My very first Harry Potter Story! Read and enjoy! And please don't be offended by poor grammar or spelling mistakes! My only excuse is that I'm no native speaker!

Disclaimer: Sadly, nothing belongs to me and everything to JKRowling!

Who we think we are

Chapter 1

"Who do you think you are, girl?"

What a tough question for young Lily Evans! Who did she think she was? Teenage girl, young adult, student, waitress, witch, friend, sister, orphan? She didn't have the slightest clue.

"Oi, girl, I've asked you a question! Who do you think you are to meddle with my business? Can't a guy have a drink or two without other people commenting about it?"

Of cause he could. However, it was only two o'clock in the afternoon and the ragged middle-aged man had not consumed one or two but more likely about six or seven full glasses of firewhiskey. There were many things that could be said about Lily Evans but not that she was an irresponsible young woman. She took her given tasks very seriously which is why she had politely stated that her scruffy customer in the thick black woollen cloak with the fingerless black gloves half lying on her counter has had enough to drink for at least the rest of the day.

"I'm not quite able to answer your question to the whole extent, but what I can say is that I am most certainly your waitress for the evening and in this position, I can offer you a glass of water, a hot cocoa with or without cream or our home-made pumpkinjuice. You are drunk enough as it is and the Leaky Cauldron is not the right place to drink oneself into unconsciousness. The new Hogwarts year is starting soon and children are passing through every other minute. Therefore I kindly ask you to sober up or to leave the locality."

Working in the Leaky Cauldron throughout the summer holidays has proven to be a very good choice to spend the endless amount of days before Lily could finally return to school in a productive manner. It was a good thing to keep herself occupied and busy with work that forced her to focus on the many simple and manual tasks ahead and left no room to linger in dark thoughts. She never would have expected it, but after five weeks of lodging with Tom, the tooth- and hairless innkeeper, the dark and shabby pub felt almost a little like home. However, after her parents passed away last spring her expectations for a place to call "home" weren't very high to begin with.

A the sloppy drunk presented her his most venomous smirk. He had barely no teeth left but unlike Tom, the innkeeper, the man's upper and lower jaw still contained little brown and black rotten stumps where once his intact teeth would have been. And unlike Tom, his deformed grin contained no trace of kindness but mainly condescension. Suddenly, a grimy hand grabbed the front part of Lily's white apron, forcing her to become face to face with her offender. Within spitting distance, the drunken man smelled like stale urine and foul breath. Lily was about to reach for her wand which she always kept in reaching distance inside her little frilly apron pocket when somebody loudly called across the room. "Hey, you bastard! Get your filthy hands off of her!"

The drunken man turned is yellowish eye away from Lily's green ones towards the harsh voice's source.

"Don't see that this is your business, my lad!", the drunken man mumbled.

"Well, I don't agree!", said the newcomer and punched the other man directly into the face knocking him out cold. Lily stared at her saviour in bewilderment.

"What a pleasure to see your pretty face in this filthy dosshouse, Evans!", said Sirius Black.

He smiled his most enchanting smile at Lily and to common knowledge this was a gesture reserved for special occasions and few very lucky individuals only. Lily smiled back at him, for the first time in her life actually happy to see him.

"I wouldn't have thought it, but I'm strangely glad to see you too, Black! Thanks, by the way, even though your intervention wouldn't have been necessary."

Lily finally pulled her wand up from beneath the counter where she had quitted her intended wand movement of defence for the benefit of her unasked saviour to make sure he knew that his assistance was indeed not needed.

"Yeah, I know that you can take care of yourself, Evans! I mean, you are a feisty little fighter, no offence! I like that in you!", Sirius said and winked at her with a mischievous sparkle in his light grey eyes.

Over the summer holidays Lily had almost forgotten how ridiculously handsome he was, but now standing in front of her clearly in one of his better moods and with the intention of twisting her around his little finger, she suddenly remembered why he was so immensely popular with all the other girls. It wasn't his aristocratic rebel look that made the girls swoon, but the fact that he distributed his attention only to those worthy of his time which was what made the merest acknowledging nod seem like a rare and precious gift coming from him. Many girls and women around the country were willing to pay a high price for his attention. However Lily Evans was not one of his many admirers. She found him to be rather arrogant and she wasn't a person who could be impressed by good looks only.

"Well, can I offer you an exploding lemonade for your services?"

"Exploding lemonade - what would that be?", a doubtful Sirius asked.

"Well, the name sums it up quite nicely! Every sip is a taste explosion! Want to try it?"

"Not really, thanks! I'd much rather have a glass of firewhiskey!"

Lily looked sternly at him.

"Just kidding, darling! I mean, there are children passing through every other minute at this time of the day!", said Sirius while winking at her. "So tell me, what in Merlin's name are you doing behind this counter?"

Before Lily could answer to this question, a group of three young man came stumbling through the front door which connected the wizarding pub with the muggle part of London. All three newcomers were laughing loudly at a joke that the tallest of the three had clearly made only seconds ago.

"And then he said – and I swear, I myself couldn't believe the exact extent of his stupidity – he said: well, I have to talk to my wife fist, but I'll think about your offer! Flubberworms do sound to be quite fascinating pets! I mean – flubberworms – honestly!" The other two young man roared with laughter about the anecdote the young man named James Potter had just told them while the bespectacled jokester himself seemed to be quite smug about his last coup.

"Hey Prongs! Over here guys!", Sirius called out to the group. James and the other two boys turned around searching for the voice calling them up.

"Padfoot! What are you already doing in here? We agreed to meet outside! We thought you got lost or something!", James said while making his way through the dimly lit room towards the pub's bar. Recognizing the group of people who had just entered, Lily turned around quickly and pretended to polish some glasses. She had no intention of making small talk with James Potter and the whole lot of his friends while wearing the hideous apron that was part of her work outfit. Actually, she had no intention of making conversation with them whatsoever.

"Nah, heard some voices an thought I'd better take a look at what was going on in here! As I might say, a very wise decision! I came to rescue this beautiful young lady from her ugly tormentor!"

Sirius laughed at his friend while gesturing towards the unconscious drunk to his feet.

"Sure you haven't started with the firewhiskey without us, Padfoot? I see no Lady in danger!", the smallest of the group asked. He was the only one of the four friends who wasn't tall and lean but rather plumb.

Sirius laughed his very own bark-like laughter.

"I'm quite sure, Wormtail! Evans, hey Evans! Turn around and show us your face!"

Lily simply couldn't hide between her dirty glasses and empty bottles anymore. Sighing, she turned around of her hiding place in the shadow to face the four boys.

"Welcome to the Leaky Chauldron! What can I do for you guys?", she said with a rather fake smile.

Three mouths fell open and three pair of eyes looked at her incredulously.

A very thin and sickly looking boy, who appeared to be much older than only 17 was the first one to find his voice.

"Oh, hello to you too, Lily! What a surprise to see you here!", said Remus Lupin

"Hey Evans!", little Peter Pettigrew mumbled somehow still confused.

"I always thought there was this guy who runs the pub! Tim, no, Tom it was or something like that. Wasn't it, guys? The bloke who had no teeth left!"

"Don't worry Pettigrew, Tom is still the landlord, I simply work here during the holidays!", Lily answered the boy's question.

James Potter was the last to come out of his stupor. "What the hell Evans, this is really no place for you to be!"

"Thanks for your concern Potter, but I think I can decide for myself were I like to be and where not!"

Sirius, still leaning lazily at the counter pulled one eyebrow up as Lily made her statement.

"Well, I've just seen something else! Nice company you keep here, trying to choke you or even worse!" At this news, James begin to look alarmed.

"Who choked her?"

"This guy!", Sirius said while kicking the unconscious man behind his bar stool with his foot. "But I took care of it! I rescued you like a knight in shining armour, didn't I, Evans!"

Lily murmured something unintelligible to herself.

"What did you just say, Evans?", asked Sirius while smiling impertinently.

Lily looked at him annoyed and put her hands to her hips – a habit of hers that expressed increasing annoyance.

"I said: Yes, Black, you are my hero of the day! Now, please guys, I have a lot of guest right now and unlike you actual work to do so please let me be and do whatever you came here to do!"

With that Lily turned around and left the counter to wait on her other guests. She took extra time taking the orders and having some polite chit-chat with those who seemed nice enough to have a little talk with. By the time she was finished with her round, her four classmate were gone. Lily was glad for it. Still, it had been nice to see a few well-known faces for a change. She was really looking forward to the beginning of the new school year in less than a week from that day on.

Sirius, Remus, Peter and James left the pub through the back door as it became evident that Lily wouldn't come back to them and found themselves standing in a chilly courtyard full of empty cardboard boxes, wooden barrels and loaded dustbins.

"Well, what a surprise it must have been for you, James! You've gotten your daily dose of Evans and school hasn't even started yet!", Sirius, clearly amused.

James couldn't laugh about his friends comment. He was fuming

"Yeah, surprise indeed! Why did you have to play the hero, Padfoot? Couldn't you have waited for a minute or so to let me help her too?"

"Sorry, mate, the situation called for my immediate attention! Or would you rather have her felt up by that ugly bastard?"

James only shook his head in response, still annoyed.

"C'mon guys, stop the bickering!", Remus brought them to reason.

"We have more important things to do! Padfoot will let you play the hero next time James, won't you Padfoot?"

"I quite liked myself in that role, but yeah, I defer to you the next time, Prongs!"

"Yeah, right! Let's go guys!", James said and tapped the bricks in the wall in front of him in an anti-clockwise order, causing the bricks to rearrange themselves into the entrance to the famous Diagon Alley. The four friends spend the rest of the day happily strolling around the cobblestoned wizarding shopping street. Only one of them was a little ill-humoured. James Potter simply hated the fact, that Lily Evans seemed to like each and everyone of his friends better than James himself.

I hope you had fun reading the first chapter! I would be eternally grateful for a short review!

Yours, Julia