James
"Anyone interesting in there?"
James peered into the carriage. It was nearly empty – there were only two people in it. A redheaded girl and a greasy-haired boy; both already dressed in robes. The former appeared to be napping and the boy was reading a thick tomb. James turned back at his new friend Sirius and shrugged.
Sirius motioned for him to go ahead, gesturing to their heavy trunks. Sighing, James slid the doors open. Maybe the carriage's occupants were more interesting than they looked. He scampered in, Sirius close on his heels, and smiled broadly in greeting. The boy glanced up briefly, looking mostly indifferent, but the girl didn't even bother to open her eyes. James felt a bit disgruntled. Didn't she know it was rude to ignore people?
Sirius shoved him across, so he could see the girl and boy better. He too looked miffed at their lack of interest. "What's wrong with your friend?" He asked the boy, a curious expression mapping his face.
The boy scowled furiously. "Nothing, you idiot – "
"It's all right, Sev." The girl looked up tiredly, rubbing her eyes. She glanced up at Sirius, a cautious half-smile lighting up her face. Her eyes were green, piercing; taking James' breath away, quite against his will. He ignored the boy – Sev's sneer and felt quite lightheaded all of a sudden. The girl was pretty, yes, her features were pleasing to the eye; but not breathtaking. At least not yet. Maybe when she was older. But her eyes – the hue of spring and grass and James' new favourite colour – they made her beautiful. The green of new life, the green of spring's first light. The churning apathy of sea storms; dewy morning leaves. Lighter than a meadow, one moment, darker than a forest, the next.
Sirius wasn't so affected. "I'm Sirius." He offered his hand out easily; happily ignoring the still-frozen James and the furiously-glaring 'Sev'. The girl shook it.
"Lily." Lily gave a practiced smile along with the name. She didn't seem like much of a 'Lily'. Perhaps she had a nickname? James had just opened his mouth to introduce himself next when Sirius spoke up again.
"Who are you?" He asked Lily's companion bluntly, as children tend to do. The boy looked reluctant to answer. James caught a glimpse of a sneaky elbow digging into his side, though, and the boy winced. "Severus." Lily's expression didn't give her away, but James thought he could see a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
"That's a funny name, mate!" Sirius barked a laugh out; missing Severus' darkening expression entirely.
Lily stepped in again, though. "Maybe it's not as serious as yours, but I think Severus is a right fine name." She smiled to show she wasn't trying to be catty.
Sirius hooted again. "You're all right,…" He stretched out the sentence, obviously waiting for a surname to be provided.
"Evans. And you're not too bad yourself…" She copied him and paused, eyes laughing all the while.
"Black." He grinned. She grinned back and pointed to Severus.
"Snape,"
James jumped in then, pointing at himself. "Potter. James Potter."
Sirius snickered, and Severus ignored him – a step up from the previous sneers. Lily chuckled briefly, too, offering up a small smile that made James feel mighty proud of himself. It was at that exact moment James knew that he'd be seeing a lot more of Lily Evans.
