Hey Guys, so this is my first story on here. I love James and Lily stories so I thought I might contribute one! Hope you like it. Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns anything you recognise from the Harry Potter Franchise. I own nothing.
I stepped on to the train, dusted the nonexistent dust off the faux fur hood of my brown winter coat and breathed in the smell. The same smell every year. The smell that made my skin warm, my eyes sparkle and my heart miss a beat. The Hogwarts Express; It was a mixture of sugar, engines and autumn and it felt like home. Already I knew I had over stayed my welcome at the door of the express as people behind me began to exasperatedly sigh and, may I say rudely, make little shoves to get past. I understand its September the first and everyone wants to get to their compartment, but do they not realise this is my last first day? The answer is most likely no, but that does not stop me from expecting them to. I, Lily Evans, am beginning my last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry today, and I want everything to be perfect.
To spare my fellow travellers any more distress I begin to make my way towards my compartment. Since first year my friends and I have sat in the third compartment from the back to the left of the train. Close enough to the bathrooms to be convenient but not close enough that you have people queuing outside your door, perfectly positioned so that the food trolley is not depleted by arrival and most importantly, it is strategically placed opposite that of the marauders so that things do not get too dull. You may think that all this sounds a bit too well thought out; over analysed people might say. I tend to disagree, but I'll admit you aren't alone. I have been accused to have a tendency to over analyse things. So what?
Everything is going wonderfully, I have walked all the way down the train with no embarrassing incidents to be heard of and I'm even humming a little to myself. However, arrival in the cabin disrupts the harmony of the morning. I slide open the door and appear to be facing some scroungy looking third years. I, with all my mighty authority as a senior, swiftly shut the door and frantically look for someone to take hold of the situation.
"That's our spot. We always sit there" I mutter under my breath - in a completely sane manner may I add, as some people like to suggest otherwise.
I stand here for about 5 minutes, which dragged on to seem like hours I can tell you, until someone finally turned up to save me. Alice Williams has been my friend since first year and hence knew straight away that I was mid panic.
"Lily" she said as my face lit up at the sight of rescue, "what's wrong?" As she said this, she made moves to push me aside and roll open the compartment's door.
"No!" I whispered as I put myself back between her and the door, "there is already a group of people in there."
When Alice looked confused, I decided to clarify, "Little people! Not our group of…"
However, she cut me off, "yes I knew what you meant I was just a bit confused as to what we were doing still standing here in front of the door. Come on, this one over here is empty". Alice had made her way into a compartment a few metres down and was already putting away her luggage.
I followed her into the compartment and our friend Willow followed in me myself. I apprehensively sat down and twiddled with my fingers. Those stupid third years were messing with my last year of school! One more year and they could have any which compartment they wanted as far as I cared. But no, the impatient fiends had stolen the best compartment in the whole train and left me stranded in a compartment that smelt faintly of gunpowder. I realised that my inner monologue of ramblings about the third years had been going on for a while and decided to tune in to the conversation going on in the real world.
"So she's agreed to it as long as she can wait outside the house with her first aid kit. Anyway, so what's got Lily riled up this time?" said Willow at the conclusion of a story I inferred to revolve around a party next break. The girl was eager to have fun in any way she could, but unfortunately had a rather protective mother. As a healer and St Mungos she often witness the result of every worst case scenario for everything that Willow wanted to do. Quidditch had been ruled out due to a series of serious injuries she had treated related to the sport, sidelong apparition was only to be done with the most trusted of friends due to risk of splinching, and parties were usually a no go for risk of the usual alcohol related issues. Despite this Willow managed to have her fair share of fun, unbeknownst to her mother.
"Third years took our usual compartment" sighed Alice as she rolled her baby blue eyes.
Willow, apparently only just realising that we were in a different compartment looked around nodding her golden brown head, "so they did," she said.
I was about to open my mouth to inform them that this was a inhibition of senior happiness when there was a loud bang outside the door and three boys fell in to the compartment laughing. Three boys very familiar to me.
Remus Lupin was the first to notice our presence and straightened up to greet us with a simple, "ladies".
Sirius and James however weren't so observational. They continued to frolic around on the floor, clutching their stomachs and letting out bursts of jovial laughter. "Did you see their faces James? It was like shock and then pure terror!" Sirius shouted and James wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Grim! It's the grim, everyone run!" James shrieked, in what I can only guess was an impersonation of the victims they were discussing.
It wasn't until Remus cleared his throat that the boys acknowledged the female presence in the room. "Oh, Hey guys" said James, still lying on the floor but grinning up at Willow, Alice and I. Sirius didn't even bother to verbally greet us but instead gave us the thumbs up before leaving the compartment all together.
I glared accusingly at Willow and Alice. I should have realised as soon as I smelt the gunpowder that we had stumbled into The Marauder's territory. The glaring didn't last long as Remus looked at us apologetically. "Sorry for the loud arrival, but I think you'll find your compartments free now," he said with a feint smirk on his pale face.
I rushed into the hallway and found that Remus was in fact correct, our compartment was vacant a part from Sirius who was clearing the space of smoke- residual from the prank I can only assume. As I called to the girls, my sense of slight disapproval turned into bountiful appreciation and I ran into the Marauder's compartment and hugged both Remus and James. Beginning of my last year was back on track and I had these pranksters to thank. The guys simply laughed at my eagerness to return to my rightful place and James murmured an "any time Lil" before I was gone to enjoy the remainder of the train ride.
Willow, Alice and I all took our usual spots. Alice pulled out a book from her bag and began to read while Willow caught me up on her latest debate with her mother about the party I had heard mentioned a little while before. Everything was how it was meant to be for the last first train ride to Hogwarts of my life. As I savoured the moment, even the smell of gunpowder was now a reminder that we were to be the queens of the school. This year was going to be good.
As my inner monologue concluded itself and all seemed to be well, Remus banged on the doorway, saying two words that jolted me back into reality, "Prefect Meeting".
"Crap, I knew I'd forgotten something." I muttered as I pinned the prefect badge onto my robes. I guess the romanticised day dreaming about being top of the food chain would have to wait for a few hours. "Wait for me!" I shouted as he sauntered down the train aisle.
I lingered only long enough to hear Willow playfully question Dumbledore's sanity in keeping me as a prefect when I managed to forget the meeting on the very first day. I vowed to flick her later.
When I arrived at the prefect meeting, panting slightly from the light jog I had to keep in order to stay up to speed, everyone was already sitting around the table. I smiled apologetically and took my place next to Remus.
"Morning Everyone, glad you are all here. Let's get started shall we?" As the traditional beginning of year speech began that was near exactly the same as the speeches I had heard the previous head girls say before, I wondered to myself who the head boy would be. After addressing the new prefects, and acknowledging the returning ones the head girl, a girl named Abigail Finch, looked over for the head boy to step in. In my rush to get to the meeting I hadn't even had time to discover who her counterpart would be. My astonishment must have been evident when James stepped forward after whispering in my ear "Don't look too surprised now" before beginning his address.
James Potter. They gave the head boy position to James Potter? Okay, maybe Willow was right. Maybe Dumbledore really had lost it. This boy has been causing havoc around the school since his arrival. Him, Sirius and Remus are called the Marauders for Pete's sake. They did not get that name from working a bake sale, they're basically pirates! And yet, he is making sense. Listening to him now he is making perfect sense. Telling the others it's going to be a long year, but worth the trouble, that we have to remain focus yet light hearted. When did this boy suddenly turn into a leader? Was there an official morphing day that I was not informed of? Either way, James Potter was Head Boy, and so far he was doing a pretty fine job.
"Shocked?" James grinned down at me as we were walking back to the compartment from the meeting. Remus was walking behind us, chatting with the Ravenclaw prefect.
I chuckled "well I'm not going to lie..." James and I were good enough friends that I didn't need to worry about him taking offense. "It's just that, well it's you."
At this he laughed and put his hand through his tangled black hair, "Hey! I can be sensible you know" he said earnestly, "but keep it to yourself huh, don't want it ruining my street cred," and with a wink he disappeared into his compartment.
I rolled my eyes and made my way to sit down with Willow and Alice and think over the consequences of having a marauder in the position of head boy. Visions of Stalinist posters with James' face smeared on them appeared in my mind, but I pushed them down. Maybe I needed to cut the boy some slack. "Everyone has potential," I murmured.
"Yeah and I have the potential to whip your butt at wizards chess" said Willow.
I chuckled. Naïve fool. "You're on".
The rest of the train ride was fairly uneventful. I, of course, won two games of wizard's chess to which Willow exclaimed, "This is unnatural, I'm the one from a wizarding family here! I have eleven years experience on you!" and there was a brief visit from the marauders to ensure we had not forgotten their presence. Otherwise, we disembarked the train and made our way to the castle.
Moving into the great hall I took a seat beside Remus as Willow took a seat opposite me beside James. Willow and James are close family friends since both their mothers are Healers at St Mungos and are from strong pure blood families. The two can relate when it comes to growing up in a medical family and often share the same kind of black humour concurrent to healers. Not only this but Willow encourages James' flirtatious nature and hence the pair get along famously, for James loves to flirt, and Willow loves the attention.
As I roll my eyes and chuckle at my friends Remus gets my attention with a soft jab in the side with his elbow, "no sign of Michelle yet though, which is promising." He said with a sort of nod towards James.
I raised my eyebrows in agreement, "and with the added stress of head boy he doesn't need her breaking his heart all over again. Maybe she finally realised her greatest asset was her face and moved back to Beaxbatons."
At this Remus chuckled, "all in good nature Lily, Willow might hear".
To which of course the girl's ears pricked and she enquired as to why her name was mentioned. "Oh, nothing," said Remus with a wink in my direction.
Michelle was the cause of great torment within my group of friends in the past few years. Since her arrival in fourth year James has been enchanted by her, and she plays is heart like a fiddle. She maintains that they are close friends but knows of the attachment that he has for her. Not only has this caused him great pain, as she continues to flirt and frolic with the many boys who are taken in by her blonde beauty, but it has meant that for these two years myself and the guys have continually heard of his torment. Remus, Alice and I are all of the opinion that he should just take control of the situation and block her out, but James insists it is not that easy. He truly loves the girl and his having trouble letting go. Willow I might add is not being very helpful. She completely endorses the match and encourages James in his friendship with Michelle. The girls have known each other since toddler-hood and Willow refuses to see that Michelle might have changed.
"Sure thing…" she said with suspicion in her voice before turning the conversation to the very topic Remus and I had just been discussing, "MICKY!" she shrieked as she jumped up from the bench and hugged a short, blonde haired blue eyed girl.
James immediately stood up, "Shell" he nodded and she thrust herself at him into a hug. He grinned and lifted her to which she giggled and playfully shrieked for him to out her down.
The whole display was quite infuriating to watch for those who knew the back-story and so Remus and I busied ourselves with trying to distract each other. "Spoke too soon" he muttered as I enquired after his mother. It appeared that Remus was not deferring from the subject of Michelle and James too easily tonight, which was always a sign that the next full moon was near. Increased agitation was one of the first signs that they had discussed as a group when Remus admitted his lycanthropy to the group in third year.
"Yes Remus, but your mother?" I said, looking at him pointedly and sliding a piece of apple pie towards him. The best approach was to provide him with something to think about and appease his hunger. At this he simply sighed and began devouring the tasty dessert. I took this as a sign that I would not be receiving any news about Mrs Lupin who had become ill over the holidays. A kindly woman who always has time for us when we visit Remus. I do hope she is better soon.
I turned to talk to Alice but found that she had made her way to the end of the table to visit Frank Longbottom, her boyfriend since fifth year. Frank was a good natured guy and I was glad for Alice as he genuinely cared for her. However, this evening his affection caused me a little loneliness as every one of my friends now seemed to be preoccupied with something or another. This left me to my own thoughts and I perused the room watching as the diverse variety of students settled in to their first day at Hogwarts for the year.
As Dumbledore stood to deliver his closing speech, my eyelids began to droop. The length of the day was finally hitting home and all I could think about was the soft feather pillows awaiting me in the girls dormitory. I nearly missed my cue to lead the first years to the common room when Dumbledore concluded with a, "Goodnight, sleep tight and don't let the nargles bite", however Remus grasped around my waist and pulled me to my feet.
"Come now Lily, let's not leave the littlies waiting," He advised.
Well at least Remus is back to normal, I thought as I walked over to the group of first years waiting at the end of the table. "Come now, follow me to the common room."
"You heard what she said" added Remus "follow Lily or Peeves might get you" he said with a wink.
I chuckled at their worried chattering to each other and began leading the first years to the portrait of the fat lady.
So thats the first chapter. Hope you liked it. Please review!