Yearbooks

Lily Evans was sitting at her table years after she had passed out of school, cleaning her room. She was moving out of her apartment and into another but for a moment; it was like time had never existed, as she came across a bunch of white covered, gold bordered books from her high school years.

Tentatively, she opened the books, a small smile on her face as she turned the pages, her troubles forgotten as; she went down the memory lane.

She caressed the picture of Marlene and her, when they fifteen. She could still remember the first day of school, she had been so nervous, surrounded by those upper class students, and all alone, until she spotted the brunette she had spent all her school years up till now in the crowd. It was just like that recent song that she heard on the radio in her old truck, what was it? Fifteen?

She could still recall, all their high school adventures, the sneaking notes during classes, the making faces behind the teachers back and the fights with the pranksters of the class- The Marauders.

"Oh, how much trouble, had those four given me during high school," Lily recalled leaning back against her tattered brown couch, turning the pages until she came to a picture of four boys leaning against one another. Remembering when the picture had been taken alone was enough to make her laugh. The four had sneaked into the Locker room, before their Physical Education class and filled the shirts of all boys with tickling powder, creating a very "itchy" football team. Coach Hagrid, for the life of him had been unable to figure out what was wrong with his boys while these four were lounging on the bleachers, waiting for track to start.

The next yearbook contained a picture of Marlene dancing on the stage on Annual Day, a function that was held in the memory of the Founders of their school every four years. The dance team of course, had looked stunning as possible but it was not them but the bright smile on her best friend's face that stopped Lily. She had been so happy then.

Looking at her smile, she remembered it all, their pillow fights, the elocution practices, the drama classes, the examinations, the late night studies in the dorm and the prefect selections.

"Lily?"

"Mar?"

"You made it?"

"Yes, you?"

"Yes."

"I swear they keep getting smaller," Lily said leaning against the banisters after their first day as prefects.

"And naughtier," Marlene added wagging her finger at two fifteen year olds who had their shirts un tucked, before both of them burst out laughing.

Lily rubbed tears from her eyes as she stopped on a poem written by Potter or as she had called him during their school years "Mr. Arrogant Toe Rag."

It was something he had written for his best friend Sirius Black, a gesture she would have expected from Remus or Peter maybe but not the football star of her school who also incidentally was the best at language arts and irritating her to the end of the world, but then what are friends for?

Skipping the second last book, she opened her senior year book and laughed as she moved through the pages of comments, most of which were made by Potter and her, the heads. Tears gathered in her eyes, as she followed the pictures of their farewell, the dances put up by their juniors, the songs and the plays.

Tears filled her eyes, but they were tears of happiness as she looked at a picture of her singing a song for Marlene and the boys. Looking at that one picture, for a moment she felt as if she was back in high school, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of thousands of students in one place, each trying to make their mark across the universe. She recalled the feeling of elation when they received their test scores and the adrenaline felt during football matches once again was pumping through her veins. The cheers of a crowd of friends came back to her ears, but looking back what she did not remember the performances or the examinations, nor did she remember the duties she had done as Head Girl but what she remembered were numerous walks in the sun lit ground with her friends, signing off key songs, mid night birthday parties and pillow fights. She recalled the joy of swinging around as her best friends picked her up after a performance, she remembered eating chocolate with James after a difficult examination, snuggling with Marlene during storms when she felt scared, dancing in the rain with the Marauders, cycling in the grounds, racing against James, having whispered conversation about books with Remus, while all their friends slowly fell asleep, thinking of ways to prank Peter with Sirius and much more tiny moments that should not have meant much but in reality meant everything. She remembered her teachers, the tiny jokes they made in class, the feeling of a home away from home, she remembered guiding the new students, the feeling of pride when her house won something or when she helped someone find their way .

A slow smile came on her face as she saw the picture of the swing where they had celebrated her eighteenth birthday at midnight, sneaking out their respective dorms in their pajamas and how flustered Professor Flitwick was when the headmaster let them go scot free, saying they were adults and needed to be treated a such. With a long sigh, she finished her packing and then picked up a pen, it was time to contact some old friends and get back in touch with the memories of coca on winter nights and whispered conversations in the back of bathrooms because no matter what, school days once gone still remain in your heart forever.