~*~Loving Lily~*~
Chapter 3
"Let's see here, how to wake Miss Sleep Until Sunset? Sirius, maybe you should shake her, or Remus, chuck a chess piece at her. No, no, Celeste, old girl, how about you whack her upside the head with that book of yours? Hm, no wait; let's just leave the stupid git. She can fend for herself I say!" declared a voice, which could only be James Potter's. I blinked myself awake and saw that James was bending down over me- suspiciously close really- and his head was turned toward Sirius, who was spiking his hair, looking in the mirror next to my wardrobe. I saw Remus searching through a chess set, tossing chess men here and there with echoes of 'Watch it buddy' falling from their miniature mouths. Celeste was shifting through books, trying to find something as well, and her bottom was up in the air, very close to Remus's face, should he choose to look up, though I don't think Celeste really realized her position. Regardless, nobody was paying much attention to the annoying prat above me with –EW, bad breath- and that, I suppose, was a good thing (not the breath, that was bad, the fact that nobody was paying attention).
"Thanks, Potter, I can fend for myself!" I growled, and James nearly jumped a foot in the air. Honestly, for being a brave Gryffindor, he sure did scare easily. "And now if you'll be so kind as to move your bum- I mean your face- I'll get up,"
"Honestly, Evans, I do believe your bark is worst than your bite!" laughed James. Potter was laughing at me. Great. See, I am not at all a morning person, never have been, and since I hated James, waking up to his bad breath on my second morning at Hogwarts very early was not a very happy moment. I scowled, grabbed my wand, and with a sharp flick and a mutter, a pit bull was on the floor and viciously attacking James's pant leg under his robes.
"No, Potter, my bite is quite worse than my bark," I said as James ran screaming around the room, the dog lunging and trying to eat him unrelentlessly.
"Good Morning Fireball Darling Dearest," sang Sirius, but he didn't even flinch or stop his hair spiking when James ran past him, screaming and cursing his head off. Instead he said, "Naughty James, such adult language out of something so small," Needless to say, I was the only one who laughed, since Sirius never laughed at his own jokes (which made it all the funnier), Celeste and Remus seemed to be franticly looking for something they'd never find, and James was too busy getting attacked.
"Hey Siri, hi Celeste, hi Remie," I said sleepily, and not even waiting for a reply, I shuffled over to my closet, slipped inside and changed into the boring black Hogwarts school robes. Classes didn't start until tomorrow, but, hey, everyone else was wearing theirs. I slipped back out again to see James standing on my bed, laughing uncontrollably and pointing at the pit bull who couldn't seem to get up. The dog took a running start, and sprang higher than I could have imagined, and a look of horror went across James face as the dog tackled him down. Yuck, yuck, yuck! James was on my bed, screaming his head off! This had to stop.
I slowly walked over, and petted the dog, which whined and licked me, his face seeming to smile. By Jove, this dog had a good choice of character! That's right, kill James, and lick me! I do love animals!
"Now, Potter, darling, what a sweet puppy this is! It's a shame it doesn't like you, isn't it? Perhaps I should let it attack you more since it seems so keen on it… Or perhaps I should just cuddle it for a few more minutes and then let it attack you more since it seems so keen it. Ah, choices, choices," I said, and winked at him, squeezing the dog in my arms. I liked it; he was so soft and cuddly!
"Evans, dearest, that thing is evil. Sick it on Snapey, not me, your best friend!" he cried. I frowned and shoved the darling little puppy toward his face. It snarled and spat. Smart dog.
"I think I'll name you Fluffy," I said.
"EVANS! You can't keep a dog here at Hogwarts!" cried James.
"Who says? It isn't a rule, I've checked, there's nothing that says you may not have a dog here at Hogwarts, so I think I will keep it," It would be cute to have a puppy and an owl! How lovely! Fluffy it is!
James just spluttered in outrage and flung himself from my bed. Good. Now, who had the bug spray, lice medicine, and fungi disinfectant? Oh, I'd just ask a professor to burn the bed so the disease won't spread and then I'll get a new sterilized bed. Right, that was the plan. "Sirius, come see my new puppy, Fluffy," I called. Surely he would like Sirius. Hiss. Snarl. Jaw Snap. Wriggle. Bite. Snap. Growl. Bite. Hm, guess not. Oh well! Sirius moved away toward James, sucking on his hand, which Fluffy had accidentally chewed on a little itsy bit. Still cuddling the charming little creature, I showed him to Remus.
Hiss. Snarl. Bark. Bite. Snap. Growl. Wriggle. Snap. Bite. Hm, maybe Fluffy doesn't like boys. Remus howled in pain, and forgot about whatever in the world he was looking for, and ran into the corner where James and Sirius were cowering and nursing their wounds. Now Celeste. The dog had to like Celeste! "Celeste, come see the charming puppy I conjured! He hates the boys!" I laughed in delight. Celeste spun around, bum now down in a safe position, and she smiled at me, patted the dogs head and –chomp- screamed. She scared my poor dog!
"Lil-lee! What a- a- BEAST!" she screamed. The boys whimpered from the corner in agreement, and I scowled at all of them.
"Fluffy is not a beast, he's an angel! My fluffy little darling, don't be afraid, the gits won't hurt you anymore," I soothed. The nerve! My poor pup- whom I'd just conjured- was being terrified by the brutes I dare call friends! Humph!
"Lily! Listen to reason!" howled Sirius from the corner. "He- he- bit me- that's what he did! The dog needs to be disposed of!" and then right then and there he started sucking on his hand, which had a nasty black and blue mark on it and a little blood.
"Oh dash it all!" cried Remus. He drew out his wand, and on the floor appeared a large kennel. "Stick the mutt in there for heaven's sake, or I swear I'll hex it!" said the usual carefree, easy-going, polite Remus. I stuck out my chin and clenched my teeth, but nonetheless I stuck Fluffy in the kennel, and locked the door.
"Now, girl, we were trying to wake you up because Sarah and Jaclyn are going to talk to me, you, and Sirius and Remus and Celeste are trying to find this what-do-you-call-it to deliver to McGonagall to clean the ceiling of Potions. You know, the one. It's supposed to turn it scour it something-" said James.
"'Ound it!" called Celeste holding a small little bottle across the room.
"Good, let's go, bye guys, and Lil, you get that dog under control!" cried Remus, and they left. Good, Fluffy didn't like them.
"Right then, shall we go? By the way, 'cause of all the 'mishap' we can't go anywhere but the common room and dorm rooms except at meal times when we go to the Great Hall escorted by a prefect, or if a teacher has a job for you to do," said Sirius, annoyed and still sucking his fist. He looked utterly ridiculous. I told him so. He stuck his tongue out, and then put his fist back in.
"Oh, ok, and I'm sorry, Siri," I said, and slung my arm over his shoulder. Fluffy may not have liked him, but Sirius was still my best guyfriend. He winked at me, but he still sucked on that stupid fist. There wasn't even any more blood. Guess it was just an annoying habit. A very strange annoying habit.
"Ok. Let's go, they're in their dorm room, fifth years, of course. Hope they cleared out all the others by now. Alright, this way," dictated James. I rolled my eyes to Sirius and he shrugged, fist still in his mouth. It made him look like a little bear cub licking honey off his paw. How very sad, but extremely cute.
So we followed James up five flights of stairs, and he knocked four times on the door that clearly stated '5th Year Girls Dormitories'. After Fluffy and James nearly getting mauled, I almost forgot all about the horrible scare over Hogwarts. I wondered what the conversation would implant in my brain. Thoughts, feelings, but of what kind? And when was breakfast?
The door slung open and Jaclyn emerged from behind it. She motioned for us to be quiet, and then she drug us over to what was obviously her bed since she had 'engraved' in it 'OFFICIAL PROPERTY OF MISS JACLYN POTTER'. Yes, now nobody could even think it was somebody else's bed. Right. On the other side of the room, Sarah was trying to shove somebody into her closet. Huh?
She was trying very hard to shut the door, but the person wouldn't quite fit. "Er, hi guys," she smiled. Sirius and James jumped up, so I followed. Jaclyn snatched up James's robe hems, and held them tight so he was forced to sit back down grumpily. Humph. Sirius and I made our way over. Sirius nodded to me, and I nodded back.
"Oh, hi, Sarah," said Sirius, and then without warning, he shoved her down on her bed, and shouted, "Now Lily!" I opened the closet door, and a tall boy with silvery blonde hair, like Celeste's, fell out face down, with a few shoes, a robe, and a rubber ducky. I knew who that was. I saw him on the train. I saw him at the sorting. It was Lucius Malfoy, a Slytherin first year, Snape's friend!
"OH MY GOD!" screamed James, Sirius, and I all at the same time. James had broken loose from Jaclyn's grip, and he now stood beside me, both our mouths wide open, eyes large. Sirius screamed in rage and watched in horror as Malfoy raised his head slightly, and all down his neck were silvery pink lipstick, the kind Sarah was wearing. Sirius put two and two together, let out a choked yelp, and ran out of the room without another word. I had a mind to follow him, I did.
Sarah looked horribly embarrassed, and she should. Malfoy had this grin on his face, and he moaned and got up from the ground. He wasn't wearing robes, just a shirt and pants, and the shirt was all the way unbuttoned, with kisses all the way down. Disgusting! James punched him right then and there, and then Malfoy punched back, but James ducked and punched him again. So then, grumbling, Malfoy headed toward the door. Right before he left, he turned and said, "Darn you three! I would've scored with both of them if you hadn't come in! But hey, hot red head, maybe we could-" I chucked one of the shoes at him from the closet, but he was already gone. And now the lecturing began.
"How could you?" James screamed. "You knew Sirius and I and Fireball were coming here today, so why did you have to do that? With him? He's not only a stinky Slytherin, but he's a first year! Four years younger than you! What were you thinking? You can't honestly like him, can you?" he raved.
I was white with anger and lividly mad. I sat down by Jaclyn on her bed as James screamed at Sarah. Sarah just bit her lip and looked on as her younger brother's best friend that she had known for eleven years shook with rage over what she had done. Jaclyn got out a piece of parchment and a quill and hurriedly scratched me a note:
Dear Lily,
Look, I didn't want that Malfoy kid in here. He said he was going to score- he wasn't- and with me- not in a million years. I knew he was in Slytherin, and Sarah and I had a big row over it. You see, we've had a fight with our long time boyfriends (since last year) and Sarah is quite bitter. They broke up while my boyfriend and I are only fighting. She saw the kid at the sorting and thought he was-gag- cute for a little guy, no offense to you or James or Sirius or Remus or Celeste, and saw him on some business we were taking care of this morning with the you-know-what from last night. She decided to give him a thrill of a lifetime, she did. He came up here after we were finished, and I almost shoved him out. But Sarah let him in, and I was so disgusted with her kissing him I was just about to leave when you guys knocked on the door. I know it looks like he's been here all night or something because it's barely dawn- but I swear he just came- ok? Tell Sirius when you leave to come talk to me. Honestly, to tell you the truth, Lily, I'm more a sister to him, and Sarah's more a sister to James, and that's why he's screaming at her like she were me or something.
Sarah's the more thrill-seeker one of the two of us. She actually got into some trouble last year because she was making out with her old boyfriend in front of all the teachers, but don't tell anyone, ok? Sydney doesn't even know about it, and now with Mum and Sydney teachers here, Sarah- or I for that matter- can't really get caught even kissing a boy, you know? James and Sirius are all right, they're sneaky, always have been, but it's not like they even want to kiss girls yet. I saw Sirius hug you last night. What's that all about? And then my stupid git of a brother James tried to sling an arm around you… nice knee! You have to show me how to get your knee up so high sometime- it could really come in handy! Anyway, back to Sarah and me. Sarah is always kissing somebody, whether she's dating them or not, and can be sometimes a teeny bit rude, especially to the boys. I guess I'm the one who's more motherly like to the guys- and expect me to be same way to you and Celeste- and even though I have a wild and sarcastic streak too, most of time I'm pretty sweet, at least I think.
All you need to know about is that we cleaned the Dungeon's, classes have been postponed for a week, and tomorrow Dumbledore will set something up that every member of faculty has to do to see if they're the ones that did it (the thing last night). The Ministry's coming and everything! Well, you'll see more later. Write back on the back of this, ok?
Love,
Sarah
It took Sarah about five minutes to write all this, and me a minute to read, and James was still scolding and lashing out at Sarah when I was through. I wrote back-
Dear Sarah,
Don't worry; all your secrets are safe with me. I do hate the Slytherins, and Malfoy too, I think. They're all such prats! I don't think that you're the kind of person that would actually do something like that with someone so young and in Slytherin, don't worry. This whole thing has however, lowered my opinion of Sarah a bit, if she would stoop so low as that. But, I can't make any real judgments, because I don't really know her. I understand how terrible it must be for your Mum to be teaching you. I know you love her, but it's like being watched like a hawk, isn't it? My parents are Muggles. Dentists to be exact, so no chance of them ever teaching here!
Here's my impression about James, Sirius, Remus, Celeste, and me:
James: Annoying little kid, pain in my arse, cheeky scamp, pervert, Slytherin-reject and much more (no offense to you, of course, because you're perfectly normal)
Sirius: Sweet, older brother like, comforting, hilarious, a great pranker, fun, bouncy, cool, nice, and- um- handsome (?)
Remus: Amazing eyes, smart, nice, secure, happy, even-tempered, logical, reasonable, mature, fun, and cute (?)
Celeste: Friend since before Hogwarts, sarcastic, high-tempered, a bit snobby, playful, sweet to me, nice, smart, exciting, and dreamy
Me: (Long description) Ok, well, I'm very high-tempered, Sirius is my best-guy friend, and then Remus I think, I hate James, I seem to attract guys (most of which I don't at all want and it gets annoying), I'm romantic, intelligent, semi-funny, adventurous, I hate James, Muggle-born, Slytherin-despiser, I love pranks, love to write novels, have a nice slap and knee, I hate James, and um, yeah, I hate James.
About Sirius, and me it was a comforting, big-brother-little-sister type hug, nothing romantic whatsoever. I really don't feel like that right now about him, and we just met really besides. I guess we have tons in common, so it's easy to get a little taken away. Sure, I'll teach you my knee kick, it's fun to practice! James is a slob; he made a move on me in Diagon Alley! Seriously, he asked me out, I said no, he persisted, I yelled, he teased, I scowled, he grabbed my butt, I slapped, and that's about all there is to it. What a pervert! Hopefully the Dark Mark stuff will be cleared up, and I hate that classes have been pushed back. I want to learn magic NOW! Humph.
Love,
Lily
P.S. I have many nicknames; from James, Evans, from Sirius, my Lily-lily, from all the guys, Fireball, and then Celeste drawls out my name, Lil-lee.
I finished, and handed it to her. Potter the motor mouth kept on going and going and going, like the little pink energizer bunny. Say, James with pink ears, and a fluffy pink tail! Hm… I used a transfiguring spell I'd seen in one of the extra schoolbooks I'd bought (In the Standard Book of Spells Series I'd bought all the way up to Year 7) and said, "Mirror-ear-tail-pink-bip-bop-boop-estra-incantatem," I said under my breath, and with a flick of my wand, James, apparently not realizing, was wearing pink bunny earmuffs and a little stick on tail. Needless to say, he looked positively ridiculous. And then, while Sarah tried to keep from giggling, and Jaclyn did burst out giggling as she looked up from my note, James turned around to see what she was laughing about.
I tried to look innocent as he said, "What in the name of Merlin could possibly be funny at a time like this!?" he screamed. I burst out laughing, and so did Sarah, which really put James over the edge. "I- WILL- NOT- TOLERATE- BEING- LAUGHED- AT- AT- A- TIME- LIKE- THIS!" he howled, and with rage he began to hop up and down. This of course made him look like a real pink bunny, and I think all three of us girls nearly wet ourselves.
He screamed in rage, and to this day I'm surprised he didn't wake up all of Hogwarts, when I showed him a mirror, still laughing my head off. He screamed again and plucked off the ears, but had no idea of the tail. All the better. He ran to the door.
"Sarah, I'm not speaking to you! And Evans I'm declaring war on you- yes it's only day 2- I know- but I am, Frecklesnoot, I declare war!" he yelled.
"Fine with me," I said, still laughing, and then said, "But Potter, I'm not a Frecklesnoot, I haven't one freckle!"
He got out his wand, and before I could duck, pointed it at me. "Well, now you do!" he screamed as loud as he could, and slammed the door. His voice was full of pain, like one that feels helpless and tormented. I yelped as I lifted the mirror to my face. MY BODY WAS COVERED IN FRECKLES! Now I let out a true scream, the kind you hear in horror movies, because it is not at all amusing when one is actually beautiful (even if one is not vain) to see one's entire once-spotless body covered in unsightly freckles. And let my tell you; every strand of red hair with freckles on it as well looks simply beastly.
~*~*~*~*~*~
And so, let the record be clear, James had officially been the one to declare war on me, though we still dispute about it to this day. I'm sure we were already technically at war, but he was the one that made it quite official and everything, so it was quite his idea, and to this day when we argue about it, I have the reserved right to complain that I had simply no idea that he wanted to be at war before hand. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, I tell you.
I left Sarah and Jaclyn quite happy and giggly, but it had not slipped from my mind that in reality Sarah Black, a prefect nonetheless, had a first year boy Slytherin in her dorm room at dawn. Of course I went back to my dorm, hoping Celeste would be back, and I wanted to wait for the prefects to escort us down to breakfast. Probably at seven, so I had a good two hours. And what did I think about on my way back?
James Potter. He always did have that little charm about him that could make me reconsider my hate, or sharpen a knife and prepare to kill. He knew just which nerve to push to make me angry, and he knew just what to do to fight back. It was a silly child's game to him, entice Lily, tease Lily, make Lily furious, make Lily do something to you, and then make Lily be horribly sorry for what she did. Yes, that was his one true goal in life; to torment me, to make my life miserable, to make sure I had not one waking moment where I felt secure, not one waking moment that I could feel safe, and not one waking moment where I couldn't be thinking of him. I'm quite sure I hated him more than ever right then as I kicked open the dorm room door, not at all giggly anymore. I hated him, so every thought felt like venom to my brain, but it was all part of his sick little game to condemn me to have to replay over and over in my mind our hateful fights. James Potter.
Remus, Sirius, James and Celeste were in the room, James the vermin fortunately not on my bed. Sirius was on Celeste's bed, and all the rest of them were there too. They were all just sitting and staring at Sirius who snipping up things that looked like photos of Sarah. I ran over and plopped down beside him, and he dropped the scissors and shredded photos. "Oh Siri!" I cried. And we hugged. In that hug I felt his absolute rage and sadness. I could just imagine. It was the way I felt whenever James breathed in front of me. We let go after a long while, probably fifteen minutes, and he just shook his head.
"I can't believe her, my own sister!" he cried. He looked at his watch. "We've got about an hour and forty-five minutes until breakfast. I'm going to go lay down, I've got a headache," he said.
"I'll go too," said Remus and Celeste together. "Er, Celeste, not to sleep, just let's keep him company, ok?" said Remus and Celeste nodded blushing furiously.
"Ok, and Siri, Jaclyn said come talk to her in a while when you're ready, ok? She had nothing to do with it," I said. He nodded and then all three left. And that's when I realized my grave mistake in saying, 'ok', for I had just wrote out my death certificate. They had again left me alone with James Potter.
He was silent, much to the relief of my eardrums, and he was staring up at the ceiling. I looked at the floor. He seemed very interested, so I didn't bug him for fear the horrid boy would turn on me. Finally, after around two minutes, he broke the silence. In a singsong voice he said:
It runs up and down and tickles your gizzard,"
"Don't be vulgar," I said automatically, and he smirked. "What did you mean by that filthy saying anyway?" I asked curiously. Could he possibly be implying? No, even he wouldn't dare. Would he?
"You and Sirius of course, I see the way you look at him and he looks at you," He would.
"Potter, of course not, I do not think of him that way, and vice versa! That's just ridiculous and childish. I've just met Sirius in Diagon Alley, and we've only really truly talked for two days now, so don't you dare try and preach to me about love-sickness," I chided.
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" he asked, still staring up at the ceiling. My eyes remained locked on the floor. My answer? No… no, Lily, don't say it, he'll pounce he will, no, say 'No, James, I don't,' go ahead… That's the ticket; just say no-
"Yes," I said without thinking. Ohhhh! Now the torment comes! James was never one to pass up a golden opportunity, and this most certainly was not an exception. His eyes darted from the ceiling to me, glinting maliciously.
"Well then that's a contradiction isn't it?" he asked, his voice cold and spiteful. He sneered at me like a sinister eccentric murder that has just escaped from St. Mungo's sneers at his next and probably last victim. I glanced up at him lazily, almost amusedly, and I rolled my eyes without a smile.
"Potter, do I look like I care? Contradictions are tribulations and I don't need anymore troubles what with you around, thank you very much,"
"Oo, Evans, I'm so impressed! You can say a big word! Tribulations must be at high school level, mustn't it?"
"At least I don't have to rhyme like a git to get noticed," I spat out. Oh, yay, another mistake I had made. I had let him lead me into an insult contest, another fight, one I would force myself to think about long after it was over. To think about how he always won. Always.
"Oh lovely then, here's another, Evans, especially for you:
There once was a lass
Who thought she was the Queen of the Worl'
So I gave her a twirl
And she fell and landed on her big fat a**,"
He said the last part not in a very singsong voice, it was just cruel and teasing and hateful. I snorted, and tried very hard to keep my cool. This was a very hard thing to do.
"Yes Potter, if anyone would be watching my a** it would most definitely be you, now wouldn't it?" I said in mock cheerful voice. He looked disgusted with me, and I thought he would scream again, like how he had at Sarah, but he just glared for a moment, and then his expression changed, making himself look hurt. He backed away to the door, and he turned the knob.
"It didn't have to be this way you know," he whispered, and if it had been anybody but him, my heart would have melted. He bit his lip and he truly did look very sad, and then the door closed, softly, not a slam. Oh bother. And here was when the mental agony began.
Entice Lily, tease Lily, make Lily furious, make Lily do something to you, and then make Lily be horribly sorry for what she did. That was it. Make Lily be horribly sorry for what she did. That was what he had just done. It seemed every time we talked that was exactly how it went: Entice Lily, tease Lily, make Lily furious, make Lily do something to you, and then make Lily horribly sorry for what she did. How I hated him! But why, oh, why, did that work on me?
Why?
~*~*~*~*~*~
I let Fluffy out while they were all gone, and the precious ball of fluff just curled up into a ball and slept. How anyone could mistake that little darling for an devil, I don't know, he was so cute and even-tempered. I really thought things over then, chewing on a quill, and watching him sleep. I thought about how exciting Hogwarts would be, but then I remembered classes were supposedly canceled for a whole week. How could I stand the wait? By reading my schoolbooks of course! So, I got out Standard Book of Spells Grade 4, and began to study. How could they think fourth years would have any trouble with it at all? My second day as a first year and I thought the spells were quite easy, and I had no trouble not remembering anything. Hm, page 16, DADA, how to block a Grindylow attack.
It was no use. My eyes just stared at the page, and even though I truly tried to read, I couldn't. With a frustrated sigh, I slammed the book shut. So then my mind turned to other matters. For one, the fact that I knew only a bit about the magical world from Aunties, and there was supposedly Dark Magic too. Excruciating deaths, unmerciful torture. A Dark Mark, an evil wizard named- what was it Sarah and Jaclyn had said? I really couldn't remember. With a shudder, I chose to do something if not wise- extremely helpful. I thought about a prank war with James. It was like my way of lighting a torch in a newly discovered darkness. I created comical scenes inside my head in which he could do nothing to me, and I could destroy him. Wonderfully cheering I tell you, but unfortunately my mind worked on over drive and I got bored quickly.
New subject. Sirius. I'd known him only two days, but the way I already felt was indescribable. To feel safe is a very pleasant thing, and it seemed he was sort of a nice refuge from James's incivility, that dark wizard's evil, my own fears, my insecurity. Yeah, Lily Miss Kick-Back-Comeback-For-All-Occasions insecure. Right. But I was at age eleven, I was quite insecure, and being flung away into a realm far away from family and friends did not help matters. Sirius was someone I could feel comfortable with, and not even James could take it away from me, I wouldn't let him. Remus seemed like a sweet, sensible guy one could really trust in, and I was glad for it. Celeste was like Petunia, ever comforting, sweet, and bright. Oh, and then there was James. In a way, even though I despised him, don't even begin to think I didn't, I was sort of a teeny bit glad I had my hate for him to hold onto, sort of one thing I knew could never be turned upside down. But family…
Then it hit me. I missed them, Mum, Dad, and Petunia, like a leg misses a foot. Aunties had assured me that Mum and Dad had known quite all about it, me maybe being a witch that is, and Valika and Lucy had written them from Diagon Alley. Petunia didn't know, but I'm sure Mum and Dad had told her by then. Presumably so, anyway, for that was the correct thing to do. I would write them all a letter! Yes, that was it, but I didn't know where they had put my owl. Darn, knocked down again with incompetence. My, wasn't I using large words?
I decided to write later. My head snapped up, I had been staring at my red velvet bedspread, and I got the surprise of my life. Had I not forgotten that it was dawn? My roommates, Lorna, April, and Kate were still asleep. After all that talking and noise, how in the world could they still be laying their undisturbed? Very heavy sleepers was what I was dealing with. Hm. Ok, I looked down again, yes, that's it Lily, lovely and soft bed isn't it? Oh dear, I'm still in my robes, or rather shirt and shorts were under them. Well, silly eleven-year-old me didn't notice. I don't think I noticed too much of anything at that age. Now what to think of? Bother thinking! I'd worn it out.
Hm, I'd search through my trunk! I had no idea what Aunties had packed. I think Lucy was muttering something about helpful presents, but who knows? Ok, now, try to be silent… CREAK! Uh, yeah, real smooth little me! Well, nobody had noticed, so I proceeded to search through the trunk. Wow! Seems Aunties had visited the robe shop after Celeste and I had gone. There was a beautiful emerald robe, a silky sapphire robe, a soft lacy white robe, and a soft lavender robe. Where I would use all these beautiful dress robes, I didn't know. Um, ok, four black robes, six pairs of shoes, all my books, an extra owl cage, three more pairs of shoes, (how deep was this thing?) a small alarm clock that was bewitched- Oh! One thing said 'You'll be sorry you missed it', another said 'Love is in the air', and then there were bunches more, including 'Don't sweat it honey, just run, you're late'. It was pointing to 'It's too early, stop fighting, and go back to sleep'. How cute! Ok…
What else? Oh! A big huge book! I opened it, and I saw a picture of each one of my friends. Aw, darn, James too. Then a picture of all my roommates. But wait, the pictures weren't pictures, they were windows to see what the people were doing, and the people were moving! "Show me Sirius," I whispered to the book, and the pages flew to the fourth one. There was Sirius, on a bed, snoring. Typical. I closed it, smiling. Great gift! I found several witching toys, and wait- what was that? A BROOMSTICK! Huh? The note had specifically said 'First years may not have broom sticks,'. Wait, there was a note attached-
Dear Lily,
Lily darling, we know first years may not have brooms, but this is a present that can aid in 'mischief making' among other things. If we know you, you'll find some use for it. You seemed to like the idea of Quidditch, so we got you the best broom there is, a Nimbus1000! It's for Quidditch honey, so next year, do us a favor and make your house team! You'll get flying lessons at Hogwarts, don't you worry, and I'm sure you'll be a natural. If you really must take this somewhere, use a shrinking charm and put it in your pocket. Have fun at Hogwarts sweetie!
Love and Kisses,
Your Aunts- Valika and Lucy
P.S. Tell Celeste hi.
Oh, yes! A broom! The best broom! Woo hoo! Yes! Yes! Yes! Go Lily, go Lily, it's your birthday, not really, but who cares! Oo, time to make up a cheer! I closed the trunk with another loud squeak, and ran out into the hall. When I lived in England I had took cheer, simply for the fact that I like working my hardest and doing gymnastics- not like a sissy or anything. Ok!
"Like awesome, oh wow, like totally freak me out, I mean right on, I sure am number one!" I cheered, jumping up and down. (A/N: Yes, ripped it off Bring It On, so sue) Ok it sounded conceited, but I was eleven, and I had a broom, yes, a broom, and a wonderful lovely magnificent broom all to my own! James didn't have a broom! Yay! Score!
I squealed with delight, and then ran to go find Celeste. Now, to enter the boy's room, to knock, or not to knock? No, they didn't on ours. So I burst in. Frank and Peter were sleeping, and so were Sirius and Remus. No sign of James, good riddance. Ah, there was Celeste! "Celeste, come on, let's go down to the common room and wait for breakfast," I said. Hm, should I keep my broom a secret? For right now.
"Ok, Lil-lee, 'ang on," she said, and gently stood up from where she sat at the foot of Sirius's of bed so it wouldn't squeak. We got out, and shut the door. Oh, darn! I'd forgotten Fluffy, and told Celeste so. "'Ine, I weel wait for you in de common room, okay? Hoo-ree!" she said, rolling her eyes. I nodded, and ran off. Absent-minded little thing wasn't I? So, I ran in, Fluffy still asleep on my bed. I grabbed him and dumped him on the floor unceremoniously. He yawned and slowly tottered into his little kennel. With a flick of the lock I was skipping merrily down to the common room.
Well, sure enough, there was Celeste. Sitting on a couch talking to James. Oh, lucky day! So, I picked myself up, kind of carrying myself in a high and prominent matter. Yes, this was me, the confident, stylish, popular redhead that made guys stare. The one that everybody thought would be as stupid as a ditzy bimbo. Or at least, this was what James was telling Celeste. Me, stupid?
"Yeah, I'm telling you Celeste, after Sirius and Remus went to sleep last night (they adore her so it's no use talking to them about it), Peter, Frank and I were talking to each other about Evans. They say, and I say too, that if she's as dumb as her a** is hot then she'll flunk out of Hogwarts her first day. Man, she may try to act smart, occasionally using big words, but inside she's a stupid ditz-" James rambled. Celeste looked horrified at how he was talking, and I was amused. Remaining in the shadows, I thought to myself; well, I'd show Potter just how smart I could really be. A smirk crossed my face; this would be fun.
Ok, now to look the part! I ran up the steps, back to my dorm, and brought out three books; The Sorcery Statistics Of Malignant Anamagi, The Bureaucracy of Early Magical Europe In Depth, and The Study of Aurors and Magical Laws. Ok, and then to conjure some 'smart' looking glasses, not actual vision helpful glasses, I had very keen eyesight. I put a serious, lawyer-like look on my face, and nodded to my mirror. "I totally look the part!" I whispered.
"Ah, yes we do, dear, but isn't it rather early?" my mirror yawned back. I gasped in surprise, but my reflection didn't seem to take notice. Hm, no, my shoes wouldn't do… now to dig through my trunk, ah, yes, found them!
Strappy sandals, spiked heels, pink, leathery, and with little sparkly silver buckles. That was my 'Barbie' part, so Potter would be even more surprised when I turned out highly intelligent. I'd prove him wrong; I'd prove everybody wrong! So, with my books, high, glittery heels, and my head held high, I pranced down the hall, my carroty red hair beautifully brushed, the ends curled. Here, I'd reached the stairs, now to go down them. Easy Lily, that's right, just five more steps, take it easily, slowly girl, slowly!
TRIP. D*** high heels! I'd fallen down, and landed face down, at Potter's feet. Isn't that lovely? I lifted my face slowly, books everywhere, glasses askew, hair falling over my shoulders, and one shoe off. What a sight I must have been! Potter had a grin on his face, and Celeste was peering on the couch, a look of utter surprise on her face. Slowly, much to my horror, James lowered his hand to help me up, Scowling, I took it, but only used it to boost me up and pull him down. Feeling the familiar stinging in my hands and knees, I picked up my books, fixed my glasses, and put my other shoe back on, humiliated. Potter lay on the ground, laughing slowly, smirking his evil little smirk.
"You're such a ditz, Evans," he laughed. I turned crimson. The one time I tried to look impressive and intelligent, I tripped on my little Barbie heels. Wonderful, wasn't it. Celeste shrieked in outrage.
"James, Lil-lee is not a how you say ditz, she is vare-ee smart and intelli-geent! Lil-lee 'as already learned tons of dees spells, an' she reads comp-lee-cated books!" she stormed. James just continued laughing on the floor, and I was about to smack him when Jaclyn came down the stairs. She sighed when she saw how livid I was, and rolled her eyes at James.
"What did he do now Lily? Prank or insult?" she said disgustedly, obviously ashamed for having that for a brother; with good reason, I might add.
"Insult," I spat out, and started to advance, but James burst out:
"No, ditz here came down looking all smart and then she tripped on her little Barbie heels! I just helped her up, and she pulled me down!" he defended. How did he think to say Barbie heels just like I was thinking? Oh, well, I was furious.
"No! You called me a ditz, Potter, and I pulled you down because you were laughing at me! And now you just called me a ditz again!" I yelled. I barely noticed as Celeste cheered me on, and a bothered looking Sirius and a sleepy looking Remus came down. James got up, his eyes flashing.
"You were eavesdropping on the stairs!" he accused.
"And a good thing I was!" I screamed back.
"Man, I can not believe I hit on you at Diagon Alley!" he yelled.
"Neither can I, you slimeball!" I screamed.
"Guys! Shut it!" cried Jaclyn, but her eyes were glowing with cheerfulness at witnessing our fight. Silently, Sirius and Remus walked over, and sat on the couch with Celeste. I noticed vaguely Celeste conjure a bowl of popcorn for them, and soon Jaclyn joined them.
"Evans, you're a dolt! I've known you two days and even I can see that! Nobody's going to like you! And nobody's ever going to date you! You're going to sit at home when you graduate in a rocking chair all alone until you die!" he screamed back passionately.
Rage boiled up inside, and I dropped my books on the floor, and flung off my glasses. I spread my arms out wide, emphasizing what I was about to say next. "Look Potter, I'm me, and that's enough! If anybody is going to hate anybody, they're all going to hate you!"
"You f-ing b****!" he cried. I blinked, red clouding my sight. I wanted to kill him. Maybe Azkaban wouldn't be so bad if I had the satisfaction of knowing I had murdered James Potter. I hated him with all my heart, and I wished that if he couldn't die that I would just to spare myself from knowing him. I let my arms drop, and shook my head slowly. Jaclyn was gasping at what her brother had said, Remus was stunned, Celeste was cussing him out, and Sirius was shaking his head in disgust. James had gone too far.
"I hate you!" I said with a stamp of my foot.
"Same to you!" he said. At this point, Frank Longbottom and Peter Pettigrew came down and squished into the couch receiving some popcorn. "Evans, I hate you and will hate you forever!" This was when we both lunged.
We were rolling around on top of each other, biting, kicking, and pulling hair, kneeing, slapping, punching and hurting in anyway possible. Really, I was winning, since he was rather shocked that a girl could pack such a powerful punch. Even Jaclyn, the prefect, was cheering us on, but after three minutes, she realized her duty to break it up. So, she pulled me off of James, and shaking his head sadly, Sirius pulled James off of me. I didn't even hear all the scolding; all I caught was something from Jaclyn that sounded like- "You should be ashamed! I won't tell Dumbledore this time, but if I ever catch you two at it again!" James and I were shooting each other looks of loathing and malice. Finally I was released, as ornery as ever. I saw that Remus and Sirius were helping James up, and helping him back to the stairs to sit down. Celeste ran toward me, and we hugged. "Oh, Lil-lee! 'E went too far! Just too far!" she was saying over and over. I somehow made my way over to the couch, in time to see Jaclyn rush toward the stairs with the boys scolding James. Good.
Frank and Peter were staring at me. Celeste and Frank were congratulating me, but the Peter kid sat very quietly, staring. After a while, I got up, and slowly headed toward the girl's stairs, shooting daggers at James, who was smirking, Celeste beside me. I stopped when I heard Peter's voice. "You deserved it," he snarled. I flung myself around and glared at him.
"You know, if you were in a fight, afterwards I would be nice to you," I said quietly.
He snorted. "Yeah, after you cussed me out and called me a b****** behind my back," he rolled his eyes, sneering.
"I'm sorry, I don't use that word," I said coldly, and glanced over at Potter. "You must have heard it from James," and Celeste and I stormed up the stairs leaving a stricken James, a wonderfully surprised Frank, Sirius and Remus, and a confused and amazed Peter. All this in the few hours before breakfast of my second day.
~*~*~*~*~*~
We were escorted to breakfast where Dumbledore explained everything from the night before gravely, and urged anyone with any information to come forward. He also told us how classes would be canceled, much to the relief of half the student body, but not to me. With Sirius on my right, Celeste on my left, and Remus across from me, I still felt disappointed in classes and the way things had been going that morning.
All day Celeste stuck by me, and I was grateful. Sirius reluctantly stayed with James, and Remus comforted both of us. Everyone knew that it was James who had gone too far. This time, Potter wasn't the one who made me feel bad in his little game of a cycle. It was me. My good-natured conscience was telling me it had been wrong to have a fistfight with James, and I knew that it was right. I shouldn't have lowered myself.
I spent the day talking to Celeste, making fun of James, and planning things for our supposed prank war. Celeste had the idea to bug him with a little microphone so I could hear everything he was planning, and I eagerly agreed, so, Celeste took the tiny little thing with her and visited him, planting it on the back of his ear somehow. It was time for dinner, so both Celeste and I plugged the receiving earpieces in one ear. Naturally Remus, Sirius and James sat far away from us at the other end of the table, and Celeste, our roommate Lorna, and I sat on the opposite end. Lorna turned out to be a very sweet, passionate girl, and Celeste and I got on well with her. April Hughes and Kate Barns sat nearby, and I once heard them having a short conversation that went something like:
"Geez, I hope that Lily girl didn't hurt James too bad when she beat him up," she said, and quickly finished, "But he put up a very good fight as well," as James glanced down toward our end of the table revealing a very red face, black eye, and a nose that was still slightly bleeding. I hadn't one traceable scratch on me.
"Yes, of course, James is so brave," giggled Kate to April. I nearly choked, but managed to keep on eating. I tried to drown out James's conversation, but I motioned for Lorna and Celeste to be quiet as I saw two tall brunettes, Hufflepuff
girls, walk up to James. Interested, I listened in.
"James, darling," one was saying. "Did you hurt her? I hope you did!" I scowled. He remained silent, and so did Sirius and Remus. She laughed slightly, but nervously at their disapproving faces. She now remained silent, and her friend bent down by James, her face very close to his.
"James, don't be stubborn, you know me; I'm Cassie! That ugly prat Lily Evans deserved whatever you did to her! I hate her, you hate her, and I say that Mudblood should be forced out of Hogwarts! She's so ugly, it looks like she's wearing a costume at a costume party anyway," Cassie snorted. My cheeks coloured. Celeste put a comforting hand on my arm, and I heard Sirius and Remus growl and slam their fists down on the table when the horrible girl said 'Mudblood'. She put her hand on James's, and he looked at her with disgust. "A very ugly costume, James," cooed Cassie.
"Well at least when Lily dresses up as a frigid b**** she doesn't look so constipated, like you, Cassie." He said slowly and quietly, and shoved a spoonful of soup in his mouth. Cassie's face turned sour, and I couldn't help but smiling. Celeste looked highly confused and shrugged at me.
"James, why are you so up tight?" scolded Cassie harshly. "Anyone can see you hate her, so why are you defending her? She's a Mudblood and you know it!" she cried. My smile faded, and James scooted his chair back, fists clenched, and looked her in the eyes. Remus and Sirius jumped up too, but wisely remained silent.
"Look here," said James, deathly quiet, grabbing her wrists. "I do hate Evans, but she's mine to hate, not yours,"
"But James! She's a Mudblood!" she whined.
"Hey, Cassie, how about you call her a Mudblood one more time and I'll break your arms," he said under his breath so only Cassie, Sirius and Remus could hear, and of course Celeste and I. I couldn't help but feeling both amazed and happy. Potter hates me, and would probably kill me if he had the chance, but I was a Gryffindor girl, his only to hate (from his point of view), and he would always stick up for me if I couldn't do it myself. How strange… But no matter, I hated him. Perhaps I really shouldn't have punched him so hard. Oh! There, the cycle was finished! Entice Lily, tease Lily, make Lily furious, make Lily do something to you, and then make Lily horribly sorry for what she did!
James let go of Cassie's wrists, and she turned on her heel, her friend following, and they went in a huff back to the Hufflepuff table. So those girls in Hufflepuff used the word 'Mudblood' too. What a pleasant surprise. The boys were silent for a while, and then Sirius broke the silence, quietly.
"That was a good thing you did, man," he said, and James nodded. Remus just gave James a sympathetic look. Celeste, Lorna and I took back up conversation, but Celeste and I didn't bother telling Lorna about what we'd just overheard. After dinner, later that night, people- mostly guys- came up to me and praised my crafty work. Somehow, it didn't feel as good as I thought it would. Three guys asked me for a date, all of which I steadfastly refused. Really now! I was eleven!
The next five days were mostly the same, and I can't really recall them. James and I argued, but I didn't lay one hand on him and vice versa. Dumbledore ended up giving everybody a drop of Virateserum (after being authorized by the Ministry) and nobody he tested had done the crime. Somebody could either avoid the affects of that potion, or somebody had slipped in and out of Hogwarts to do that sign thing. The night before classes started, I knew Sirius and Remus and Celeste and even James quite well, and I felt as though I had especially known Celeste and Sirius for years. Lorna had become friends with Celeste and I, and she really was quite sweet.
I stayed up late that night, sitting on an ottoman by the fire. Remus, James, Lorna, and Celeste had gone to bed, and everyone else too, so Sirius and I were left alone. We shared the ottoman quite comfortably for it was quite large, and the fire, which was roaring, warmed us. We were very quiet, just enjoying the night. Finally, Sirius said,
"Lily, I saw Celeste plant the thingy on James, and I know you heard last week," he said. I shifted my eyes toward the floor, so I was quite surprised when I found Sirius's lips on my cheek for an instant as he gave me a quick peck. I looked up, startled, but realized I had felt something like a wave of happiness wash over me when Sirius kissed me. He blushed, but looked grave. "I'm not sorry I did that, but I am sorry you heard," he said gently. For heaven sakes, we were eleven, but it was my first kiss, or rather peck, outside my family, and I felt lovely and dazzled.
Before I could speak, he had gotten up, and dashed up the boy's staircase, leaving me utterly alone with the fire embers.
(Author's Note: Sorry this was rather short, I wrote this a while ago, and planned to write more on it but my friend is very ill, and I've been busy with that. So Sirius kissed Lily. They've known each other a week, but things like that do happen, and he only pecked her. No worries, no lovey dovey romance junk yet. I got my first peck of a kiss when I was ten, so why not Lily at eleven? And Sirius was the perfect one to do it, don't you agree? Oh, and let's see, how did you like Lily and James and their fight? And James's little cycle game? And the way he defended her? Oh, and some of the things originate from this movie I saw, ok? All right! Ta! And Cheers!)
