Author's Note: It has been close to a decade since I last wrote anything at all for the Harry Potter universe. I have only very recently returned from fandom "retirement" and I also don't have a beta reader yet so please keep that in mind. This is a very short start to a much bigger fanfic I want to write. Please also note that some of my depictions of side-characters might go against the fandom "norm" but I couldn't help doing things a little differently. Also some things in the Marauder's timeline I might have bumped by a year or so from accepted canon to fit the story, so please don't rage at me if you come across something that is accepted as happening in one year, only to find I've written it a year later or earlier. And lastly… please leave a review for this very nervous and out of practice writer?
It's like trying to fight gravity on a planet that insists,
that love is like falling, and falling is like this.
-
Cokeworth was stifling—or at least that was the conclusion Lily Evans had come to by the end of her third week back home for the summer.
She had been so keen to get away from Hogwarts (or at least certain classmates) after what had happened at the end of term that she had quite honestly forgotten how boring Cokeworth could actually be. The little town, once quaint in her younger mind with its neat rows of identical houses, now seemed almost claustrophobic in its familiarity. Everything—from the unrelenting sunshine that leeched colour from the grass until it was brown and bristly; to the unpleasant smell from the dirty, dried-out riverbanks dividing the town that wafted indiscriminately through the streets—was exactly the same as Lily remembered it from last year, and from many other years before that.
Even the people of Cokeworth were the same. Mrs Woodward, the next door neighbour, was still as batty as always. In addition to pottering around her little garden in nothing but her robe and slippers at all hours of the day, she had apparently taken to muttering at one or more of her several pet cats as she went. Lily had never bared any ill-will to the woman, even though she did insist on calling her 'Lucinda' whenever Lily had stopped for a chat in the past. She had admittedly rid herself of the habit after being offered biscuits that smelt an awful lot like cat food the last time she had greeted the old woman and simply smiled politely whenever they happened to cross paths. She much preferred running into Mr Smithfield, the owner of the corner store, who would wave her over and stuff a handful of sweets into Lily's hand whenever she passed by his shop, just as he had done ever since she was a little girl.
Then there was Petunia, her older sister, whose attitude towards Lily's 'freakishness' seemed to have not only remained intact (as it had done since Lily was nine-years-old) but actually intensified now that she had gone and found herself a perfectly normal boyfriend at her typing job up in London. Petunia was decidedly more resolved than ever before to avoid Lily where possible, as though her 'abnormalities' had suddenly become contagious after all these years. On the rare occasion they were forced to tolerate each other's company, Petunia simply took to nattering on and on about her big move to London at the end of the summer in what felt to Lily like an awfully underhanded attempt at keeping their parents attention fixed on her, and her alone. And it was for that very reason Lily had not regretted for a single moment her decision to turn her sister's favourite teacup into a toad right before her eyes, despite the scolding letter she had received about the restrictions surrounding under-aged magic shortly afterwards. If Lily had to suffer through one more loud interruption about the benefits of drapes versus shutters when she was trying to talk to her parents about her upcoming OWLs results, she was going to scream.
Sadly, it seemed the only thing that had changed in Cokeworth over the last sixteen years was Lily herself.
Her fifth year at Hogwarts had begun almost like any other year. She had left home on the last day of August so full of happiness and excitement for the school year to come. Being appointed as a Prefect for Gryffindor over the summer was something even her Muggle parents could understand, and they had sung their praises for the remainder of the holidays, much to her sister's disgust. Still it seemed nothing could bring Lily down from her high. She had been utterly thrilled to find out her best friend had made the cut for his house and been appointed Prefect as well, perhaps even more so than she had been upon gaining the position herself. Lily had arrived back at Hogwarts feeling on top of the world and yet, despite starting with so much promise, the year quickly took a turn for the worse. The war, it seemed, was escalating quickly and not even Hogwarts was immune. By the end of the school year everything had changed and Lily found herself returning to Cokeworth alone for the first time in five years with a heart full of sorrow and a head full of troubles—all thanks to one Severus Snape.
Lily had spotted her former best friend several times since the start of the holidays. They had not ended the school year on good terms, to put it lightly, and as sad as she was about the whole thing, Lily had absolutely no intention of setting the matter straight—especially not when he had made his true opinion of her so loudly and publically known. Mudblood, he'd called her, and the memory of it was like a fresh slap in the face each time she spotted him skulking about in the shadows around town, sneaking after her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Unfortunately for her, Severus seemed as determined to run into her as she was to avoid him. She'd ignored his owls too, of course, which had only served to make him more determined to speak to her—the closest to which he'd gotten one Sunday afternoon when Lily's parents were blessedly out of the house. She'd seized the opportunity presented by their absence and had raced downstairs to shout at him through the locked front door, threatening to hex certain body parts if he didn't leave her alone.
She hadn't spotted him since, and it had made her feel unbearably lonely.
As loathe as she was to admit it, she missed the boy she had grown up with in Cokeworth. Severus had always been there for her; a permanent reminder that she wasn't a freak (despite what Petunia said) and that magic was a real, tangible part of her life and not just a very long daydream. Without his company, she felt like her connection to Hogwarts was slipping away with each day that passed. It was enough to make any witch go utterly mad, and after enduring nearly four agonising weeks of boredom, unwanted stalkers and Petunia's relentless criticism, Lily Evans was most definitely sure she'd had quite enough of summer this year, thank you very much!
Fortunately for Lily, the monotony of her summer was to end abruptly one exceptionally ordinary Thursday morning when she was woken by an owl—and not just any old owl, as it turned out—but an owl from none other than James Potter.
The shock of seeing his crawling handwriting (and she'd ignored enough of his notes in class over the last five years to recognise it) pushed all thoughts of breakfast from Lily's mind as she freed herself from the tangled sheets and reached out to take the offending letter from the owl currently perched on the end of her bed as gingerly as possible. It may have been first thing in the morning, but Lily Evans would never let herself make the mistake of assuming James Potter and his troublesome friends weren't clever enough to figure out some way of sending jinxes by post.
The owl gave a small hoot of thanks once she had freed the letter from its leg before ruffling its feathers and fluttering over to perch on the windowsill instead, clearly to wait for a reply. Lily raised a sceptical eyebrow at the lingering bird before turning to the parchment in her hands. She had half a mind to throw the sodding letter straight into the trash but, as always, her curiosity seemed to get the better of her. Why in Merlin's name would James Potter be writing to her? They were hardly friends at the best of times and after the stunt he'd pulled following their final OWLs exam that had caused Severus to call her that awful name… well, she was hardly keen on interrupting her morning lie-in to read his half-arsed apologies, if that was what this was all about.
'Still,' Lily thought as she fingered the seal on the envelope, 'it wouldn't hurt to know if he was apologising…' It would certainly give her something to lord over him once they returned to school. He'd be so utterly desperate for her forgiveness that she might actually be able to convince him to leave her alone for a little while. She gave a little hum of enjoyment at the thought as she unfolded the note.
'Evans,' it began, though he had scribbled the word out several times and left a hurried 'Lily' in its place.
I know I'm probably the last person you want to be getting owls from during the holidays and I promise I wouldn't be bothering you if it wasn't an absolute emergency.
We—and he'd crossed that word out too—I need your help. I promise I'll explain more in person if you agree to meet me. It's far too complicated for a letter and I don't want to make things worse by putting it in writing where anyone might happen to read it.
Please, please say you'll meet me? I'll have my dad get your house connected to the Floo Network just for the day on Friday if you agree and I'll be there at 10 o'clock. Just send the owl back with your address.
See you soon.
- James Potter
PS: Please, Lily. It's for a friend.
Lily stared unblinking at the now slightly crumpled letter in her hands. Of all the things she had been expecting to read, this certainly had not been it. James Potter never asked for help, or if he did, it certainly wasn't from anyone but his friends. He was arrogant and far too clever for his own good to need help half the time, and yet here he was, practically begging her for it in writing where anyone could potentially see it. Still, something about the words 'it's for a friend' seemed to stick in Lily's mind and with a resigned sigh, she reached for her quill.
"Something is either very wrong, or I'm about to become the stupidest witch in the universe for falling for this," Lily announced to the empty room, casting another dubious look at the owl still perched on her windowsill. "I don't suppose you know what this is about?" she demanded, waving the parchment in the bird's direction. The owl only hooted softly in response and stuck its leg out at her expectantly. Not wanting to give Potter any further ammunition to use against her if this turned out to be a big joke—and she was quite convinced that it would—Lily hastily scribbled out a single-line reply.
9 Miller's Lane, Cokeworth.
- L.E.
Against her better judgement, Lily securely fastened her response to the owl's leg. She would never forgive James Potter, or herself for that matter, if this turned out to be another one of his stupid pranks though she supposed it was too late to change her mind. The owl, now satisfied that it had completed its job in obtaining a reply, had promptly given another ruffle of its tawny feathers and spread its wings the minute her letter was in place before soaring away into the morning sun.