It was Lily Evans was second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and she was sat on the front steps facing the quidditch pitch. She was waiting for her friend James Potter to finish training so that they could hang out.
. They were completely different and in fact she was surprised that they were friends at all. She was the booky type who loved studying and quite nights by the house fire reading. James loved to create havoc with some of the other boys and had just been picked to be the seeker of the Gryffindor team.
Their differences meant they had developed different groups of friends since they met each other on the first day. However, they still made sure to meet once a week to catch up on things. Neither of their group of friends liked the other one so they felt it best to keep it quite so they wouldn't have to deal with being told it was a bad idea.
"Finally I thought you were going to be there all night, do you realise how cold it is out here?" Lily spoke as James approached from the distance.
"I'm sorry queen Lily, but we have a big game at the weekend so training ran a little late." James grabbed Lily by the hand and pulled her off the ground.
"Well so you should be minion, keeping your queen waiting. It's just not cricket you know." She laughed and nudged her shoulder in to James.
"So where are we going today?"
"I was thinking we could go in to the divination room; the teacher never locks it and I don't think anyone will think to look in that dusty old room." She grabbed James by the hand as they ran towards the ladder that would take them up to the attic.
Lily loved hanging out with James she felt like the most important person in the world when he sat and genuinely listened to what she had to say. Most of her friends would just be waiting until she finished so they could announce the next spell that they had learnt. There was always this competition to be the best at everything and sometimes it was just tiring.
"You know we should go up to the attic more often." He giggled from below her on the ladder.
"What do you mean?" Lily was confused by the statement.
"Well the view is fantastic." He grinned cheekily.
"Next time you are going up first!" Lily look disgusted, but only for a moment, before she let out a small giggle.
"Oh, I see how it is you want to stare at mine. I think that's harassment in the work place." Lily tutted as she pulled herself through the gap in the ceiling above the ladder.
It was around eight in the evening and the sun was setting on Hogwarts; the last few rays shone in to the divination room giving in a beautiful yellow glow. Lily wished she could take a picture of it; it was so beautiful. Her little daydream was broken by James' big belly laugh.
"Oh my God Peter is practicing to become an anamagus and he's managed to get himself stuck as half rat half human." He nearly fell to the floor laughing at his friend. "I don't know why he chose a rat; it's such an ugly creature."
"I don't know why you guys are trying to become anamagi. You know you will get in to so much trouble if you get found out."
"Don't worry, we are experts at this sort of thing, we will never get found out." He had a big grin on his face.
"I don't know about that, maybe we should help Peter or perhaps you will get found out." Lily said motioning out the window.
"Fine!" James didn't seem pleased about the prospect, but he followed Lily back out of the divination room and out in to the grounds; where they found Peter Pettigrew lying on the floor struggling to get rid of his rat nose and tail. Instead of helping James stood there laughing until his sides hurt.
"I'm sorry but I don't think your insensitive friend is going to help." Lily said pulling her wand out of her pocket. "Now just stay still so I can get this right, we don't really need to change any more of you." Peter squealed lightly as Lily changed him back so that he was fully human.
"Thank you so much Lily, I'm glad you passed by. I don't know what I would have done if it was only James here to help me." He let out a weak smile.
"Oh shut up, I would have helped you." James said indignantly.
"Yeah, but only after laughing at me for half an hour." Peter glared at him before running off back into the castle.
"That was mean you're supposed to be his friend." She slapped him on the arm.
"It's not like he was dying otherwise I would have helped him. Look let's just go for a walk down to the lake and then we can catch up." Lily and James made their way down towards the lake that dominated the school grounds. So much had happened that week neither could hold on to it much longer. Lily had stories of her friend who had boasted he had created a new potion, but merely managed to burn his own eyebrows off. James told of his midnight adventures in the teacher's lounge.
Eventually the biting cold of the winter forced them to go back to the castle before the managed to freeze anything off. It was much later than they had realised and they had to dodge the prefects who were now roaming the school halls.
"Ok so we'll meet same place and time next week?" James said once they reached the safety of the common room.
"Yeah, but next time don't make me wait in the cold for you!" She giggled.
"Don't worry, I'm looking forward to it already I won't make you wait again." James pulled Lily in for a goodnight hug before they went to bed. As they pulled out of the hug he stopped only centimetres from her face. Lily could feel her heart beat harder as his lips moved towards hers.
"You know I'm so hungry I could eat one of those thestrals even though I can't see them." They both looked at Sirius who had just come down the stairs.
"Right I'm off to bed, goodnight." Lily whispered before heading up the stairs to the girl's dorm.
"You know Sirius Black you really have the worst timing ever!" She heard James tell his best friend.
