Format Updated 13/3, new chapters on the way
"Wakey Wakey rise and shine sweetheart." Sirius sung as he burst into Lily's room early on Wednesday morning.
"Wha…" Lily mumbled sitting upright
"It's time to get up and greet the day Lilykins." He continued in his singsong voice.
"Sirius Black." Lily growled as she reached towards her wand, she was now awake and angry.
"Relax Lily, mum sent us to get you up." James soothed appearing in the doorway behind his best friend.
"He could have done it nicer." She grumbled crossing her arms
"Hey I was all for dumping water on your head but this thing here insisted I do it more 'civilly'." He grumped before shrinking into the wall at the evil glare Lily sent his way.
"We'll leave you to get dressed, Mum says you have 5 minutes to get downstairs or she'll make you dance with this idiot on Saturday" – James poked Sirius in the gut.
"Oh and she said dress like a muggle." Sirius chimed in.
"Okay, okay tell her I'm on my way. Now get out!" Lily moaned, slamming the door shut with her wand as soon as they had walked out.
Exactly four and a half minutes later Lily rushed in the Hall of the Manor, trying to brush her hair and put on her shoes at the same time.
"Whoa Lily, Careful." James laughed as she slid across the floor, putting out a hand to catch her.
"Thank you." She said sarcastically
"What, why are you being all sarcastic?" he asked her cluelessly
"It's your fault I'm rushing around like this, your mother told me she gave me 10 minutes not 5."
"Technically she said 10 minutes from now, and Sirius felt the need to detour by the kitchen so by the time we got to you room it was only five minutes." He smirked at her.
"Whatever you know what I mean." She huffed.
"Lily, just calm down a minute." James said gently, as he picked her brush up off the floor where it had fallen when she rushed in and started to brush her hair for her.
Lily closed her eyes and felt her body relax like it always did when people played with or brushed her hair. No one had brushed her hair for her in a long time, not since she told her mother the summer before 6th years that she was to old.
James pulled the brush through her hair one last time before tying it up in a ponytail on the top of her head.
"There you go." He told her, wrapping his arms around her shoulder's and placing the brush back in her hands.
"Thanks James." She smiled shyly at him.
"Lily dear, are you ready?" Mrs. Potter asked suddenly, startling the two teens.
"Yes Mrs… I mean Elizabeth." Lily said, blushing bright red.
"Alright then we'll be leaving then. James behave." Mrs. Potter said, summoning her and Lily's Robes.
"Mother." James said in a mock hurt voice "Your lack of faith cuts me deep."
"Good that was the point." She said, causing Lily to start giggling.
"Now shoo, we don't want to be late to meet the others."
"What others?" Lily asked, sobering up completely "I thought you said it was just going to be the two of us."
"Well it was, but now it's not. Hurry up." Mrs. Potter laughed as she half dragged Lily out of the door.
"Good we're right on time." Mrs. Potter said as they stood in front of a huge dress shop.
"Are you sure? This place is huge." Lily said, looking at the shop in awe.
"Positive, now come on we are going to be late." She said walking towards the entrance, Lily following close behind.
"Mrs. P." Lily asked hesitantly as the two women entered the shop "Who exactly are we meeting here?"
"LILYYY." Lily turned around at the screeching of her name to be pounced on by her three best friends, causing them all to fall to the ground.
"Mary, Alice, Izzy what are you doing here?" she screeched back.
"We wanted to help you pick out THE perfect dress." Alice squealed
"And we needed our own." Mary added
"Ohh this is going to be heaps more fun now." Lily said, picking herself up of the ground.
"So tell us the latest news." Izzy said as soon as the girls were browsing through the racks of dresses
"Yea, your letters are all pretty dry." Mary added.
"Really? Well there is no news. What do you want me to say?"
"Who's hot?" Alice suggested
"Who's annoying?" Mary added
"Let's see. There are no boys this year that weren't there last year except first years, so I'm not even going there." Lily said.
"So no one grew hot over the holidays, or caught your attention?" Alice asked knowingly. Of course there was one boy, but Lily would never give them the satisfaction of being right, or even admit it to herself.
"Those boys at Hogwarts? Nope I think I'm going to end up marrying some hot American wizard. Oh and of course he has to be rich." She said mocking Sarah, causing her friends to burst into peals of laughter.
"Well I'm guessing you still hate Rachel and Sarah?" Alice asked
"Well actually No." Lily said, surprising her friends.
"I despise Sarah, and love Rachel." She knew these words would cause shock waves.
"Wait What?" Izzy asked confused at the same time Alice screamed
"WHAT THE HELL LILY."
Lily stood staring quietly at her friends as she waited for them to get their shock and anger out of their system. When they stopped screaming at her about 10 minutes later she decided it was time to explain to her friends.
"Rachel is actually really nice, she's my best girl friend." At the looks her friends gave her she hurriedly added "at school of course."
"What about everything last year, she made your life miserable."
"Look seriously guys I already went over this with the boys, and they accept her now, I really don't need to go over this again, trust OUR judgement."
"Well if James, Remus and God forbid Sirius accepted her I guess we can." Mary said, shooting Alice a silencing glance.
"Thanks Guys." Lily grinned, conveniently leaving out the fact that it took the boys so long to warm up to Rachel.
"Have you seen anything you like girls?" Mrs. Potter asked, quietly approaching from behind the girls.
"No, nothing really here."
"I didn't think so, younger girls rarely ever find dresses here. Come one we'll go somewhere else." The three girls followed Mrs. Potter down the street into another more modern looking shop.
"So, what's life like with three boys as your best friends? Three trouble making boys." Alice asked Lily as they wandered around in the isles of jewel-encrusted dresses
"Three Boy? What about Peter?" Lily asked feigning shock "We are so close." This caused the other three girls to start laughing again, attracting snobbish looks from some of the other shoppers.
"But seriously Lily we're curious what's it like?" Mary asked
"It's lots of fun." Lily smiled fondly "The boys are all actually very different from how they act around other's and they're really as funny as you'd expect, if not more so."
"Do you help them with pranks?" Alice was curious
"What do you mean really different?" Mary inquired
"One question at a time." Lily laughed.
"Yea I do help them with pranks, in fact I planned one." She answered Alice's question telling them about the robe prank, which caused even more laughter from her friends, as well as a chuckle from Mrs. Potter who had appeared behind them yet again.
"Well I'm glad you're keeping their pranks safe now Lily." She smiled with a twinkle in her eye. "Alice and Mary I think I found a dress for each you, why don't you go and try them on." She said handing the girls a white dress and a red dress respectively.
The four girls walked towards the dressing rooms, still gossiping.
"So how are they different?" Mary asked again as her and Alice entered their change rooms, Lily and Izzy sitting outside.
"Well Remus is actually really cheeky and dirty." She started, sure to get a few gasps out of the girls. She wasn't disappointed.
"No way Lily, seriously." Alice Squealed
"Hell yea, he can be almost as bad as Sirius and worse than James sometimes."
"No way." Mary echoed Alice's earlier sentiments
"Yes way." Lily smirked "How long are you guys going to be obsessing over this, because if you want I can just leave." She smirked, jerking her thumb towards the door.
"No stay and tell us more." Izzy whined, grabbing her friend's arm.
"Yea, keep going." Alice encouraged from within her cubical.
"Well Sirius, is actually really sweet and sensitive as well as obsessive." She sighed "I happen to know for a matter of fact he's obsessed with Nancy Drew," She whispered the last bit.
"You mean that Muggle teenage detective in those books?" Alice asked
"Yep." Lily confirmed
"Yea, of course he is," Izzy snorted
"I'm serious, if you want to be bored completely out of your mind just ask him about Nancy Drew."
"Are you sure you're not pulling our legs?" Alice called out.
"No guys I think she might be right." Mary giggled, "Remember last year when Sirius was running round the school screaming something about Nancy Drew owning the Harvey Boy's arses?"
"Hardy Boys." Lily corrected "But yea."
"Oh yea I remember, then he got into that one sided argument with a group of first year girls and scared the shite out of them," Alice started giggling to, pretty soon all of the girls where hysterical at the memory.
A few minutes later after they had all calmed down Alice and Mary stepped out of their respective change rooms.
"Wow you guys look gorgeous." Lily breathed as Izzy nodded in agreement.
"Very Nice." Mrs. Potter nodded from where she was standing by the doorway
"You made great choices Mrs. P." Alice smiled as she spun around in her white dress. It had only one shoulder with a long and flowing sleeve, there was diamante's along the neckline and waist and it was fitted, reaching down to the floor. With Alice's dark hair, pale skin and blue eyes in looked amazing.
"I agree," Mary sighed. She was wearing a fitted red halter neck that spilled down to the floor.
"I don't think we need to try anything else on, these are perfect." Alice sighed, as the two girls returned to the change room to take their dresses off.
"Lily dear," Mrs Potter called out "I think I've found a few dresses for you, do you want to try them on?"
"Oh, yes please." Lily grinned, she loved getting glamed up but had never had the opportunity to do it for a real event.
"Okay, try this one first." She said, handing Lily an Emerald green dress, "then I have a couple more for you."
"Alright then." Izzy said Alice and Mary had changed back and Lily had entered her change room "What about James?"
"What about, what about James?" Lily asked innocently.
"Don't play stupid with us, how is James different to how we think he is?" Alice snapped playfully.
"Hmm well," Lily mused, far off look in her eyes "He's really dedicated, smart and sweet. Plus he's thoughtful and a lot more sensitive then I ever could have imagined. He's just so much more mature than I could have thought in a million years" She finished up, returning to earth with a small smile.
"Ohhhh." Alice cooed as Izzy sung
"Lily loves Ja-ames Lily Loves Ja-ames."
"Shut up you guys, I don't" Lily blushed bright red, thankful that they couldn't see her at that moment.
"Sure you don't Lily," Mary giggled.
"Seriously I don't." Lily huffed exasperated.
"Okay, fine you win we'll drop it." Alice said, rolling her eyes at her friend.
"I dunno about this dress." Lily moaned a couple of minutes later
"Come on Lily we want to see it." Alice said,
"Lily dear, I'm sure it looks lovely." Mrs. Potter said
"It's a bit, well over the top." Lily sighed as she left the change room.
"Wow Lily it's gorgeous." The dress Mrs. Potter had picked out for Lily was an emerald green ball gown with a halter neck. It had a fitted bodice with silver flowers embroidered up it. From the waste down the dress spread out into a flowing ball skirt, just above Lily's ankles.
"Wow Lily you look so gorgeous." Alice smiled at her best friend.
"Yea, It's lovely not to much at all." Mary added.
"And you'll make all the boys go gaga." Izzy added grinning infectiously.
"You really think so guys?" Lily asked, blushing slightly at her friend's complements.
"Yes, Lily dear you look lovely, I don't think we need to bother with the other dresses, we can just lengthen it a little." Mrs. Potter nodded her head as if confirming it to herself as she ushered Lily back into the changing room.
"So that's everyone sorted now." Mrs. Potter grinned as Lily handed her back the dress she had just taken off.
"What about you?" Lily asked Izzy.
"Oh I'm already sorted." She waved her hand around nonchalantly.
"Why don't you girls head outside and I'll just buy Lily's dress." Mrs. Potter suggested as they approached the register. Mary and Alice had bought their dresses while Lily had been getting changed.
"Oh that's right how much do I owe you?" She asked Mrs. Potter, subconsciously reaching for her purse even though she had left it at home.
"Don't be silly dear, your part of the family now." Mrs. Potter said in a tone that said she wanted no arguments.
"But that's not fair, I already live with you…"
"Which is why I am buying it for you." Mrs. Potter said ending the conversation by walking towards the till.
Lily was still moaning about the unnecessary gesture from Mrs. Potter when the four girls reached the street.
"For goodness sake Lily, it's a gift accept it." Mary moaned
"Yes, the dress is gorgeous on you." Izzy agreed.
"And anyway you have no problems with us buying you gifts." Alice said rationally.
"Yea but I you never bought me ball gowns AND I buy stuff for you." Lily tried to reason.
"Look Lily, just let Mrs. Potter buy it for you, your like the daughter she never had and it's understandable that she's spoiling you." Mary explained, her parents were old family friends of the Potters and she understood more about the inner working of the family than any of the other girls.
"Well if you put it that way." Lily said, quickly changing the subject as she saw Mrs. Potter exiting the shop.
"Well that was fun, you guys all look gorgeous but I really need to get going." Izzy told her friends giving them all light hugs and disappearing down a side alley with a small wave.
"She's right Lily we need to go as well." Alice sighed sadly.
"Yea." Mary sighed.
"But we'll see you on Saturday." Alice smiled, suddenly bright again.
"Oh yea, we're coming over to get ready with you." Mary smiled as well.
"Cool," Lily grinned back at her two friends as they exchanged hugs and kisses before they parted ways.
As Lily and Mrs. Potter returned to the Potter Mansion Lily was a little bit apprehensive. Rachel was already coming over on Saturday to help her get ready, and she knew that her old friends didn't really know the real Rachel that well, and couldn't get over old grudge's that quickly, no matter what Lily thought.
Her worries were put out of her mind when the two women walked up the driveway to see Sirius, James and Mr. Potter playing quidditch on the Potter's huge pitch.
"Why don't you go and see what they're up to." Mrs. Potter smiled, reading Lily's thoughts. "I'll take this stuff inside."
"Okay." Lily grinned before racing around to the pitch.
When she got there she saw the three men up on their brooms throwing around a Quaffle and playfully bantering. She smiled to herself as she folded herself onto the floor; content to watch them all de-stress and bond. About fifteen minutes after she had arrived at the pitch Sirius noticed her and sent her an enthusiastic wave, almost falling off his broom in the process, causing James, Lily and Mr. Potter to all roar with laughter. Soon after the boys all returned to the earth. James and Sirius running at Lily as Mr. Potter stood holding their brooms and laughing at his son's antics. Mrs. Potter soon returning from inside and standing next to her Husband smiling fondly at the scene.
Her friends were right. She really did have a family now.
A/N: Gosh i had no idea it had been a month since i updated, i thought it was only a fortnight. Anyway next chapter or maybe the one after is the Ball and where this story starts to pick up abit. So review and get a sneak peak as always. Once I write another chapter for Late and Night I will get right onto this. Thanks for you patience and i hope people are still enjoying this story. Oh BTW anyone intrested in BETAing for me, my old one is to busy ATM. If you are a thousand thanks.
x's and o's
Lilybet