Lily Evans stared out the window of the train, waiting for everyone to finish boarding so they could head off to Hogwarts.

'Hogwarts. My home.'

She smiled inwardly. Being away for a whole summer was torture, but that hardly mattered anymore. She was on her way back. Hearing the door to her compartment slam open, Lily kept her face blank, but inside she was frowning.

The rowdy boys stopped laughing long enough to stare at her for a moment, before two of them just ignored her and sat on the other bench. She didn't bother commenting, simply looked out the window. The seat beside her dipped in, and she discreetly moved her legs off the seat and forced herself in the corner.

"Hi Lily." A soft voice said to her. She turned her head, and gave one of her small, true smiles. "Hello Remus."

Remus Lupin was possibly the kindest, most angelic looking boy she had ever seen. Most girls didn't look twice at him, seeing as his friends were normally the objects of affection, but Lily liked his lightly tanned skin, curly blonde hair and amber brown eyes. Everything about him just made her want to hug him.

"How was your summer?" He asked politely. Years of managing her emotions kept her from freezing. "It was pleasant. How was yours?" They chatted back and forth, he even managed a slight laugh out of her, and when his friends interrupted with a more interesting conversation, Remus leaned forward in his chair and she went back to trying to be invisible.

She glanced over at the two boys sitting across from her, and looked away after her quick assessment was finished. James Potter and Sirius Black, Hogwarts finest. She tried to keep the sarcasm to a minimum, they were bloody brilliant, but they were also arses. She could see the attraction, she wasn't blind, she just preferred a little...class with her men.

Sirius was dark skinned, with long shaggy black hair that made any girl want to run her fingers through. His eye's were an cerulean blue, and always seemed to be burning with intensity. He was very nicely built, about 6'4 and all perfectly toned muscle. Adonis came to mind when describing him, very nice to draw. Too bad he had the personality of a horny pig.

James Potter was right in the middle of Remus and Sirius, a mix between angel and sin. He wasn't as dark as Sirius, but he still looked like he spent every moment under the sun without clothing. He was an inch or two taller, with a slightly lankier build, but every bit as toned. His dark brown hair was long enough to fall into his eyes, but not as long as Black's to the point where females were jealous. It was messy, mostly because he had this habit of running his hand through it. His glasses hardly hid his smoldering hazel eye's. It was also a shame, he too, had the personality of a horny pig.

It was a good thing Lily Evan's knew how to appreciate from afar.

"So, Evans." She figured anyone who managed to make her last name sound like an insult deserved a few moments of her attention. Turning towards Black, she lightly raised her eyebrow. "You do anything this summer besides sit around and contemplate how to become more of a prude?"

"Sirius." Remus quietly pleaded, a plea that fell on deaf ears. It hardly mattered. Lily was use to the mocking. She didn't even blink at him, simply gave a courteous smile. "I don't believe my summer is of any real interest to you." With that said, she turned back towards the window, watching the landscape roll by.

She was glad when he left it alone. She could handle the mocking to an extent, but she was rather exhausted and sore, not really putting her in the mood of conversing with half-wits. Seeing the landscape, she grabbed out her sketch book and a pencil and started sketching.

She started drawing when she was young, like any child, but it grew into an obsession. She had to draw, put things on paper the way she saw them. She found she had a natural knack for it, not that she ever really showed anyone. Few people showed any interest in anything she did.

Getting lost in her sketch, she lost track of the rambling of the 16 year old males near her, she felt her mind go to that wonderful place where nothing bad ever happened, and no one was there to bruise you. She was so lost in fact, that she forgot where she was, and gave a cry when someone put a hand on her shoulder.

Dropped her sketch book she hissed in pain, trying to hold back the tears that stung the back of her eye's. Remus looked horrified, picking up her belongings and handing them to her.

"Are you all right Lily?" He asked, eye's worriedly searching her face. His hands hovered, but seeing as the last time he touched her she nearly doubled over in pain, he didn't figure he'd be trying it again. James and Sirius stopped they're talking and looked in mild interest. Lily closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Repeat. After a moment, she opened her eyes, face blank, and looked at Remus. Giving a smile, she took her things from him.

"I'm terribly sorry Remus. Thank you for gathering my belongings." She put grabbed her book, and found the page she had been working on, holding her breath as she searched for any damage. She tried not to fret as she saw the smear across the page where Remus had grabbed it. Giving a sigh, she simply tore the page and folded it, putting it safely in her bag.

"Lily, does your shoulder hurt?" Remus asked cautiously. She looked at him, and he tried to ignore the pang he always felt when he saw her blank eyes. "Its fine. Why?" Remus frowned, but didn't push it. "Sorry for startling you, what did you need?" She asked politely, trying desperately to ignore the burning sensation on her shoulder.

Remus smiled lightly. "I just wanted to see what you were drawing." Lily blushed, but shrugged. "Just the landscape." Remus nodded, thinking her shyness was rather adorable. He knew people picked on her, called her a plain prude, but he also knew no one really thought that. Her ivory skin was a contrast to her flaming red hair. While it was frizzy and unkept in her younger years, the curls calmed and her hair became more silky and shiny. The freckles that covered her whole body were now only a light sprinkling.

She didn't wear any make up, but her sure to be fake green eyes were surrounded by naturally full, thick brown eyelashes. She had delicate features, making her as a whole seem soft and fragile. Her body had even filled out a bit through the years, showing signs of womanhood. All in all, it was her dull personality that she displayed that had everyone calling her names.

"You are quite an amazing artist Lily. Have you ever thought of show casing them?" She stared at him for a moment, he wished he knew what she was thinking, before shaking her head no and looking back towards her book. "It isn't really a possibility." Her voice was quite as she went about to making another sketch.

It became awkward between them, only the sound of James and Sirius guffawing filled the compartment. He desperately wished there was something he could do to get a smile out of her. She was always far too serious lately. "Remus?" He turned towards her soft voice, showing he was listening. She bit her lip nervously, before looking him in the eye. "May I draw you?"

James Potter knew he was hot headed, but in his mind, he had the right to be. He was good looking, certainly above average, was a genius when it came to school work, and was one of the youngest Quidditch Captain's Hogwarts has seen yet. He figured he had lots of reasons to be arrogant, but according to the girl sharing shy looks with his best mate sitting across from him would have said otherwise a few years ago.

James might be self centered, but he noticed the change in Evans long before anyone else had. It was two years ago, 4th year, when she came back from Christmas break with a large bruise on her eye and a bloody lip that she suddenly lost her stuck up, fiery personality. Where Evans would have argued, her face gone red and her eyes blaze making her look strangely like one of those greek goddesses, now she simply ignores people. The occasional chilling comment that quickly ends a conversation is normally what someone will receive when attempting to rile Lily Evans these days. It only got worse in 5th year after that day on the lake when Severus Snape snapped and called her a Mudblood.

That was the first time James had gotten her riled up since Christmas break, and it was also the last. He would never admit he missed her arguments. He found her quite...exciting when she was angry.

He was vaguely surprised when he heard her ask Remus if she could draw him. Not that Remus was ugly, but Evans wasn't the type to be forward. He saw his mate blush lightly in confusion, before nodding. "What would you like me to do?"

"I'm sure Evans would like you naked on a bed of roses Moony." Apparently James wasn't the only one listening in. He was expecting, like Sirius, for Evans to blush. Maybe even glare, but all she did was blink at Sirius, and turn back to Remus with one of her rare soft smiles. "Just go back to doing whatever you wish. I just want to draw your face anyways." Remus, flattered, just nodded and turned to talk to Sirius and James.

Sirius went on to talking about lewd things, most likely trying to get a rise out of Evans, but she seemed far to entranced with drawing Moony to pay much attention to anything else. It was almost comical how her nose scrunched lightly when she focused so intently.

Lily worked intently, putting Remus on paper with extreme care. She knew he was intimidated by his friends, but she really wished he could see how others saw him. Angelic. She didn't pay attention to how long it took, minutes or hours, she really didn't know. She vaguely heard what they were chatting about, but it was irrelevant at the moment.

She put the last touches, feeling a small smile come to her lips as she looked at the product. Massaging her hands, finding it hard to ignore they way the cramped. The compartment door opened, and Lily looked up, feeling a grin grace her lips.

James rarely saw Lily give more then a small smile, but when the compartment door opened and her best friend walked in, he saw a full out grin place itself on her lips.

Rosie Moretti was probably the most beautiful girl in the school. Being Italian, her skin was naturally dark, and her straight hair ended in a sharp angle right at her chin, looking like melted chocolate. Her slightly slanted eyes were a silver color that changed shades with her moods, and had been lined black with whatever makeup girls used. No one knew exactly where she got silver eyes, but seeing how exotic they looked, no one really cared. She was 5'8, a few inches taller then Evans, and was all curves and sexiness.

She may be Aphrodite on the outside, but Merlin knew she had a temper. Part of the reason people weren't constantly harassing Evans was because they were afraid of getting the bullocks beaten out of them by Moretti and her older twin brothers. No one messed with an angry Italian.

The only question that plagued the school was why someone so popular and amazing as Rosie hung around with Evans, who spent the majority of her time now, alone.

"Lily." Her accent seeped through her husky voice. "I am so glad to see you." Walking forward, she pulling Evans to her feet, looking intently over her as if searching for injuries. "We didn't harm her if thats what you're thinking Moretti." James drawled out, answering Rosie's glare with a lazy grin.

Her eyes were bright and ice cold as she smirked at James. "Oh I didn't think you and your friends were that much of idiots Potter." Turning back towards Evans, she gave her a fierce glare. "I thought you were harmed and didn't make it on the train." Evans gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry Rose, I figured you'd find me at the school. Didn't think it was a big deal."

Rose surprised everyone by cuffing her on the side of the head. "Of course I would worry! I didn't hear from you all summer and I didn't know if you were..." Pausing at Evans strangely pleading look, Rosie sighed. "It doesn't matter. Lets go before Tino and Lino stop the train and tear it apart looking for you."

Lily smiled. Marcellino and Celestino, Rosie's older twin brothers, were very protective of what they deemed 'theirs'. They were more commonly known as Tino and Lino, seeing as they hated their names, and threatened her with pink hair if she breathed a word. Rosie, her real name Rose-Angela, frequently picked on them, though Merlin knows she would kill the person who said her real name. Mrs. Moretti was into very...unique Italian names.

Grabbing her things, she ripped a page from her sketch book. She wrote something down at the bottom, before handing it to Remus. "Here you go Remus." Smiling, she followed Rosie. Grabbing her wrist, Remus stopped her. "I-I don't look like this Lily." He sputtered, red all the way to the roots of his hair. Lily studied him for a moment, before doing something uncharacteristic of her. She leaned down and brushed her lips over his cheek.

"If only you could see yourself through someone else's eyes." With that, she walked out with Rosie, shutting the door behind her.

R&R: Let me know what you think. Still trying to decide if I like where it's going or not.