He's the next chap x only a day after the last one ;) x

*The beginning of the end*

Leaky Cauldron

Lily ran though London, past locals, past tourist and occasionally past beggars lying in doorways.

She was late to meet Alice at the Leaky Cauldron. They were going to eat lunch before heading back to Alice's for the remainder of the summer.

But not only was Lily running, oh no, she was also tugging along a trunk filled with all the belongings she would need for Hogwarts. The trunk was so heavy it felt as though she was pulling an elephant instead of just a trunk.

Over exaggeration?

Maybe.

By the time Lily entered the Leaky Cauldron she was breathing heavily. Her chest raising and falling under her thin white vest top, sorting out her blue cardie, that fell just above the knee, and her denim shorts she headed to find Alice.

She saw Alice sitting alone at a table, looking very grumpy. "Al!" Lily cried upon seeing the girl, whose hair had gotten longer and now passed her shoulders by a good inch.

Alice's dark brown eyes snapped up to meet Lily's emerald once, Alice glared at her. "An hour! A whole hour, I've waiting here for!" Alice snarled.

Lily's eyes flickered to the clock, she snorted, she was only ten minutes late. "Over exaggeration much? I'm only ten minutes late"

"Yeah, ten whole minutes! Might as well have been an hour!" Alice exclaimed.

"Don't I even get a hug?" Lily asked her eyes wide and innocent. Alice sighed before jumping off her chair and hugging her best friend. "I missed you!" Lily cried

Alice laughed "I missed you sooooooooo much! Even though you were late."

Both girls sat at the table and started swapping stories of their summers so far. Lily was halfway though a very detailed explanation of her sister's boyfriend, Vernon Dursley. "– I swear he has like some growth on the side of his neck, urgh, makes me wunna puck! He has a beady pig look, which gives me the creeps, but Tuney seems to really like him so…" Lily shrugged taking a sip from her drink.

Alice squirmed "Urgh, he sounds vile!" she squeezed her eyes shut "Remind me to never EVER meet him!"

"Yeah he's disgusting! Anyway how's your summer been?"

"Absolutely bloody boring! I've seen Frank once or twice but he's on holiday now. Obviously as you know Marley and Willy are on holiday too. I've seen James and Sirius a couple times"

"I feel so bad for you" Lily told her friend

"No, it was actually quite fun" Alice said

"Are you serious?" Lily cried.

"Someone say my name?" Lily looked up to see Sirius and James were the people who had come into the Leaky Cauldron, and were now heading straight for Alice and Lily.

Lily turned to glare at Alice, who through her hands in the air in a sign of surrender "I didn't know! Honest!" she pleaded.

Lily looked up at James, she couldn't help but notice he was taller, but that could have been just the fact that he was standing and she was sitting. He also seemed older, but when he looked at her, and his natural smirk that annoyed the hell out of Lily she hated him just as much, if not more, than she had before summer.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, before I slap it off!" Lily said pleasantly. His smirk faulted for a second before returning.

He sat next to her, throwing an arm round her. She threw it off, but knew if he really wanted it there he would have been able to keep it.

Sirius slid into the chair next to Alice. Sirius looked just the same as he always did a cocky bastard.

"Heard from Frank?" James asked Alice

"Got an owl last night"

"How do you know Frank?" Lily asked, her voice hard

"Roommate" James answered at the same time Sirius answered "Quidditch team" they both laughed.

"Frank shares a room with you two?" Lily asked.

James nodded "Yup, me, Frank, Pads, Moony and Wormy!"

"Poor Frank" Lily said

"What's up with those nicknames?" Alice asked, Lily turned to face James as she always wanted to ask but never did.

"Not sure really," James answered "They just kinda happened and they stuck" James knew it was a lame excuse, but with those brilliant emerald eyes watching him he found it hard to come up with a believable lie. So he did the next best thing, he changed the subject "So who's buying the first round?" they all looked at each other muttering "not me"s.

Lily sighed "I'll get it" she stood.

"Well…if you're gunna get them, go already" Sirius said, annoyed that she hadn't moved yet.

"I would but this git won't move!" Lily huffed pointing at James.

"Oh, right, sorry" he said whilst standing up.

Lily noticed he really had grown, he had always been taller than her, but now she was looking straight at his chest when before she was looking at his chin.

She moved past him to the bar, James followed.

Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, greeted them with a toothless smile. "Wha' can I ge' ya?" he asked.

"Two –" Lily began.

"Four –" James cut over her "Four butterbeers, please" Lily rolled her eyes.

Tom turned and started to get them their drinks. "Evans! I can't believe you forgot me and Sirius!"

"I didn't, it's hard to forget when your big head's everywhere I look! I was just simply hoping you weren't staying" she smiled as he huffed. Lily turned her back on him.

After a minute James was bored and decided to continue his favourite hobby, wind up Lily. "Lily" he whined.

"Potter" she replied, venom dripped from her tongue.

He smiled "Aw, doesn't that sound nice? Lily Potter, I could get used to that" he chuckled as Lily looked completely taken back.

"That was actually pretty good. Better than the normal shit you come out with" Lily told him. He looked at her hopefully "Doesn't change that you're a pathetic git"

"Ooo, pathetic, that's new!"

"Ah, yes, I spent all summer thinking that up" she said sarcastically.

"I knew you thought about me!"

"Oh, yes, everyday Potter, I just can't get you out of my head!" If you didn't notice that was sarcasm once again.

"Yes! I think my charm is finally working on you!"

She laughed "Of course, whatever helps you sleep at night"

But James wasn't paying attention anymore. She laughed! She laughed at something he did! Not the normal 'shut the fuck up Potter!' laugh, no, I proper 'you're funny' laugh. This was shaping out to be the best year ever!

Tom the barman came back, placing the four cups onto the table "A Galleon, two sickles and two knuts" (A/N if anyone cares that equates to £5 and 60p) he said in a gruff voice.

Lily dug into her pocket, and pulled out a ten pound note and a fifty pence piece. She cursed; she hadn't changed any of her Muggle money yet. James looked at the money in her hand.

"If you give me that weird shape coin, I'll pay" he said to her.

"This?" she asked, holding up the fifty pence, she shrugged "If you're sure"

He smiled at her, took the fifty p and paid with his own money. They grabbed the drinks and headed back to the table.

Lily and Alice walked down the path which lead to Alice's house, and bloody hell was it a long path!

Lily didn't want to admit it but she had an alright time with James and Sirius, not that she would ever tell anyone! She wouldn't even acknowledge it herself.

But they were both alright guys once you got passed their obnoxious behaviour. She could never see herself being friends with them, but if she was forced to talk to them it wouldn't mind too much.

"You can know someone for years and never truly know who they were" her mother's voice rang through her ears.

"The person you hate most in the world my turn out to be the one you love most" But that could never be true! That's just not right!

Lily shook her head, why is she thinking like this? She needed a mental check!

"Thinking about James?" Alice asked elbowing Lily.

"No, no –" Lily stuttered

Alice raised an eyebrow "Of course not"

"Shut it!" Lily growled, Alice laughed throwing the doors open to the impossibly huge house.

"MUM, WE'RE HOME!" Alice shouted to her mum, who was somewhere in the manor.

A house elf walked towards Lily "Would you like me to take your trunk, miss?" he asked.

"Yes please" said Lily smiling at the big eyed house elf. He took her bag in his hands and disappeared. "I love your house" Lily laughed.

The house was everything you would expect a magical house to look like, it was wonderful. Way better then Lily's boring Muggle house.

"Merlin, you would have thought you'd never seen magic before!" Alice cried, grabbing Lily's hand she yanked her past the ballroom (yes, BALLROOM! Who has a ballroom?) And up the stairs into Alice's room. Which as you might have guessed was HUGE!

Lily dived onto Alice massive bed, which was covered in so many cushions you couldn't even see the actual bed. Alice jumped after her grabbing a pillow and started hitting Lily with it.

After ten minuets they both collapsed on the floor in a fit of giggles.

This is the life! Lily thought to herself.

Review…please and thank you xxx