Author's Note: If you want to send me to Azkaban for not updating I
understand. I'm so incredibly sorry for not updating *any* of my stories. I
feel really bad about it... Enough said. But, I do have good news. I know
*exactly* where I'm taking this story. You should also be happy to know
that this story won't end for a couple other chapters.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything in this story.except for the people whom you don't recognize! The rest belongs to the wonderfully, creative, J.K Rowling.
Summary: As Lily Evans sits down to eat breakfast, at her usual morning café, she expects it to be a normal, uneventful day. But, just as things just couldn't get worse, she bumps into an old friend' who ends up bringing back everything that she had once pushed away.
Now onto the fifth chapter.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Bounce Chapter 4.
The next day, James was quietly making breakfast in his kitchen when he heard loud pecks at his kitchen window. He put down the piece of toast he was buttering, and walked over to the window. There he saw a snowy white owl, carrying two packages and another owl carrying letters. James quickly opened the window, and let the two owls in. He let out a laugh as he opened the packages to see packages of food, knuts, and sickles all stuffed in the boxes. He knew immediately who the packages where from.his mom. She still thought he needed to be stocked up on her, more to say the house elves, food. He turned and carried the packages over to the counter, where Sirius would probably put it away.
James gave the two owls a piece of toast and sent them on there way. He then sat down at his kitchen table, and went through the mail. There were the usual Daily Prophet, letters from friends, but there was one letter that stuck out amongst them all. It was a creme envelope; much like the kind of envelope in which his letter from Hogwarts came when he was eleven. He quickly tore the letter opened and read it's content. It read:
Dear Mr. James Potter, We are pleased to inform you that your 5th Year Hogwarts school Reunion is about to take place on November 13th. It shall last until November 18th, were you shall bid farewell. Make sure you bring clothes for all types of weather. I'm sure you still remember how Hogwarts always has a way of surprising you. You will stay in a special tower created just for the occasion. I hope to see you there!
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore
James read the letter three times over and over until it finally sunk in. The thought of being around the people he went to school with made him a little bit joyful. He knew Sirius would probably play yet another joke on Severus Snape, which would make the whole trip worthwhile. But there was a downfall. He'd have to spend five whole days around Lily Evans. To him, this would be considered a chance to regain what they use to have, but to her it would be an experience that she might want to forget.
"Good morning." Sirius Black said as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. "You could be nice you know and say 'Why, good morning to you too, Sirius. How are you this lovely day?'"
James's train of thought crashed as he heard his best friend's comment.
"Sorry, Sirius, I was reading my mail." James said quickly, then he remembered something. "By the way, Good morning. How are you this lovely day?"
Sirius grinned, "I'm fine thank you." He picked up his mail, and went through it.
"Sirius your supposed to read your mail, not read who it's from then chuck it in the waste can." James said quite amused.
"Well, I already know what they're about to say. No need to read it again." Sirius said as he through most of his mail into the waste can. As he came upon the creme envelope he was about to chuck it just like the others when he stopped. "Hey what's this, Prongs?"
"Read it and find out." James said as he finished his cup of coffee.
Sirius read the letter, then folded it back up, and place it back into the envelope. He looked at James and said, "Do you think Lily is going to be there?"
James looked at Sirius incredulously, "How the hell would I know?"
"Then go and find out!" Sirius said.
"Listen, Padfoot, maybe Lily and I weren't meant to be together. This has happened all so fast, maybe it's just a sign saying that it wasn't meant to be. As much as I'd like to go back and change all that has happened, I can't." James admitted sullenly.
"But maybe you should try!" Sirius shot back, "I hope you aren't going to be a bachelor the rest of your life. Your giving up way to quickly."
"Sirius, please, I'm going to drop it, OK?" James said as he stood up to leave the kitchen.
"James, just on last thing." Sirius stated quickly to James before he left the room, "You lost her once, do you want to make that twice?"
James stood there and thought about what Sirius said, but he didn't return an answer. He jogged up the steps and back into his bedroom. James went directly to his closet, and tugged out his suitcase. He threw in all sorts of clothes, pants, shirts, boxers, and shorts. There was no way he was going to let Lily slip out of his fingers this time.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Lily's coffee cup went hurdling to the hard wood floor, smashing it into oblivion. Lily carefully set down the creme envelope, and buried her face into her hands. She completely forgot all about the smashed coffee cup. Why now, she thought. Why of all times could her five year reunion be only three days away? Her mind flooded with possibilities. Should she go? Or shouldn't she? There were so many pros and cons that she didn't know where to begin. She'd probably have to see all the people she left behind. She'd get to she her best friend Jacqueline Parker once again. Though she'd have to set her eyes on James Potter, and that was almost certain. As much as she wanted to deny that she still had feelings for him, she couldn't push that string of emotion away.
She got up and cleaned up the smashed coffee cup, and a few puddles of coffee. Lily then thought of something. Of all the things that she had to do, she totally forgot it. She ran into her bedroom, and locked the door behind her. She grabbed her bathroom stool, and brought it over to her closet. The doors slid to the side, as she pulled things out from the very top shelf. When her hands hit something hard and smooth, she stopped. She pulled the object out, and set it onto her bed.
There before her was a wooden box, with a lock attached. She carefully picked up the box and looked under it, to see the key secretly taped to the bottom of it. It wasn't one of her greater ideas.but hey.it worked. She took the key and jabbed it into the hole, and turned it clockwise. Her breath caught as she opened the wooden lid, and looked what was inside. It was her wand. She gave it a swish and a flick, and was immediately filled with a tingly sensation. She cast about a dozen spells on certain things, until she was reassured that she still remembered half the stuff she learned at Hogwarts. Though surprisingly she remembered all of it. Sure she was a bit rusty, but she conquered.
Lily heard loud pounds on her bedroom door, and whipped around, stuffing her wand back in the box.
"LILY! Are you in there? Are you all right? LILY!," Derrick bellowed as he pounded on the door.
"Yea, I'm in here! I-I am getting dressed." Lily yelled back. She quickly shoved the box under her bed, and opened her door. "See, I'm all right."
"Ok, I was just really worried that's all." Derrick said as he pulled her close to him. "Since it's your day off, how about we go out for lunch?"
"Well something has come up Derrick." Lily said quickly.
"Something came up?" Derrick asked quizzically.
"Yes, I have to go do an article over in the US. So I'll have to leave on the 12th." Lily replied with a smile.
"How long will you be gone?"
"Um, about five days. But not to worry, I'll miss you a lot."
"I'll miss you even more," Derrick said as he hugged her tightly. "How about we go to dinner tonight. I know this lovely French restaurant down on 48th street. I have something really important to ask you."
"Well, why don't you just ask me now, Derrick?" Lily asked raising her eyebrow.
"W-well all right then." Derrick said a bit slowly. "Lily do you love me the way I love you?"
Lily took a step back. She thought for a moment, but all she could think of was James Potter, and how she felt about him. Not how she felt about Derrick. She didn't really want to hurt Derrick.
"Derrick," Lily said thoughtfully. "I love you more than anyone I've ever known."
Though Lily knew deep down that it wasn't at all true, because that feeling for James Potter had still kept it's flame.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Lily's suitcase made a loud thump as she looked up at the scarlet color of the Hogwarts Express. She flipped her head back, so that her long red hair blew out of her face. Then realized that she had dropped her suitcase, and kneeled down to pick it back up. She looked around to see men and women all around her age, some looked rather familiar and some she swore she'd never met. Her shoes made a small clank as she stepped onto the train, and made her way down to the last compartment in the back of the train. As she stepped into the compartment , a wave of emotion swept through her. Memories of joy, and sorrow filled her. Lily sat down quietly, and stared out the window, and her mind drifted back to when her days were filled with class assignments, and dating. She smiled at the thought. Her eyes drifted across the compartment.
It was exactly like she remembered it. This was were 'they' sat, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evans, and James Potter. No one but them.
"Excuse me, is it all right if I sit in here?"
Lily's eyes looked up and met the eyes of a tall man, with sandy blonde hair, and gorgeous eyes. He looked so striking familiar, that she didn't even hesitate.
"Remus!" Lily said as she jumped up, "Is that you?"
"Lils?" Remus practically stated as he engulfed her in a hug.
"Yea it is! Oh Remus I've missed you terribly. Five years is to long!" Lily said as she sat back down on her seat, and cautiously looked over Remus as he sat down. He was still as handsome as he was when they were in school. She could remember the time in her third year when she had the world's biggest crush on him. That was of course a long time before she was involved with James.
"So, what have you been up to these past five years?" Remus asked.
"Well, I work for the London Times as a reporter, and I'm currently living with my boyfriend, Derrick. I'm just basically living the normal muggle life." Lily said thoughtfully. "How are you doing?"
"I always knew you'd be a writer, Lily. You always could captivate your audience." Remus said with a smile. "I've been pretty good. Though I've been hopping from job to job.because of my 'illness' as my employers state it. I'm currently working in Hogsmeade."
"Oh, that's horrible Remus. I can't believe people can be so narrow-minded. It's not like it's your fault your a werewolf."
"I can see you didn't forget our favorite compartment." Remus said as he thought back on memories. "So much happened in this compartment."
"I remember when Sirius lit that cushion your sitting on, on fire." Lily said with a grin.
Remus laughed. "I can't even forget when James."
The two were interrupted when a figure came stumbling into their compartment. His black hair, and handsome figure made Lily's heart flutter a bit.
"Mr. Lupin! So good to see you!" Sirius exclaimed as he shook Remus' hand. "I haven't seen you for what seems like forever. Wait.no.I saw you last night." Sirius gaze drifted over to Lily; who seemed as thought she didn't want him to see her.
"LILY EVANS!? Is that you?" Sirius said as he rushed over to her.
"Yes. Sirius. It's me." Lily replied quietly, as Sirius pulled her into a hug.
"Lil! It's been forever!" Sirius said as he put her down and then sat down himself. "So, how are you? You know James should be here any moment now."
Sirius was right. James Potter slid the door open and peeked inside. He inhaled, and wished for the best. When he walked in, he felt all eyes on him. Then he felt the slightest feeling of deja-vu. There was Sirius Black being the comedian he always was, Remus Lupin sitting by the door laughing along, and Lily Evans sitting on the same bench that Remus was on; looking out the window and laughing.
"Hello," James muttered as he stepped in. Sirius and Remus greeted him with a 'hello' and a handshake, and Lily just avoided eye contact as she hesitantly shook his hand.
"Hello, James." Lily said awkwardly. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine." James was about to say something else when a girl came barging in, her long brown hair bobbing along with her movement. Everyone's eyes drifted onto her and off James. Finally the girl spoke.
"Is Lily Evans in here?" the girl asked.
Lily rose from her seat and replied, "That would be me."
"LILY! It's me, Jacqueline!"
"Jackie!" Lily exclaimed pleasantly, as she hugged her old friend.
"Oh how much I've missed you!" Jacqueline said as she returned the hug. When the two broke apart from their friendly reunion, Jacqueline glanced over to the three men sitting in the compartment.
"Why if isn't Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter." Jacqueline confirmed as she smiled at her fellow Gryffindors. "I'm sure this reunion will be something to remember with you three here!"
"Jackie take a seat! We all have so much to catch up on!" Remus said as he gestured for her to sit beside him. She smiled and obliged.
About twenty minutes later Lily was in conversation with Sirius, and she could feel James' eyes on her. It felt as though he was staring deep into her soul.
"So Moody went one way, and James and I went the other." Sirius went on, when Jacqueline's voice interrupted them.
" Oh, Lily, I forgot to tell you! I now have Davis as my last name!"
"Oh my god! You and Alex got married?"
"Yes about two years after we graduated. We have a little girl, Calli."
"Oh that's wonderful!" Lily said as a pang of jealousy hit her. She wanted so bad to have children, but Derrick wanted to wait.
"So how about you?"
"How about me what?" Lily asked quizzically.
"Do you and Potter have any kids yet?" Jacqueline asked. The whole room went to a dramatic pause. Sirius' mouth dropped, Remus shook his head, and James just sat there with a look of terror yet a smile was creeping through.
"E-excuse me?" Lily asked unbelievably.
"Do you and your husband here have any kids?" Jacqueline asked, oblivious to the situation.
"Mr. Potter and I have never gotten that far," Lily said as she gave James a cold look. " We aren't married and surely don't have kids, Jacqueline."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" Jacqueline said with a pleading look. "I didn't know! I just thought you and James were married. You seemed as though you were heading towards that at graduation."
"It's OK," James finally said. The rest of the trip back to Hogwarts was unbelievably long, because no body really said anything. All their thoughts were mostly bordering along the lines of what Jacqueline had presumed.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
James stuffed his hands inside his pockets, as he descended from the train. His shoes were already dampened by the puddles of water that the storm they had encountered minutes before, left behind. When he finally moved away from the crowds of people, he saw Remus, Sirius, and Jacqueline all together, but where was Lily? He looked around and saw her flaming red hair, and his eyes watched her. She looked as though she was rushing away from it all, as she walked quickly to the carriages and stepped inside. James sighed. He knew exactly then that if he ever wanted to regain what he and Lily had; it would be a hell of a fight.
As the carriage moved up to the castle, James' mind drifted here and there. He was feeling anxiety at the thought of having to go through the same conversation that Jacqueline that stumbled on in the train.
The smell of wet grass filled him, as he stepped out of the carriage. He slowly walked up the castle steps, with his friends behind him. Memories and emotions filled him. It was great to be back here again, he thought. The doors swung open, and he stepped inside the main entrance hall. He had done this so many times before.
"James! Wake up, man!" Sirius said shoving him forward. James about fell over a woman, but Sirius caught him. "What is with you?"
" Nothing! I was just thinking. It's good to be here again." James replied regaining his composure.
" Come on! We're going to have the time of our lives!" Remus said as the three walked into the Great Hall.
"Yea, the time of our lives." James muttered bitterly.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
OK! That's the end of that chapter. I'm sorry for the wait. It's been months.yea I know. I was going through one of those I'm sick of writing phases. I can't help it. I just started feeling *obligated* to write these stories. So I just stopped. But it won't happen again! I'm back on track. The next chapter is half done! I should post it soon!
Oh, and if there were any spelling mistakes or anything.I'm sorry!
Also, before I forget. Thank you SO much to my beta reader, Mamasita. Well, she fixed this chapter.or at least what I had of it, when I sent it to her.a long time ago. You see, after I got it back, I re-read it like 100 times and decided there wasn't enough there. So I wrote more. THEN when I went back to check my mail to get the version she checked over.grr.it had deleted the nice re-done version. I was going to send this new version to her.but I decided what the heck.I should just post it. So I did.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything in this story.except for the people whom you don't recognize! The rest belongs to the wonderfully, creative, J.K Rowling.
Summary: As Lily Evans sits down to eat breakfast, at her usual morning café, she expects it to be a normal, uneventful day. But, just as things just couldn't get worse, she bumps into an old friend' who ends up bringing back everything that she had once pushed away.
Now onto the fifth chapter.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Bounce Chapter 4.
The next day, James was quietly making breakfast in his kitchen when he heard loud pecks at his kitchen window. He put down the piece of toast he was buttering, and walked over to the window. There he saw a snowy white owl, carrying two packages and another owl carrying letters. James quickly opened the window, and let the two owls in. He let out a laugh as he opened the packages to see packages of food, knuts, and sickles all stuffed in the boxes. He knew immediately who the packages where from.his mom. She still thought he needed to be stocked up on her, more to say the house elves, food. He turned and carried the packages over to the counter, where Sirius would probably put it away.
James gave the two owls a piece of toast and sent them on there way. He then sat down at his kitchen table, and went through the mail. There were the usual Daily Prophet, letters from friends, but there was one letter that stuck out amongst them all. It was a creme envelope; much like the kind of envelope in which his letter from Hogwarts came when he was eleven. He quickly tore the letter opened and read it's content. It read:
Dear Mr. James Potter, We are pleased to inform you that your 5th Year Hogwarts school Reunion is about to take place on November 13th. It shall last until November 18th, were you shall bid farewell. Make sure you bring clothes for all types of weather. I'm sure you still remember how Hogwarts always has a way of surprising you. You will stay in a special tower created just for the occasion. I hope to see you there!
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore
James read the letter three times over and over until it finally sunk in. The thought of being around the people he went to school with made him a little bit joyful. He knew Sirius would probably play yet another joke on Severus Snape, which would make the whole trip worthwhile. But there was a downfall. He'd have to spend five whole days around Lily Evans. To him, this would be considered a chance to regain what they use to have, but to her it would be an experience that she might want to forget.
"Good morning." Sirius Black said as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. "You could be nice you know and say 'Why, good morning to you too, Sirius. How are you this lovely day?'"
James's train of thought crashed as he heard his best friend's comment.
"Sorry, Sirius, I was reading my mail." James said quickly, then he remembered something. "By the way, Good morning. How are you this lovely day?"
Sirius grinned, "I'm fine thank you." He picked up his mail, and went through it.
"Sirius your supposed to read your mail, not read who it's from then chuck it in the waste can." James said quite amused.
"Well, I already know what they're about to say. No need to read it again." Sirius said as he through most of his mail into the waste can. As he came upon the creme envelope he was about to chuck it just like the others when he stopped. "Hey what's this, Prongs?"
"Read it and find out." James said as he finished his cup of coffee.
Sirius read the letter, then folded it back up, and place it back into the envelope. He looked at James and said, "Do you think Lily is going to be there?"
James looked at Sirius incredulously, "How the hell would I know?"
"Then go and find out!" Sirius said.
"Listen, Padfoot, maybe Lily and I weren't meant to be together. This has happened all so fast, maybe it's just a sign saying that it wasn't meant to be. As much as I'd like to go back and change all that has happened, I can't." James admitted sullenly.
"But maybe you should try!" Sirius shot back, "I hope you aren't going to be a bachelor the rest of your life. Your giving up way to quickly."
"Sirius, please, I'm going to drop it, OK?" James said as he stood up to leave the kitchen.
"James, just on last thing." Sirius stated quickly to James before he left the room, "You lost her once, do you want to make that twice?"
James stood there and thought about what Sirius said, but he didn't return an answer. He jogged up the steps and back into his bedroom. James went directly to his closet, and tugged out his suitcase. He threw in all sorts of clothes, pants, shirts, boxers, and shorts. There was no way he was going to let Lily slip out of his fingers this time.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Lily's coffee cup went hurdling to the hard wood floor, smashing it into oblivion. Lily carefully set down the creme envelope, and buried her face into her hands. She completely forgot all about the smashed coffee cup. Why now, she thought. Why of all times could her five year reunion be only three days away? Her mind flooded with possibilities. Should she go? Or shouldn't she? There were so many pros and cons that she didn't know where to begin. She'd probably have to see all the people she left behind. She'd get to she her best friend Jacqueline Parker once again. Though she'd have to set her eyes on James Potter, and that was almost certain. As much as she wanted to deny that she still had feelings for him, she couldn't push that string of emotion away.
She got up and cleaned up the smashed coffee cup, and a few puddles of coffee. Lily then thought of something. Of all the things that she had to do, she totally forgot it. She ran into her bedroom, and locked the door behind her. She grabbed her bathroom stool, and brought it over to her closet. The doors slid to the side, as she pulled things out from the very top shelf. When her hands hit something hard and smooth, she stopped. She pulled the object out, and set it onto her bed.
There before her was a wooden box, with a lock attached. She carefully picked up the box and looked under it, to see the key secretly taped to the bottom of it. It wasn't one of her greater ideas.but hey.it worked. She took the key and jabbed it into the hole, and turned it clockwise. Her breath caught as she opened the wooden lid, and looked what was inside. It was her wand. She gave it a swish and a flick, and was immediately filled with a tingly sensation. She cast about a dozen spells on certain things, until she was reassured that she still remembered half the stuff she learned at Hogwarts. Though surprisingly she remembered all of it. Sure she was a bit rusty, but she conquered.
Lily heard loud pounds on her bedroom door, and whipped around, stuffing her wand back in the box.
"LILY! Are you in there? Are you all right? LILY!," Derrick bellowed as he pounded on the door.
"Yea, I'm in here! I-I am getting dressed." Lily yelled back. She quickly shoved the box under her bed, and opened her door. "See, I'm all right."
"Ok, I was just really worried that's all." Derrick said as he pulled her close to him. "Since it's your day off, how about we go out for lunch?"
"Well something has come up Derrick." Lily said quickly.
"Something came up?" Derrick asked quizzically.
"Yes, I have to go do an article over in the US. So I'll have to leave on the 12th." Lily replied with a smile.
"How long will you be gone?"
"Um, about five days. But not to worry, I'll miss you a lot."
"I'll miss you even more," Derrick said as he hugged her tightly. "How about we go to dinner tonight. I know this lovely French restaurant down on 48th street. I have something really important to ask you."
"Well, why don't you just ask me now, Derrick?" Lily asked raising her eyebrow.
"W-well all right then." Derrick said a bit slowly. "Lily do you love me the way I love you?"
Lily took a step back. She thought for a moment, but all she could think of was James Potter, and how she felt about him. Not how she felt about Derrick. She didn't really want to hurt Derrick.
"Derrick," Lily said thoughtfully. "I love you more than anyone I've ever known."
Though Lily knew deep down that it wasn't at all true, because that feeling for James Potter had still kept it's flame.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Lily's suitcase made a loud thump as she looked up at the scarlet color of the Hogwarts Express. She flipped her head back, so that her long red hair blew out of her face. Then realized that she had dropped her suitcase, and kneeled down to pick it back up. She looked around to see men and women all around her age, some looked rather familiar and some she swore she'd never met. Her shoes made a small clank as she stepped onto the train, and made her way down to the last compartment in the back of the train. As she stepped into the compartment , a wave of emotion swept through her. Memories of joy, and sorrow filled her. Lily sat down quietly, and stared out the window, and her mind drifted back to when her days were filled with class assignments, and dating. She smiled at the thought. Her eyes drifted across the compartment.
It was exactly like she remembered it. This was were 'they' sat, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evans, and James Potter. No one but them.
"Excuse me, is it all right if I sit in here?"
Lily's eyes looked up and met the eyes of a tall man, with sandy blonde hair, and gorgeous eyes. He looked so striking familiar, that she didn't even hesitate.
"Remus!" Lily said as she jumped up, "Is that you?"
"Lils?" Remus practically stated as he engulfed her in a hug.
"Yea it is! Oh Remus I've missed you terribly. Five years is to long!" Lily said as she sat back down on her seat, and cautiously looked over Remus as he sat down. He was still as handsome as he was when they were in school. She could remember the time in her third year when she had the world's biggest crush on him. That was of course a long time before she was involved with James.
"So, what have you been up to these past five years?" Remus asked.
"Well, I work for the London Times as a reporter, and I'm currently living with my boyfriend, Derrick. I'm just basically living the normal muggle life." Lily said thoughtfully. "How are you doing?"
"I always knew you'd be a writer, Lily. You always could captivate your audience." Remus said with a smile. "I've been pretty good. Though I've been hopping from job to job.because of my 'illness' as my employers state it. I'm currently working in Hogsmeade."
"Oh, that's horrible Remus. I can't believe people can be so narrow-minded. It's not like it's your fault your a werewolf."
"I can see you didn't forget our favorite compartment." Remus said as he thought back on memories. "So much happened in this compartment."
"I remember when Sirius lit that cushion your sitting on, on fire." Lily said with a grin.
Remus laughed. "I can't even forget when James."
The two were interrupted when a figure came stumbling into their compartment. His black hair, and handsome figure made Lily's heart flutter a bit.
"Mr. Lupin! So good to see you!" Sirius exclaimed as he shook Remus' hand. "I haven't seen you for what seems like forever. Wait.no.I saw you last night." Sirius gaze drifted over to Lily; who seemed as thought she didn't want him to see her.
"LILY EVANS!? Is that you?" Sirius said as he rushed over to her.
"Yes. Sirius. It's me." Lily replied quietly, as Sirius pulled her into a hug.
"Lil! It's been forever!" Sirius said as he put her down and then sat down himself. "So, how are you? You know James should be here any moment now."
Sirius was right. James Potter slid the door open and peeked inside. He inhaled, and wished for the best. When he walked in, he felt all eyes on him. Then he felt the slightest feeling of deja-vu. There was Sirius Black being the comedian he always was, Remus Lupin sitting by the door laughing along, and Lily Evans sitting on the same bench that Remus was on; looking out the window and laughing.
"Hello," James muttered as he stepped in. Sirius and Remus greeted him with a 'hello' and a handshake, and Lily just avoided eye contact as she hesitantly shook his hand.
"Hello, James." Lily said awkwardly. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine." James was about to say something else when a girl came barging in, her long brown hair bobbing along with her movement. Everyone's eyes drifted onto her and off James. Finally the girl spoke.
"Is Lily Evans in here?" the girl asked.
Lily rose from her seat and replied, "That would be me."
"LILY! It's me, Jacqueline!"
"Jackie!" Lily exclaimed pleasantly, as she hugged her old friend.
"Oh how much I've missed you!" Jacqueline said as she returned the hug. When the two broke apart from their friendly reunion, Jacqueline glanced over to the three men sitting in the compartment.
"Why if isn't Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter." Jacqueline confirmed as she smiled at her fellow Gryffindors. "I'm sure this reunion will be something to remember with you three here!"
"Jackie take a seat! We all have so much to catch up on!" Remus said as he gestured for her to sit beside him. She smiled and obliged.
About twenty minutes later Lily was in conversation with Sirius, and she could feel James' eyes on her. It felt as though he was staring deep into her soul.
"So Moody went one way, and James and I went the other." Sirius went on, when Jacqueline's voice interrupted them.
" Oh, Lily, I forgot to tell you! I now have Davis as my last name!"
"Oh my god! You and Alex got married?"
"Yes about two years after we graduated. We have a little girl, Calli."
"Oh that's wonderful!" Lily said as a pang of jealousy hit her. She wanted so bad to have children, but Derrick wanted to wait.
"So how about you?"
"How about me what?" Lily asked quizzically.
"Do you and Potter have any kids yet?" Jacqueline asked. The whole room went to a dramatic pause. Sirius' mouth dropped, Remus shook his head, and James just sat there with a look of terror yet a smile was creeping through.
"E-excuse me?" Lily asked unbelievably.
"Do you and your husband here have any kids?" Jacqueline asked, oblivious to the situation.
"Mr. Potter and I have never gotten that far," Lily said as she gave James a cold look. " We aren't married and surely don't have kids, Jacqueline."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" Jacqueline said with a pleading look. "I didn't know! I just thought you and James were married. You seemed as though you were heading towards that at graduation."
"It's OK," James finally said. The rest of the trip back to Hogwarts was unbelievably long, because no body really said anything. All their thoughts were mostly bordering along the lines of what Jacqueline had presumed.
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James stuffed his hands inside his pockets, as he descended from the train. His shoes were already dampened by the puddles of water that the storm they had encountered minutes before, left behind. When he finally moved away from the crowds of people, he saw Remus, Sirius, and Jacqueline all together, but where was Lily? He looked around and saw her flaming red hair, and his eyes watched her. She looked as though she was rushing away from it all, as she walked quickly to the carriages and stepped inside. James sighed. He knew exactly then that if he ever wanted to regain what he and Lily had; it would be a hell of a fight.
As the carriage moved up to the castle, James' mind drifted here and there. He was feeling anxiety at the thought of having to go through the same conversation that Jacqueline that stumbled on in the train.
The smell of wet grass filled him, as he stepped out of the carriage. He slowly walked up the castle steps, with his friends behind him. Memories and emotions filled him. It was great to be back here again, he thought. The doors swung open, and he stepped inside the main entrance hall. He had done this so many times before.
"James! Wake up, man!" Sirius said shoving him forward. James about fell over a woman, but Sirius caught him. "What is with you?"
" Nothing! I was just thinking. It's good to be here again." James replied regaining his composure.
" Come on! We're going to have the time of our lives!" Remus said as the three walked into the Great Hall.
"Yea, the time of our lives." James muttered bitterly.
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OK! That's the end of that chapter. I'm sorry for the wait. It's been months.yea I know. I was going through one of those I'm sick of writing phases. I can't help it. I just started feeling *obligated* to write these stories. So I just stopped. But it won't happen again! I'm back on track. The next chapter is half done! I should post it soon!
Oh, and if there were any spelling mistakes or anything.I'm sorry!
Also, before I forget. Thank you SO much to my beta reader, Mamasita. Well, she fixed this chapter.or at least what I had of it, when I sent it to her.a long time ago. You see, after I got it back, I re-read it like 100 times and decided there wasn't enough there. So I wrote more. THEN when I went back to check my mail to get the version she checked over.grr.it had deleted the nice re-done version. I was going to send this new version to her.but I decided what the heck.I should just post it. So I did.