Chapter 2: A Regular Old Prince Charming
Lily woke up to Scarlet tugging on her hair. Scarlet's beak clicked close to Lily's ear and Lily felt little strands of her hair being pulled by the curious owl. Lily opened one eye and used her hand to push Scarlet away lazily.
"Scarlet," Lily said hoarsely, "it's not time yet."
Scarlet nibbled at Lily's fingers in retaliation.
Lifting her head off her desk, Lily blinked sleepily at her surroundings. A piece of parchment had gotten stuck to her cheek and Lily, once again, was reminded at how utterly pathetic she was for falling asleep while writing. Lily reached up to her face and slowly peeled the paper off, feeling ink stains remain on her cheek instead of on the paper. Lily stared at the blurred words on the page and frowned at the twenty minutes of writing, wasted. With a huff, Lily leaned back in her chair to stretch out the kinks in her back from falling asleep at her desk.
Lily fondly remembered when her father would find her at her desk asleep after a night of writing. He used to poke her awake and tell her she'd get a hunchback if she didn't sleep in bed. She used to giggle as he'd tickle her awake, moments spent just with her and no one else. Scarlet stared at Lily pointedly from atop one of Lily's old school books, begging for breakfast.
Lily reached into her desk and pulled out owl pellets, casually tossing three of them at Scarlet .
Lily gazed past Scarlet through the window and down to the backyard. "Guess I'm not tending to the plants this morning."
Petunia had taken up residency in the only chair by the old garden. Petunia's finger was stirring her tea as she read out of a book with a thick red cover. The cooler weather had made some of the summer flowers wither away in the old garden, and Lily had planned on digging the brown plants out today.
"Lily!"
Lyra's voice echoed like a banshee, climbing up the staircase and pushing through the cracks of Lily's locked door. To an outsider, they might have assumed that Lily was about to get yelled at by her step mother, but it was very likely that Lyra was going to have a normal conversation with Lily. Lyra often started her conversations with Lily sounding like she wanted to string Lily up by her toes over a spitting fire.
Sometimes the sound of Lyra calling her name woke Lily up from a deep sleep, and Lily had grown less and less interested in whatever Lyra was shouting about as years passed by. Lily debated disapperating from her bedroom to some other section of the house, just to avoid a conversation with her step mother.
It was too late - Lily heard Lyra's hand working at the handle to Lily's bedroom door. "Why is this locked?!"
With a heaving sigh, Lily stood up and pulled her hair into a bun, using her wand as a large pin to hold it up. Lily chewed on her lip as she ripped open her bedroom door to face Lyra, who was pointing her wand at Lily's door to unlock it. Lyra lowered her wand at Lily's appearance, but didn't put it away. Lily eyed the end of Lyra's wand warily.
"Good morning." Lily sang (pitifully, but she always tried to be pleasant).
Lyra didn't return the sentiment.
"I need you to go to the shop and pick up the new advertisement signs for my approval."
"Can Petunia do it?" Lily asked, earning a warning look from Lyra.
"No," Lyra crossed her skinny arms over her chest, "Petunia is working on her studies today."
"Petunia works on her studies everyday." Lily pointed out, "Today is my only-"
"Lily." Lyra demanded with a skim of her wand tip past Lily's arm, "Go now, or I'll make sure you never hold a wand again."
"It's my wand." Lily argued feistily.
"If you've forgotten dear," Lyra said coldly, "Your father left everything in this house to me, including you. And if I own you, I own your things as well, down to that wand."
Lily's felt angry wells of water build up in her eyes. Lyra's threat was well aimed and pointed right into Lily's heart. Even though Lily held Lyra's sharp face, inside she panicked at the thought of Lyra breaking or burning her wand. As if out of habit, Lily's hand reached up to her bun where she normally put her wand when it wasn't being used. It was still there, nestled among auburn waves, but Lily gripped it tightly nonetheless as she pulled it from its place, in turn letting her hair tumble in waves down her back.
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "And for Merlin's sake girl, change that awful muggle outfit before you go or you'll look like one of the homeless pracing about London."
Lily was aghast. "This is my sleep shirt."
Lily gestured to her extra large maroon Gryffindor quidditch shirt that she often wore to bed. It was long enough that it reached her knees, and Lily thought it was one of her most comfortable outfits to sleep in. It had been her fathers shirt, back when he played quidditch at school, and Lily treasured it.
"Odd, I didn't notice any difference from this old shirt and your normal attire." Lyra turned slightly. "Bring back the new advertising Lily, and do it quickly."
"Fine," she said through clenched teeth.
Lily slammed her door closed in frustration and ripped the maroon shirt off her body, throwing the faded cotton to the floor. Scarlet hooted from her perch and flew down to start playing with the cotton shirt as Lily walked over to her drawers. There wasn't much for her to wear and she needed to do laundry yesterday. After a lot of debating, Lily settled on her old school shirt and long yellow trousers she'd gotten as a gift from her friend Marlene for her birthday two years ago. The yellow material fell to Lily's ankles and looked fashionable - for muggle attire.
Petunia eyed Lily's clothes as they passed on the staircase. Lily held Petunia's stare, but Petunia said nothing, as per usual. Lily rolled her eyes once they'd fully passed each other. Lyra was in the sitting room, reading from The Daily Prophet. Lily heard Lyra's house elf, Bricks, working in the kitchen and made a side stop to offer a good morning to the elf and take an apple.
"Out today, Miss Evans?" the elf squeaked, his hairy ears folding as she spoke over the eggs he was turning in a pan.
"Got to go to work for Madame." Lily told the elf before kindly reminding him, "When I get back I'm going to make fathers pumpkin pie, if you don't mind sharing the kitchen."
"Of course Bricks doesn't mind," the elf promised. "Bricks loves company in the kitchen, especially from Miss Lily."
Lily beamed and nodded at the small elf, the only good thing that had come from the marriage. He was at least eighty years old and had been a gift to Lyra from her own parents. Apparently, Bricks was the best cook and all the pureblood families knew of him. Lyra kept Bricks only as a sign of her superiority or else Lily had a feeling she'd be asked to do all the cooking and cleaning in the house.
Lyra didn't say goodbye to Lily and for that, Lily was thankful. She wasn't certain she could face Lyra twice in one hour without being able to scream. Lily's mind just kept replaying Lyra's snotty comments in her bedroom as Lily made her way to Quality Quidditch Supplies. By the time Lily got to the shop for the advertisements, she was mentally exhausted. Anni saw Lily's tired expression as she walked into the shop and grimaced.
"I take it that it's not a good morning for Lily Evans?"
"My step mother continues to treat me like I'm her own personal servant." Lily said thinly and Anni rose a brow, "Only she already has a servant and I'm just the extra help she inherited when dad died."
"I give you credit." Anni said disgusted, "I could never live with that woman."
"I can't live with her either because for some bloody reason my father loved her and gave her the rights to all our things." Lily reminded Anni.
Anni smoothed her hand over Lily's shoulder sympathetically, "Even still, you are a saint."
Lily swallowed thickly and stared darkly at the photo on the wall of the shop, the one that covered up her father's handwriting. Anni saw the path of Lily's eyes and a crease formed in Anni's forehead.
"How about you take one of the prototypes for a fly?" Lily perked up and Anni winked at Lily's interest, "The shop got a new Silver Star delivered early this morning."
Lily's eyes shined with anticipation, "no way! Is it shorter or longer than the last model?"
"Don't judge a broomstick by it's length."
Lily wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Anni, "That's what all the men say."
Anni laughed and Lily joined her until all the customers looked away from their shopping to see what all the laughter was about. Anni hugged Lily before she led Lily to the racks in the back storeroom where all the broomsticks were stored before they were sold. The racks were several feet high and included three stands where long boxes containing broomsticks were stacked one by one. The newer models that had been delivered today were still on the floor beside the racks, ready to be sorted. Lily watched as Anni reached into a very particular large black box box that stood out amongst the brown boxes littering the floor. Anni pulled out a black racing broom with silver tipped bristles that looked as if it had been crafted from black marble. Lily couldn't help but stare in awe at the beautiful woodwork and Lily's fingers reached out eagerly to take the racing broom from Anni.
"It's so gorgeous!" Lily's fingers examined the way the wood had been worked into a sleek version of its former prototype, "painting it black was genius!"
Anni nodded, her own fingers tracing the wood, "I'd imagine colored brooms are going to finally start going out of style."
"It's a shame." Lily muttered as she examined the broom, "I always loved the line of rainbow colored broomsticks by the counter."
"I'll miss the colors too." Anni confirmed, "But the black is sleek and very eye-catching."
Lily nodded her agreement as she weighed the broom in both her hands. It was lightweight and probably flew like a dream. Lily sneakily glanced at Anni.
"How much trouble would we be in if she found out I flew it?"
"No trouble at all if she never finds out." Anni's eyes flashed jollily, "it'd be a shame to let such a beautiful broom go without a flight test first."
"When does it go on market?" Lily asked as her fingers traced the broom name carved into the wood.
"Not until December."
It didn't take much more convincing for Lily to take the broom for a spin.
Lily apparated to an old field and grove that Anni suggested when Lily had wondered where she could fly it without prying eyes. The field was big enough that it's rolling golden grasses seemed like a sea and Lily bit her lip excited, only glancing back behind her to see a small dirt road that led Merlin only knew where. With one hop, skip and a jump, she was in the air and soaring high enough that the air became considerably cooler. Up high, Lily could think through her muddled thoughts as the wind blew at her hair and teased the bottom of her robes. The wind tugged her higher and higher off the ground, making the world appear smaller and in turn, making Lily ponder.
She was not sure just how much longer she could stay in her father's house if Lyra and Petunia were determined to live there until they died. Lily was fading into the background of the house, becoming just another spot on the wallpaper if she ever dared step out of her room or the stuffy attic. She felt as if her stepmother and stepsister had reduced her to nothing but a bitter, empty shell of the person she'd once been.
Taking a deep breath, Lily leaned into the broomstick handle and let all the negative thoughts leave her mind with her exhale. She flew lazily through the field at first, filling her lungs with the sweet air. Soon, Lily was laughing out loud as her feet skimmed the long grasses and she urged the broom faster and faster.
Sometimes Lily wondered that, if she flew fast enough, was there a possibility of flying into another place and time where wicked stepmothers did not exist?
She was willing to try.
Lily was flying so fast through the field that she hardly noticed that she bounded over a quaint cottage on the banks of a river feeding into the Valley. Her hair had fallen free of it's bun and Lily ran her fingers through the red waves that flew out behind her as she hurtled towards a set of trees. The trees were close together and she leaned into the broomhandle, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she guestamated what precise angles she'd have to fly to make it through the trunks unscathed.
With a dramatic flip she entered the forest, leaves and branches lightly scratching her as she dodged trunks and branches. She could feel her hair getting caught up in branches as she narrowly missed a large cottonwood but she didn't care, something about the entire experience was freeing. Seeing a blinding light that boasted an opening in the trees, Lily tilted the broom handle up and gritted her teeth as she burst through the tree line and back into the blue sky.
She flipped her broom, laughing to herself, aiming for the fields with no regard for her surroundings. It took her two seconds to recognize one of the taller trees that had clearly been struck by lightning. It's branches stuck up through the other trees like a wire cage growing from the ground. Through through it fast she'd cut herself up pretty good, but she was more worried about the broom. It couldn't be sold if it got roughed up. Lily started pulling up on the handle but it was too late.
Lily braced for impact but instead of feeling her skin get splintered by wood, something hit her from below. Lily screeched as she was literally pushed an extra ten meters by something colliding with her midair from below. The broom spun out of the control and she tried to keep her eyes open as she tightened her legs around the shaft and barrel rolled off to the left. Breathing heavily, she managed to pull the broom to a stop and she looked around her for the culprit, expecting some sort of wild animal.
Instead, it was a man with messy black hair and quidditch goggles covering his eyes. He was grinning impishly at her from his own broom, hovering just above the branch. Even though she couldn't see his face she thought he was handsome, he had a nice strong jawline she admired while he (in turn) admired her broomstick.
"That's a wicked broom." he stared at the silver bristles along the edge and then he leaned casually into his broom as if he hadn't just slammed into Lily, "Is it the newest Silver Star model?"
Lily dragged her eyes away from his jaw as it moved to stare at his lips. It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her.
"Yeah," she said, tucker her hair behind her ear as she hovered.
"Those aren't due out from a few months." he seemed impressed.
"It's a prototype."
"How did you manage a flight on one?"
Lily looked down at her fingernails, "I know people."
"Do you customarily fly expensive prototypes like they're built for street quidditch?"
Lily blinked rapidly at him, "Do you customarily barrel into complete strangers with your old CleanSweep?"
"Don't call her old." he snapped as if his broom could understand Lily, "Bertha could outfly your fancy house-broom any day."
"Bertha." Lily retorted, half a laugh escaping her mouth.
"My broom." The boy smirked proudly and Lily was struck by his goofy attitude.
He'd named his broomstick. Lily couldn't believe she'd run into the biggest dork in the middle of what she thought was abandoned countryside.
"Do you live around here?" he asked her next, adjusting his quidditch goggles.
"No." Lily said, quickly, defensively, and he caught her hurried response.
"Well." he raised a bushy brow at her, "I saw you from my practice field, heading into the forest, thought I'd come check make sure you didn't ruin a perfectly good broom...the forest is not a great place for a standard racing broom when there are lots of obstacles."
Lily raised one of her brows, "I think I can fly well enough to miss a few branches, thanks."
He didn't lose his smile as he teased, "You nearly fell off your broom."
"You knocked me off into the spin."
"You're right." he said smoothly, "But if you're as good a flier as you claim, my little bump should not have thrown you off."
"Little bump." she said while drumming her fingers along the broom handle, "You slammed into me like a bloody stunner to the chest."
"I have that effect on most women."
He leaned into his old broomstick with a smug grin and Lily snorted mirthlessly. Looking away to roll her eyes. She hoped she wasn't blushing. He was clever and witty, she gave him that.
"Liked that one did you?" he chuckled when she looked back at him with a small smile.
"Oh Merlin, please go back to wherever you came from."
"Want to come with?" he waggled his eyebrows, "We can test your broom on my pitch."
Lily replied casually with a little wave, "Thanks, but I've got places to be."
"You can pretend to not like me all you want." was his clever reply, "But if you were really annoyed with me, you would have flown away already."
She rolled her eyes (even though he was right) and collected her hair up onto the top of her head before letting it fall, frustrated with his conceited manner. She balanced on her broomstick broomstick, expecting him to fly away. He didn't. His goggles reflected Lily's form like mirrors and she saw her hair had become warped about her shoulders in flight.
"What's your name?" he asked suddenly, as if he'd realized he didn't know her.
"Why does it matter?"
His eyebrows rose again over his goggles, "A bloke can't know the name of a pretty girl flying a top tier racing broom?"
"Pretty huh?" Lily grinned at that, "Aren't you just a regular old Prince Charming?"
He chuckled and looked even more intrigued, "Do you fly here often?"
"My friend suggested it."
"You shouldn't be flying so close to muggle towns." he offered, leaning into his broom as they hovered in front of each other, "the Ministry gives out serious fines if you get caught."
"You're flying." Lily pointed out argumentatively but her eyes were tracing his smile, wondering why it seemed so familiar.
The man waggled his eyebrows flirtatiously, "well, I have a bit of a tug with the local aurors."
"Pompous git." but she liked him, for whatever reason she couldn't place.
He was clearly enjoying her too, "Git is my middle name."
"It's not like muggles would be way out here in the groves." Lily gestured to the acres of trees.
"I'm not saying I agree with the laws." he pushed up his goggles and Lily almost choked when she was finally able to see his face fully, "That's just what's done."
Her conceited self-made flying instructor was none other than James Potter. Lily couldn't believe that the Minister's son sat in front of Lily on a broomstick. He'd tried to help her, tried to flirt with her, and was now looking at her with vibrant eyes. The goggles pushed into his hair made the black strands even more flyaway, turning him back into the man Lily had seen at the Quidditch match...the only thing missing were his square frame glasses.
No.
If he noticed her stare, similar to a deer caught in the headlights of a muggle car, he said nothing. Lily cleared her throat and said clearly but kindly, "Just because it's what's done doesn't mean it's what should be done."
He was glowing with awe and she was fucked as she realized how even more attractive he was, "There you are, right again."
Lily swung her broom around, desperate to get away before she made a mistake, "Well, thanks for the tip."
She was about to fly off when he called after her, "Alright then, bye!"
She sent him a half a wave before zooming off so she didn't make any mistakes. No one was supposed to see her fly the broom and now her only witness was a curse breaker with a wicked sharp tongue. She doubted she'd ever see Potter again, even if she wanted too, but she still worried that Lyra might find out she'd taken the broom out somehow.
When Lily dropped the broomstick back at the shop, Anni asked Lily how the broomstick flew and Lily didn't lie when she said it had been interesting. Anni looked suspicious but didn't pester Lily as she took the broomstick polishing kit from under the counter and began caring for the black broomstick behind the shop where no one could see her.
Lily had to hand it to Potter, he'd kept the broomstick from getting anything other than Lily's fingerprints on the outer shafts. As she polished the handle she couldn't find even the slightest flaw. The radio in the back of the shop played a loud rock song that echoed lyrics of young love through her mind.
She smiled into the broomstick handle as she remembered James' posh accent and warm smile. All Lily could replay was the way he tipped his head playfully when she spoke to him. He glowed golden in her memories and she felt unfamiliar flips of her stomach when she recalled his deep chuckle after she'd challenged him.
Her hand slipped and some of the broomstick polish landed on her clothes. Lily cursed, jumping up and placing the broomstick on the counter so she could run to the back and grab a wet cloth. Anni had been assisting a girl pick out a new set of workout robes and came to check on Lily only after the girl had left. Anni found Lily bent over the sink cursing as she tried to get the broomstick polish out of her clothes.
"These pants were a gift from Marles." Lily complained, "I can't believe how stupid I was."
"Are you a witch or not?" Anni teased, walking over to Lily and pulling out her wand to wave over the black stain on her yellow outfit.
The polish disappeared and Lily was left with nothing but a red stain on her face from embarrassment, "How come I didn't think of that?"
Anni chuckled and ruffled the messy bun atop Lily's head, "Your head is still up in the clouds." she teased, "come back down to earth for a bit, yeah?"
Lily smiled at Anni before standing up straight and glancing in the mirror. She chuckled as she spotted a green leaf among the bun and she hastily picked it out, tossing it in the sink. Anne brushed down Lily's robes before leaving Lily alone in the storage room to go back out into the main shop. Lily leaned towards the small mirror and wiped at the circles under her eyes, wishing she were prettier, no, not prettier...healthier...happier.
Floating back into her shell, Lily picked up the advertisements that she'd originally come to the shop for and tucked them between her arms. She reached up to her bun, where her wand rested in it normal place. Lily pulled her wand from the strands and blew her fringe from her eyes as she entered the main part of the shop. It was bustling and filled to the brim with students doing their back to school shopping. It was almost September, so all the Hogwarts kids would be going back to school and needed new brooms for the quidditch season. As such, this was one of their best selling seasons. Anni and Mark were working tirelessly at the front of the shop but took the time to wave at Lily as she exited the shop to head for home.
Walking through the cobblestoned streets, Lily spotted a flash of black hair and she looked excitedly, as if he'd be there in Diagon Alley. Instead, Lily was awkwardly greeted by an older man with a toothless grin. Lily sobered and tucked her head, erasing the old man with visions of another man with messy black hair who made her smile even when she didn't know why she was smiling.
It was childish of Lily to daydream about a stranger, especially since he was the Minister of Magic's prodigal son, but Potter's laugh echoed in her head the entire way home. Of course, all the warmth that accompanied his laughter in her head was immediately drained when she entered the house and found Lyra waiting for Lily at the steps. Lily tried to act casual, despite the predatory look in Lyra's hawk-like eyes. A part of Lily wondered if Lyra knew she'd taken out a top tier racing broom for a quick flight.
Lily placed the advertisements on the table closest to the door and took off her cloak slowly.
"Where have you been?" Lyra asked, "I asked for those ages ago."
"It took me a while." Lily said defensively, "The shop was crazy so I helped Anni."
Lily hated lying about helping Anni with the shop but it was the only excuse she could think of with Lyra staring her down. Lyra's fingers thrummed against her own arms as she and Lily stared each other down. Lily didn't dare turn her back to Lyra and didn't lower her gaze either. When Lyra didn't say anything else Lily walked up the staircase, sliding up the bannister so that her shoulder wouldn't hit Lyra's on the way up.
Once up in her room, Lily made sure to close the door before she fell into the chair at her desk. Scarlet was clearly out hunting as she wasn't inside Lily's room. Grabbing a bunch of loose pages and a quill, Lily collected everything she'd need to write a new article. Lily didn't stay in her room to write. Instead, she left her room and went to the end of the hallway where a chain attached to the ceiling. Lily held the quill in her mouth as she reached up to yank on the chain and lowering a set of stairs that led to the attic. Petunia peeked her head out of her bedroom door when the creaking stairs touched the ground.
"Freak."
Lily heard Petunia mumble but when Lily turned to glare, her step sister had already disappeared back into her room.
Lily rolled her eyes before adjusting the quill in her mouth. Lily climbed the ladder, the parchment crinkling in her hands as she made her way into the stuffy attic. The attic was dark and filled with boxes but a small path led to the end of the attic where a small window overlooked the neighborhood. Lily got on her hands and knees by the window and pushed the glass open with her shoulder. Cool afternoon air hit her face as she crawled onto a small, black railed balcony.
Lily was certain the roof shingles would give one day and finally render the small little outcropping too dangerous, but she prayed that her little oasis on the roof would last longer than her stepmother. Lily leaned her back against the brick walls of the house and stared out across the neighborhood. The rare sun was a blazing ball in the sky that warmed Lily as she flattened her parchment against her legs and began writing down her thoughts and ideas, most of which surrounded some new female quidditch players that had joined the circuit.
A suddenly voice shouted from below, "You still haven't fallen from up there?"
Lily leaned a little bit so she could stare down at the sidewalk where a boy with shaggy black hair and a blazing smile waved up at her. She felt her heart soar at the sight of Sirius Black. Lily had known Sirius since she was a girl, long before she'd known Lyra, and always looked forward to his visits. Sirius hadn't shown up outside of Lily's home looking for company in over a year, not since he'd gone traveling with his Uncle.
"I'll be down in a second!" Lily called to Sirius gleefully and he shot her a two fingered salute in response.
Lily climbed back through the window hole and raced down the ladder of the attic, only pausing to push the ladder back into place above the hallway. Lily threw her quills and papers on her desk, narrowly missing Scarlet who had returned from a hunt. Scarlet stared at Lily who apologized profusely to her owl before racing down the staircase and bursting through the front door.
Sirius stood waiting for her with his hands shoved into the pockets of his black robes, grey eyes shining brightly when she appeared. Lily leapt down the steps after she closed the door and threw her arms around Sirius' neck. Sirius laughed at her enthusiasm and his hands left his pockets to encircle Lily tightly. Lily had forgotten how much she missed him and she buried her head into his shoulder happily.
"I've missed you!" Lily exclaimed, "where the Hell have you been for a whole year?"
Sirius and Lily had been friends since they were introduced by their families as kids. They were both sorted into Gryffindor in school but where Lily's father had loved Lily no matter what house she was sorted into...Sirius' family had shunned him for skipping over Slytherin. Sirius' Uncle adopted him after Sirius ran away from home after years of verbal and physical abuse. Lily's father always said that he thought Sirius' parents were the worst of the Black family tree but Sirius had once told Lily that he thought a few of his cousins could give his parents a run for their money as 'worst family of the year'. Lily, later on, would find out Lyra was one of those cousins Sirius had mentioned all those years ago at Hogwarts.
Sirius used to try and convince Lily to run off and leave everything behind. He'd done it right before he'd left to travel, begging her to come with him, but Lily's love of her father kept her feet planted firmly at the home she'd just exited. Sirius had argued with her but Lily just couldn't bring herself to leave her family home in Lyra's hands.
Sirius was Lily's closest thing to a brother she had. Sirius (who wore the Black family looks with a chip on his shoulder) was probably one of the most attractive boys Lily had ever met. He had high cheekbones and had wavy black hair that he'd grown to his shoulders over the year he'd been gone. He'd also gotten many tattoos when he'd left Hogwarts, taking up an interest in muggle art simply to spite his family. Lily's fingers traced the newest tattoo on his neck as she pulled away from her hug.
"Thank you for coming to see me." she said happily, "How was traveling the world?"
"You've lost weight." Sirius ignored her questions and examined her as they stared at each other, "Why are there circles under your eyes? Merlin, Evans, your dad would flip if he were here."
"That's the problem isn't it?" Lily said smartly, "My father's not here anymore."
Count on Sirius to immediately argue with her the second he came home. Lily crossed her arms over her chest self consciously. If Sirius thought she looked bad then no doubt she'd made a great impression when she'd seen James Potter earlier. Sirius looked positively furious at her insecure movements.
"You know you're allowed to leave this place." he said seriously, not even bothering to jump around the problem, "Lyra doesn't own you, despite what she might think."
Lily repeated Lyra's own words begrudgingly, "No, but she owns the house and everything in it."
"Your father wouldn't blame you for leaving all this behind." Sirius tossed a hand at the old house, "Let Lyra live with her own ghosts."
Lily shook her head meekly, "I can't leave."
Sirius sighed but didn't continue to argue. They'd fought about Lyra before, many times after her father died, and it wouldn't be the last time Sirius egged Lily to leave. Instead of fighting, since they hardly saw each other nowadays, Sirius looped his arms through hers and started leading her up the block.
"What were you writing about up there?" he asked conversationally, "My good looks?"
"Hardly." Lily pinched his arm, "I was writing about this new broomstick I flew earlier. Lyra doesn't know I took it, it's one of the newest Silver Stars, but Merlin, it flew like a dream."
Sirius, who didn't startle easily, seemed surprised. He actually stopped walking and tugged her back to a halt by a townhome overgrown with weeds. Lily stared at her old friend, looking for the answers to his odd behavior on his rigid face.
"You- you were flying this afternoon?" he asked, lines between his brows.
"Yes." Lily said, not knowing why that was so weird to Sirius, she often flew brooms at school to relax.
"Where?"
The question caught Lily off guard, especially after Potter's warning about flying so close to muggle towns. Lily itched her forehead as Sirius' grey eyes traced her face, waiting on her answer.
"In West Country." Lily told Sirius pleasantly, "Anni suggested it."
Sirius' mouth was open like a fish gasping for air. She was about to pinch him again and demand to know why he was so shocked, when his face became, suddenly, passive. Sirius started walking again and pulled her along with him. She thought she could hear the wheels in his head cranking.
"Was there something wrong with West Country?" Lily asked whens she could no longer take the peculiar silence between them.
Sirius' adams apple bobbed as he swallowed and then said as casually as possible, "No, it's just interesting."
"Interesting, how?"
"I have some, uhm, friends that live out there."
Lily thought of Potter and felt a flicker of heat cross her face, "isn't it mostly countryside?" she said, "I don't recall seeing much of anything."
"That's because there isn't much of anything there." Sirius snorted.
Lily, who had known Sirius since she was a kid, slyly replied, "You're not a 'much of anything' type of bloke."
Sirius snorted, "No, it's mostly just camping in the woods."
"Not your cup of tea?"
"It's too quiet."
Lily, who craved silence said, "I would pack up and move there now if I could."
"It's quieter than London." Sirius told her.
"I prefer the quiet."
Whatever she'd said, made Sirius snort mirthlessly, as if sharing a personal joke with himself. They turned the corner of the street and ended up on the main road that lead to a few small muggle shops. A few of the trees had started sporting yellowed leaves and Lily thought back to the forest where she'd run into Potter. She sidelganced at Sirius and wondered if her old friend knew anything about the Potter's besides what was written in gossip magazines.
Sirius glanced over at her suddenly as they crossed the street. Lily looked away from his quickly as they made their way towards an old playground that looked like it had seen better days. A few of the swings were broken and Lily spotted graffiti on the side of the slide that included words not fit for a child playground. Sirius unlinked their arms and instead looped his fingers in hers so he could run full speed for the seesaw. Lily laughed gaily as Sirius tugged her along towards their favorite part of the playground.
Sirius helped Lily sit on the part of the seesaw that rested on the sand covered ground before crossing to the other side that face the sky. Lily pushed up a bit, leveling the seesaw so Sirius could swing a leg around the other side. Once he was on they began pushing each other up and down, higher until they were slamming each other into the ground playfully. After Sirius slammed her to the sand particularly hard, Lily rolled off and into the sand. Laying on her back, staring at the now greying sky, she felt a little like her old self again.
Sirius appeared, falling into the sand beside her. They stared up at the sky, laughing off their games and digging their hands into the sand around them as they enjoyed each other company. Lily rolled onto her stomach and placed her head in her hands as she stared at Sirius. He had his hands behind his head and his eyes were closed. She nudged him with her foot and he opened one clear grey eye.
"Where have you been?" she asked enviously, "tell me all about your adventures."
"I missed you," was his cryptic reply, "I'm sorry, I should've written you more."
"I got your postcard from France." Lily muttered, "Paris looked gorgeous."
Sirius sat up and Lily did the same so that they both sat cross legged in the sand. He told her about his travels in France and Egypt. Sirius explained that he'd spent most of his time in Egypt under the invitation of some pureblood family he'd met with his Uncle on the road.
"They had this massive house on the Nile, Lily." Sirius' eyes lit up, "Some of the rooms didn't even have covered doors or windows."
"What?" Lily said in disbelief, "What did they use?"
"These curtains that kept the bugs out!" Sirius exclaimed, "And the animals there are so cool, especially these massive water creatures called hippos."
"It sounds amazing." Lily said honestly, despite the jealousy in her tone that Sirius caught onto.
Sirius scooted forward until their knees were touching. Lily looked up and Sirius tucked his hair behind his ear as he stared at her earnestly.
"I wish Lyra would have a heart attack and die already." he gestured around them, "You can't be the top quidditch reporter in history stuck here doing my cousin's dirty work."
Lily smiled sadly at Sirius and placed one of her hands on his knee, "I'll be alright." she said softly, "I still go to quidditch games with Marley and I get to work in my dad's old shop."
"Lily," Sirius said seriously, "I love you, but you look so...sad." Lily looked away but he nudged her again, "When was the last time you felt happy? Really, truly happy?"
Lily blinked owlishly and thought back to the last few days, "When I'm watching a quidditch game I'm happy." she decided, "Or when I'm flying."
"That's all good and well Lil," Sirius said, looking sad, "But there's got to be more out there for you than a few broomsticks and a game every Saturday night."
"Like what?" Lily rolled her eyes, "Sirius, all I've ever wanted to do was write about quidditch and run my dad's shop."
Sirius took a deep breath in, "yeah," he pacified, "and you will, Lily, but first you've got to get out of Lyra's clutches."
Lily put on a stern face, "I can't run my father's shop if its still under her control."
"You can start your own shop."
"I don't want to leave Quality Quidditch Supplies." Lily said firmly, "I could never do that to my father."
Sirius wrapper an arm around her shoulders, "you're too good, Evans."
"Have courage and be kind." Lily stated, "that was my fathers motto until the day he died and I intend to follow his example by keeping his legacy alive in that quidditch shop."
"You're the kindest person I know," Sirius said, "But you need to have the courage to let go enough that you don't lose the girl your father raised you to be."
Lily sighed and leaned her head against Sirius, "I can't let go of anything my father left behind." she whispered, "But I promise I'll leave if it ever gets worse than a few well aimed jabs at my pride."
"I'm holding you too that."
"I'm holding me too that too."
Next Time:
"We don't exactly run in the same crowd." Lily said pointedly, "I mean Hell, the first time we really met he looked right through me and strutted off with Sophie Turner to jump her bones."
"Well trust me." Sirius held the door to the shop open for her, "he's looking now and would much rather strut in your direction. Sophie's exhausting."
"Are they together?"
"No." Sirius eyed her knowingly, "Not like that, since I met James he's always kept Turner at a polite distance most of the time."
"Most of the time." Lily quirked her eyebrow and Sirius winced that she caught that slip.
"We're all human, right?" Sirius said as they stood in line to grab some scones and tea, "Everyone slips now and again."
Thanks to everyone here and on tumblr for your kind reviews and reblogs. You make this hobby so much and rewarding. See you next week for chapter 3!
xxx
Petals