Disclaimer: None of the characters or anything else that appears in the Harry Potter books belongs to me.
Disguised as a Good Girl: Chapter 1
A loud bang issued forward from the opposite corner of the compartment, expelling a cloud of ash into the air. Lily sneezed. She had been deeply immersed in her book, but the small explosion had called her back to reality. She could make out the figures of four unknown boys through the dust. Lily hadn't even noticed them. They couldn't have come in very long ago.
Once the air had cleared, Lily could see who the boys were. The Marauders! Lily gasped quietly, and buried her head deeper in her book. She was sharing a room with the four most popular boys in the school. She wondered how they had managed to get rid of all of their fans. Not that it mattered to her. As long as they left her alone, she was happy.
But it was not to be. Lily's sneeze had alerted the four boys to her presence. As she turned her head back to the story, she found herself confronted with four curious pairs of eyes.
"Hi," she said weakly.
James Potter was the first to speak up. He was often considered the leader of the Marauders, not because he actually led them in their pranks, but because he was the most wanted guy within Hogwarts' walls. James Potter, Gryffindor Quiditch Captain, straight A student, with a new girlfriend every week. He had probably taken out more than half of the girls from the fourth to seventh year. When it came to James, the problem with most girls wasn't snagging him, it was keeping him. Any girl who went out with him for more than a week would be an instant celebrity. No one had done it yet.
"Who are you?" he asked, while the others looked on.
"I'm Lily, Lily Evans."
James surveyed her for a minute. She had shining, dark red hair that fell in soft curls to her waist. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her eyes were downcast so that he couldn't see the color. He remembered that he had just broken up with Bertha Jorkins over the summer, and that he needed to have a girlfriend before they got to school to maintain his reputation. James Potter without a girlfriend! Now that would give everyone something to talk about.
"What year are you in?" he questioned.
"Sixth year," she murmured. Just like he was. James wondered why he hadn't seen her before.
"Well, what house are you in?"
"Ravenclaw." Lily was starting to feel like she was in the middle of an interview.
"Ravenclaw . . ." he repeated thoughtfully. That explained it. He had gone out with three of the Ravenclaws, three horribly ditzy, gossipy girls. This girl didn't look like that type. He assumed that she must have always stayed in the background.
"Would you like to go out with me?" he asked her abruptly.
Startled, Lily glanced upwards. Her eyes turned out to be a brilliant, sparkling green. James grinned, that irresistable grin that was supposed to make girls go weak at the knees. She was pretty, and he liked having pretty girlfriends. He did not doubt that she would accept.
Lily thought for a minute. James's face lost its smile, and took on a look of surprise instead. Most girls eagerly snatched up his offer as soon as he had made it. The three other boys, Sirius, Remus and Peter, moved in a bit, to get a better view.
Lily had never had a boyfriend before. She was so reticent that very few boys even noticed her. If any boy actually talked to her, she usually just brushed them off. No guy ever talked to her more than once. So James' question came as quite a surprise. However, it didn't take her long to make up her mind. It would be nice to be noticed for once, and by going out with James she would be in the spotlight for a week. It wouldn't matter that she didn't particularly like her boyfriend.
"Okay," she replied.
"Great!" James said exuberantly. "Okay, Lily, you do know my friends, right?" He gestured at the others.
She nodded her head. "That's Sirius, Remus, and Peter, right?" she said, pointing to each one in turn.
"Right." Sirius grinned, speaking for the first time. "Nice to meet you."
Lily smiled, and then retreated back into her book. Once again James looked startled. He would have expected her to come over, sit in his lap, and start making out with him immediately. 'Obviously she finds her book more interesting than me,' he thought rather huffily. Dissmissing the thought, he returned to his discussion with his friends. At the moment, they were talking about their prank, the first of the school year.
"Hmmm . . . how about for the feast, we put a potion in the Slytherin's food so that they can't stop coughing?" Sirius suggested.
"Brilliant!" James exclaimed. He started to laugh. "Snape with a cough! Sirius, you are a genious."
Sirius stood up and bowed. "Thank you, I know. What do you guys think?" he asked, turning to Remus and Peter.
Peter stared at him in rapt attention. "That's wonderful! It is going to be the prank of the year! No one will ever forget it! How did you ever think of it, Sirius?!" Meanwhile, Remus merely smiled and nodded.
Behind the protective cover of her book, Lily raised an eyebrow. Somehow, putting a Coughing Potion in the Slytherin's food didn't seem like the most creative thing to do. She had always thought that the Marauders pranks were overappreciated. People were far to apt to laugh at the stupidest things that they did. This particular prank would probably gain a dozen new admirers for them, but it really wasn't that good. If it was her, and she was the joking type, then things would be different.
She sighed. She had always had a crazy idea that she, little goody-two-shoes Lily, would be good at planning pranks. For the past five years at Hogwarts, she had enjoyed taking the Marauder's jokes and improving them. Somewhere in her fourth year, she had even taken to writing a journal to record her ideas. By now, it was almost full.
Every time that the Marauders pulled a prank, Lily wished that she could have been part of it. Whether it included Dungbombs or Fillibuster Fireworks (those two were the most common items), she could think of a way to make it better, if only she had known beforehand. But now, on the train, Lily realized with a jolt that for once she did know beforehand. They were going to put a Coughing Potion in the Slytherins food at tonight's feast.
If it had been her, a Coughing Potion wouldn't have been used. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her robes and felt for the thin vial that contained her precious potion. She had used it at home, on her sister Petunia. Although she was prohibited from using magic in the muggle world, there were always ways to get around the rule. Anything that had been prepared while she was at Hogwarts was legal. This particular potion had been her goodbye present to dear Petunia. It had given her the appearance of a rabbit. Petunia's ears had become elongated, her nose was pink and moist, and she had grown long, coarse whiskers that quivered as she moved. Most amusing of all, she had a white poofy tail sticking out from the tail end of her dress. Since Petunia's natural mien was a bit horsy, this new look had made her look like some alien creature that was part human, part bunny, and part horse. Lily stifled a giggle as she thought about it.
Now, that would have been a good potion to use on the Slytherins. The famous Snakes, transformed into a group of harmless, rather adorable bunnies! If only Lily could have gotten up the courage to do something about it. She wanted to, she really did. The one problem was that she didn't want to have to deal with the consequences. She didn't want the recognition. It was all very well to be seen as James Potter's weekly boyfriend, but any further than that would have been too much for timid Lily. Furthermore, she didn't know how the Marauders would react. Would they be mad? Happy? Would they congratulate her, or end up sending her to the hospital wing? At any rate, Lily didn't want to find out.
It would be better if the prank could be anonymous. After all, she would be the last person that anyone would expect to have played a practical joke. The few people that knew her would have identified her as quiet and studious, definitely not a wild prankster.
In one reckless moment, Lily made up her mind. 'I'll do it,' she thought. 'I know that I will always regret it if I don't. They won't find out. After all, what have I got to lose?'
James didn't really come off as the most sensitive, loving kind of guy here, but don't worry. He really is nice. I will try to get the next part out as soon as possible.
Please Review!
Disguised as a Good Girl: Chapter 1
A loud bang issued forward from the opposite corner of the compartment, expelling a cloud of ash into the air. Lily sneezed. She had been deeply immersed in her book, but the small explosion had called her back to reality. She could make out the figures of four unknown boys through the dust. Lily hadn't even noticed them. They couldn't have come in very long ago.
Once the air had cleared, Lily could see who the boys were. The Marauders! Lily gasped quietly, and buried her head deeper in her book. She was sharing a room with the four most popular boys in the school. She wondered how they had managed to get rid of all of their fans. Not that it mattered to her. As long as they left her alone, she was happy.
But it was not to be. Lily's sneeze had alerted the four boys to her presence. As she turned her head back to the story, she found herself confronted with four curious pairs of eyes.
"Hi," she said weakly.
James Potter was the first to speak up. He was often considered the leader of the Marauders, not because he actually led them in their pranks, but because he was the most wanted guy within Hogwarts' walls. James Potter, Gryffindor Quiditch Captain, straight A student, with a new girlfriend every week. He had probably taken out more than half of the girls from the fourth to seventh year. When it came to James, the problem with most girls wasn't snagging him, it was keeping him. Any girl who went out with him for more than a week would be an instant celebrity. No one had done it yet.
"Who are you?" he asked, while the others looked on.
"I'm Lily, Lily Evans."
James surveyed her for a minute. She had shining, dark red hair that fell in soft curls to her waist. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her eyes were downcast so that he couldn't see the color. He remembered that he had just broken up with Bertha Jorkins over the summer, and that he needed to have a girlfriend before they got to school to maintain his reputation. James Potter without a girlfriend! Now that would give everyone something to talk about.
"What year are you in?" he questioned.
"Sixth year," she murmured. Just like he was. James wondered why he hadn't seen her before.
"Well, what house are you in?"
"Ravenclaw." Lily was starting to feel like she was in the middle of an interview.
"Ravenclaw . . ." he repeated thoughtfully. That explained it. He had gone out with three of the Ravenclaws, three horribly ditzy, gossipy girls. This girl didn't look like that type. He assumed that she must have always stayed in the background.
"Would you like to go out with me?" he asked her abruptly.
Startled, Lily glanced upwards. Her eyes turned out to be a brilliant, sparkling green. James grinned, that irresistable grin that was supposed to make girls go weak at the knees. She was pretty, and he liked having pretty girlfriends. He did not doubt that she would accept.
Lily thought for a minute. James's face lost its smile, and took on a look of surprise instead. Most girls eagerly snatched up his offer as soon as he had made it. The three other boys, Sirius, Remus and Peter, moved in a bit, to get a better view.
Lily had never had a boyfriend before. She was so reticent that very few boys even noticed her. If any boy actually talked to her, she usually just brushed them off. No guy ever talked to her more than once. So James' question came as quite a surprise. However, it didn't take her long to make up her mind. It would be nice to be noticed for once, and by going out with James she would be in the spotlight for a week. It wouldn't matter that she didn't particularly like her boyfriend.
"Okay," she replied.
"Great!" James said exuberantly. "Okay, Lily, you do know my friends, right?" He gestured at the others.
She nodded her head. "That's Sirius, Remus, and Peter, right?" she said, pointing to each one in turn.
"Right." Sirius grinned, speaking for the first time. "Nice to meet you."
Lily smiled, and then retreated back into her book. Once again James looked startled. He would have expected her to come over, sit in his lap, and start making out with him immediately. 'Obviously she finds her book more interesting than me,' he thought rather huffily. Dissmissing the thought, he returned to his discussion with his friends. At the moment, they were talking about their prank, the first of the school year.
"Hmmm . . . how about for the feast, we put a potion in the Slytherin's food so that they can't stop coughing?" Sirius suggested.
"Brilliant!" James exclaimed. He started to laugh. "Snape with a cough! Sirius, you are a genious."
Sirius stood up and bowed. "Thank you, I know. What do you guys think?" he asked, turning to Remus and Peter.
Peter stared at him in rapt attention. "That's wonderful! It is going to be the prank of the year! No one will ever forget it! How did you ever think of it, Sirius?!" Meanwhile, Remus merely smiled and nodded.
Behind the protective cover of her book, Lily raised an eyebrow. Somehow, putting a Coughing Potion in the Slytherin's food didn't seem like the most creative thing to do. She had always thought that the Marauders pranks were overappreciated. People were far to apt to laugh at the stupidest things that they did. This particular prank would probably gain a dozen new admirers for them, but it really wasn't that good. If it was her, and she was the joking type, then things would be different.
She sighed. She had always had a crazy idea that she, little goody-two-shoes Lily, would be good at planning pranks. For the past five years at Hogwarts, she had enjoyed taking the Marauder's jokes and improving them. Somewhere in her fourth year, she had even taken to writing a journal to record her ideas. By now, it was almost full.
Every time that the Marauders pulled a prank, Lily wished that she could have been part of it. Whether it included Dungbombs or Fillibuster Fireworks (those two were the most common items), she could think of a way to make it better, if only she had known beforehand. But now, on the train, Lily realized with a jolt that for once she did know beforehand. They were going to put a Coughing Potion in the Slytherins food at tonight's feast.
If it had been her, a Coughing Potion wouldn't have been used. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her robes and felt for the thin vial that contained her precious potion. She had used it at home, on her sister Petunia. Although she was prohibited from using magic in the muggle world, there were always ways to get around the rule. Anything that had been prepared while she was at Hogwarts was legal. This particular potion had been her goodbye present to dear Petunia. It had given her the appearance of a rabbit. Petunia's ears had become elongated, her nose was pink and moist, and she had grown long, coarse whiskers that quivered as she moved. Most amusing of all, she had a white poofy tail sticking out from the tail end of her dress. Since Petunia's natural mien was a bit horsy, this new look had made her look like some alien creature that was part human, part bunny, and part horse. Lily stifled a giggle as she thought about it.
Now, that would have been a good potion to use on the Slytherins. The famous Snakes, transformed into a group of harmless, rather adorable bunnies! If only Lily could have gotten up the courage to do something about it. She wanted to, she really did. The one problem was that she didn't want to have to deal with the consequences. She didn't want the recognition. It was all very well to be seen as James Potter's weekly boyfriend, but any further than that would have been too much for timid Lily. Furthermore, she didn't know how the Marauders would react. Would they be mad? Happy? Would they congratulate her, or end up sending her to the hospital wing? At any rate, Lily didn't want to find out.
It would be better if the prank could be anonymous. After all, she would be the last person that anyone would expect to have played a practical joke. The few people that knew her would have identified her as quiet and studious, definitely not a wild prankster.
In one reckless moment, Lily made up her mind. 'I'll do it,' she thought. 'I know that I will always regret it if I don't. They won't find out. After all, what have I got to lose?'
James didn't really come off as the most sensitive, loving kind of guy here, but don't worry. He really is nice. I will try to get the next part out as soon as possible.
Please Review!