I basked in the warm summer sun, letting it penetrate my too long warmth-deprived skin. I wove my fingers together and stretched my arms over my head, the sounds of feet pounding the water, high-pitched children's laughter, mother's calls, and tweenage girls' conversations over magazines that they were too young to read entering my ears. I smiled delightedly. Ahh, summer.
With my arms still curled behind my head, my hands came down to rub the back of my tight shoulders. My fingers slid along my skin much too easily. Slime.
"Yeugh," I muttered to myself, rubbing the sunscreen in some more. Darn my pale skin. My friends from Hogwarts had been talking to me about my "problem" ever since we were new thirteen-year-olds, like the ones near my lifeguard chair giggling at some hot male's picture in the magazine they were fingering through. In third year, just at the school year's beginning and end, my friends lay out in the sun trying to tan while I protected my skin from its kindly deceptive rays. Could I help it that as a redhead I came along with skin the whitest of whites? Honestly, I should just quit going to Hogwarts and make my way in the world as a porcelain china doll.
Granted, when I'm fifty, I'm going to look great. They'll all be so leathery and old-looking, and I'll still have the skin of a newborn. I'll be gorgeous. At least that's what I keep telling myself, anyway. I do have this habit of laughing at everything, even if it doesn't happen to be particularly funny at the time. But, of course, I laugh all the time, and with every laugh comes a laugh line under my cheekbones. Maybe I'll just stop thinking about how old I look until I actually get there. Then again, that won't help me. But hey, it's the bloody summertime, I'm lazy, and as Petunia says, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it!"
I released a sigh from my lungs as my arms dropped to my sides. Petunia was always trying to put things off…well, except calling me a freak, that is. You should see her when she gets mad! She didn't used to be that way, but ever since she started dating that walrus of a male, Vernon, she seems to get peeved at me much more easily than usual. It's quite laughable, sometimes. Her eyes bug out, the veins in her neck seem to spring forward, she seethes and hunches over and her hands become these claws that she can't use because she just finished painting her nails. She looks so funny, and I chuckled to myself just picturing her. I would laugh right in her face, but that would only make things worse between us. It's not as if there's hope for us, anyway, I thought as a sad smile crossed my face.
Out of the corner of my aviator shades I caught a few twelve-year-old boys from the neighborhood staring at me and snickering to one another…again. I looked down at myself. Drat, I thought. You know, growing up isn't as natural as some people think. You always assume yourself to be much younger than you actually are. And in this case, I keep thinking I'm still a kid when I'm actually all done growing and practically a woman by now. Next year in school is seventh year, so I'm getting close, anyway. As I looked down at myself discreetly so their immature eyes would not be following mine, I thought with slight annoyance with my absentmindedness, Merlin's beard, I'm developed. I knew I shouldn't have worn this bathing suit today.
It was a Tuesday, that group of boys' regular pool visit day. Merlin knows what they did the rest of the week when they were in and out of here, but I'd forgotten that they'd be here all day today. Did they plan on being here the days they knew I was lifeguarding? Sometimes I remember to wear a red one-piece, or a red tankini on these Tuesdays, but today I'd forgotten and gone with my favorite red bikini, of course.
I quite enjoy this lifeguarding job, actually. I'd gotten it over the summers I'd been home since I was fourteen, in hopes of appearing a bit more normal to Petunia. She may be a right fool, but she's still my sister and I still want us to get along. I tried, but even though getting this job didn't help my case out too much due to Petunia's pure stubbornness that I'd been so fortunate to inherit as well, I had always enjoyed swimming and being out in the sun, and besides, I made money this way. Merlin, I sure love summer.
But I didn't love those immature prats eying me now. Might as well torture them if they're being so rude, I thought to myself. I had no boss watching me right now, so I could stand to have a little fun. It isn't like any of those boys will ever have a chance with me, anyway. I'm seventeen, and they're twelve. Oh, please.
I stared at the space that was next to them, empty of persons, and lowered my shades from my eyes, raising an eyebrow smugly, allowing my light red lips to purse lightly. Sniggers emitted from their group immediately, and they hissed at one another before turning and waving at me. "Hi, Lily!" they called with failed attempts at deepening their voices. What came out was what sounded much younger than they actually were. I forced myself not to snort as I allowed my eyes to dart in their direction. Giving them a sophisticated nod of acknowledgement, I raised my sunglasses back up to my eyes and turned my gaze back to the afternoon play in the pool.
"Lily Evans, do my eyes deceive me, or do you go for younger men now?" a familiar, friendly voice asked me. I looked down from the chair to see two of my best friends, Hestia Jones and Alice Prewett with Frank Longbottom standing right next to the chair. I smiled down at them.
"Oh, Hestia. You know me all too well. I suppose you've caught me, now, haven't you? Say, what do you think of that blonde one over there?" I asked mischievously, jabbing my thumb in the giggling boys' direction. Yes, giggling. They were that young, after all, right?
Hestia laughed. "Nah. I think you'd be better off with that sandy-haired one, there." I shook my head with a chuckle and checked my sport watch.
"Lovely. Well, you all got here just in time." I fingered the whistle around my neck in between my lips and blew. "Break!" I yelled. Children began climbing out of the pool and heading back home with their mums for nap time. I eased off the chair and hopped down with a dive in. Close to middle of summer was the perfect time to be swimming because the water temperature was absolutely perfect. I let the water rush over my skin, through every hair follicle on my head, savoring its touch before I surfaced.
I tossed my hair back and ran my hands through the hair at the top of my head to get it out of my face. Hestia popped up next to me and splashed me. I'd already checked all the chemical levels during the last break, so I had this whole fifteen minutes to spend in the water. I splashed Hestia back, even bigger this time, and we soon were having an all-out war, to the trifling chagrin of Alice, who was still trying to put on tanning lotion. Ahh, yes, here we are back on the subject of Lily's sickly pale skin.
"Could you two keep it down in there? I'm trying to get a good complexion over here. Lily, do you want any?" she asked, offering me the bottle. Told you.
I shook my head. "Alice, I don't produce enough melanin for that stuff. It's only harmful, honest." Turning my eyes to Frank, I mouthed, "Sorry." He just smiled and threw his hands up in the air. I grinned. What a nice boyfriend he was. Alice must be so glad to have someone so willing to do anything for her. I just felt bad that he was the only guy here, so I splashed them both for good measure.
"Hey!" Alice screeched, annoyed. Frank was chortling and shaking all the water out of his hair, getting Alice even more wet. "Fra-ank," she complained.
"Oh, come on, love. You look great without that stuff! Besides," he said, taking the bottle from her and setting it on the ground, "It's almost four in the afternoon. You won't get much out of that, honestly." He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead determinedly. It worked. She beamed and hopped in next to Hestia and I, who had been watching the encounter with that awkward third-wheel feeling in our guts. As soon as she jumped in, the water only up to her waist, Hestia and I dunked her.
"LILY!" an annoyingly high-pitched voice screamed from the pool area's gate. I sighed, knowing who it was and turned around.
"Petunia, what is it? I'm working," I sighed. She was positively the last person I wanted to deal with at any given time of the day. Petunia stamped her foot and huffed.
"I can't find those black tights back at home and Vernon's coming to pick me up in half an hour! Where are they?" she whimpered like a little girl. Would it be for her benefit or mine to tell her how ridiculous she appeared to be right now?
I sighed, tolerating her antics. Was I used to it? Sure! Would I ever know how to handle her? Bloody hell, no. "Did you check the laundry?"
"Yes! And mum's room, and your room! Where else would they be?"
She went in my room. Again. I rolled my eyes. Petunia must have shown me the deed to my room before someone obliviated me, because I hardly remember her having rights to the place. "Your room?" I chided. Her eyes widened.
"Crap!" She turned on one heel and ran back the twenty yards to our house. I quelled the huff rising up in me and turned back to my friends.
"I am so sorry about that," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "I don't know what gets her so worked up all the time!" I leaned back and dipped the ends of my hair in the water.
"No worries, Lil. Petunia's always like that," Hestia said, rolling her eyes. "She has always been that way, though, hasn't she?" I shrugged.
"In a way, I suppose. Not as bad when we were children, though! We used to be best friends, even though she did have a tendency to use me as her doll sometimes." I shook my head and polished the shades on my aviators.
"She'll come around one of these days, Lily. I'm sure," Alice said, sounding less confident than she tried to. I half-smiled hopelessly.
"Maybe," I sighed. Noticing Frank sitting at the edge of the pool, awkwardly rubbing sunscreen on his shoulders and looking less than comfortable with this conversation, I changed the subject quickly. "So, what all has everyone been up to? I haven't seen you all for a few weeks!"
Alice then got to chatting about the two and a half weeks she'd spent in Greece…and then Frank said how much he'd missed her and she went into full "aww" girlfriend mode while Hestia and I shot looks at each other and scratched our heads uneasily. So Hestia told me about the time she was spending working on her broom skills, the number of times Sirius Black had sent her a prank in mail form that summer so far (to which I actually laughed for once...that wasn't Sirius' usual method of wooing, if that was what it was), and that she was going to stay at our mutual friend Dorcas Meadowes' family's friends' lake home in a week.
"Oh, Lily! I almost forgot! Dorcas asked me to invite you to come along too! Please? Alice might be going if her parents say it's all right, and Mary's going, and Dorcas knew I'd be seeing you today and thought that would be faster than by owl, so will you?" Hestia said quickly and excitedly. I laughed. Hestia was indeed the most charming girl I'd ever met.
"I'd love to, Hest! I'm sure my parents will be fine with that. For how long?"
"Just a few days. I know we'd all much rather be lazing around at home." Hestia smiled sweetly at me and twirled a lock of her very wavy, long black hair in her finger. I grinned back.
"But really, Hestia. With all the stress we get during the year, doing nothing is positively grand," I replied. Hestia frowned at me with a touch of sass in her gold eyes.
"Now, Lily, it's July. Do you honestly think I'd like to discuss school with you?" she inquired, peeved. I chuckled and shook my head.
"I don't believe so." It was time for me to get back up in the chair and announce the end of the break, but the only people around the pool right now were those tanning tweens and the group of twelve-year-old boys, who, thankfully, had been ignoring me while I took my break. All the other small families had gone back home for late lunch or nap time, but I still had to do my job. I hoisted myself out of the pool, blew on my whistle, and hollered, "Swim!"
The twelve-year-olds gladly jumped in, prompting the rolling of many of the tween girls' eyes. I rolled mine with them, but not because they were "childish and uncool." I smirked at the girls rubbing tanning lotion on themselves and flipping through magazines, betting myself that in a few moments the boys would be ogling them and flirting. I sniggered as Hestia dunked Alice again and climbed up into the chair, glad for the shade of the umbrella. As I began to rub more sunscreen on myself (with my skin you can never be too careful), Frank and I made a little good conversation while Alice chased Hestia around in the water attempting revenge.
"So, Lily, have you found out about being a Head yet?" he asked, smiling. I laughed and rubbed slime on my arm.
"Shucks, Frank, you make it sound like I'm already a Head student!"
"Don't be modest, Lily. We all know you're going to be Head Girl. There's nobody in our year who's more prepared for it than you," he said rather convincingly. I didn't argue, but I didn't outright agree with him, either.
"Well, Frank, I'm flattered, but no, I haven't heard anything yet. They won't let us know until we all get our letters. So, we'll see." I slipped my shades on and squirted more goop into my hand, reaching down my legs to rub it all in. Merlin, this was annoying. "Have you seen anyone over the summer, Frank?"
Frank nodded and splashed some water in his hair. "Yep! I bumped into James and Sirius a while back and we hung around a little bit. They're actually going to meet us down here a bit later."
My hands stopped chafing the sunscreen into my legs and my head snapped up from where it was focusing my view onto my feet. James Potter and Sirius Black were coming here? Today? Now? I wanted to leave…but, I realized, I was working, and couldn't. Hip hip bloody hurray.
I covered my reaction with a forced cough. "Oh…ahem…that's interesting…hack…sounds fun. Grrh. So, er, what'd you guys do?" I asked, trying to be polite. My disguise failed. Frank noticed my shock.
He emitted a small chuckle. "Lily, they aren't that bad," he said. I didn't say anything, but distracted myself by finishing off the sunscreen on my legs. I leaned back in the chair and bared my teeth at him, halfway between a smile and a gnash. He laughed. "I'm serious, Lily. They like to joke around, but they really are great friends and awesome guys."
"Well, Frank, my friend, that's good to know. Hey, you! Yes, you! No running! You'll crack your head open! I'm a lifeguard, not a surgeon!" I said to the air behind him, even though no one was actually running. It distracted him, though, and he turned to look, and I focused on the younger boys who were trying to coax the girls into the water. I snorted.
More families showed up around four-thirty that afternoon. I was off at six-thirty, so only two more hours to go and still no sign of Potter and Black. It eased my mind, to say the least. Hestia, Alice, and Frank had been in several splash fights, races, and resting sessions so far, during all of which I got to catch up with them.
Around four-forty-five, though, a problem arose. I had just called kid swim about five minutes earlier and was lounging in the tall, white, wooden lifeguard chair, looking forward to that hour of the day when I wouldn't have to put on sunscreen anymore, when a mum screamed. I stood up on the platform and looked to the woman, who was waving frantically at me and pointing in the middle of the very, very large deep end of the pool. I saw it immediately. A little brown-haired boy who looked around four years old, or at least way too inexperienced a swimmer to be in the deep end, had stopped moving entirely and was sinking.
I whipped off my shades and tossed them back into the chair. Gathering up all the strength my arms and legs could muster, I dove off the chair a long distance into the deep end, straight toward the child. He was already about five feet under the water and had six more to go.
Crashing beneath the surface, I tore at the water with my arms and legs and emerged on the surface. With quick strokes I was near him in seconds. I pushed myself underneath and swam down to him. Thankfully, he hadn't sunk all the way to the bottom just yet, but in my vision underwater, I noticed his lips were turning purple and he was even more pale than a person would appear underwater. I grabbed him by the arms and lifted him to the top, making sure to keep his head above water. With one arm and both my legs I propelled us to the edge of the pool, where I heaved him onto the pavement and climbed out quickly.
"Back up! Back up!" I shouted at the rubbernecking bystanders. They did as I said and I knelt next to the boy, turned him onto his stomach, wrapped my arms around his torso, and thrust my fists up into his rib cage. He began to heave in my arms. Whew, I thought. That was a good sign.
He coughed, and moments later, what appeared to be buckets of water mixed with vomit spilled onto the pavement. I heard several girlish shrieks, and assumed them to belong to the tween girls who had stopped tanning long enough to watch from their little salon area. Then the little boy started to sob. I looked up to his mother and motioned for her to follow me as I scooped him in my arms and hurriedly carried him to the medical facilities nearby. We got him into the building safely, but not before I passed by James Potter gaping at me in complete shock…or awe?