Disclaimer: Obviously, I am not as incredibly talented as the fantastic J.K. Rowling, as I am only a student who pretends she can write. All thing Harry Potter belong to Jo Ro
A.N.: This is the first fanfic I have ever, ever, ever published, so be wary of failure :) James/Lily This is the Prologue, and I am just setting things up. The entire story won't take place with the cast as first years, have no fear!
It started off in hatred. From the very first train ride to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lily Evans knew beyond a doubt that she hated James Potter. They were eleven years old and had barely met, and she knew she never wanted to be his friend, never. She supposed it was because of Severus. Severus Snape was the only wizard Lily knew, and she knew him simply because he had chosen her. Lily realized he was special and promised herself to never stop being his friend because nobody had ever chosen her first when Petunia was around. And Petunia, it seemed, was always around.
But on September the first of 1971, when Lily stepped through the barrier and entered Platform Nine and three-quarters excited and scared at the same time, searching for Sev in the crowd surrounding the scarlet steam-engine that would take her to Hogwarts, she held her head high in the knowledge that for the first time in her young life, she wouldn't be compared to her beautiful sister. Even at the age of eleven, Lily felt she would never be as beautiful and graceful as her sister. She envied her; but Petunia envied Lily right back. Petunia was jealous of Lily's magic and, though she wouldn't openly admit it to her, she wanted to be special like her sister. Petunia had even written to the Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, and asked him to allow her to attend Hogwarts as well.
With Severus' help, Lily had found that letter. Professor Dumbledore's reply had been very kind, but when she said as much to her sister, Petunia turned on her heel and flounced off to their parents side with a vicious call of "freak" over her shoulder. Embarrassed and upset, Lily boarded the train with a swift farewell to her parents and tears in her eyes. She crashed immediately into a boy with mussed black hair and hazel eyes that danced with excitement. He stood to the right of another boy who was slightly more slender than the first, with longer, darker hair and dark eyes that were shy and pleased at the same time. They were dressed in Muggle clothes, like Lily, and thus were new first years. The boy on the right smiled at her.
"Problems with your sister there?" he asked, smirking. Lily glared at him, fighting back tears she refused to spill in front of him.
"It's none of your business. Leave me alone," she snapped at him, walking away to continue her search for Sev down the crowded hallway. To her dismay, the boys stepped up on either side of her.
"Well now that wasn't very nice, was it, Sirius?" said the first boy, addressing his friend on Lily's left.
"Not at all, James. We only wanted to make friends." He smiled at Lily, though she tried vainly to ignore him. "I'm Sirius, Sirius Black. This little toe rag is James Potter. And you are?"
"I'm trying to find someone. I don't want to be your friend." Lily walked faster, trying to hide her annoyance by throwing them off, but James and Sirius just kept pace with her.
"Ouch," said James, pretending to be hurt. "And here I thought you would be nice, Ginger." Lily stopped and turned sharply to face him.
"Don't you dare call me that, Potter." She groaned internally as she caught the smirk he sent over her head to Sirius. Great, Lily, now you've done it. He's going to call you that forever now. "Look, I'm sorry; I'm just trying to find my friend. He's around here somewhere"
"You actually have a friend, Ginger?" Potter smirked down at her. "Why are you so mean to us then? They must be pretty special to want to be friends with you."
"Yeah," said Sirius, coming over to stand next to James so he could face Lily. "Who is this guy? I want to give him a medal." Lily glared at the two of them and opened her mouth to reply when—
"I hope they aren't bothering you, Lily." Lily gasped in relief.
"Sev! I thought I'd never find you. This is James Potter and Sirius Black, and they are incredibly annoying" She turned back to face James and Sirius, only to see distaste written across their faces. "Um..." she managed, and glanced at Sev only to see pure hatred in his eyes.
"No need to introduce us, Ging. Or, should I say, Lily," sneered Sirius. His tone was cold and revolted. "Now that we know the kind of scum you hang out with I guess we don't need to be friends." James shot him a look.
"No need to be so harsh, mate," he muttered under his breath, but Sirius didn't seem to hear him.
"No, it's fine," said Lily. "If you don't like Sev then I don't like you." She turned back to face Severus. "Did you already have a compartment? I don't fancy joining them." Severus turned his large, black eyes on her wonderingly.
"Yeah," he said. "There's nobody else there, though."
"That's just fine." Lily turned back to Sirius and James, a guarded look in her eye. "See you around, Potter, Black." Then, grabbing Sev's arm, she turned and headed the way she had come.
"Hey, Ginger! Ginger!" James called down the hallway. Lily ignored him, continuing to drag Sev with her. "Lily!" she stopped in shock at the use of her full name, and turned warily to face him.
"What?" James paused, surprised by her acknowledgement. He glanced at Severus, and his eyes had hardened with hatred when he met Lily's gaze again.
"Don't get too caught up with him, Ging, or you'll end up in Slytherin. Which is a shame, because you look like you're a decent person. I'd choose your friends more carefully if I were you." Lily stared at him in shock, her eyes narrowing slowly. Tossing back her dark red hair and pulling herself up to her full height, Lily glared at James.
"I'll be in Slytherin as long as I don't have to be with you. You make me sick." She glanced at Sirius, too, who reeled back from the vehemence of her stare. "Both of you do." They four of them were quiet for a split second, and Lily's shoulders stiffened. "I hate you, James Potter." She turned on her heel and fled. James, Sirius, and Severus were still for a second, and then Snape took off after her, calling her name.
Lily had jumped into the nearest empty compartment and shut the door. She refused to let Snape in for a whole five minutes, instead shaking with anger at herself and at that infuriating James Potter and his absolute jerk of a friend, Sirius Black. This was not how she had expected her first day to go. When she finally let Snape in, they carefully avoided the topic of what had just happened and instead talked about what they thought the school would be like until the train arrived at Hogwarts.
What she hadn't seen, when she ran away from he first fight with Sirius and James, was the look that crossed James' face. It was shocked and hurt and sad all at once, like he had seen something he desperately wanted and held it in his hands for a fleeting moment before it was torn away from him. It was a look of realization that he would never have that fiery, shining girl who had just stood before him and rebuked him. James Potter was too young to understand what love was, but still he found himself angry and hurt and a little bit jealous. He couldn't understand exactly what he was feeling, except that he wanted to hate that stupid, ginger Lily with all his heart, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
Sirius, though he didn't tell James, was rather impressed by Lily. He decided it was his new duty to annoy her if only to have her react like that again. He pulled James off to their compartment and listened to him complain on about her for the entire trip to Hogwarts. Something big just happened, he thought, for he had known James his entire life and he'd never once seen him get so worked up about someone who wasn't his father. They pulled on their Hogwarts robes while James continued to gripe about that "annoying short ginger and that slimy git she hangs around with" and Sirius called Severus "Snivellus" to James' amusement.
Severus and Lily and James and Sirius climbed out of the train to the sounds of "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" and followed the huge gamekeeper, Hagrid, to a fleet of small boats along with the rest of the new first years. Sirius managed to get him and James into the same boat as Severus and Lily much to James' delight and Lily's disgust. With a constant stream of annoying comments from the two boys directed at Lily and Snape (but mostly to Snape), the boats floated off to the school. Lily found she couldn't be bothered to pay attention when the imposing silhouette of the castle was looming over her, growing steadily larger until all the first years and Hagrid were swallowed up by the bowels of the school.
Nervous and shaking, the first years gathered in the magnificent Entrance Hall. Lily, who had never seen anything as large as the Hall, gazed around with her mouth open, shivering in anticipation. Then a severe-looking woman entered, introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, and instructed them all to follow her into another room. They were to be sorted into the four different Houses—Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin— by the ancient and dusty Sorting Hat that rested on a creaky, three-legged stool.
Sirius was called first, and the Hat was placed on his head. After a moment of deliberation, a rip at the brim of the Hat opened wide and shouted out "Gryffindor!" to the room and Sirius joined Gryffindor House, leaping up from the stool with a smile on his face. Lily was sorted into Gryffindor House as well, and she ran off to join her new classmates with a quick, sad smile up at Severus. Sirius scooted up along the bench to make room for her. She sat, recognized him from the train and the boats, and turned her back on him, crossing her fingers in her lap that Snape would join her against all odds. James' name was called before Snape's, and the Hat had barely touched his head when it declared him to be yet another Gryffindor. Lily grimaced at her unfortunate luck, and hoped that she would have someone to talk to who wasn't a total jerk in her grade.
And then it was Severus' turn. Lily crossed all her fingers, knocked on wood, held her breath, and hoped. Snape went on the stool, and the Hat went on Snape. A second passed that felt like an eternity, and the rip opened again and declared him a Slytherin. Lily deflated. James leaned up behind her, without quite knowing why, and hissed into her ear: "I told you so. But I'm glad we're in the same house."
She whirled to face him. "Don't you make fun of me, James Potter. You're a right pig and an absolute jerk." James' eyes were wide, and he almost looked hurt.
"I was being serious," he muttered, and turned around again to talk to Sirius in hushed tones. Lily tried not to mope, and stared at the golden plate in front of her while the Sorting continued and finally ended. A creak from the High Table and the following susurration of silence that swept the Hall caught her attention. Professor Dumbledore was standing with arms open and beaming smile on his wrinkled face. His long, silver beard reached the middle of his chest, and his bright blue eyes twinkled merrily.
"To all new students, welcome; to all returning students, welcome back," he began, in a voice that danced with the joy his eyes showed. "There is a time for speeches and there is a time for feasting. Thankfully, this is the time for the latter. Dig in!" And with that, foods of all kinds appeared on the golden platters and dishes before her. Lily, wide-eyed with wonder and tingling with excitement, stared down the table and decided this wasn't quite as bad a beginning to the school year as she had thought. She caught Sirius' eye and smiled at him before helping herself to some boiled potatoes.
Whatever else you may be, Lily, you are a positive person, she thought. You'll make this all work out.
And Lily Evans, young and nervous and happy and excited and a little bit sad all at once, began her very first year at Hogwarts in a feast with her best friend on the other side of the Hall and her new enemy seated next to her.
A.N.: What do you think? I would love love love some feedback! You are wonderful if you read this, and even more wonderful if you review. Free Tom Hiddleston's to anyone who thinks this is good enough for a real continuation.
Love,
Em xx