Edited version. :)
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Chapter 3: Friends and Enemies
And I am not afraid to try it on my own,
I don't care if I'm right or wrong
I'll live my life the way I feel, no matter what, I'll keep it real
You know, it's time for me to do it on my own
-"Try It on My Own", Whitney Houston
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Lily looked out of the car window, looking at the beautiful, picturesque countryside scenery. She couldn't believe she managed to cajole her parents into letting her enter a local Finishing School instead of the one Petunia attended, which was in France. It was also a good thing that despite being British, Madame de Claire's Finishing School still follows the French system. After a rather quiet and uneventful debutante ball, Lily was glad to be able to escape her mother's pressuring and marriage prospects for a while. The beautiful countryside of Berkshire was a welcome change to Lily, who endured the thick London fog for most of her life.
She sighed softly, her chin resting on her hand. "How much longer?" she asked the chauffeur.
"I'm sorry, Miss Lily, it won't be long", the chauffeur said apologetically, but a small, amused smile appeared on his face at the young woman's impatience.
"I guess it can't be helped", Lily resigned. "I can't wait to get there and rest."
Ten minutes later, they finally arrived. Lily noticed that most houses on the street were grand, some more lavish than the next, but all looked impressive. Most of the gates they passed were made of wrought iron, including Madame de Claire's. She noticed many cars also coming in, and some girls were just getting out. When the car skidded to a halt, she waited for the chauffeur to open her door, like a proper lady.
She brushed strands hair out of her eyes as she looked up at the beautiful house in front of her. "Well, this is it", she muttered to herself. She walked towards the front door, where a stern looking woman stood. This, she assumed, was Madame de Claire, and Lily knew at once that she was not someone to be trifled with. Madame eyed all the girls in front of her, as if sizing them up (according to wealth, Lily suspected). She had a cold, fishy smile as she gazed down at the young women arriving at her school.
"Hello", she said as Lily approached the door, extending her hand, "you are?"
"Lily Evans", Lily answered, taking her hand.
"Ah, yes. Please come in, Miss Evans. Your possessions will be taken upstairs to your room. Please be assembled at the sitting room", she told Lily. Lily nodded and went in, following the sound of many voices talking and soon found the sitting room. Many of the girls seemed British, but some of them looked foreign. Lily spotted an empty chair next to a brunette and settled herself there.
"Hello, my name is Juliet Volant", she said, extending a hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet you."
"Lily Evans", Lily responded, "Pleasure's all mine."
"So, Lily, where are you from?" Juliet asked, leaning on the arm of her chair to get a better look at Lily.
"London", Lily answered, smiling slightly. Juliet looked different from all the other girls in the room-most of them looked rather vain and unfriendly. Lily was just happy to see someone friendly. Most society girls were stuck up snobs who think they can do anything because they have money. She saw that most of the girls were like that, including a particularly unfriendly-looking blonde sitting closest to the fireplace.
"I'm from Northampton", Juliet told her. "But I like London."
Lily looked away from the blonde, who was looking at her smugly, resisting the urge to smack the condescending look right out of her face. She shook her head a little before turning her attention back to Juliet. "London's nice", Lily said, nodding. "But I like it here. At least you don't have to be surrounded by self-centred young women whose goal in life is to go to as many parties as they possibly can."
Juliet giggled slightly. "I know what you mean. Most girls can only talk about gossip, men, their clothes, their shoes and which expensive villa they last stayed at. It's ridiculous."
"It's like you can't even get a decent conversation around them", Lily agreed, sitting up a little straighter. She had instantly taken a liking to the Juliet, who seemed more sensible than most girls she spent the last few years with. Excluding the girls at Beauxbatons, of course.
The two began a conversation on different topics, from business to what they hated most about high society. They found they shared many common interests and views, not once running out of conversation topics.
It wasn't long before Madame de Claire entered the sitting room. Almost instantly, the girls stopped talking amongst themselves and sat up with rapt attention.
"Welcome, young ladies", she said, smiling the same cold smile she had on when Lily first saw her. "In this school, you will learn to become proper, respectable ladies of society. You will learn all the finer arts required of young women so that one day you will find yourselves suitable husbands."
"Only the best will be able to find suitable husbands", Lily heard the blonde whisper. "The rest will just find husbands."
"Seems like she's confident", Lily muttered to Juliet, who smirked. "Probably waiting for a prince to come and sweep her off her feet."
"Ahem", Madame cleared her throat, making the girls focus on her again. "Now, after the two years of stay you will have here I expect you to become well mannered, presentable ladies of society, able to impress potential husbands. You will learn French, Culinary Arts, Fashion, Italian, Spanish, Social Etiquette and if you are interested, Art, Music or Dancing"
The girls began whispering excitedly again. Lily doubted that they actually had something to say about the lessons; it was more likely that they were bragging about how good they were in them. She spotted the unfriendly looking blonde talking rapidly while her peers looked at her in awe.
"That's Jacqueline Hughes", Juliet informed her, seeing where she was looking. "Her father's a colonel in the army and her mother's the daughter of a Viscount. The Hughes family pride themselves on being old money for centuries, but rumour has it that the family's having a lot of trouble with debts."
"Sounds like a real charmer, doesn't she?" Lily remarked sarcastically, smirking.
"You have no idea", Juliet said, wrinkling her nose, as if she smelled something disgusting. "I met her at a gala before, and she looked at all the other girls like they're scum in her overly polished shoes. She also spent the night making comments on how her vacation house is better than the host's house."
"Wow", Lily breathed, making a face.
Juliet nodded dramatically. "Oh, I know."
Madame cleared her throat once again, causing the girls to look up. "I will leave you to mingle among yourselves. I will call you when it's time for tea. Enjoy yourselves, ladies."
"That's likely", Lily and Juliet muttered in unison.
Madame left the room, her dress billowing behind her. In an instant, all the girls launched in to conversation among each other. Lily and Juliet began conversing again, but within minutes, they were approached by Jacqueline and two other girls, one blonde and one brunette, who looked just as unfriendly as she did.
"Hello, Juliet", she said, "Fancy seeing you here. I thought you were going straight to University to become a doctor?"
"A dentist, actually", Juliet replied coldly, "You should really know the difference, Jacqueline. It makes you sound like a dunce."
Jacqueline ignored her comment and turned to Lily. "I don't believe we've met", she said, making Lily look at her. "I'm Jacqueline Hughes."
"So I've heard."
"Of course you have", Jacqueline said, looking flattered with her answer. "But I've never seen you before, and I've been to many parties all around the country."
"I just finished school", Lily explained, sounding rather annoyed, "I was studying in France, but I wasn't much for parties."
"What's your name?" Jacqueline inquired, her eyebrow raised and arms folded across her chest.
"Lily Evans", Lily answered, folding her arms as well.
"Evans? I haven't heard of you."
"I'm not old money", Lily retorted.
"I didn't think this place would admit the nouveau-riche", Jacqueline sneered, pronouncing the last word with contempt. Lily felt her blood rise at the sound of the name. She knew it was derogatory- and she can't let it pass.
"Better new money than old money without money", she snapped, standing up, "I'm rather proud of being nouveau-riche. It means my family works hard. Not like other people hiding bad debts behind a good name."
Jacqueline's jaw fell at Lily's comment. She glared at Lily, who glared back at her. Finally deciding Lily won't be like the rest of the girls she can easily intimidate, she huffed and left without another word.
"You sure showed her, Lily! I've never seen anyone say that to her face before!" Juliet exclaimed, clapping her hands happily.
"Someone should", Lily shrugged nonchalantly, as if what Juliet was considering an incredible feat was nothing to her.
"Well you should be careful", warned Juliet, "her parents have good relations with Madame and I'm sure she'll use that to her advantage."
"I don't care", Lily said, "The sooner I get out of here, the better."
"You sure are odd, Lily", Juliet laughed. "But I like it!"
Lily curtseyed a little. "Why thank you", she said, in a nasally voice that seemed to be imitating old, snobby society ladies.
"Hello", said a new voice, making Lily and Juliet turn. "Do you mind if I sit next to you? Nobody's talking to me so far and you seem to be friendly enough."
"Of course", Lily said, nodding towards the empty seat next to Juliet. "Be out guest."
"I am Alessandra Murray", the girl said, extending her hand.
"Are you Italian?" Juliet asked, looking extremely interested as she took her hand. "Your first name's Italian."
"My mother is", Alessandra replied. "So I'm half."
"It's very nice to meet you", Lily said. "I'm Lily Evans and this is Juliet Volant."
"Pleasure", Alessandra said, "Thank you by the way, everyone else seemed to be talking among themselves I just don't know where to go."
"Don't worry about it", Lily smiled warmly, taking her seat on Juliet's other side. "We're just glad to know another girl."
"I hope we're in the same suite", Juliet said wishfully. "I just might scream if I ended up with Jacqueline."
"Same here", Lily agreed. "That would be such a nightmare! I hope-"
But Lily's sentence was cut short by the sound of a bell. Madame had returned, and she was ringing a small hand bell. "Ladies, this bell is rung to tell you all that it is time for a meal. Tea is ready, and you are all expected at the dining hall."
"Come on", Juliet said, getting up. "Let's follow the queen."
Lily grinned as she walked after Juliet, chatting amiably with Alessandra.
This can be bearable.
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"James! Did you miss me, old boy?"
James looked up from the broomstick he was polishing. "No, I'm afraid not, Sirius", he replied indifferently.
"I'm deeply offended, James", Sirius said, clutching his chest with a mock pained expression. "Here I was, willing to make a trip to Berkshire to visit my dearest, oldest friend only to find that he doesn't miss me! Oh, why don't you just stab me?"
"You want me to?" James offered, drawing his wand from his pocket.
"You people are really hurting me! First Lily, then Remus and now you!"
"Lily?" James asked, "Lily who?"
"Lily Evans", Sirius answered, abandoning his dramatic act. "She's a spitfire, that one. I believe she's in finishing school now, but I had a bet with Remus that she would be back within a month."
"Remus knows her?" James inquired further.
"Of course! Her parents work with Remus' and that's how I met her", Sirius told him. "Why are you so interested?"
"Nothing", James said quickly. "It just seemed odd that a woman could refuse your playboy ways."
"Shut up", Sirius scowled. "I am not a playboy!"
"Half the girls at Hogwarts would disagree with you", James teased. "But it's great to see you, Padfoot!"
"I knew it!" Sirius said gleefully, "Now, shall we go look for girls? That finishing school down the street just opened and I saw some good looking ones!"
"I thought you are not a playboy?" James said playfully, making Sirius lose his excitement.
"Who says I am? I am merely pointing out that there are beautiful, eligible young women for you to choose from! Aren't you getting pressure to marry?" Sirius defended, staring down at his best friend.
The mention of marriage made James lose his cocky smirk and replaced it with a worried frown.
"My parents want me to marry", James began, staring at his shoes. "They kept saying that they are getting old and they want to see grandchildren soon."
"I'm sorry", Sirius said sincerely, patting James's shoulder. "I shouldn't have brought that up."
"It's okay", James shrugged, attempting to sound impassive. "I mean, I guess it's about time."
"Anyone in your mind yet?" Sirius inquired, trying to break the tension. "I could introduce you to a few if you like."
"No!" James shouted, pretending to look horrified. "Half the girls you dated only have half a brain!"
"So?"
"So I don't want a trophy wife who can't carry a damn conversation!"
Sirius looked thoughtful. "Never thought you'd want the intellectual kind, Prongs."
"I don't need a genius, but I want someone who's sensible", James said in an almost exasperated voice.
"You know what? I could ask Remus, I'll set you up with Lily Evans" Sirius offered.
"What is it about that Lily Evans?" James questioned, "You mentioned her about twice now. You in love with her?"
"Would I offer to set you up with her if I fancied her? Come on, grow a brain!" Sirius scoffed leaning on the table.
"My mother has someone come up with a list of all eligible ladies who are around my age", James told him, "And I'm going to look over at their profiles later. Care to join?"
"I'd love to!" Sirius said enthusiastically. "I might find someone interesting!"
James rolled his eyes. His best friend would never change his womanizing ways. But he just might find someone who would change that.
"Come on, let's go to the study. The profiles are waiting for us there."
The two made their way out, leaving the broomstick on the table.
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"This is really dull", Lily complained as she stirred her tea. She would have loved to rest her head on her hand but it would be deemed inappropriate.
"You said it", Juliet nodded. "I just can't believe we're stuck here for two years."
"Well, the only way we can get out of here is if we get married or if our parents pull us out. But what are the chances of that?" Lily grumbled, taking a small sip of her tea.
"Marrying more than being pulled out, I'm sure", Alessandra said, frowning slightly. "My parents would have a fit if I told them I wanted to quit this place."
"Same here", Juliet said, "but this is the only way my mother would let me go to University."
"My mother says University is only useful for helping women find suitable husbands. And we must go to finishing school beforehand to be able to impress them", Alessandra told them.
"My mother says that too!" Juliet grinned, "I guess they all think that way, don't they?"
"My mother too", Lily scowled. "She gave me a long lecture once. But that was before I she found out I was being courted by Vincent Van Heusen."
"Van Heusen?" Juliet repeated, "As in the political Van Heusens?"
"Yes, and he asked me to marry him", Lily added.
"He did?" Alessandra and Juliet gasped simultaneously, incredulous looks on their faces.
"What did you say?" Juliet stared at Lily, waiting for the answer.
"No, of course!" Lily laughed at Juliet's interest. "I won't marry such a man."
"I agree with Lily", Alessandra piped up, "I've met him and I know he's a twit. There are no brains underneath that pretty face and good name."
"Well, that's enough for half the women here", Juliet said in a matter-of-fact voice. "All they need is a man to shower them with diamonds and pearls."
Lily and Alessandra nodded solemnly, both of them deciding to just drink their tea.
Tea became considerably quieter after that. Madame stood up again, looking regal and important as she surveyed the young women seated in the hall.
"I would like to make a few more announcements, I'm sure you would like to get some rest soon, but I will not take long", she began, "Your lessons will begin tomorrow, promptly at nine o'clock. Breakfast will be served from seven thirty, but you are allowed to come in later, as long as you can attend class on time. Now, lessons will be from Monday to Friday, from nine o'clock in the morning to five thirty in the afternoon. Some of you, if you are not taking electives, will have some free time during the day. Tardiness and truancy will not be tolerated, do you understand? You are here to learn to become respectable ladies of society and such traits are unbecoming of a young woman. You are expected to be in bed by ten o'clock at the latest, and there will be punishment if I catch you after curfew. You are not to leave the house on weekdays without permission from me and only me. However, you are free to go out on Saturdays and Sundays. You are allowed out on these days, but only until 7 in the evening, after which you are expected to be back here for dinner. You may stay up until 11 only on Fridays and Saturdays, on the days where there are no class the next day. As for your rooms", the girls all perked up at this, and Lily could tell this is what they wanted to know the most. "Each suite will have three, and you can decide among yourselves on who you wanted to share with, but no more than three in each suite. I don't want any of you complaining to me about your room assignments."
"So the three of us?" Alessandra offered, to which Lily and Juliet replied with grins.
"Of course! Unless", Lily said, her voice gaining a dramatic edge, "you would want to room with Jacqueline?"
"I'd rather sleep in the streets, thanks", Juliet announced, looking rather aghast at the suggestion. She cast a dark look over at Jacqueline and her little cronies, who were both looking absolutely delighted at being deemed worthy of sharing a room with her.
"Ladies, this is my sister, Miss Louise de Claire. She is in charge of the household, and if you need anything, just let her know", Madame informed the girls, indicating a shorter, but kinder looking woman with light brown hair tied into a bun. She was holding a small piece of paper and a pen, poised to take notes. "Ladies, please have one of your room mates tell her your names so she can assign your rooms."
"I'll go", Juliet volunteered, getting up.
"Thanks!" Lily called out. Juliet replied with a dismissive wave.
Lily and Alessandra began talking happily about what they were looking forward to during their stay. Lily wanted to begin dancing and music lessons, the only ones she was actually interested in. Alessandra looked hesitant at the thought of dancing, but expressed her excitement in starting cooking.
"…Fashion?" Alessandra was saying when Juliet arrived. "Why would we want to learn that?"
"Hey! It's very important!" Juliet cut in, returning to her seat. "You must be well dressed all the time, or else the tabloids, as well as the rest of high society, will rip you to shreds! You might never get your reputation back! Being well dressed and fashionable is one of the most important things you have to learn if you want to leave your reputation intact!"
"I never really thought of it that way", Lily said thoughtfully. "I guess we'll have to focus in that class, don't we?"
"I guess so", resigned Alessandra, looking disappointed. "Being ladies we have to look smashing all the time."
"I'm not complaining", Lily said, shrugging. "I don't mind dressing up, I find it fun."
"I hate it", Alessandra made a face. "I don't want to bother with it. If a man wants me, then so be it, he has to want me, bad fashion sense and all."
"Good luck with that", Juliet remarked insincerely.
"Ladies", Madame called, "your room assignments are ready, and if you would please follow Miss Louise upstairs…your possessions will be brought to your rooms momentarily. You can rest there in the meantime. Dinner will be at seven."
The girls filed out and followed Miss Louise upstairs.
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"Wow", Sirius gasped at the pile of folders neatly piled on the desk, "when they said that they compiled all the eligible ladies, they meant all the eligible ladies!"
"I told you didn't I?" James said mockingly as Sirius picked up the topmost file, sticking out his tongue in retaliation.
"Abercrombie, Julie", Sirius read from the cover. "This is alphabetic order?"
"I suppose so", James replied, peering at the next one in the pile. "Anderson, Elizabeth."
"All these women will make your head spin, Jamesie-boy", Sirius grinned maniacally. "Are you really going through all these names?"
"I guess so", James answered, flipping through the file. "I want to think this through. This is a huge step for me."
"Yeah", Sirius said, putting down the folder in his hands. "You're right, I suppose."
"This might take a while to go through", Sirius noted.
"I know", James said miserably. "If only we could use some spell to speed this up."
"Hey, how about a walk outside?" Sirius suggested lightly.
"Maybe that'll work", James sighed, pondering for a minute. "Come on, let's go."
Sirius' expression brightened up and the two of them raced out of the house.
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"Hey, Lily", Juliet said, collapsing into Lily's bed. "It's Sunday."
"Well spotted", Lily remarked mockingly, clapping her hands. Alessandra stifled a laugh, making it sound like a snort, at her reply while Juliet gave them both mock glares.
"No, really, it's Sunday!" Juliet repeated, looking excited.
"Okay, so what if it's Sunday?" Lily scowled. "Other than the fact that there's no post, that is."
"We can go out, can't we?" Juliet said, excitement growing in her voice. "Let's go out!"
"We better ask Madame first", Alessandra advised, looking wary. "We don't want to get into trouble our first day here."
"Alright then", Juliet said, getting up. "Let's go ask."
They ran downstairs to ask Miss Louise where Madame's study was. She directed them to the second floor distractedly as she was still directing the maids in sorting out the girls' possessions and taking them to their respective rooms.
They found the door with a plaque saying "Madame Helena de Claire, Headmistress" and knocked twice. They heard a curt "Enter" from inside, so Juliet turned the doorknob and walked through the door.
"Hello, Madame, we really hate to disturb you, but we were wondering", Juliet said, sounding hesitant, "but you told us earlier on that we were allowed to leave the house for leisure on weekends, and since today is Sunday, I was wondering if we may have permission to take a walk outside."
"Alright, but be back by six thirty", she told them. The three of them thanked her and rushed out, closing the door behind them.
Minutes later they went out of the house, all wearing coats, hats and smiles. "It feels wonderful to be able to walk after that boring tea", Juliet said, sounding relieved as the three of them walked along the pavement.
"Yeah", Lily said, swinging her arms. "This feels great. Just stretching our legs…"
"So, where to?" Alessandra asked.
"I don't know. As long as we can get back to Madame's we should be fine", Juliet said confidently. "We should see the neighbourhood, you know, if there are any places to shop or something."
"It's the countryside", Lily pointed out, chuckling slightly. "We're more likely to find pastures and farms, not boutiques."
"We're not completely cut off from civilization", Juliet argued, placing her hands on her hips. "I saw a small village nearby and I'm certain there are shops in there."
"I just hope there's a sweetshop", Lily said. "I'd love it if there's a sweetshop."
"Yeah!" Alessandra exclaimed, looking excited. "I'm guessing Madame won't let us eat too much sweets because of weight concerns, but it's fun! And besides, sweets taste better when eaten in secret."
"That's true", Lily mused, adjusting her wide-brimmed hat. "I always snuck sweets in my room at home. I even did it in school. Sweets are the best way to make me happy, I guess."
"I'll make note of that", Juliet smiled, pretending to write something on her hand.
Lily beamed at her in response. "I like liquorice and chocolate, by the way. And I hate caramel and toffee."
"Noted", Juliet said, giving a small salute. Alessandra and Lily laughed as they continued walking down the block.
They turned around a corner when someone collided headlong with Lily. She landed on the floor with a loud yelp, rubbing her back.
"Lily!" yelled Alessandra and Juliet together, rushing to help their friend.
"Watch it!" she shrieked at the young man who made her fall. He was looking at her curiously, still on the floor.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you", he apologized, offering her his hand. She refused, getting up on her own and brushing dirt from her coat.
"Well, you should watch where you're going next time", she said sternly, crossing her arms. "And you shouldn't be running like that!"
"I said I'm sorry!" he said defensively, withdrawing his hand.
"It's fine", she said, adjusting her hat. "I'm fine."
"I'm glad to hear that", he said. Lily looked up at him and looked at him thoroughly for the first time. He had jet black, unruly hair that stuck up in various directions and bright hazel eyes, which were staring at her interestedly behind wire-rimmed spectacles.
"If you don't mind me asking", he said, making Lily snap out of her reverie, "are you by any chance students from the finishing school down the block?"
"Yes", Juliet supplied, stepping in and standing beside Lily. "We're from Madame de Claire's. Juliet Volant", she said, batting her eyelashes and extending her arm.
"James", he said as he shook her hand. "Just call me James. And may I ask your name?" he directed this question to Lily.
"Lily", she informed him curtly.
"Alessandra Murray", Alessandra grabbed his hand and shook it, trying to lighten the tension between Lily and James.
"Any last name?" James asked Lily, who simply smiled at him cheekily. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours", she said in a commanding voice, making it clear to James that she was not one to submit to others' orders.
"Feisty, aren't you?" he said with a flirtatious grin. She looked unimpressed, however, and returned his advances with a sneer.
"Come on, let's get going", Lily rolled her eyes and pulled her two friends away.
"See you around, Lily!" James hollered as she continued to drag her friends with her. She merely turned to him, but didn't say another word. Juliet, however, turned.
"Nice meeting you, James!" she yelled back, waving enthusiastically. Lily ignored the exchange and instead walked faster, leaving the other two rushing to catch up with her.
"You like him, don't you, Lily?" Juliet teased once she caught up with Lily. "What are you talking about? The man made me land on my arse!" she interjected, ignoring the knowing smirk on Juliet's face and simply continued walking.
"I think he likes you", Alessandra observed innocently. "Wow, you sure made an impression on him, didn't you, Lily?"
"Shut up, why don't you?" Lily snapped, albeit not harshly. Moments later, they arrived at the school, breathless.
"But I do think he liked you, Lily", Juliet said thoughtfully. Lily had to bite back a smile at that.
He was rather good looking, Lily thought as she entered her new bedroom. She noticed that her trunks have already been brought up and her clothes were neatly hung inside the closet. She opened the large French-style window and looked at the street below.
Hmmm… I entered a new school, met new friend and bumped into a stranger. What a day.
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"….You should have seen her, Sirius!" James rated to his best friend, back in the study at Potter Manor. "She was the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on!"
"You ditched me for some girl?" Sirius said, obviously not paying any attention to his tirade, but he was more interested in the fact that he had been looking for James after their little race, only to find him in a daze, mumbling about a girl he ran into.
"I didn't ditch you!" James interjected, throwing his hands in the air. "I lost you after we got separated, which, by the way, was your fault for using a shortcut", he emphasized the last word, "I turned around to see if you're still behind me but you weren't there! Then while I was making my way to our agreed finishing point, I ran into the girl and her friends!"
"Whatever", Sirius dismissed his explanation airily. "So, how beautiful are we talking about?"
"Beyond beautiful", James said, looking dreamily into space. "Thing is, she hates my guts for bumping into her."
Sirius laughed at this. "Ah, the age old problem for us men. We find a girl we like only to find that she isn't interested."
"I wonder if she's in one of the profiles? She must be, if she's attending finishing school. I'll go look later."
"Muggle?" Sirius inquired.
"Probably", James answered off-handedly. "Honestly, I don't really care."
"Hmmm… Good luck with your mystery girl, then", Sirius snickered, patting James's back. "I hope you see her again."
"Of course I will", James declared, "I know where she is right now."
"What's your plan then, Romeo?"
"I don't know yet."
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Aurelia Lupin sat on one of the comfortable bergères at the Evans's parlour, gently stirring her tea. Azalea Evans was across her, doing the same thing, peering curiously at the pile of papers sitting between them. A tray of tea and pastries were also neatly laid on the table. The two women made it a point to have tea together at least three times a week, to discuss business and to catch up on the latest gossip circulating around London. For minutes, only the faint clinking of china could be heard, until Aurelia decided to break the silence.
"So how is Lily doing?" Aurelia asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"She's fine", Azalea responded, taking a sip of tea and setting the delicate cup down, "the headmistress just called and told us she arrived safe and sound."
"That's good to hear", Aurelia nodded distractedly. "Azalea, I meant to ask this of you and I hope you think about it."
Azalea looked up from her tea. "Yes?"
"Have I mentioned that Remus is friends with the son of the Earl of Berkshire?"
Azalea looked surprised at this piece of information. "No, you haven't", she said, excitement growing, "Why tell me now?"
"Well, I'm in very good terms with Lady Potter", Aurelia told her, "And she told me that her son is under some pressure to pick a bride, so she asked me if I knew any suitable young women for young Lord Potter. I suggested Lily."
"Really now?" Azalea was more than pleased to hear about this. "What did she say?"
"She wanted to speak with you", Aurelia raised her teacup to her lips and took a small sip. "She wanted someone suitable, you see. Someone with a good background, preferably magical so that they won't have to keep it a secret, educated… which is why I told her I knew of a girl. When I mentioned that she was friends with Remus, it made Lady Potter more interested. She says she trusts Remus' judgement and she wanted to ask if you would consent to let her son marry Lily."
"I would be crazy to decline, would I?" Azalea almost jumped out of her seat out of happiness. Imagine her Lily, her daughter; marry the heir to an Earldom? Not to mention the heir to one of the richest families in England!
"It's a good opportunity", Aurelia nodded elegantly, "James is a fine catch, and Lily would be lucky to be able to marry him."
"You know I only wanted the best for my daughter."
"Well then, Lady Potter is visiting this week, and we'll talk about it then, shall we? She will be staying at their London home to look after some affairs, and she's invited us to tea", Mrs Lupin said, smiling slightly. "I daresay Lily has a very good chance of marrying James Potter."
"I hope so", Azalea said, beaming widely, imagining the prospect of her daughter being a Countess.
Tea time has never been more enjoyable.
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I wanted to do as much as possible before my holidays end, so here's the next chapter. So, if you liked it so far, please review! Thanks for those who reviewed the last chapter! It really motivates me and makes me write all the more. Can we get to 25 reviews by the next chapter, please? I hope it didn't seem too rushed, and I also hope you liked that they met already! More interaction between Lily and James over the next chapter, as well as James's attempts to get her to notice him. And what will happen during tea with Lady Potter? Should I have James suggest Lily or his mother suggest Lily? Hmmm…. Any thoughts? By the way, how ecstatic are you guys about Pottermore? I've been trying to register for four hours!
I'm really into this story, I already made chapter outlines and stuff, character bios and backgrounds, even dress sketches (I dabble on fashion design) and class lists (for Lily's finishing school)... all the relationship charts and family trees and such. I made meticulous notes and plans and ideas... my notebook is positively littered!
Anyway, until next time! Review, please and love you all!