Thanks to llc22, Sara, james/lily4ever, Aliceeve, and 35words for reviewing!
Unintended
Ch. 1: A Rough Start
Lily searched the train frantically, in hopes of locating the compartment her friends were hiding. It had been a long summer, and she wanted to see them more than anything. To her delight, she found the compartment and opened it to reveal her two friends, June Alcott and Constance "Connie" Gallamore, sitting nonchalantly on the overstuffed seats of the Hogwarts Express.
"She's alive!" June exclaimed, leaving her seat to give Lily a hug. "We thought your sister had locked you in a trunk all summer. No visitors! What other 'rules' did your sister enforce under her roof?"
Lily shrugged. "Nothing too painful." Petunia was really the last thing she wanted to talk about. In hopes of changing the subject, Lily turned her attention to addressing Connie. "Hey Connie."
Connie looked up from her nails. "Hey Lils. What took you so long? We've been waiting for you for half an hour."
In reality, she and Connie weren't the greatest of friends. While Lily and June had attracted to each other instantly, Lily usually had to force herself not to strangle Connie on more than one occasion. Lily grew up lower middle class in the industrial part of northern England. While Connie, grew up rich in the suburbs of London but liked to think she knew "hard times." In consequence, she had a bit of an obnoxious, over-the-top attitude that drove Lily absolutely insane sometimes. Even her dress was ridiculously excessive. Even though Connie was a pureblood, she insisted on wearing scandalous muggle attire and drowning her abundance of curly, strawberry-blonde hair in a can of hairspray each morning.
In honesty, Lily didn't feel too guilty about disliking Connie. She knew her dislike was well-returned. More than once, Connie had informed Lily that she believed Lily was a bossy, know-it-all who wouldn't be able to find the stick up her ass even if she dug for thousands of years. However, Lily and Connie tried to keep their fighting minimal in front of June. After all, June was the reason her and Connie even shared the slightest bit of respect for each other.
"The cab was stuck in traffic," Lily replied taking off her coat. "I could have apparated but I didn't want to upset Petunia."
Connie scoffed. "That sister of yours just needs to deal with you being a witch. And you're not helping by tip-toeing around her! If she can't handle it, tough!"
However, Lily had to admit, Connie had some redeeming qualities. She was intensely loyal, especially to June who was often too sweet for her own good. Plus, she was never afraid to speak her mind or stick up for those who couldn't. For that, Lily had to admire her.
"Not 'tough,' Connie," Lily replied, taking a seat across from her. "She is my room and board. And I'm sure Petunia would not feel guilty in the slightest, if she threw me out on the street."
"That is completely ludicrous! You are her sister for god sakes! And if she..." Lily put her hands to her temples as Connie continued to rattle on. She really did not want to discuss Petunia or anything relating to her muggle life. It was gone, dust now. And in less than a year, she could say goodbye to her muggle life and hello to the wizarding world for good.
As Connie continued to babble, Lily saw a Daily Prophet peeking out from underneath Connie's thigh. Lily was so out of touch with the news in the wizarding world. She wanted to get a subscription for the summer but was too afraid to receive one living under the Dursleys' roof. She really wouldn't put it past Petunia to throw her out for something as mundane as receiving a wizard newspaper. But as Lily reached for it, Connie smacked her hand away.
"What was that for?" Lily asked, rubbing her hand.
"I'm using that newspaper thank you very much!"
"What?" Lily asked in disbelief. "What on earth could you possibly be using it for?"
Connie rolled her eyes and fanned her nails at Lily. "For my nails!"
Lily narrowed her eyes. Sometimes Connie's vanity was absolutely intolerable.
"Oh Lily!" June exclaimed suddenly, sitting down next to her. "Congrats on making Head Girl!"
Lily couldn't help it, she smiled proudly. "Thanks June. But how did you find out?"
"Oh Con and I ran into Jonathan on the train. He says he'll see you at the meeting." June said, giving Lily a playful nudge.
"Speaking of which," Lily said, glancing at her watch. "I should get going. I'll see you guys later."
Lily quietly shut the door to their compartment before taking off down the hallway. She couldn't believe she had almost forgotten! Lily quietly berated herself for sulking this morning. It had distracted her from the anticipation of seeing Jonathan again. At this thought, Lily picked up her pace to an almost run. But before she could take off, somebody grabbed her elbow.
"I'm going to pretend that you didn't visit your friends first before coming to see me."
Lily whirled around and into his arms. She couldn't contain her excitement. She really had missed him these past three months. While Lily had kept little contact with June, Lily had secretly kept in touch with Jonathan. She had been dating Jonathan Foster for almost six months now. A knowledgeable Ravenclaw, Jonathan spontaneously asked her out towards the end of last year. They had an enjoyable first couple of dates before Lily was forced to leave school unexpectedly. In honestly, after she left, she hadn't expected their relationship to pick back up when she returned. Thankfully, she had pegged him wrong. He had insisted on starting a relationship with her. At first, Lily was reluctant. She struggled a lot these last few months and didn't want to infringe her troubles on him. However, Jonathan would not allow her to escape easily. For that, she was gracious. He had her rock these past couple of months.
He caught her lips in a kiss and pulled her closer to him. Considering their venue, Lily tried to break it off as quickly as possible. However, Jonathan refused to let her go. Ah, fuck it, Lily thought and pulled on his neck to further deepen the kiss. God, she thought, I've missed this.
"Oi!" Jonathan and Lily broke apart to see Connie hanging out of the compartment. "Just because you have a boy doesn't mean you can publicly rub it in our faces!"
Lily and Jonathan chuckled as Connie gave them a wink before disappearing back into the compartment.
Jonathan sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "Three months is really way too long, Lily."
Lily chuckled. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," she said brushing her lips against his cheek. Then, she moved her lips to his jaw and back to his lips again.
"Ugh," Jonathan grunted. "Can't we find a compartment or a closet somewhere."
Lily laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yeah, that would be a good idea. First day as Head Boy and Head Girl and we would be expell—Hey, what's this?"
With her arms around Jonathan's waist, Lily felt a stack of papers underneath his shirt. He tried to reach around his back to keep her from grabbing what he had intended to keep hidden, but she was too quick for him. She lifted the back of his shirt only to find a copy of The Daily Prophet.
"Were you hiding this from me?" she asked.
He opted not to answer. Instead, he avoided her eyes and ran his hands through his short, sandy-brown hair.
"What another muggle attack," she remarked bitterly. When the attacks on muggles and muggle-borns first started to happen, her friends had tried to keep it hidden from her as much as possible. While another muggle attack would have been horrible, they had become such a daily occurrence that Lily had trained herself not to be effected by them.
Lily quickly scanned the contents of the first page. The words she read, were knives to her heart.
"Lily, I—I just didn't think you would want to deal with this right now," Jonathan started nervously. "I mean after everything you went through this past year I just thought—"
"Whatever," Lily said cutting him off and folding the newspaper. She couldn't read the article right now. It would make her sick. "It doesn't matter. It's done."
Jonathan opened his mouth to try to console Lily but was interrupted by Lily being sluggishly pushed aside by a hooded figure who smelled alarmingly of alcohol.
"Well, excuse me!" Lily snapped catching herself before she fell onto the floor.
"You're excused," the hooded figure retorted.
Lily immediately began to panic. "Hey! Come back here!" She couldn't let a student get away for misconduct her first day as being Head Girl.
"Um Lily," Jonathan said, "I don't think that's a student."
The train started to move for the first time, and she watched as the hooded figure stumbled to catch his balance.
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Then who is he?"
"I dunno," Jonathan replied, "He probably works on the train."
Lily and Jonathan watched as the hooded figure stumbled along the wall as the train began to pickup speed.
"Jesus Christ," the hooded figure muttered, "I just wanted to find the lunch trolley!"
James Potter never had to whiz so bad in his entire life. It was crossing into the reaches of painful, really. He rushed through Hogwarts castle on a mission to locate the closest loo.
The train ride had been positively brutal. He had tried to sleep off his hangover but was continuously interrupted by a bunch of squealing third years in the next compartment. Since last night had been his last night of freedom, Sirius had taken it upon himself to make sure James milked it for all it was worth. It was a bad time of the month for Remus, but Sirius and Peter had been available in joining James in his last night of debauchery. Sirius never let his glass empty before handing him another one, and Sirius made sure James went home with cutest blond at the bar.
What was her name? James wondered as he roamed the halls, Amy? Sara? Sue?
Either way, she had been rough, perhaps a little too rough. He had claw marks on his back to prove it.
"James Potter!"
No, no, no! his mind screamed. If he had to stop and talk to someone, he couldn't guarantee that he was not going to piss all over himself.
Despite his close-to-bursting bladder, James was reluctant to turn around. He knew who had yelled his name. He had heard that voice yelling his name too many times in his youth, to know that it could only be one person. He dreaded the look of disappoint that was sure to cross their face. It happened each time he ran into someone he knew from his Hogwarts days. First, they would greet him enthusiastically. But behind their smile, they couldn't hide what they really thought. After all, he had been such a promising student...
Oh well, he thought, might as well get it over with.
"Professor McGonagall."
It was amazing. Six years and this woman still looked exactly same as she did when he first started at Hogwarts. Her gray hair was still tied in a bun and her glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, just as he remembered.
"James Potter," she responded. And much to his surprise, she reached out her arms to give him a hug. James stiffened at first, too shocked to think of how else to respond. It was startling, after all. It reminded him of his graduation day when he discovered that he had been one of McGonagall's favorite students, even during his hell-raising boyhood days.
"It is so nice to see you, Mr. Potter. Or, shall I say Professor."
James chuckled, while nervously ruffling his hair. "It's a strange thought, isn't it?"
"Not at all. You were a top student in your class, and I hear you've had some experience fighting against the Dark Arts."
His stomach clenched.
"Either way," she said, giving his back a reassuring pat, "I think you will make a great DADA professor."
James nodded along with her, not entirely convinced.
"Well, enough chatting," she said, returning to her usual distant self. "I actually came to find you to deliver a message."
"A message?"
"Yes, Dumbledore would like to see you in your soon-to-be classroom. I'll take it you remember where it is."
With that, she turned on her heel and returned the same way she came. James sighed and grudgingly made his way in the direction his feet still new by heart.
James was experiencing mixed feelings walking through the halls of Hogwarts. James couldn't decide if he was glad to be returning or not. In one hand, this place contained so many happy memories for him. Some of the best times of his life were spent with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and Hogwarts was sprawling evidence of their time together. Everywhere his eyes wondered seemed to remind him of an incident involving one of his three friends. However, this place was more than a source of memories. The feelings of comfort and acceptance that he experienced while within these walls still lingered. The self-assuredness that he knew growing up was a feeling he had not been able to find again in the outside world.
On the other hand, Hogwarts didn't feel the same without Sirius, Remus, or Peter with him. In fact, without them, Hogwarts just mocked him. The people who still worked here, remembered James in his glory days as a promising young wizard who had once been the smartest in the school. The feelings of hope and excitement for the future he expressed while within this castle served as a rude reminder of his reality. Nothing had turned out like he had planned. Somehow, it had all gone completely wrong.
Reaching the DADA classroom, James took a deep breath and entered.
Unlike Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore didn't look the same. It wasn't his age that revealed itself; rather, he thought it was the reality of the outside world that now laced his features. Where once there had been a spark in his eyes, now only contained a slight residue. And even though he smiled at James, James could tell it was strained. But who could blame the guy? James knew the stories, even if the newspapers didn't cover them.
"Mr. Potter, I see that you made the train."
James nodded, wanting to make this conversation as quick as possible.
"Well, Mr. Potter. I don't intend to keep you long. Since it has been a long day for you I wanted to converse with you before the opening ceremony."
James waited for him to continue but Dumbledore was busy searching his pockets.
"Lemon drop," he asked.
"Um, no thanks," James replied.
"Well then, on behalf of the faculty, I would like to welcome you to Hogwarts. The faculty, the staff, and myself are thrilled to have you back. It's always enjoyable when former students return."
James tried to nod in appreciation but dreaded the turn in the conversation that he knew was sure to come.
"On behalf of the students, I think you will find there is an abundant amount of intelligence and brilliance that will be entering your classroom. Therefore, I feel it is my duty to the students to warn you."
Dumbledore paused to make sure James was making eye contact. Here we go.
"I, personally, am not a man who enjoys gossip or rumors, but I would be a fool if I did not listen to it. Would you not agree, Mr. Potter?"
It took all of James' strength not to glare at the old man. He hated being talked to like a child. He, above anyone, knew what he had done, and James didn't appreciate being reminded of his past by someone who was practically a stranger. "Yes, sir."
"Excellent. Then, I think you should know that I also believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt. I will disregard what I have heard from other sources, if the behavior you show in your classroom and to the students is commendable. We are entering difficult times, Mr. Potter. On behalf of the students, I am warning you not to take this job lightly. Is that understood?"
James' tongue felt as if it was laced with weights as he dutifully replied, "Yes, sir."
"Excellent!" Dumbledore came to meet James and give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Remember James, I went to you offering a job."
Offered? Tricked is more like it, James thought. The evening James met Dumbledore for lunch to discuss his proposition, the sneaky old man had conveniently invited James' parents as well. The old man knew James wouldn't have said yes without the threats of disownment from his parents.
"I have complete confidence in you that you will make an incredible instructor. If I remember correctly, you made top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. These students need someone with a sharp mind like yours to teach them how to protect themselves." Professor Dumbledore winked at James through his half-mooned spectacles before looking at his watch.
"Well, look at the time. The opening ceremony will be starting in 5 minutes. Care to follow me into the Great Hall, Professor?"
James sighed as he followed Dumbledore out of the classroom and into the hall. He guessed he would have to hold off on taking a trip to the bathroom. But relieving himself was no longer James' mind. James had his suspicions before about the job. Whether Dumbledore knew it or not, during their conversation, he had all but confirmed James' suspicions.
I know what you are thinking Old Man, James thought. And it's not going to work.
A/N I hate writing beginning chapters because they only serve as a set-up for the rest of story. Personally, I would rather write the fun stuff. However, I found these scenes to be necessary and had to base an entire chapter on them. But I promise James and Lily will formerly meet in the next chapter. I know two chapters isn't much to base on, but a review is always appreciated!
