A/N: Thank you so much, Briavael, for Beta-Reading my story! And, of course, to all my readers, for reading and hopefully enjoying Muggles and Marauders...
"Lily Evans?" a boy's voice, one Lily was sure she'd never heard before, echoed through the train. A bit frantically, she turned and searched the car for the source. "It's a dull name, rather," he continued dryly. Finally, her eyes focused on a thin, dark-haired boy a few rows up. With seemingly little else to do, she settled back into her seat and, without completely meaning to, absentmindedly listened in on the conversation. "You'd think that you'd find someone to taunt with a more interesting title. Something like Sirius Black, for instance."
"A bit obsessed with yourself, aren't you?" The second voice was one she recognized. James Potter. It's all Lily could do to keep herself from crying out. "Anyhow," James continued, his voice low, "I think it's a nice name."
"Nice?" the other, who she supposed was Sirius, echoed. "I didn't think that was a word in your vocabulary, James." Lily snickered under her breath. "You don't think my name is nice?" he murmured, feigning hurt.
"Sorry, Sirius," James replied sarcastically. "Would you appreciate it more if I fell to my knees in awe and worshipped your very existence?"
"Now that's more like it," Sirius said approvingly. "About the Evans girl…" He let the words fade with a hint of something like suspicion.
"Yes, what about the Evans girl?" broke in Lily, unable to remain quiet. Both boys turned to look at her, and she regretted her comment almost instantly. Her mouth curved into a nervous grin. "Hi, Sirius," she murmured, mumbling the vowels with obvious embarrassment. "James." Lily nodded toward him uneasily.
"So this is the Evans girl," Sirius muttered, mostly to himself. "I'm sorry," he continued politely. "It's Lily, isn't it?"
"This lily will wilt if she doesn't mind her own business," James taunted in a songlike voice.
Sirius gave him a sharp look. "To what do we owe this interruption, dear Lily?" he went on with an exceedingly large grin.
"I just wanted to know…" Lily stuttered, feeling rather humiliated.
"Ah, so she's sweet as well as blunt," Sirius murmured, well satisfied with himself. "I see why you like her, James."
"I don't like her," James persisted in a grumble.
"Don't mind little Jamie, there," Sirius hissed. "He's absolutely obsessed with you. Thinks about you all the time. He even thinks you're…" His voice lowered to a whisper. "Nice."
"It's an improvement for James," Lily admitted with a sneer.
"Ah, so she's developing a sense of humour!" Sirius cheered. "I knew it! I knew there was hope!" His voice rose and fell with exaggerated emotion.
"May James speak for James now?" the aforementioned mumbled.
"As you wish, Potter."
"Well, James thinks Sirius and Lily are driving James absolutely crazy."
"And why, exactly, is James speaking in the third person?" Lily giggled.
Just then, a cart rattled into the car. "Snacks!" a high voice shrieked. "Chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott's, pumpkin juice!" The boys eagerly bought their share of snacks, but Lily was hesitant.
"Chocolate frogs." Lily said the words with sheer disgust. "Those wouldn't happen to be made from real frogs, would they?"
"We shall never know," James said ominously, biting into one.
"Try a jelly bean," Sirius suggested, handing her an odd-looking gray one.
Lily took the jelly bean delicately in her hands and ate it. She paused for a moment, then swallowed it whole, her face pale with disgust. "Was that…fish?"
"Sardine, I believe," observed Sirius.
"That's gross," Lily murmured eloquently.
"Isn't it, though?" he replied with something like awe.
The car shook with a deafening bang and Lily's newly purchased robes were drenched with pumpkin juice. Eager shrieks echoed through the train as trunks were lifted and footsteps sounded. With a shudder, the Hogwarts Express came to a complete stop.
"Lily Evans?" a boy's voice, one Lily was sure she'd never heard before, echoed through the train. A bit frantically, she turned and searched the car for the source. "It's a dull name, rather," he continued dryly. Finally, her eyes focused on a thin, dark-haired boy a few rows up. With seemingly little else to do, she settled back into her seat and, without completely meaning to, absentmindedly listened in on the conversation. "You'd think that you'd find someone to taunt with a more interesting title. Something like Sirius Black, for instance."
"A bit obsessed with yourself, aren't you?" The second voice was one she recognized. James Potter. It's all Lily could do to keep herself from crying out. "Anyhow," James continued, his voice low, "I think it's a nice name."
"Nice?" the other, who she supposed was Sirius, echoed. "I didn't think that was a word in your vocabulary, James." Lily snickered under her breath. "You don't think my name is nice?" he murmured, feigning hurt.
"Sorry, Sirius," James replied sarcastically. "Would you appreciate it more if I fell to my knees in awe and worshipped your very existence?"
"Now that's more like it," Sirius said approvingly. "About the Evans girl…" He let the words fade with a hint of something like suspicion.
"Yes, what about the Evans girl?" broke in Lily, unable to remain quiet. Both boys turned to look at her, and she regretted her comment almost instantly. Her mouth curved into a nervous grin. "Hi, Sirius," she murmured, mumbling the vowels with obvious embarrassment. "James." Lily nodded toward him uneasily.
"So this is the Evans girl," Sirius muttered, mostly to himself. "I'm sorry," he continued politely. "It's Lily, isn't it?"
"This lily will wilt if she doesn't mind her own business," James taunted in a songlike voice.
Sirius gave him a sharp look. "To what do we owe this interruption, dear Lily?" he went on with an exceedingly large grin.
"I just wanted to know…" Lily stuttered, feeling rather humiliated.
"Ah, so she's sweet as well as blunt," Sirius murmured, well satisfied with himself. "I see why you like her, James."
"I don't like her," James persisted in a grumble.
"Don't mind little Jamie, there," Sirius hissed. "He's absolutely obsessed with you. Thinks about you all the time. He even thinks you're…" His voice lowered to a whisper. "Nice."
"It's an improvement for James," Lily admitted with a sneer.
"Ah, so she's developing a sense of humour!" Sirius cheered. "I knew it! I knew there was hope!" His voice rose and fell with exaggerated emotion.
"May James speak for James now?" the aforementioned mumbled.
"As you wish, Potter."
"Well, James thinks Sirius and Lily are driving James absolutely crazy."
"And why, exactly, is James speaking in the third person?" Lily giggled.
Just then, a cart rattled into the car. "Snacks!" a high voice shrieked. "Chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott's, pumpkin juice!" The boys eagerly bought their share of snacks, but Lily was hesitant.
"Chocolate frogs." Lily said the words with sheer disgust. "Those wouldn't happen to be made from real frogs, would they?"
"We shall never know," James said ominously, biting into one.
"Try a jelly bean," Sirius suggested, handing her an odd-looking gray one.
Lily took the jelly bean delicately in her hands and ate it. She paused for a moment, then swallowed it whole, her face pale with disgust. "Was that…fish?"
"Sardine, I believe," observed Sirius.
"That's gross," Lily murmured eloquently.
"Isn't it, though?" he replied with something like awe.
The car shook with a deafening bang and Lily's newly purchased robes were drenched with pumpkin juice. Eager shrieks echoed through the train as trunks were lifted and footsteps sounded. With a shudder, the Hogwarts Express came to a complete stop.