A/N: omg! Could it be? A double wammie! For everyone who's been waiting patiently here's some more. I love you all.
Yet again, the summer was gone and the group was back on that familiar scarlet steamer back to school. This time...it was different though. They were fifteen, well all except Sirius, whose birthday was in a month. They fit into that group known as "young adults" even if they didn't act like it. They were half way through their teenage years and five years into school. Also, Lily and James were prefects. This was almost expected due to the fact that both of them did so well in school. Lily decided that she wanted to try out for the quidditch team too. She had been playing a lot over the summer and had gotten quite good.
The train pulled into the station and the four were off to find an empty carriage. It was particularly cold and rainy that day. Lily shuddered at the dismal sky. James took this as a sign that she was cold and did the gentlemanly thing of putting his cloak over her shoulders (a/n: it's too bad Hogwart's didn't have letterman sweaters or jackets. It would have been funny). Sirius nudged Lily until she was left with a bruise on her arm where he was continually elbowing it. "Sirius, can I speak with you for a second." They walked away from the carriage to a less crowded area. "What's the matter Lil? I'm ok with you guys." He smirked. "Sirius, we aren't anything more than friends," his face fell. "I know what you're going to say. But he hasn't asked and I'm not going to make a stupid assumption." Sirius rolled his eyes and a grin creeped across his countenance. "Is that all you're waiting for? No problem." And with that, he walked over to the carriage before she could protest.
Sorting was nothing new, but what caught the four of them off guard were two things. One was that Peter was no where to be found. The other was that James and Lily were prefects meaning that they had to show all of the new students where their rooms were and tell them what the password was. This, Lily decided, was a good thing because this way, James would be so busy with his new duties that Sirius wouldn't have any time to talk to him. She didn't know why she dreaded the whole situation. She lay in her bed that night and thought about possible reasons why she would be so scared. After all, it was only James, her best friend since she had started school at Hogwart's.
It was long after everyone had fallen asleep that she decided to go check on the neophytes. She walked through the first year dorms and felt the nostalgia hit her. She remembered having this dorm. She remember being this young. Though it was only a few years ago, she felt like it was a lifetime, only accounted for in dreamlike flashbacks. Over the years, the girls that she had shared dorms with dwindled from five to three. It was an eerie thought that sent a chill right up Lily's back. She closed the door and was about to head to her dorm when she heard voices coming from the common room. Being the nosy girl she was, Lily headed in that direction.
Who else, but Sirius, Remus, and James were sitting around the fire trying to dry off. Obviously, they had just come back from a classic "marauders' adventure." "Hey there, gents. How's the rain tonight? Did you leave any outside?" She joked as she sat down on the other side of the couch. "Aw, Lil, we knew you'd be upset so here." With that, Sirius came at her, dripping with rainwater, and what smelled like, lake-water as well. He gave her a huge hug and she squealed in a vain attempt to stop him. She sat in awe as they explained where they had gone. Obviously it had been quite a trip because up until that point Lily hadn't realized that the only thing coming out of Remus's mouth was "Ah-Aragog. Um, Aragog." This, Sirius assured Lily, would wear off in a little while. He and James went into a long detailed description of the whole experience. The whole story took about two hours to tell, and by the time they were done it was around three in the morning. It was evident that none of the boys would get much sleep. Lily on the other hand, was about to fall asleep in mid-sentence if she didn't get to bed soon. So she started to trudge up the stairs to her dorm when she realized she hadn't said goodnight (a/n: trivial, I know but I needed some kind of set up.). Just as she was about to reach the bottom step she heard something she probably wasn't supposed to.
"Jay, you should've carried her up." It was most definitely Sirius's mocking tone. "Quiet down huh? I'm sure I've had enough of your yammering." A frustrated James. "Um, Aragog. Guys, A-R-A-G-O-G. Big, spidery, Aragoggy." Poor Remus. "Wow, he said something other than Aragog. Anyway Jay, I'm telling you, she's fond of you. Whether or not you choose to believe me is up to you, but the truth is the truth." "I hate to say this Sirius, but with all of the jokes you pull it's hard to tell what is truth anymore. Besides, I've seen no signs. I've even been discouraged. You know last year I told her I meant it when I said I loved her and she just said 'I know you did'. Three times I told her that I loved her, even hinted at the possibility of something like a date or relationship. All of it was snubbed. I don't know how else to explain it to you. She doesn't like me. I have proof, therefore I'm right. Hey, did you hear something."
Lily closed the door behind her. Had she really come off as distant as he had portrayed her? She didn't mean to if she did. The next morning was spent in contemplation. The full moon was soon to come which got Remus thinking about his schedule. Sirius and James were conversing sporadically, each of them after long, thoughtful pauses. Lily was in such a daze that she didn't even notice that the conversation had turned to that of the previous night's. Lack of sleep combined with what she had eavesdropped on kept her in a zombie state most of the day. Work, stare, work, stare. Finally the end of the day approached and she went to take a nap on the common room couch. She would just talk to James later...
She woke up the next morning, very early. If she hadn't been as diligent in her studies as she was, she would have had loads of homework to do at the moment. But she had done it all during and in-between classes giving her plenty of time to change and walk the grounds. She dropped in on a sleeping James. She crept over to his bed. "James," she nudged him gently, but he just snorted a little in his sleep and said something that sounded like kettle. A few more nudges, and he was awake and a bit disgruntled until he saw that it was Lily. "What are you doing up so early. My God, it's only...5:10! Granted, I went to sleep early last night, but I wasn't expecting to get up for another few hours." He continued to rant for a few more minutes as he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Now, why did you wake me up?" he finally asked. "You want to come for a walk with me?" she replied with a sweet smile. James agreed and soon the two were out on the grounds, getting soaked from the rain that had carried on through the past couple of days.
The next few months were uneventful. Soon came Christmas. Every single Gryffindor had decided upon going home for the holiday. But as soon as it had come, the holiday had gone and with the blink of an eye, signs of spring were popping up everywhere. It was the beginning of March, Lily's favorite time of year. It could have been the fact that Lily's birthday was during that month that made her like it so much. Either way, it always lifted her spirits. She was soon to be sixteen. Though she did like celebrating her birthday, she liked to do it alone. It was special for her. She didn't think that other people should have to throw her a party or give her presents just to show her that they felt it was special too. Incredulously, every year that she had gone to school at Hogwart's she had found a way to keep her friends from knowing the exact date of her birth without lying to them. This year was a little different though.
Dear James,
It's good to hear from you. I'm fine and so is Mr. Black. (a/n: I cant remember whether or not I killed Mr. Black off, or if I gave him a first name and I'm too lazy to go back and read it. Sorry.) To answer your specific question, Lily's birthday is actually in a few days. The 21st. Thanks for reminding me. I have to send her a gift. Hope to hear from you again before you lot come home.
Love, Ana
"Gotcha now!" James whispered under his breath as he finished reading the letter. "Huh?" Sirius looked up from his Arithromency homework. "Come read this, my friend. Then I will tell you what we need to do."
Sixteen years old-Lily Evans was no longer considered a child. With each year she grew to expect nothing more than her quiet reverie of the miracle that is life. (a/n: if you couldn't tell by now, I made Lily more of an earthy, philosophical person. Lol. If you don't think so then :p) Sixteen complete revolutions of the sun had taken place during her time on earth. It was a marvel to her the way things could actually exist. She sat on a bench almost directly across from where her dorm room was, watching the sunrise. It added to her feelings of respect for life and nature. She was interrupted in her thoughts as someone sat down next to her on the bench. Undoubtedly it was James. They both sat in silence for as long as it took for the whole sun to be seen in the morning sky. After a good fifteen minutes of pure, unadulterated silence, Lily sighed. James leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Happy Birthday." He then handed her a little box, about the size of a shoebox, and a card. She smiled at him wondering how he had found out. Lily opened the card first and read it over and over in her head. It was the one of the sweetest things he had ever written her. Next came the box. It was a little bit larger than a normal shoebox; it was wider. She tore off the paper and started to open it ever so carefully. It was another clay figure. This time it was a bust showing only from the shoulders up. It was incredibly accurate. A much more skilled hand had carved this piece though, that she was sure of. "It's beautiful. I love it." Lily hugged James long and hard. She was holding back some tears as she said, "I love you too, James. I never meant to alienate you. I never meant to hurt you if I did."
If Lily thought the morning of her birthday was as good as it could have ever gotten, she was wrong. The whole of the Gryffindor House had decorated the common room and thrown a party for her late into the night. McGonagall came in to end it, but somehow Sirius had convinced her that you only turn sixteen once and it was a weekend, so she said happy birthday and went back to bed. It was truly one of the best days of Lily's life.
It seemed as though the rest of the year positively flew by. Right after Lily's birthday came April, then May, and soon everyone was stressing over exams. It was all one big routine to her now. She didn't mind it though, because she went through the motions with her best friends. As every routine has, there were always a few minor changes here and there.
"Hey, Lily, looks like there's a letter for you." It was one of the girls Lily shared her dorm with talking. Lily opened her bleary eyes to find the face of an owl staring straight at her. If she had gotten up quickly, they would have crashed heads. She rose slowly and watched the owl back off slowly. Lily grabbed the letter from the softly hooting barn owl and watched it fly away. Uh-oh.
Yet again, the summer was gone and the group was back on that familiar scarlet steamer back to school. This time...it was different though. They were fifteen, well all except Sirius, whose birthday was in a month. They fit into that group known as "young adults" even if they didn't act like it. They were half way through their teenage years and five years into school. Also, Lily and James were prefects. This was almost expected due to the fact that both of them did so well in school. Lily decided that she wanted to try out for the quidditch team too. She had been playing a lot over the summer and had gotten quite good.
The train pulled into the station and the four were off to find an empty carriage. It was particularly cold and rainy that day. Lily shuddered at the dismal sky. James took this as a sign that she was cold and did the gentlemanly thing of putting his cloak over her shoulders (a/n: it's too bad Hogwart's didn't have letterman sweaters or jackets. It would have been funny). Sirius nudged Lily until she was left with a bruise on her arm where he was continually elbowing it. "Sirius, can I speak with you for a second." They walked away from the carriage to a less crowded area. "What's the matter Lil? I'm ok with you guys." He smirked. "Sirius, we aren't anything more than friends," his face fell. "I know what you're going to say. But he hasn't asked and I'm not going to make a stupid assumption." Sirius rolled his eyes and a grin creeped across his countenance. "Is that all you're waiting for? No problem." And with that, he walked over to the carriage before she could protest.
Sorting was nothing new, but what caught the four of them off guard were two things. One was that Peter was no where to be found. The other was that James and Lily were prefects meaning that they had to show all of the new students where their rooms were and tell them what the password was. This, Lily decided, was a good thing because this way, James would be so busy with his new duties that Sirius wouldn't have any time to talk to him. She didn't know why she dreaded the whole situation. She lay in her bed that night and thought about possible reasons why she would be so scared. After all, it was only James, her best friend since she had started school at Hogwart's.
It was long after everyone had fallen asleep that she decided to go check on the neophytes. She walked through the first year dorms and felt the nostalgia hit her. She remembered having this dorm. She remember being this young. Though it was only a few years ago, she felt like it was a lifetime, only accounted for in dreamlike flashbacks. Over the years, the girls that she had shared dorms with dwindled from five to three. It was an eerie thought that sent a chill right up Lily's back. She closed the door and was about to head to her dorm when she heard voices coming from the common room. Being the nosy girl she was, Lily headed in that direction.
Who else, but Sirius, Remus, and James were sitting around the fire trying to dry off. Obviously, they had just come back from a classic "marauders' adventure." "Hey there, gents. How's the rain tonight? Did you leave any outside?" She joked as she sat down on the other side of the couch. "Aw, Lil, we knew you'd be upset so here." With that, Sirius came at her, dripping with rainwater, and what smelled like, lake-water as well. He gave her a huge hug and she squealed in a vain attempt to stop him. She sat in awe as they explained where they had gone. Obviously it had been quite a trip because up until that point Lily hadn't realized that the only thing coming out of Remus's mouth was "Ah-Aragog. Um, Aragog." This, Sirius assured Lily, would wear off in a little while. He and James went into a long detailed description of the whole experience. The whole story took about two hours to tell, and by the time they were done it was around three in the morning. It was evident that none of the boys would get much sleep. Lily on the other hand, was about to fall asleep in mid-sentence if she didn't get to bed soon. So she started to trudge up the stairs to her dorm when she realized she hadn't said goodnight (a/n: trivial, I know but I needed some kind of set up.). Just as she was about to reach the bottom step she heard something she probably wasn't supposed to.
"Jay, you should've carried her up." It was most definitely Sirius's mocking tone. "Quiet down huh? I'm sure I've had enough of your yammering." A frustrated James. "Um, Aragog. Guys, A-R-A-G-O-G. Big, spidery, Aragoggy." Poor Remus. "Wow, he said something other than Aragog. Anyway Jay, I'm telling you, she's fond of you. Whether or not you choose to believe me is up to you, but the truth is the truth." "I hate to say this Sirius, but with all of the jokes you pull it's hard to tell what is truth anymore. Besides, I've seen no signs. I've even been discouraged. You know last year I told her I meant it when I said I loved her and she just said 'I know you did'. Three times I told her that I loved her, even hinted at the possibility of something like a date or relationship. All of it was snubbed. I don't know how else to explain it to you. She doesn't like me. I have proof, therefore I'm right. Hey, did you hear something."
Lily closed the door behind her. Had she really come off as distant as he had portrayed her? She didn't mean to if she did. The next morning was spent in contemplation. The full moon was soon to come which got Remus thinking about his schedule. Sirius and James were conversing sporadically, each of them after long, thoughtful pauses. Lily was in such a daze that she didn't even notice that the conversation had turned to that of the previous night's. Lack of sleep combined with what she had eavesdropped on kept her in a zombie state most of the day. Work, stare, work, stare. Finally the end of the day approached and she went to take a nap on the common room couch. She would just talk to James later...
She woke up the next morning, very early. If she hadn't been as diligent in her studies as she was, she would have had loads of homework to do at the moment. But she had done it all during and in-between classes giving her plenty of time to change and walk the grounds. She dropped in on a sleeping James. She crept over to his bed. "James," she nudged him gently, but he just snorted a little in his sleep and said something that sounded like kettle. A few more nudges, and he was awake and a bit disgruntled until he saw that it was Lily. "What are you doing up so early. My God, it's only...5:10! Granted, I went to sleep early last night, but I wasn't expecting to get up for another few hours." He continued to rant for a few more minutes as he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Now, why did you wake me up?" he finally asked. "You want to come for a walk with me?" she replied with a sweet smile. James agreed and soon the two were out on the grounds, getting soaked from the rain that had carried on through the past couple of days.
The next few months were uneventful. Soon came Christmas. Every single Gryffindor had decided upon going home for the holiday. But as soon as it had come, the holiday had gone and with the blink of an eye, signs of spring were popping up everywhere. It was the beginning of March, Lily's favorite time of year. It could have been the fact that Lily's birthday was during that month that made her like it so much. Either way, it always lifted her spirits. She was soon to be sixteen. Though she did like celebrating her birthday, she liked to do it alone. It was special for her. She didn't think that other people should have to throw her a party or give her presents just to show her that they felt it was special too. Incredulously, every year that she had gone to school at Hogwart's she had found a way to keep her friends from knowing the exact date of her birth without lying to them. This year was a little different though.
Dear James,
It's good to hear from you. I'm fine and so is Mr. Black. (a/n: I cant remember whether or not I killed Mr. Black off, or if I gave him a first name and I'm too lazy to go back and read it. Sorry.) To answer your specific question, Lily's birthday is actually in a few days. The 21st. Thanks for reminding me. I have to send her a gift. Hope to hear from you again before you lot come home.
Love, Ana
"Gotcha now!" James whispered under his breath as he finished reading the letter. "Huh?" Sirius looked up from his Arithromency homework. "Come read this, my friend. Then I will tell you what we need to do."
Sixteen years old-Lily Evans was no longer considered a child. With each year she grew to expect nothing more than her quiet reverie of the miracle that is life. (a/n: if you couldn't tell by now, I made Lily more of an earthy, philosophical person. Lol. If you don't think so then :p) Sixteen complete revolutions of the sun had taken place during her time on earth. It was a marvel to her the way things could actually exist. She sat on a bench almost directly across from where her dorm room was, watching the sunrise. It added to her feelings of respect for life and nature. She was interrupted in her thoughts as someone sat down next to her on the bench. Undoubtedly it was James. They both sat in silence for as long as it took for the whole sun to be seen in the morning sky. After a good fifteen minutes of pure, unadulterated silence, Lily sighed. James leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Happy Birthday." He then handed her a little box, about the size of a shoebox, and a card. She smiled at him wondering how he had found out. Lily opened the card first and read it over and over in her head. It was the one of the sweetest things he had ever written her. Next came the box. It was a little bit larger than a normal shoebox; it was wider. She tore off the paper and started to open it ever so carefully. It was another clay figure. This time it was a bust showing only from the shoulders up. It was incredibly accurate. A much more skilled hand had carved this piece though, that she was sure of. "It's beautiful. I love it." Lily hugged James long and hard. She was holding back some tears as she said, "I love you too, James. I never meant to alienate you. I never meant to hurt you if I did."
If Lily thought the morning of her birthday was as good as it could have ever gotten, she was wrong. The whole of the Gryffindor House had decorated the common room and thrown a party for her late into the night. McGonagall came in to end it, but somehow Sirius had convinced her that you only turn sixteen once and it was a weekend, so she said happy birthday and went back to bed. It was truly one of the best days of Lily's life.
It seemed as though the rest of the year positively flew by. Right after Lily's birthday came April, then May, and soon everyone was stressing over exams. It was all one big routine to her now. She didn't mind it though, because she went through the motions with her best friends. As every routine has, there were always a few minor changes here and there.
"Hey, Lily, looks like there's a letter for you." It was one of the girls Lily shared her dorm with talking. Lily opened her bleary eyes to find the face of an owl staring straight at her. If she had gotten up quickly, they would have crashed heads. She rose slowly and watched the owl back off slowly. Lily grabbed the letter from the softly hooting barn owl and watched it fly away. Uh-oh.