, "Hold on!" Before Lily left the room with her winter cloak. She spun around on her heel.
"What?!" she exclaimed, a little exasperated.
"Where do you think you're going?" before Lily could snap 'outside', Kate continued, "We're not allowed out of the castle, remember?" Lily sighed and sat down on her bed.
Elsa, now awake and moving from all the commotion, sat up and scooted to the end of the bed where Lily was sitting. "Who, up at this hour, would do something that could make Miss Morning unhappy?"
"Nothing," Lily said, "I'm just kind of embarrassed at how immature I acted. There's no reason why I should be angry."
"Okay, what ever you say."
A/N: Well, That was about the longest chapter I have ever written Bows and basks in pride Yes, well moving on. I was quite bored. I have a very short attention span. Well ya'll better review cuz I won't update unless I have to cuz of Prison. I mean school. Well they mean the same thing, don't they? Well, yes, anyway. REVIEW! For all those who were pondering, the little saying with the early bird was from one of my basketball coaches.
Disclaimer: I partially own the plot, and I fully own the things not invented by J.K. Rowling. I'm on my way to the WRITNG HALL OF FAME! I wish. There isn't even one. Next year's Pulitzer Prize is mine then!
If Sarah (Evil Asperagus Eater) is reading this: I am so sorry for not answering you about Computer Problems! I've been out of it and my computer is having REAL problems! My brain and hard drive are fried!
Erin