Description: It's the beginning of fourth year, and everyone is FINALLY finishing puberty: Lily's boobs have exploded, the boys' voices are changing, and Peter's sweaty (well, sweatier than usual).
Disclaimer: No ownership of anything recognizable.
Lily glanced at the clock: nearly ten. It was almost time to head out to King's Cross station with her parents. She frowned at her reflection and added a fifth coat of mascara (for good measure).
"I don't know if I'm ready for fourth year yet." Beside her, Lily's friend and roommate, Della Mueller, looked nervous.
"Why not?" Lily asked as she swept some stray eyeshadow powder off of her cheekbone.
"Well, we're in high school now; it's a big deal," Della explained. She, too, was applying makeup in front of the mirror of Lily's bathroom. They were currently getting ready for their trip back to boarding school.
"It's not called 'high school' in the wizarding world." Lily reminded her. "It's just another year of school." Lily and Della were both muggle-borns, and they often bonded over muggle culture together.
"Okay, but in real life, when you get to high school, things change: school gets harder, grades start to matter more, and relationships get more serious," Della continued.
"You do know that just because we're in another world doesn't mean it's not 'real life,' right?" Lily corrected. Della huffed, upset that Lily wasn't getting her point: "I know that! I just think that fourth year is a bigger deal than people make it out to be. We're not in middle school anymore."
"We were never in middle school to begin with. We go to Hogwarts, remember?" Lily asked teasingly.
"I'm just saying: people date for more than three weeks in ninth grade. Or 'fourth year,' whatever you want to call it. And you need to be careful," Della said, jabbing her eyeshadow pencil in Lily's direction.
"Me? What, you think that just because I didn't date in middle school, no one will want to date me now? Let me remind you that YOU did not date last year either," Lily pointed out smugly.
"No, I don't mean that. I mean THOSE," Della said, pointing to Lily's chest. Lily felt heat rush to her face as she flung her arms around her bursting boobs.
"I - what - they're-" she spluttered.
"They've at LEAST doubled in size since June," Della deadpanned.
"Okay, maybe I've...blossomed a bit," Lily admitted. "But I feel weird about it. I don't - I don't know how to be.. You know. 'Sexy.' I'm fourteen! I didn't ask for these!" She lifted her newly-developed breasts up and then let them swing back down, then winced as she realized this was a terrible and painful idea.
"Ow," Lily muttered to herself.
"See what I mean? You don't know how to handle the new boobs. And they'll probably bring you some newfound male attention. I just don't know if you'll know how to react and keep yourself safe," Della explained.
"I know how to keep myself safe!" Lily argued. "And who knows? Maybe I won't get any attention from boys, anyway. I've never gotten any before, so I'm not likely to get much more now. Only one thing about me has changed, and it will probably be difficult to tell with my robes on." Lily had been reassuring herself of this fact for the past few weeks.
Ever since July, when her breasts had unexpectedly exploded from A-cups to D-cups, Lily had been dreading going back to school. She wanted to be taken seriously and admired for her brains, not gawked at like a common stripper. She wanted her male counterparts to view her as an equal, not as a sex object, and the newest addition to her body was going to make that very difficult. A small part of her liked the idea of finally getting some attention from boys.
One of Lily and Della's other roommates, Phoebe, had had two boyfriends last year. Phoebe had glossy, shoulder-length hair the color of vanilla ice cream, and she'd grown to a C-cup last year and immediately been asked out by Henry-the-Hufflepuff. The part of Lily that was always down for a competition was slightly pleased by the fact that her boobs were now bigger than Phoebe's. The other, more rational part of Lily realized that she might not be fully aware of- or happy about - the newfound power she could wield over fourteen-year-old boys.
Lily blushed harder as she imagined the boys from school lining up to ask her out. That couldn't possibly happen, could it? The hottest guy in school was Lukas Nielsen, a Scandinavian Ravenclaw with the most perfect teeth Lily had ever seen. The problem was, he was a sixth-year Quidditch captain, and she was a nobody. But a nobody with boobs, her brain added.
Then there were the more likely candidates in their own year; of course, there was Henry Davenport, the hot-shit Hufflepuff who KNEW he was hot shit and asked out every girl possible (including Phoebe - TWICE). He was admittedly the hottest boy in their year, depending on who you asked: half of the female student body thought that Henry-the-Hufflepuff was the hottest and the other half thought that Sirius Black was the hottest. Lily wrinkled her nose in distaste; Sirius was one of the Gryffindor boys.
Lily felt like she knew all of the Gryffindor boys in her year too well to even consider dating any of them. She had known them since they were eleven years old and made constant fart jokes. She didn't think she'd ever be able to see Sirius Black or any of the others in a romantic light, no matter what the female student body decided.
Lily admitted that she did get along well with Remus "Remy" Lupin, and he was a Gryffindor boy in their year. He was cute in his own way, she supposed. The two of them were often partnered with one another in herbology, which neither of them excelled in, but they both worked hard and figured it out together. Lily couldn't see herself dating him, though. Lily Lupin, she thought to herself. She never was a fan of alliteration. Alliteration reminded her too strongly of Beowulf, the epic she had been forced to read in fifth grade before she went to Hogwarts. So Remy was out.
She didn't even want to think about the other Gryffindor boys; Peter was too annoying for her and James was just too full of himself:
'Evans, did you know I made the Quidditch team as a second year?'
'Do you know how often second-years make the team? Only ONE-SIXTEENTH of them ever make it after trying out!'
'Evans, did you know that there's only one original copy of Hogwarts: A History from the year it was published and my parents have it?'
'Evans, did you know that my parents bought a dragon last summer?'
It was constant! He never stopped talking about himself! Whether it be what he accomplished, what he bought, what knowledge he had- he always felt the need to brag about it, and it annoyed Lily to no end. She had been raised to be humble, grateful, and polite, and she felt that he was breaking every social code that was ever impressed upon her in the muggle world.
No matter which prospects she analyzed, Lily just couldn't imagine herself dating any of the boys she knew, nor even the ones she liked. She frowned; maybe she really wouldn't know how to handle her new boobs.
"Well, let's not worry about boys. And anyway, I'm sure they'll be all over YOU, not me. You're gorgeous in that new eyeshadow," Lily said promptly, trying to steer the conversation as far away from her melons as possible. Della snorted. "Yeah, right. I've always been the ugly one in our dorm. It's fine."
Della wasn't ugly; she had elbow-length, caramel-colored hair that was perpetually a bit frizzy; lovely hazel eyes that she hid behind a huge pair of glasses; and a warm, open demeanor.
"You're not 'the ugly one.' You're beautiful! But I do think your hair looks better with that new potion." The girls had purchased a straightening potion while back-to-school shopping in Diagon Alley last week, and now they both had sleek, straight hair that reached the tips of their respective elbows. They were also both debuting makeup looks; their parents had finally allowed them to begin experimenting with makeup now that they were in 'high school' (as their muggle parents called it), and Lily was donning a warm, brown-toned eyeshadow.
The red undertones in the shadow nicely complimented the green in her eyes, and she thought her features were rather accentuated now. It's not like she wore makeup to cover up what she looked like; on the contrary, she merely wanted to bring out the beauty she already had. She was also wearing a creamy foundation and blush that made her skin look healthy and glowing. Della was wearing a similar makeup style, but she had chosen a deep, plum-colored eyeshadow and eyeliner that made the green flecks in her hazel eyes pop. Della looked alluring in a darker eye; Lily decided she would have to borrow that eyeliner some time.
"Thanks, Lils. I do think we look right hot," Della said smugly as the two girls stood back to admire their reflections.
"We're going to smash fourth year," Lily agreed as she put her arm around Della and gave her a quick squeeze.
"Ladies! Breakfast time!" Mr. Evans called from downstairs. The girls grinned at each other and bounded down the staircase and into the kitchen. The room smelled invitingly of pancakes, warm maple syrup, and hickory ham.
"Well, well! Don't you two look beautiful!" Mrs. Evans beamed as she looked at the girls. Lily's older sister, Tuney, however, rolled her eyes. "You look SO last year. Everyone is wearing their hair feathered now, didn't you hear? Straight is totally UN-tubular." Tuney herself was sporting her dark hair feathered out, à la Farrah Faucett.
"I don't care what's in style. I think we look good," Lily replied simply as she took a plate from her mother and smiled. Tuney just huffed in response and buried her nose in her magazine.
"Aw, man. My baby girl is going to high school! How am I old enough to have TWO children in high school?" Mr. Evans asked incredulously. "It's bad enough Tuney's got her first prom this year; now Lily will be wanting to go to parties, as well!"
Lily shot Della a look that clearly said, 'Don't you dare tell my father that we already party regularly in the Gryffindor common room!' Luckily, Della was also a muggle-born and understood the stigma surrounding partying in the muggle world.
"Yep, pretty crazy, Dad," Lily said in a relatively sarcastic tone as she began to chow down on a piece of ham.
"Lily, cut your ham up! Don't just eat it straight from your hand like some kind of peasant!" Mrs. Evans admonished.
"But I like my ham straight up!" Lily whined. Sometimes she felt like she couldn't control the urge to whine. It must be the hormones, she decided to herself. Or maybe it ran in the family, she added privately as she glanced at Tuney.
"Do you smell that ham, Lucky?" Mr. Evans asked their golden retriever. "Ooh, that sure does smell good, doesn't it?" He glanced over at Mrs. Evans.
"Don't you dare," Mrs. Evans said, without looking up from her morning paper, "give him any ham. He needs to go on a diet."
"He does not! He's a perfectly healthy size. Aren't ya, Luck?" Mr. Evans asked the dog playfully.
"Ever since we switched his food, he's been constipated," Mrs. Evans explained to Lily and Della.
"He's not constipated. He poops the usual amount for me on our evening walk," Mr. Evans argued.
"He usually has at least two, maybe even three in the morning!" Mrs. Evans argued back. "Lately, it's been one at the most on his morning walk!" She looked at Mr. Evans sternly over her reading glasses, as if to scold him for not paying more attention to the dog's bowel movements.
"Mom! Please! I have a GUEST," Lily said, aghast at what the table conversation had turned into.
"Oh yes, of course!" Mrs. Evans turned slightly pink. "Sorry about that, dear. Syrup?" she turned back to Mr. Evans, "We'll talk about this later."
Lily shook her head at the absurdity that was her family.
"Sorry," she muttered to Della. Della was trying to stifle her laughter into her napkin.
"Oi! Look at the time!" Mr. Evans said suddenly.
"It's time for you ladies to head back to magic camp!"
Lily smacked her forehead with her palm.
"Dad, it's a bit more than camp…"
"Oh, I know that. I'm just messing with you. Go and get your trunks ready! I'll start the car," he said with a wink as the girls headed upstairs.
"It's time," Lily whispered excitedly to Della. "You ready?"
Della nodded. "I am. Are THEY?" she asked, looking pointedly at Lily's chest.
Lily blushed.
Across town, the Gryffindor boys were also getting ready to depart for school - but in a much less peaceful fashion.
"Where's my lucky left sock?!" Sirius Black was bellowing as he ran about James Potter's house, overturning footstools and opening cupboards left and right.
"I don't CARE about your bloody left sock! I'm still trying to find my broom! That's a tad more important, don't you think?" James called back from the other side of the room as he dashed about.
The boys were currently in similar states of panic; it was 9:30 AM, and they had to leave soon for the station. Despite the fact that Mrs. Potter had told them to start packing countless times in the past few days, neither of them was remotely ready. They had wanted to spend every possible second soaking in the summer and playing one-on-one quidditch in the backyard, not hanging around indoors packing for school.
"Mom, can you PLEASE accio my broom?" James asked his mother desperately. She was calmly magicking a tea kettle onto the stove and completely ignoring the pandemonium the boys were causing in her house.
"It's only 9:30. I'll let you find it on your own," Mrs. Potter said with a smile. James groaned; why did his mother have to be so self-righteous? She might as well have said "I told you so." If he was a less respectful teenager, he might threaten to use magic outside of school if she didn't accio his broom. But alas, he was a respectful kid.
"I can't find my dress shoes, either!" Sirius yelled from the other room.
"WE JUST BOUGHT THOSE YESTERDAY!" James yelled back.
Sirius poked his head out to look at his friend. "Whoa there, Prongs. Watch the volume. You sound bloody scary with that new voice of yours." he grinned then went back to searching for his "lucky sock" and now his dress shoes. James turned a bit pink; so, he seemed to have hit puberty like a ton of bricks. His voice had deepened seemingly overnight and his shoulders had broadened. Sirius had been making fun of these new changes nonstop since he had arrived two weeks ago to spend the rest of the summer with James.
James scowled after Sirius; why did he have to be such a prat all the time? It didn't help that he had grown up gracefully. There was no such thing as an "awkward phase" for Sirius. He did everything with ease, and he always looked good. He never had a hair out of place, far unlike James, whose hair was perpetually in a state of disarray and anywhere but in place. As annoying as Sirius's perfection was, James couldn't be upset with him; he was far too much fun to be around. Ever since their first year at Hogwarts, the boys had been stirring up mischief together. They'd bonded instantly over a passion for quidditch and a loathing for Slytherins.
In the midst of the chaos that was the Potter house, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Sirius yelled. He was hyped at the moment.
James bolted after him, and Mrs. Potter followed not far behind them.
"IT'S MOONY!" Sirius cried as he swung the door open and pulled their unsuspecting friend into a hug.
"Moony!" James yelled too, careful not to yell too loudly for fear that Sirius would make fun of his voice again. He joined Sirius in smothering Remus as Mrs. Potter greeted Remus's mom.
"So, this is your place?" Remus asked James as the three of them pulled apart.
"Yeah! I can't believe you haven't been round yet! Sirius practically LIVES here-"
"I do spend quite a bit of time in this lovely abode-"
"And you haven't even been here yet! You need to come see the fort!" James continued to his friend.
"What happened to your voice?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows so they disappeared into his mess of honey-brown curls.
"Uh, nothing.." James began awkwardly.
"Life happened! Hormones happened! Adulthood happened!" Sirius ticked these things off on the fingers of his right hand while he held Remus in a headlock.
"Come ON, we've gotta show him the treehouse—" James tried desperately to change the subject. He began leading the other two out towards the backyard when Mrs. Potter's foreboding voice stopped him.
"Don't even think about leaving this house until your trunks are packed."
"You haven't PACKED?!" Remus asked exasperatedly.
"Well, you know me: I need a bit of excitement in my life, and sometimes that excitement comes from a good deal of procrastination," Sirius explained, as if this were the most obvious and normal thing in the world.
"We spent all week playing quidditch instead of packing," James corrected. Remus shook his head, an amused expression on his face, "I can't say I'm surprised."
James sighed as he and Sirius commenced their searching for various items throughout the house; it was going to be a hectic morning.
An hour and a half later, the boys had finally arrived at Platform 9.75. James had at last located his broom (it was in the backyard under a peony bush), and Sirius had discovered his dress shoes in a shopping bag under his bed. The lucky sock had yet to be located, but Mrs. Potter had promised Sirius that she would send it to Hogwarts straightaway if it turned up.
"Where's Wormtail? He was supposed to meet us here," Remus complained as he checked his watch.
"I'm sure he's around here somewhere," James said reasonably as he searched the throng of students surrounding them at the platform. It was weird but exciting to see everyone again. Sirius was off saying hello to a few Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw friends, and James and Remus were currently catching up with Thayler Thomas and Amar Spinnet, two fifth-year Gryffindors that they had befriended over the years. He and the other boys were just marvelling at the amazing save that the Canons' keeper had made during the final quidditch match last week when it happened: the fourth-year Gryffindor girls walked towards them.
It was as if time froze and the girls were walking in slow-motion towards James, and he wasn't sure where to look: Phoebe's daisy dukes, that showed off her new tan? Della's eyes, which were magnified and accentuated by sultry dark makeup? Phoebe's taut stomach, which was on display in her shortened blouse? His eyes finally rested on Lily Evans, and he thought his heart might stop for how hard it was hammering; she had...uh, grown, a lot over the summer.
She was wearing bell-bottom jeans that showed off her tiny waist and a flowery blouse that was stretched tight over her chest. James swallowed hard as he took all of her in. Since when had she had those breasts? She was usually wearing robes! Where had her muggle sense of fashion come from? And why didn't she dress more like this at school? How had he not noticed that she looked like...well, like THAT until now? He finally drew his eyes up to her face and jumped a little; her face had lost most of its childhood roundness, and she looked mature. She looked like she knew things. She looked like a woman. *Cue Shania Twain*
"Holy shit," James heard the fifth year, Amar Spinnet, mumble next to him. James glared at him; these were THEIR girls! He, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had known the girls since first year! They were the only ones who were allowed to say "holy shit" right now.
"Ladies, nice of you to make an appearance," Sirius drawled in greeting to the three girls as he slipped gracefully off the railing he'd been sitting on and helped Phoebe put her trunk into the bottom compartment of the train. He flashed her a million-dollar smile and said, "Waterford, how was your summer?"
Phoebe shot him a sly smirk and popped her bubblegum seductively.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Black," she replied. James felt his palms sweating; these two were good at flirting. He felt like he couldn't keep up.
"Ah!" Sirius smirked back at her. "Well, don't just stand there, boys," Sirius said to James, Remus, and Amar Spinnet, "give these ladies a hand with their heavy trunks!"
James's eyes flicked over to Lily Evans, who was twirling her newly-straightened hair around her pinky. Her green eyes caught his and he jumped slightly, feeling heat rush to his face.
Trying to appear composed, he cleared his throat and said, "Right. Evans, I can-"
But as he reached for her trunk, Amar Spinnet interrupted: "I've got it," he said lazily as he flicked his wand at her trunk and magicked it into the compartment. James looked at him bitterly. Anyone could use MAGIC to move an object! They'd both wasted an opportunity to show off any physical strength they had.
Lily looked taken aback.
"Oh, uh, thanks, Spinnet," she said slightly uncomfortably. There was a tense pause and James thought wildly for something to say, but his brain was blank as he stared at her. She shot him a questioning look, as if wondering why he was gaping at her like an idiot, then said, "So, how's the dragon?"
"The what?" James asked cluelessly. He had to get a grip.
"Oh, Rebecca. She's fine. She's, you know, scaly," he said finally. He had to think of something clever to say to her, but his mind wasn't working at the moment.
Around them, the others had diverged into their own conversations. Sirius was now asking Phoebe to tell him how she got her tan, and Remus and Peter- Peter must have just arrived- were struggling to help Della with her trunk.
Spinnet shot Lily a grin and said, "Well, see you around, Evans," and departed towards the train.
"Yes, I'll see you later," She said politely as she watched Spinnet jump up the stairs two at a time. James gritted his teeth; what a show-off. Lily glanced at James one more time before moving away slightly to aid Della, Peter, and Remus in moving Della's trunk.
"What do you have in here, bricks?" Peter asked breathlessly. James stood awkwardly watching them for a moment, then realized he should probably do something so he didn't look like a loser.
James cleared his throat loudly.
"Right, let's go find a compartment, shall we? We don't want all the good ones to be taken," he said.
"Prongs, they're virtually indistinguishable from one another," Sirius pointed out, but he followed James towards the train.
"Not if one's empty and another is full of a bunch of Slytherins," James stated.
"Pah! Slytherins won't stop me; never have before. I'll kick 'em out," Sirius said. "Anyway. See you later, Phoebs." Phoebe shot him a flirtatious grin in response.
"Let's go, boys!" Sirius called to Remus and Peter, who obliged. James nodded his head towards Lily.
"Catch you later," he said, and sent her an awkward salute which she didn't return.
Sirius shot him a questioning look.
"Well, that was a weird move, Prongs," he stated bluntly as they climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. James blushed. "Shut up," he mumbled. Sirius grinned at him.
"You're sure worked up," Sirius said slyly.
"Am I?" James asked. I hadn't noticed, he thought sarcastically. He was practically dripping sweat from the exchange with the girls, and his body felt like it had just run up fifty flights of moving staircases at the castle.
The boys entered an empty compartment and bustled about putting their things away.
"I think I know why," Sirius said with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" James asked as he flopped into a seat, feeling exhausted as he let out a pent up breath. He took out a bag of fizzing whizbees. He needed these to take the edge off.
Sirius shot him a knowing look and put his hands over his chest to indicate boobs.
"Shut up!" James yelled, throwing a whizbee at his head.
"I didn't say anything," Sirius pointed out smugly.
"Okay," James huffed.
"Here's the thing..." he continued.
"Evans…" his voice trailed off.
"...has got you all hot and bothered?" Remus supplied as he took a seat next to James. James felt his face begin to flame again.
"That's not- I don't-" he spluttered.
"Mmmhmm," Sirius said disbelievingly as he took out a magazine and began to flip through it lazily.
"Fine. I think I'm in love with her," James said helplessly as he gazed out the window. The boys burst into laughter at that.
"Prongs, I don't think 'love' is what you're feeling right now," Sirius said between barks of laughter. James glared at him.
"Yes, it is! She's smart. And kind. And compassionate. I guess I just never noticed before," he said dreamily.
"And she's got double-D breasts to keep you entertained," Remus added unhelpfully, warranting another glare from James.
"Okay, fine. That helps, too," he mumbled at last.
"You should ask her out," Sirius suggested.
"What! No. I only just decided that I like her!" James exclaimed. Sirius would suggest that he ask her out right away, James thought with a roll of his eyes. Whenever Sirius found something he fancied, he just went for it without really thinking about it.
"But, mate, what if Spinnet asks her out first? You saw the way he interacted with her. A bit smoother than you, I have to admit," Remus said. James's heart raced. Damn Spinnet for being suave and tall and looking all handsome with his Arabic features. Maybe he really should ask Lily out now, he pondered.
"You know what? Okay. I'm doing it. But on one condition: you lot have to STAY HERE," James ordered.
"Aww! But mate, don't you want an entourage watching when you get all flustered?" Sirius asked.
"Absolutely not," James said firmly as he made his way out of the compartment.
Meanwhile, Lily, Della, and Phoebe finally found a compartment of their own and began putting their things away. Lily was already feeling a bit shaken from their encounter with the Gryffindor boys. Was she imagining it, or were they acting differently around her? Amar Spinnet had never said so much as two words to her, not even when she had come over to his house to spend time with his younger sister, Yuna. He literally never acknowledged her existence, but now that she had boobs, he was moving her trunk for her and saying things like, 'see you around, Evans.' It could only have to do with her appearance.
Amar was cute, she guessed. She had never really thought about it before; he had always been Yuna's conceited older brother. He was half-Pakistani, she knew, and had deep brown eyes and heavy brows. He had started growing facial hair at twelve.
Then there were the others; Peter had been staring pointedly at her chest, which made her extremely uncomfortable. James, on the other hand, had acted completely bizarre. He hadn't had any of his usual bravado. The confidence and bragging seemed to dissipate, and he hadn't taken his eyes off of her throughout the entire exchange. It made her feel weird. Even when she'd asked lamely about the dragon James's parents had allegedly purchased, he hadn't taken the bait and commenced his usual boasts. Maybe his new deep voice and broad shoulders had affected his mental maturity level as well as his physical one.
Her pulse quickened slightly as she thought about how James had looked. Maybe he was attractive, she thought. Then she remembered all the times he'd pranked the girls, and shook her head at her stupidity. She couldn't be attracted to one of the Gryffindor boys! Particularly one from their year. She knew them altogether too well, and what she knew about them wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for her to date any of them.
Phoebe blew another bubble with her gum.
"Earth to Lils," she said from across the compartment.
"Oh! Right. I'm here, on the earth," Lily explained. "What's up?" she asked.
"I said, 'that was kind of weird, don't you think?'" Phoebe repeated, shaking her platinum blonde hair out of her eyes.
"Yeah! Seeing the boys? I agree," Lily said thoughtfully.
"Well, Sirius sure seemed to like flirting with you," Della pointed out to Phoebe, waggling her eyebrows as she did so.
Phoebe waved her hand dismissively. "We always flirt. He's all talk, though. I don't think he'll ever actually ask me out," she continued.
"Who do you WANT to ask you out?" Della asked curiously. Phoebe shrugged and began twirling her gum around her finger. Lily was beginning to get annoyed by the whole gum thing. Wasn't the purpose of gum to give you good breath? Or was it to use as a prop in looking sexy?
"I've got a couple boys on my mind lately. Henry wrote me over the summer," Phoebe said casually.
"Henry DAVENPORT?" Della exclaimed. "But he broke up with you last year!" She said breathlessly. Della could be a hopeless gossip at times.
"I dunno, he wants to get back together, I guess," Phoebe said casually.
"YOU GUESS? He's the hottest guy in school!" Della exclaimed.
"Okay, that's a strong statement," Phoebe said. "He's not hotter than Lukas Nielsen," she added.
"Is that who you're into?" Lily asked curiously.
"Maybe," Phoebe said infuriatingly. "Well, who do you guys like, then?" she asked, clearly annoyed that they were still talking about her love life. Granted, she was the only one of them who actually HAD a love life to discuss.
Della blushed. "It doesn't matter who I like. No one is going to ask me out, anyway. Especially not with the rest of you around."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily asked.
"I mean, look at you guys! You're hot! You've both got boobs and, I dunno, BEAUTY, and I've got this," she said, gesturing towards her forehead.
"I literally don't see anything," Lily stated flatly.
"It's a ZIT!" Della screeched. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Dell, for the last time. You're gorgeous! You need to stop selling yourself short," Lily said.
"Fine," Della said at last. "Okay, there are a few boys on my list right now," she admitted.
"WHO?" Phoebe asked. Della shot her a skeptical look.
"You didn't tell us who YOU liked," she said accusingly. Phoebe pulled a face. "That's because I don't know who I like right now. I'll figure it out once I get a few offers," she explained. Della and Lily looked at each other and rolled their eyes at her confidence. The attention Phoebe received was annoying, but her reaction to it was even more annoying.
"Okay," Della said with a gleam in her eyes. "Let me show you guys something." With that, she pulled out a muggle magazine.
"Good lord. PLEASE don't tell me you've got a thing for a muggle celebrity," Phoebe said. "You can't possibly be that desperate." Della glared at her, then pointed her wand wordlessly at the magazine. To Lily's amazement, it morphed into a color-coded list- complete with photographs- of several boys from school. The title read, "Della's Comprehensive Guide to Hogwarts' Most Eligible Bachelors."
"Damn!" Phoebe said gleefully as she scoured the magazine's contents.
"Page one: Henry Davenport, hottest boy in school. Year: fourth. Hair color: blonde. Eye color: brown," Della read. There was also a picture of him that had clearly been taken from across the Great Hall.
"Okay, it's a bit stalker-ish that you have all this information about my ex-boyfriend," Phoebe said, "But I have to admit, this is really cool. Who else do you have?" she asked excitedly. Della grinned and turned the page.
"Page two," she read, "Sirius Black, second-hottest boy in school. Also best hair in school. Year: fourth. Hair color: black. Eye color: blue." Lily laughed at the photos Della had taken of Sirius. One of them featured him asleep on a couch in the common room.
"That picture!" she said, gasping with laughter as she pointed to it. "Dell, this is amazing!"
The girls pored over the magazine for the next few minutes, bursting into laughter at some of Della's hilarious insights.
Page three featured, predictably, Lukas Nielsen; page four covered Blake Murphy, the Ravenclaw quidditch team's keeper; page five displayed Farlowe Esteque, one of Slytherin's chasers.
"You've got a thing for quidditch players, eh, Dell?" Phoebe noted, nudging Della with her elbow as she did so.
"Just a bit," Della laughed. "In the back, I've got another section on the hottest quidditch players." She flipped through the magazine until she reached it. Number one was Lukas Nielsen, two was Blake Murphy, four was Farlowe Esteque, and five was James Potter. Lily's stomach lurched as she remembered the odd events that had transpired between her and James that morning.
"Really? James is number five?" Lily said, surprised.
"I know, I thought about putting him at number three. Maybe I'll change it," Della said thoughtfully.
"No, I mean… I didn't think other people found him attractive," Lily explained.
"'Other people'?" Phoebe repeated. "People besides you, you mean?" she inquired.
"What? No," Lily said, feeling her palms dampen. "I don't think he's… I'm not.. I'm just wondering," she finished dumbly.
"Oooh!" Della said, watching Lily's face color. "Lily! You like him!" she sang annoyingly.
"I do not!" Lily said sharply. "In fact, it's the opposite. I don't like him at all, that's why I'm surprised he made your list," she explained.
"Right," Della said skeptically. "So, what would you do if he asked you out?" Lily felt herself flush more thinking about THAT.
Just then, the door to their compartment opened and their fourth roommate, Yuna Spinnet, walked in, looking windswept. Her shoulder-length black hair was disheveled, and her almond-shaped brown eyes darted about furiously.
"Yuna!" Della exclaimed, rushing to pull their friend into an embrace.
"Holy hell!" Yuna exclaimed, ignoring Della's greeting. "Have I had a morning!" she flung herself into a seat and said, "I need a drink, stat. Y'all got anything?" she asked hopefully.
Lily rolled her eyes at her friend's request.
"I may or may not have a flask. But I'm saving it for a special occasion," Phoebe acquiesced.
"What's got you so worked up, Yune?" Lily asked.
"Thayler fucking Thomas, my annoying-ass brother's annoying-ass friend!" Yuna huffed as she took a swig of water from her water bottle. She'd always been foul-mouthed.
"What about him?" Della asked as she proudly skimmed her self-made magazine.
"So, he asks me to come and sit with him and his friends in their compartment. So I say sure, 'cause we've been hanging out practically all summer, since he's so close with my bro," Yuna began. Lily winced as she remembered her odd conversation with Yuna's brother, Amar, that morning.
"And then their other friends arrive, and what does this bitch do? He LIES about me! He tells his friends, number one, that I MADE OUT WITH HIM over the summer," Yuna said, rolling her eyes and fuming.
"What!" the other girls gasped.
"But that's not even the worst part! THEN he says that he fucking BEAT me at our one-on-one quidditch!" Yuna practically yelled.
"And...you think that's WORSE than the first part?" Phoebe asked incredulously, letting out a small laugh.
"Well, YEAH! I don't want people thinking that THAYLER FUCKING THOMAS beat me at quidditch!" Yuna huffed. Lily stifled a giggle.
"WHAT is so funny?" Yuna demanded.
"You're just goofy," Lily said. "But in all seriousness, that was incredibly rude of him," she added.
"So what did you say when he lied about you?" Della asked, straightening her glasses.
"Told him to fuck right off, of course. Told him he was a sexist pig and that I was trying out for the open chaser spot on the Gryffindor team this year, and I'd like to see him try to beat me," Yuna said.
Lily gasped, "But girls aren't allowed to play quidditch!" she said.
"They will be when I smoke the competition," Yuna said, her eyebrows raised unwaveringly. When Yuna set her mind to something, it was hard to dissuade her from it.
"Dude...you could make history if you make the team!" Phoebe said in awe. Yuna nodded casually. "I plan to," she said with a grin. "Yuna Spinnet, the first female quidditch player Hogwarts has ever seen. And, by default, the best," Yuna added. She glanced suddenly over at Della.
"What the hell is this?" Yuna asked as she snatched the magazine from Della.
"Oh, nothing…" Della said. She was being modest.
"Dell, did you make this?" Yuna asked in disbelief as she rifled through it.
"Yes," Della admitted sheepishly.
"It's amazing!" Lily interjected, smiling warmly at Della.
"Sure," Yuna said, but she didn't sound convinced. She found frivolous things like boys and crushes to be a waste of time. At least she was trying to be nice about Della's Comprehensive Guide to Hogwarts' Most Eligible Bachelors, but Lily could tell that if it wasn't a friend that created it, Yuna would have loudly proclaimed it a waste of time.
Della looked a little embarrassed, and quietly pointed her wand at the magazine so it turned back into a muggle magazine.
"Well, that was a cool bit of magic," Yuna said, sounding impressed. "I can't believe you made that magazine by yourself and created a unique concealment charm for it!"
Della looked pleased when Yuna finally found something she actually liked about her work.
"Thanks," she said softly.
"Well," Yuna said, clearing her throat. "Let's talk about the elephant in the room," she turned to Lily.
"The boobs."
Lily groaned and put her arms crossly over her chest.
"Is it that noticeable?" she asked with a wince.
"'Fraid so," Yuna replied with a grin.
"So, what size are you now?" Phoebe asked, trying to look casual but clearly hoping they were still smaller than her own. Lily colored slightly.
"I don't wish to disclose that information," she squeaked.
"Lils, we're gonna find out anyway when you leave your clothes on the floor of the dorm," Yuna said.
"I've never left any clothes on the floor," Lily said defensively. "I think you're confusing me with one Yuna Spinnet."
Yuna waved her off dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah, so I leave some crap on the floor. Don't change the subject, Evans!" she said.
Lily looked extremely uncomfortable.
"She's a D," Della supplied, "and she's officially hot."
Phoebe scowled. "Don't be silly. She's always been hot!" she said. Lily blushed a little.
"Aw man, Evans. The boys are gonna eat you alive!" Yuna said. Yuna spent a lot of time around boys. Her brother, Amar, was quite popular among the other boys in school, and she hung out with them frequently. Yuna sometimes acted a bit like a boy herself, if Lily was honest.
"What do you mean, 'eat me alive'?" Lily asked sharply.
"I mean, they're not gonna know what to do with themselves when they see those things," Yuna said, nodding her head towards Lily's chest.
"You should've seen your brother this morning," Phoebe said.
Yuna looked up at Phoebe sharply. "What did Amar do? That idiot. Did he make a pass at you?" She asked Lily.
"Well, he did talk to me more than usual," Lily explained vaguely.
"I swear, if he acts like a douche towards you, I won't hesitate to hex him," Yuna said threateningly. Yuna was quite a protective friend.
"He was fine," Phoebe explained. "At least he wasn't drooling over her like Pettigrew and Potter were," she continued. "Honestly, it was like they'd never seen a boob before," she added.
Yuna scoffed. "Those idiots probably haven't seen a naked boob since they were breast fed," she said.
Della let out a snort of laughter at that.
"Has anyone else 'developed' over the summer?" Yuna asked as she shoved a piece of beef jerky into her mouth. Where had she found jerky? Lily wondered, shaking her head. Yuna was so random.
"Hanna Latt from Ravenclaw," Phoebe said. "Her boobs exploded, just like Lil's."
"Derek Griffin from Hufflepuff," Della added. "He grew a lot." Della always had her boy radar on.
"James Potter," Phoebe added. "He sounds all manly now," she continued in a mockingly low voice.
The girls laughed at that, and Lily glanced at her watch. She still needed to meet up with Sev to see how his transition into fourth year was going.
"I've got to go say hello to Severus," she said to her friends as she got up.
"Aw, come ON, Lil. Still hanging out with Slytherin trash?" Yuna said, wrinkling up her nose in distaste. Yuna was a pureblood, and her family's hatred for Slytherin went back generations.
Lily frowned. "There's no need to label one another in a healthy friendship," she said calmly.
"But you have been labeled! He labels you all the time. His friends do," Phoebe pointed out. Lily just shrugged. He was kind to her, for the most part.
"Has he seen those yet?" Della asked, motioning towards Lily's new boobs. Lily gritted her teeth. Why did they constantly have to come up in casual conversation? She was positively annoyed with the attention they were giving her. They were just another body part.
"He saw me this summer. He doesn't mention it," Lily said, even though he had been staring fixedly at her face lately, as if trying to focus as much of his attention as possible on her face lest his eyes wander elsewhere. Yuna snorted. "Bullshit," she said.
"That dude is into you in a highly creepy way," Phoebe agreed.
"I'm leaving now," Lily said firmly as she closed the door. She began walking in a random direction, not knowing where Sev's compartment was. Why couldn't they have just carpooled to King's Cross like they used to? She wondered crossly. Lately, he'd been so caught up in his precious reputation that he'd only had time for Lily "in private." What kind of friendship was that?
Lily was so lost in thought about her friendship that she didn't notice when she began mouthing words soundlessly to herself, practicing for her eventual conversation with him. She was also staring so intently into each compartment she passed, searching for Severus, that she collided headlong into another student.
"I am so sorry!" Lily exclaimed as she was startled out of her reverie. She grasped the side of her head tightly; it throbbed where she had hit the other person.
"I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, I was too busy looking for someone!" she explained.
She looked up into the face of James Potter.
"Oh," she said suddenly. Somehow the interaction seemed different now that she knew who it was with. She felt her stomach lurch slightly when she looked at him. He was a lot taller than she was, she registered dully.
"Um, I wasn't paying attention either. It's just a much my fault," James said graciously. His ears were a bit pink from the proximity, and she backed up a little so they weren't so close together.
He leaned down a bit, and her heart began to pound so loudly, she felt like it would burst; was he going to kiss her? What was he thinking? She felt completely panicked, and her eyes darted furiously from his face to his broad shoulders to his pale neck.
Then she felt like an absolute moron when he bent down further to pick up his glasses, which had fallen off during their collision. He hadn't been leaning towards her at all, he'd simply been leaning down. She twirled her hair nervously around her pinky. Well, what was she supposed to do now?
"Damn," James said as he examined his glasses.
"Are they broken?" Lily asked. Then she silently berated herself; of course they were, why else would he say 'damn'?
He looked up at her and grinned. "Nothing a good ole 'reparo' can't fix," he said confidently. She frowned. It seemed his boastful self was back.
"You were weird earlier," Lily blurted out suddenly, wishing he was still weird like that. James blushed and glanced at her sheepishly.
"Was I?" he asked. "Sorry about that. I was...I had a stomach ache," he explained. She stared at him, feeling oddly disappointed.
"Okay," she said emotionlessly. He stared back, seemingly trying to formulate something to say next.
"I mean, maybe I just felt-" he began, when suddenly a voice interrupted them.
"Well, I see you've been too DISTRACTED by LOVELY quidditch players to greet me yet," Severus drawled from behind her. Lily whirled around to face him.
"Sev!" she exclaimed, happy to see him again. "Oh, I just happened to run into Potter on my way to find you!" she explained, grinning at Severus.
"Literally," James mumbled as he magically fixed his glasses and put them back on.
"I see," Severus said curtly as he eyed James suspiciously.
"Well, uh, I won't keep you," James said awkwardly. "See you, Evans," he added as he turned and made his way back where he came from. Lily wondered vaguely why he had been walking towards her compartment in the first place.
Lily turned to Severus. "Why do you have to be so mean to the other Gryffindors?" she asked him with a frown. Severus laughed humorlessly. "What, you mean Potter? You know why. He's-well he's Potter," Severus explained lamely.
"Right," Lily said. "But why do we hate him again?"
Severus suddenly looked like he might explode. "Because he's horrible to us! He constantly pranks you and your dorm mates. At least that's in good fun and you all have a laugh about it. But he and his terrible friends harass the other Slytherins and me ceaselessly! Have you forgotten the way they all treat me?" Severus implored scathingly. Lily sighed. "No, I haven't forgotten."
For some reason, she wished she could.