"Lily, sweetie. We have new neighbors and I want you and Petunia to deliver cookies to them. I'll stop by in a minute or two. I need to do the laundry." Lily sighed and put down her book. It was the first week of summer vacation, and she was already bored.
"Coming, mum!" Lily glanced down at her pale pink tank top, blue jean shorts, and her yellow flip flops. She shrugged at her appearance and headed down the stairs where her mom handed her a batch of homemade cookies.
"Can't see why I have to come," Petunia grunted and Lily rolled her eyes. Next door was a moving truck, and they walked towards the front door slowly.
"Anyone home?" Lily asked after ringing the doorbell and waiting patiently.
"Yes, come in! You are-?" a kind lady said.
"I'm Lily and-"
"I'm Petunia," her sister cut in bossily. "We live next door to the right."
"Welcome to the neighborhood," Lily said sweetly. "We brought you some cookies."
"Oh, I'm sure my son and husband will enjoy these." The lady smiled back warmly. Petunias' eyes lit up at the word 'son.' "My husband isn't here now, but I'll get my son." Lily and Petunia waited in the living room and the lady called up the stairs,
"Honey? Get down here. We have visitors. They're our new neighbors." A teenage boy walked down the stairs talking his sweet time. He was picking a piece of lint of his shirt.
"Hey, it's nice to meet you. I'm-" he looked up and his mouth dropped. He then smiled warmly.
"Lily! It's great to see you. You haven't answered my letters." Lily, too, had her mouth dropped.
"Potter? Do you live here now?" she asked shocked. Mrs. Potter looked at the two. James was grinning happily and Lily looked horrified.
"You must be Lily Evans, then. James talks about you a lot." James turned bright red but determinedly looked Lily in the eyes.
"Yes," Lily answered simply.
"Who are you?" James asked Petunia bluntly turning to look at her. Petunia turned a deep red as she blushed.
"I-I'm Petunia. Lily's older sister." Petunia battered her eyelashes. "You are James Potter. Pleasure to meet you." She held out a hand and James shook it with his eyebrow raised.
"So you too go to school together? I know all about you, Lily. From James, of course. What about you, Petunia?" Mrs. Potter asked politely.
"She's a muggle," Lily said. They all jumped when they heard a knock on the door. Mrs. Evans walked in and introduced herself. When she found out that the boy was James Potter, her eyes became as round as galleons.
"This is James? He seems like a very pleasant boy, Lily," her mother said to her youngest daughter.
"Believe me, looks aren't everything," Lily muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Mrs. Potter grinned and nodded and Petunia smiled sorrowfully at James. She seemed to be apologizing for her sister.
"So, Lily. If you talk to everyone about me, you must like me, huh?"
"Get lost, Potter."
"Do you like me?"
"Hmm. Let's think. NO!"
"Well, want to go out with me?"
"NO!" Lily glared at him.
"Lily, watch your tone," Mrs. Evans said to her daughter. Petunia looked shocked that someone would say 'no' to James.
"But mum. I'm going into fifth year and he's already asked me out 50 times!"
"63 times," James muttered. They all stared at him.
"You counted!"
"Well, yeah."
"Awe, Potter. That's so cute," Lily said with kindness in her voice. Then she added sharply, "Too bad I'll never go out with you."
"Please Lily?" James asked on his knees. The two had forgotten that both their moms and Petunia were there watching them watching the scene intensely.
"Never! Besides I'm dating someone else." They stared at Lily with surprise.
"Who? I don't remember that," Mrs. Evans said softly.
"I haven't told you yet."
"Who is this person? I'm going to kill them!" James said fiercely.
"Potter? Can I talk to you for a minute, alone?" Lily asked smiling sweetly and James looked delighted. He leapt up and grabbed her hand. She wrenched it away. They headed for the kitchen.
"So who is this person?" James asked quietly knowing that this is what she wanted to talk about.
"Colin-nobody that you know," Lily hoped this lie would convince James. "And if you touch a hair on his head . . ." she added threateningly motioning with her hands that she would kill him.
"Yeah right. I'll find out and this person will get hurt!" James said and Lily smiled sweetly. She opened the door. As their moms and Petunia came in, James and Lily leaned in towards each other. James was about to kiss her, when she slapped him hard across the face.
"You will do no such thing, Potter!" she said as he held his stinging cheek. With that, Lily walked out the door.
"Lily, wait!" he called desperately after her.
"Probably going to find Snape," Petunia whispered.
"She-WHAT! Where does he live?"
"Spinners end, but they will either be at the playground or the lake. More of a chance on the playground." James ran out the door chasing after Lily.
"Hey, Lils. What's wrong?"
"I can't stand him!"
"What do you mean, Lils?"
"Potter! He moved next door. I can't believe it. You know how much I hate him!"
"Potter lives next door to you?"
"Yep," Lily said throwing a rock hard into a bush. James snuck behind a tree unnoticed by both of them. He had heard everything so far.
"It's alright, Lils."
"No it isn't! I can't stand him or the others. But Potter's such an arrogant toe rag!" Lily yelled. James smiled to himself. He decided to reveal himself now.
"Hey Lils! I was wondering where you went!" he said.
"DON'T CALL ME LILS!" she roared.
"Why? He can." James said staring at Snape.
"Well Severus is my friend. Too bad I can't say the same for you, but you don't have any friends," she said.
"Ah, come on, Lily! Just go out with me once!"
"No – wait a second. Do want me to go out with you so you could have dated every girl in our year in Gryffindor, and the year above and below?"
"No! Of course not!" James said truthfully. Although now that she said it . . .
"Good. But I won't go out with you anyways." Lily waved to Snape and walked off to her house.
