Hi. I am fascinated by the story of Lily and James. So I decided to give it a shot and write one myself. It is completely canon, however, I'm trying to add some interesting twists in too. It will focus mainly on Lily's pov, but I'll probably end up adding in James and Severus a little too. Hopefully this chapter isn't too boring- I had to set a backdrop for the story. I also want to start and end each chapter of with a quote from a song or poem. Please read and review. I don't care how harshly critical your review is as long as you do review. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's not mine.
"It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away"
The sun was shining from high in the sky, its bright rays beaming down through the blue hemisphere- bare except for a filmy cloud a couple miles away. A bird chirped from one of the few trees bordering the meadow, and its call was answered by another, higher chirp. A beautiful floral scent of mixed flowers, grass, and pine ran throughout the air. It was explained by the tall meadow grass and the flowers scattered throughout. They were a rainbow of colors but the most prominent of them were the white daisies and yellow sunflowers. The meadow's plants swayed slightly with the wind and all was quiet.
I picked a flower from the meadow, taking care not to pull it up by the roots. It was a daisy with pink petals and the only one of its kind I could find. My face broke up into a grin, the corner of my eyes crinkling in excitement. It was my sister Tuney's favorite flower. Upon further inspection, I realized it was dry and rather lifeless; its petals drooped and the smaller leaves were turning brown.
I looked over at Tuney. She was giggling, her blonde hair a bright yellow in the sunlight, her cheeks flushed from the fresh air. She twirled around and her blue skirt floated. "Tuney, look what I found," I shouted deciding to show her the flower despite its flaws. With a squawk, a bird flew from a tree a couple yards away. My loud voice had startled it.
She bounded over to me, practically skipping. "What," she shouted back, even though she was right next to me. I found her excitement contagious though and practically shoved the daisy in her face. "A pink daisy," she exclaimed. "Must be my lucky day."
"It's flawed," I pointed out. "Look at the petals."
"What are you talking about?" Tuney asked. "It's petals are the best I've ever seen."
I glanced down at the flower and gasped. It was huge! The petals were twice the size they used to be, and they were bright and open with no trace of the dry imperfection they used to be. "B- but that's not possible," I said.
Tuney ignored me and grabbed my arm and looped her arm through it. "Come on," she said. "Let's skip."
I could never resist Tuney, so we skipped across the meadow giggling. I hadn't been this happy in a while. Not since the accident six months ago. We collapsed to the ground in a pile before straightening up.
"Here," Tuney said softly and stuck the daisy in my hair.
"But that's yours," I protested.
"I know," Tuney smiled. "And I want you to wear it. It looks better on you."
It was an obvious lie. The pink blended in with my bright red hair, but I reached over and gave her a hug for saying it anyway.
"Girls, it's time to go," my mom's voice rang out from the road. Tuney got up and pulled me with her.
We walked to the car in silence: our shared smiles said everything. I opened the car door and let Tuney in before jumping in after her. Tuney poked my shoulder and then pointed at our parents. They were holding hands.
"Lily, it's time to get up!"
I felt the comforting presence of my yellow quilt disappear as my mom pulled the blanket off. I got up slowly. I hadn't been asleep. I'd been remembering how things used to be. Before my sister hated me, before my mom started drinking, before my dad decided he needed a break. Before I became the scared person I was today.
My mom had already left the room in her haste. I walked off the pink rug and over to my dresser which had a suitcase next to it. "Shoot, a suitcase!" I shrieked. I glanced over at my calendar to confirm it. It was definitely September 1st, the first day of my fifth year at Hogwarts. I was finally a prefect, something I'd been dreaming of for nearly five years, ever since Professor McGonagall said I'd be perfect for the job.
I got ready stunningly fast. Within thirty minutes I was showered, dressed, and lugging my suitcase into the kitchen. It smelled of the familiar mouthwatering aroma of-
"Hey honey, I made you pancakes," my mom said. I sat down at the table across from Tuney.
"Thanks, mummy," I said. I got up and hugged her before sitting down again. "I really appreciate it."
Tuney snorted, her mouth already full of pancake, "I still don't see why I have to go."
"Stop it Tuney, we're going as a family and that's final," my mom replied.
"Dad's not going," Tuney said.
"Your father will be meeting us at the station," Mom said. "In fact we'd better leave now. We don't want to be late."
I got up, pancakes forgotten. I couldn't believe Tuney would talk to mom about dad like that. It was a low blow and she knew it.
We went outside, and I put the suitcase in the back of our truck and was just climbing into the passenger door when I realized I'd forgotten my teddy bear. I ran back into my room and grabbed my bear of my bed. "I'm sorry I almost forgot you Beary," I looked down at his black eyes fondly before running back downstairs and into the car.
Tuney raised her eyebrows at me before snorting. "What. I can't sleep without him," I said.
We finally drove off but our trip was cut short after a couple of blocks. We'd stopped in front of a small brick house. Mom honked on the horn and a tall lanky teen stepped outside. He got in the car and as we drove off, I could hear his dad scream not to come home next year. I cringed at this. I hated the way Sev's family treated him.
I turned to my best friend and squealed before throwing my arms around him. "Sev, we're going back to Hogwarts today. Isn't this so exciting?"
Sev gently pried me off of him. If I didn't know better, I would've sworn he was blushing. "I dunno flower. I kinda like the summers when you and me can hang out whenever we want. School just... complicates things."
I glared at him. "Oh no Sev, don't tell me you're gonna hang out with those jerks again."
"Lily, you know they're my only friends besides you. "
"But Sev, they're bullies. They treat people... people like me horribly. And they plan on joining You-Know-Who when they graduate-"
"Who's this 'You- Know- Who' person, Lily," my mom asked cheerfully. " A guy you like?"
"Yeah... a guy I like, mom," I said quickly, while exchanging looks with Sev. I still hadn't told mom about Voldemort and his army. I wasn't planning on telling her either. Most muggles live their lives in ignorant bliss, and I wanted to protect my mom. There was no reason to worry her.
My mom looked at me all teary-eyed. "Aw, my baby's growing up. I remember your first crush on-"
"We're here," I said, grateful for an excuse to change the subject. Sev didn't need to know who I liked when I was twelve. I was immature back then.
Sev and I got out of the car. I hugged my mom good-bye. She was a great mother but was too scared to walk through the wall to get to the train. "I love you mom," I told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you too honey," she said. "Remember to write me every week and be careful." We looked at each other for a couple of seconds before Sev cleared his throat. "Well you guys better go then. Your dad is waiting by the platform."
I nodded and jerked my head at Tuney. "Bye Tuney," I said. She ignored me, and I headed off with my suitcase while my mum shouted at us to be safe.
We stopped at the front of the station and sat on a bench to wait. We'd been waiting for quite a while, and I was becoming anxious. I looked at my watch. The train was leaving in fifteen minutes and my daddy was supposed to meet us nearly half an hour ago. I had to say hi to my friends before getting situated in the prefect's compartment. "He's not coming'" I said, stating the obvious.
Sev linked arms with me. "It's okay. You've got me," he said, and I could tell by the earnest look in his eyes that he was sincere. I smiled at him. He was one of the few constants in my life, and I loved him for that.
I sighed as we walked through the platform wall together. I had missed Hogwarts so much and the train's appearance made me feel safe and at home. Just like how I felt with Sev.
"I'm going to go find an empty compartment. I don't want to get stuck with anyone," Sev said and I nodded. Now that he didn't have me to sit with, he had no other compartment to join.
I hugged him goodbye. "See ya soon," I muttered.
He walked off, and I spotted my best girlfriends Mary McDonald and Marlene McKinnon. They were leaning against one of the compartments as they talked. I ran over to them. "Hey, you guys," I said and grabbed them both into a hug. "Ooh I've missed you all so much."
I pulled away from the hug as they squealed. "Same here," Mary said and Marlene nodded in agreement.
"You guys both grew," I accused them.
"And you didn't at all," Marlene said with a snicker.
"Yup, you'll always be our little baby Liwy," said Mary. I hated it when she called me that. It wasn't my fault I was so short.
"How was your guys' summer?" I asked them both.
"It was okay," Mary said. "I spent the entire time at my grandparents'house sipping tea and knitting."
"That sucks," I said trying to seem sympathetic. Her summer sounded a lot better than mine.
"Well mine was great. I stayed with all my American cousins and we spent the summer swimming, fishing, and tanning," Marlene said. Her father was American and she had three cousins her age over there, they were pretty close.
"What about you," Marlene asked me. I opened my mouth to reply.
"Hey, have you guys seen James, Sirius, or Remus," someone asked from behind me and I turned around with a jump.
"Oh. Peter, you scared me," I said. I stared at him. "Wait a second... did you grow?" I asked. he looked a couple inches taller than when I'd last seen him but at least his cheeks were as round as ever. He was adorable like a little kid. Even though he was taller than me now. "Aaaaw Little Petey grew," I said, and he blushed. We had become friends over the past year when he asked for my help in charms. Even though his best friends James and Sirius bullied Sev, I forgave him. Sev hung out with bad seeds too. It didn't make either one of them a bad person.
Marlene rolled her eyes at me. "We just got here, sorry. You'd better leave though before they see you and come over here. Remus is alright, but I don't wanna deal with James or Sirius," Marlene said. I wished she didn't have to be so blunt but that was just the way she was. You get used to it after a while.
"Too late for that," Mary said. She didn't seem too upset and I knew why. She had a crush on Sirius just like half the boys at our school.
"Hello ladies... and Pete," James said. He ruffled his already messy black hair.
James, Sirius, and Remus stood before us. They'd all grown too and now towered over me. "It's not fair. How come everyone grew but me?" I whined.
James eyes twinkled in amusement. "That's not exactly true Evans," he said. "You might not have gotten taller, but you did grow in other places," he winked at me, and I stiffened at his suggestive smile. James was such a jerk.
"Go away James," Mary said. I knew it hurt her to say that because if James left then so did Sirius.
"Remus," I said excitedly, "you're prefect." Remus was wearing a shiny badge similar to mine. I was glad Remus got prefect. He worked hard and no one deserved it more than him.
"Yes I am. Congratulations on getting prefect also," Remus said. He seemed grateful for the subject change.
"We better head toward our compartment then," I said. I was glad Remus got prefect because, unlike his friends he was polite and respectful. He never pranked Sev either.
James glared at us. "Prefects have to sit together in the heads compartment," Remus explained. "With the other prefects," he added quickly.
I waved at Mary, Marlene, and Peter. "You can tell us about your summer later then," Marlene said.
We walked off in silence. "Sorry about James's comment," Remus muttered to me so quiet I almost didn't hear him.
"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong," I told Remus while waving at a couple of Ravenclaw girls I knew. "Anyway, how was your summer?" I asked Remus.
"It was alright mostly," Remus said. "I spent the last two months at James's house. What about you?"
I thought for a second. "It was also mostly alright. I spent a lot of time with Sev. He lives a couple of blocks away from me." I didn't want him to know about my family problems. It was embarrassing.
"So that's why you and Sev have been friends since first year. I'd always wondered," Remus mused.
We arrived at the compartment and got in. The head boy was Hufflepuff student Chase Gebley who always got top grades, and the head girl was a Ravenclaw student named Joan Burks who was also a top student.
"Okay, so let's make this quick because we don't all fit in here," Chase said. "Everyone here is a prefect and is expected to perform a duty to the school. That includes helping students in need regardless of what house they're in. It also means that everyone will be attending meetings every Tuesday evening and Sunday afternoon." There were a couple of groans at this.
"Everyone must attend these meetings to keep the school running smoothly. Also every prefect is expected to patrol the corridors at different times with their house counterpart. A schedule of this is posted on the wall in ach common room. Prefects are allowed to dock points from other students but only with a just cause," Joan added. By the smirks on the faces of several Slytherin's, I knew they'd be abusing these privileges.
"Everyone must also patrol the corridors for an hour. The fifth year Gryffindors are always first, then it's the Slytherins, then Ravenclaws, and then the Hufflepuffs. Next the sixth years go in that order and if there's time the seventh years go, "Chase said. "You may begin."
Remus and I patrolled for an hour without finding anything unusual. It was rather boring actually. However, I did learn several interesting things about Remus. I found out that Remus's family was poor and considered him a burden because he needed to take an expensive potion once a week for some sort of disease. I told him that I was poor but not quite as poor as him. I also said that my dad was so sick of me he was taking a break from my family. We agreed to study together sometimes because none of his friends studied, and he got lonely.
I was headed over to the compartment Sev went to earlier when I heard a shriek. I ran down the aisle. "Is everything okay," I shouted before coming to a stop.
"That's what you get mudblood," Avery sneered. I gasped. The sixth year Slytherin was holding a terrified first year by the ankles. "How dare you talk to me."
"Excuse me," I said as firmly as I could. Avery was huge and he scared me a little. I knew I couldn't let him know this though. "Put that girl down right now or you'll lose your house 100 points, and I will be forced to report you to the headmaster."
The boy's sneer got even bigger, if that was possible. I noticed he needed to brush his teeth. "What's this," he chuckled, "A mudblood helping a mudblood- how sickening."
"Put her down," I repeated.
"What are you going to do about it? Going to tell," Avery said as he reached into his cloak pocket.
"Expelliarmus," I shouted and his wand flew into my outstretched hand.
"Why you little rat," Avery said through gritted teeth. He let go of the girl angrily. She fell to the floor with a whimper before running off. But Avery's eyes were only on me.
I backed up a step. "Don't come any closer," I said my voice surprisingly steady.
"Or what," he said and closed the gap.
"Or I'll hex you," I said. In truth I'd never hexed anyone before and didn't know if I could. I didn't want to hurt anyone again. Even if they were a jerk like Avery. I racked my brain for a harmless yet effective spell to use.
"Petrificus Totalu-" I flew through the air an landed several feet away. My face stung, and I realized I'd been punched. I lifted my wand to try the spell again. But the world was becoming hazy and everything went black. My arm fell to the floor with a thud, and I drifted into unconsciousness.
"What you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't have you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now
Was a beautiful day"