It was Midnight, and Lily could not sleep. Not one wink. She had tried counting sheep (heheheheehee) counting crows, counting the cracks in her ceiling and had even tried willing herself to sleep. And nothing worked. So she wrapped a robe around her pajamas, and walked down to the common room, grabbing a book on the way. She hopped down the steps, taking them two at a time, almost tripping on the last one, and regaining her composure, she walked to the fire, which seemed to be always burning. She sighed, and sat down beside it, on the rug. The moon, full bright, shone in through the window. Leaving her book on the ground, Lily went and looked out the window at the grounds. Then she looked up at the moon, searching, as she had since she was little, for the face of Cynthia, the goddess of the moon. A story her father had told when she was younger. A silent tear trickled down face. It still hurt so much to think of them. She knew it would hurt for a long time, and she was prepared to accept the pain. She just didn't know if she could get used to it. Silently, she whispered the story of Cynthia to herself.
*you can skip this if you want, it doesn't hold much relevance to the story*
Cynthia, goddess of the moon, was the most beautiful woman on earth and off earth. Her beauty radiated around her, and she lit up the night sky as she flew across it, her cloak bringing the stars. Zeus, the mighty God, was very pleased with his daughter, and took great pride in watching her flight.
One night, as Cynthia was flying over the hills, she saw a shepherd tending to his flocks. The beauty of the shepherd was astounding, and she fell instantly in love with him. Cynthia left her position in the sky, and went to earth to see him. They spent the night in the field, just gazing into each others eyes. But this made Zeus angry, and so, he cast a spell on the shepherd, so that he slept for the rest of eternity. Cynthia was very saddened by this, but it did not quench the love she felt for him. So one night she flew down to where he was, and spent both night and day there, curled up beside him. That is why, every month, the moon disappears for four nights, because Cynthia is visiting with her love.
Lily's face was rampant with tears, and her body was shaking with sobs. Angelica was right, of course, nothing would bring them back. She had just been hoping that maybe, just maybe there was a chance they'd hear her and she could see them again. Silently, Lily opened the window, and pushed herself up on the rim, so she was sitting on the ledge, both feet dangling over. It was a precarious position, and she wasn't going to jump, she just wanted to be closer to the night.
However, it did not look like this to James Potter or Sirius Black as they entered the common room and saw the small pale shape illuminated by the moon. They walked softly over, and James grabbed the girls arm. A terrified face whipped around to look at them, green eyes wide with fear.
"Evans? What are you doing?" demanded James, tightening his grip on her arm.
"I-I was just looking at t-the moon" Lily said, feeling slightly dazed
"Well get down, Evans. We need you to stay alive, at least until potions is over." James was joking, but he felt Lily stiffen.
"I can get down myself, Potter." She snapped, climbing off the sill, and stepping easily down. She pushed past him and Sirius, and sat down by the fire. She was freezing, it had been colder than she thought. She opened her book, and began to read.
Shall I compare thee to a summers day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May
And summers lease hath all too short a date
Sometimes time too hot the eye of heaven shines-
Lily wrinkled her nose at the poem, and flipped a couple of pages.
How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways…
She closed the book and looked at the cover
101 Love Sonnets
Lily let out a small arguh.
She hated love poems with a vengeance. She almost threw the book into the fire, but decided against it. Angelica would kill her, seeing as how it was her book. Instead, Lily got up, and went to close the window. Then she walked slowly up the stairs to the girls dorms, maybe she could get to sleep now.
"Lily Evans! Lillllly! Wake up muffin!" Lily sat up "Muffin?" she demanded, looking into the face of her other room mate, Chelsea, who had just come back from visiting her mother, who had been ill.
"Yeah. Muffin." Lily threw her sheep stuffy, Sherbert, at Chelsea, and grinned.
"I am not a breakfast food! How's your mom?"
"Fine. Listen, Lil', about what happened while I was away-I feel the same way Gel does." Angelica Punched her.
"Your just stealing my lines." She said, giggling despite her angry face. Angelica rarely found time to be angry.
"It's alright, Chels, as long as you don't call me-"
"That's great! I gotta run! See ya….Muffin!" Chelsea bolted out the door, Lily's other sheep, Shiskabob, flying out the door and hitting her in the head. And audible "Ouch!" came from the direction of the stairs.
Lily grinned. "Bulls eye!!!" she crowed
"Come on Lils, lets get moving!" Ruby exclaimed, yanking the covers off of Lily. Lily groaned.
"Two weird nicknames, right after I wake up? I don't know if I can handle this."
Breakfast was already on the table when the three girls rushed into the great hall. The only seats left were at the middle of the table (A/N does that make sense? Ever notice how the two ends always seem to fill up first? Or is it just me?) So they took them grudgingly. Lily usually liked to sit at the end, where she didn't feel so…observed. But she sat, and took a plate. From across the table, and down about 5 seats, Chelsea yelled.
"Hey Muffin….have a muffin!"
and with these words, she lobbed a blueberry muffin at Lily. Who turned red, but caught it just before it hit her in the face. She grimaced as the blueberries oozed between her fingers. Lily was terribly embarrassed. Not that her friend had meant to humiliate her, she knew that, but she still turned red, for no reason, she still got embarrassed, for no reason.
This has got to stop. Lily decided, banging the slimy muffin on the table This has got to stop NOW.
During the rest of breakfast, while she slurped down porridge, and carefully avoided any kind of baked food, Lily thought about her problem, and her task.
I am going to stop being so scared and embarrassed. But how?
She was still thinking about this problem when they all filed off to Divination. This caused her to walk into a wall (A/N I've done it) causing more laughter. But Lily was so deep in thought, she didn't notice.
Does it sound corny? I am sacred it's getting sappy. Sad freak, and her side kick Sappy! (never mind, personal thing) Ok, so, review, and yell at me. *cringes* The whole part with the moon was kinda pointless, but the Cynthia story was stuck in my head. And Lily seems like she'd like that sorta thing. I'd better introduce Peter and add some more Remus into this, hadn't I?
Disclaimer: Lily, James, Sirius, Hogwarts and anything you recognize because you've seen it between the covers of a book is not mine. Sherbert, Shishkabob, Ruby, and Angelica are. But Chelsea belongs to herself. (Scary thing she is too)