"So, you're telling after all this time you still haven't done anything with James?"
Laughter filled one of the small train carriages as it rattled from side to side down the familiar route towards Hogwarts. Through the thin glass window the view rushed by, hills and trees meshing together to create one colour blur of greens and gold. Spring was on its way, the flowers bursting through the soft ground as they all battled for that first taste of sunlight.
A warm gust of wind rushed through the open upper window of the carriage, catching two girl's hair and causing it to dance carelessly around their shoulders and neck. Everything was peaceful, perfect and fitting beautiful back into place.
Lily Evans sat back against the soft chair, laughing into a drink of cool pumpkin juice. Large curls of her bright red hair rustled softly against her fingers as she tucked it back carefully behind one ear. Both of her brilliant green eyes briefly flicked over to the other girl in the room. She was short, slim and had a pretty little face that was framed by straight mid-length brown hair. This was Lily's best friend, Freya BlackWood. They had become close friends since the first day of school, all those years ago, and this would be their last year together.
Lily was lucky to have someone look out for her; after all, Freya was a Pureblood, and not many of those would hang around with a Muggle Born.
"Lily, this is a serious matter! Stop laughing, you daft troll! Are you telling me you've not even open that door to him yet?!"
Lily couldn't help but snort into her drink once again, shaking her head from side to side as her friend leant closer.
"Freya, honestly! Is that all you ever think about?"
"Well, I can defiantly say that you haven't been thinking out it! Not it once? Not even a fondle or anything?"
James Potter was the most popular boy from Gryffindor House. Over the years he and built up a reputation of become the best Seeker, the most perfect Prefect and he was a win with the ladies. Yet it was Lily who had won him over all those years ago, and soon enough they had settled themselves into some sort of relationship; one without too much physical contact.
For a moment Lily was still, her lips pressed together. "No." It was almost a whisper.
"Never?!"
"Never ever."
It didn't take long to distract her best friend onto the subject of school. Lily had been excited to the place she called her home from home. She ached for the magic, the learning and even the Castle itself. The grounds were the perfect place to relax and the library had been greatly missed.
Their little natter was cut short by a bunch of younger students rushing past their open door. There was a look of sear panic on their young little faces. Lily knew that look, she knew it all too well... once upon a time it had been her running for dear life down the same passageway.
"Brace yourself." Freya murmured, settling back into her seat as she lowered her head into submission. Eye contact towards anyone coming down that corridor meant punishment.
"Aren't you safe? After-all, didn't you -"
"Yes! But that doesn't mean I'm still not on the kill list. I'm a Pureblood, remember? Hanging around with you has caused them to smear dirt on my name, my families lines.. Not that I care, we are not as low as them when it comes towards other people, but still..."
Lily bit on her bottom lip and nodded in agreement. She must've meant a lot to Freya for them to still be friends after all this time.
It didn't take long for the problem to appear. Two females walked side by side, one light of hair and the other a dangerous black. Their robes shone a rich green, the snake hanging with pride from both of their chests. From the way they walked one would believe they had some sort of Royalty oozing through those PureBlood veins. Everyone knew who they were, and they all quickly scattered into the nearest hiding place.
As both women gained closer to Lily's carriage the tone of their voices become clear enough to hear they were both arguing about something, or perhaps someone.
"This is getting stupid now, Bella, and dangerous! What if Mother hears of it!?"
"Trix.. Bella-trix, Cissy."
"Oh don't act like a little brat! This is a serious matter I am trying to get across. These games are getting out of hand.. what if-"
"What? What if, Cissy, huh? I can control my own matters, thank you!"
Daring to look up Lily Evans managed to catch a quick glance of the two sisters paused outside her door, one with a pleading look in her eyes.. the other merely looked down at her long fingernails without a care in the world.
Bellatrix Black.
Head Girl, leader of the Slytherin's, the most powerful and dangerous PureBlood in the whole of Hogwarts School. No one dared to stand in her way, or even stand up to her for that matter, apart from the younger blonde haired girl only meters away from the cowering two best friends.
Narcissa Black was the complete opposite of her eldest sister. Of course her snobbiness towards her Blood Status was clear to see, but the little blonde managed to keep quiet and out of sight. She had a small group of friends and kept her head towards studying. From what Lily had heard there had been talk of the young Black pairing with Lucius Malfoy; little peacock, strutting around the school like he owned the place - Lily never liked him, and the hatred only grew when he once set her robes alight in Potion Class a few years ago.
"But what about Rodolphus?"
"What about him?! He likes to play too, Cissy!"
The whole train fell silent. Anger was clearly building in Bellatrix's dark eyes. It stopped Narcissa in her tracks, the confidence shrinking within her body. There was a line that had been stepped over and if she kept on at this rate no doubt her sister would be punished in the most shocking ways possible.
Bowing her head, eyes screwing tightly together young Narcissa Black quickly made her exit without another word to her eldest sister. Lucius joined her at the end of the hallway, escorting her off to somewhere more protected and out of her sister's dark magic.
By now Lily had forgot to keep her wondering eyes down towards the ground. Watching the two sisters argue was fascinating. The whole family acted like pack animals and it wasn't hard to see that Bellatrix ruled over them all.
"What are you looking at, Mudblood?"
Suddenly the room went cold and fear started to rattle through Lily's body as her eyes locked with Bellatrix's.
She expected the punishment, the hate filled words of her blood status and how worthless she was to the Wizarding World. Alas, it never came.
Instead a suddenly and brief smirk lifted the corners of the Black's plump red lips, her hand brushing over the glass of the door as she moved on past to join the rest of her worshipping flock.
As she left the cold lifted.
"Holy crap.."
Freya was the first to speak, her legs swinging up onto the seat opposite. Lily saw the smile that dawned her best friends mouth as her own body was finally allowed to relax.
"I thought for a moment she was going to rip your face off. But... she gave you that smirk, Evans. Are you sure you wouldn't -"
"No! Merlin, no!" Lily's eyes grew wide with shock and displeasure. "I would rather carry on with a Troll in the forest!"
"Mhm," Freya raised an eyebrow suggestively, "But what Troll ever looked like Bellatrix Black?"
The thought alone turned Lily's stomach, but the thoughts of why Bellatrix had not attacked her for staring grew stronger and stronger within her mind. Freya's voice blurred as she went off on some other rant of hers, but Lily was not listening to her...
The sounds of Bellatrix's dying footsteps become the only thing to echo within her ears.
