Chapter 1— 137 DAYS BEFORE
January 7th, the first Monday back at school since our two-week holidays. I wore the new perfume my Mum and Dad had bought me for Christmas: an expensive lotion and spray set by a designer whose name I couldn't pronounce.
"You smell different," Grace Kwan noted, flipping her sleek black hair over her shoulder and sitting across from me in the sleigh attached to a large white horse. Instead of sitting in carriages being pulled by Thestrals taking the normal route around the lake to get to Hogwarts, the white horses took over this job in the winter, pulling us in sleighs and taking a shorter route across the frozen lake.
"It's a new perfume." I told her, watching as she pulled a compact mirror out from nowhere and played with her new fringe.
"It's nice," she told me, all the while puckering her lips in the mirror and applying a fresh coat of lip gloss. Grace loved to always be 'presentable' as she'd put it. While other girls spoke of Grace in a condescending way, saying she cared too much about her appearance, I quite admired her for it. I believed putting time and effort into something that matters to you should always be applauded. Some decided to put time and effort into schoolwork, and others into hobbies. Grace liked her appearance.
Marlene Smith hopped into the sleigh beside me and, having heard my conversation with Grace, promptly leaned over and sniffed me. "Mm. Nice." She commented casually as if she hadn't just totally interfered into my personal space. I laughed it off though, for this was just Marlene, and over the years of our friendship I had grown to love her silly quirks.
Janice Hernandez, the fourth member of our sleigh knocked the snow off her feet against the stepladder before stepping in.
"I don't want these boots to get ruined already," She groaned, bending over to check that her light brown, buckled and gorgeous boots were still unharmed.
"Jan, for Merlin's sake, why would you wear them in ten centimeters of snow if you didn't want them to get wet?" Marlene laughed.
Janice sat back up, adjusting all of her chestnut brown hair to one shoulder and smiling. "Fashion does not change for the weather, darling. The weather changes for fashion."
"I don't think the weather got that memo." Marlene replied sarcastically, as our last member joined us, adjusting her earmuffs and sitting beside Marlene.
"The memo about how I wish the snow would all melt away? Yeah, I think it missed that one too." Kelly Morgan, a petite blonde who had an intense hatred for winter said glumly.
"We're just talking about how Janice wore her—let me guess, new designer boots?" I said. Janice nodded proudly. "—when the weather clearly called for more sensible footwear." I brought Kelly up to pace. Kelly frowned.
"Maybe the weather ought to change for Jan's boots." She suggested miserably, pulling her jacket tight around her small frame as the horse neighed and we began our journey to the school.
Janice grinned. "See!" She yelled, pointing at Marlene. "What did I tell you?"
Marlene rolled her eyes. "Kelly only agrees because she hates the snow."
"Either way, I think we all can agree the snow should get a move on." She said haughtily, staring down at the snow below us with distaste. "I refuse to let my wardrobe go to waste because Mother Nature is having a hissy fit."
"Hey, I like the snow!" I argued, staring at the pretty flakes that had fallen on my lap. Distantly, I remembered playing outside with Petunia, with all her first year knowledge telling me no two flakes were exactly the same. I was always amazed with my older sister's impressive knowledge when I was younger.
"Oh, here we go." Grace mumbled from behind her compact, but her sentence was half cut-off, because Kelly had exploded with: "How can you say that?"
And so our sleigh ride went, play-arguing in teams of two—Marlene and Lily vs. Janice and Kelly—until finally, we ran out of points and rebuttals and we talked about our holidays.
"Well, in addition to these gorgeous things," Janice waved a hand over her boots and grinned. "I also got a new purse by Jacques LeBlanc, the up and coming designer in France fashion. Oh mes chéries, you must check out the fashion magazines I picked up while in France, the outfits are to die for!" She said excitedly.
"Let me guess, you bought three pieces from the magazine?" Marlene said.
Before Janice could answer, I cut in, "I bet four."
"My money's on five." Grace chimed in, finally closing her compact and joining our conversation.
"Oh no, I have faith in Jan. I think it was only two!" Kelly said.
Marlene turned to Kelly and tutted. "Silly girl. You're so about to lose a galleon."
"Wait, I didn't know we were betting money—!"
But before Kelly could pull out of the bet, Janice shouted, "Seven!"
For a moment, there was only silence. Then:
"I was closest!" Grace insisted.
"Nuh-uh! That's not how it works!" Marlene claimed.
"Jan, please tell me you're joking." I begged of my friend, staring at her sadly. Her parents were going to be bankrupt from their daughter's insistent love for the world of fashion.
"What?" She said, as if she couldn't find a single problem with this. "If I'm going to be editor of Dazzle one day, I'll need to look the part!"
"Dazzle?" Grace asked. "But that's the highest and most prestigious wizarding fashion magazine of all time!"
"That's right. And Grace, you know what else Dazzle specializes in aside from fashion?" Janice sang.
"Makeup." Grace whispered, then said loudly, "I think Jan should go for it!"
We all had a hearty laugh at that, until I addressed Janice, "How long have you wanted to become editor for Dazzle?"
"I decided over the holidays, when my aunt who works as secretary for Dazzle Enterprises gave me all of last season's clothing for Christmas!" She said excitedly. "It'll need a bit of tweaking here and there to bring it up to date, but nonetheless...!"
"I think it's great you know what you want to do." I smiled, as Marlene scoffed angrily, whipping around to her right to face Kelly.
"Would you quit shaking?" She demanded, as Kelly scowled furiously.
"I would if it wasn't so damn cold!" She argued, wrapping her gloved hands around her sides and shaking frantically for affect.
Just as Marlene opened her mouth to argue back, I shouted, "We're here!" And brought everyone's attention to the glowing school, as all traces of a likely fight wiped from Kelly and Marlene's features.
"Yessss." Grace grinned, dusting off her lap as the sleigh came to a stop.
Janice urged us all to jump out before her, and so we did, waiting in the snow for her to step out in her boots. However, she surprised us all when she whipped out her wand and used a heating spell to melt the snow before she walked on it.
"That's what I'm talking about." Kelly said appreciatively, and while she, Janice and Grace walked along in the melted pathway, Marlene and I were steps behind, walking slightly to the left of them, preferring to trudge through the snow.
"Oh, come on!" A male voice shouted from behind us. I realized whom it was at once, as Potter continued, "It's winter! You've got to walk in the snow, it's a rule!"
"Show me the rule!" Kelly yelled back, not even bothering to turn her head.
"Evans and Marlene know where I'm coming from!" He yelled back, as he, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin jogged up beside us.
"Hey." I said politely to them all, nodding to them in salutation.
Potter sidled up beside me and said, "How were your holidays, Evans?"
"Fantastic thanks, how were yours?" I asked. Over sixth year, Potter and I had come to a silent agreement to tolerate each other.
"It was horrible." Said Potter sadly.
"Why?"
"It was without you." He lightened, giving me his oh-so-famous Potter grin. I rolled my eyes. Scratch what I said before about tolerating Potter. I could only tolerate him for so long until...
"Is this really how we're going to start off the New Year? Really?" I demanded.
He mulled that over for a bit, then grinned. "Yes."
I blew hot air into my hands, warming them up. "You're lucky my hands are numb or I would have just socked you right then." I told him.
"I could hold them to warm them up," He suggested brightly.
"Potter," I warned. Before the holidays, Potter was doing well with not passing the point of no return. He would ask me out on a date, I'd reply with some sarcastic comment, he'd reply back with one, and then that would be the end of it. Tired as I might get, I could handle that much. However, Potter was slowly inching where he really didn't want to go with me.
He raised his hands in surrender, as if reading my mind. "Hey," He said, shoving his hands back in his pockets, for they probably couldn't stand the cold for more than a couple seconds. "I just wanted to see if you'd changed your mind over the holidays."
"What," I laughed. "As if I'd had a sudden epiphany that I truly want you, and all of these feelings of hatred were really just love?"
"Quite exactly like that, actually." His cheeky grin poked from above his scarf.
I snorted. Again, in a way, I really didn't mind when Potter joked around with me. It was annoying and tiring at times, but for the most part, when he and I threw sarcastic comments back and forth, it was actually kind of funny.
"Believe me, Lily Evans," He said seriously, responding to my snort of disbelief. "One day, you'll come to your senses."
"Sure... that will be the day after I get hit by a flying pig." I told him.
He laughed at that, and finally, let it go.
"Lily," Remus started, once he'd realized Potter and I were finished. "Want to meet in my dorm before rounds tonight?"
"Sure," I agreed, smiling. The best part about Potter nowadays was that he had learned when to stop. Had we been in fifth year, he probably would have inserted a comment there about how Remus was trying to steal his girl from him. I looked at him and he was looking at me already, smiling as if he was thinking the same exact thing.
Turning to my left, I joined in on Marlene, Sirius, and Peter's conversation about Christmas gifts.
"You're kidding me." Marlene said dubiously.
Sirius grinned, shaking his head no. "Am I right, Prongs?" I would never understand why these four boys had the wildest nicknames for each other, but they did, and they used them constantly. "A flying motorbike from Mum and Dad?"
I turned my head to Potter as he nodded, grinning just as wide as Sirius.
"And what'd you get?" I asked him, as Remus walked away from Potter's side to join in with Marlene, Peter, and Sirius.
"Nothing." He smiled. "I told my parents to put my Christmas gift money into Sirius's motorbike."
Impressed, I smiled back at him. "You're a pretty decent bloke, you know that, Potter?"
"Decent enough to date?" He jumped on the opportunity so quickly, it made me laugh.
"No," I told him laughing. "But decent, nonetheless."
And about thirty seconds after walking into the castle in silence he said, "Lily,"
I turned to him, taking off my scarf. He smiled at me.
"Thanks."
Author's Note: Disclaimer goes to the wonderful and talented JK Rowling, and also the idea of using the Before/After style of writing comes from the amazing John Green.
Please review for me! Let me know what you liked and disliked! I welcome all compliments and constructive criticism.
Thanks for reading,
-Taylor
