Author's note: Hey guys. I know the last chapter was short and VERY boring. I'll try to make this one a little longer and a LOT more interesting!!! As per usual read and review (nicely please) Any ideas and tips welcome!
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is J.K Rowling's. Anything else is mine. As you already know. I've decided I hate disclaimers!!!
Christmas came and went and before the girls knew it they were packing to go back to Hogwarts again. For Lily it was almost a relief. Her parents were pretty cool when it boiled right down to it but they did get annoying and of course two weeks on the trot with Petunia was downright horrible!!!
"I can't wait to get back to Hogwarts!" exclaimed Lily on the train ride there.
"I dunno, Lils," Phoebe disagreed. "You're family are really cool, minus Petunia of course. I could have stayed that your house forever without getting sick of it! You're grandma is really cool." True. Lily's grandmother, Anne, was a hilariously funny woman with the most sarcastic sense of humor ever. She was a tough old bird, convinced they were still in the middle of World War 1. Lily laughed.
"I'm not sure, Phoebes," she said, thoughtfully. "You'd get sick of her pretty quickly!"
"I don't…" Phoebe started before she was interrupted by the door banging open, a loud burst of laughter and a couple of guys stumbling in the door. It could only have been the Marauders! James, Sirius, Remus and Peter straightened themselves up and flopped down on the seats opposite the girls.
"How are my favourite chicks today?" Sirius asked, earning himself four steely glares. Well three. Tara was too busy, leaning over to kiss her boyfriend, to glare at Sirius.
"Where's Shannon?" Lily asked James.
"Oh she has the hen pox or something like that," James informed her.
"Chicken pox," Lily corrected, having had it herself.
"That's it," James said.
"Have you noticed how couplish Tara and Remus are?" Phoebe whispered to Lily, watching the pair who were all cuddled up together on the seat opposite them.
"Yea." Lily nodded. "Sickening." Phoebe snorted.
"I'm really starting to hate train rides," Phoebe remarked, slumping down in her seat. "Their so boring!" Lily nodded in agreement. James, Sirius and Peter lurched in the door, guffawing at Plan 642, which they had just carried out. Something to do with Slytherins, traditional Irish dancing, those adorable Celtic dresses worn while dancing, long blonde hair and of course the inability to stop dancing reels and jigs.
"What a brilliant plan!" gasped Peter, collapsing into a seat.
"You said it, Petey boy, you said it!" roared Sirius, falling into convulsions again.
"I don't think we've played a prank as good as that since Halloween!" wheezed James. "You know the one where at the stroke of midnight all the teachers turned into pumpkins!"
"Oh yea!!!" All at once Sirius was in fits of laughter again, gulping for air.
"Awww would you look at the lover birds?" he cooed, after calming down, leaning over Remus and Tara.
"Love birds," corrected Phoebe.
"Whatever," uttered Sirius. "My baby is growing up so fast," he wailed, rubbing Remus' sandy coloured hair and pretending to wipe away a tear.
"I swear to God sometimes," Sirius just gets so annoying!" declared Phoebe, once they were up in their dorm, collapsed on their beds.
"Uh-huh." Lily stifled a yawn and drifted off to sleep.
Weeks passed by. Shannon arrived back to school with two weeks, finding the Marauders had gone wilder than ever in her absence. No doubt she would tone James down again not exceeding a couple of days. Lily craved for her old Texan lifestyle, feeling that Hogwarts was just too calm for her, causing her to snap at everyone and sink into a mild depression.
It was a gorgeously sunny day in May. The first sunny day all year. Lily had set her books up by the lake and sat next to them, dangling her feet in the icy water below her. It was deliciously cool. She swept her hair back behind her ears and opened her Transfiguration book. She hated transfiguration, with an intense passion. It was without a doubt her worst subject, she still finding it difficult to turn a teapot into a tortoise not to mind the more difficult things, and often made her want to tear her hair out. She clenched her fists together and squeezed her eyes shut, not understanding how someone who excelled in Charms, Potions, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy could be this inadequate at Transfiguration. Feeling a presence behind her and seeing a shadow fall next to her on the ground, she turned slowly. James Potter stood behind her, smiling easily, leaning against a tree, arms crossed.
"Having difficulties?" he enquired.
"James, I don't know how you do it!" Lily said, in a high-pitched tone, almost at octave higher than her own. "It's bloody impossible."
"Do what?" he questioned. She threw her Transfiguration book at him.
"Bloody Transfiguration that's what," she half yelled. "I can't even turn a teapot into a tortoise and that's third year stuff!!!" James crouched down next to her.
"The first thing you need to do," he said. "Is stop stressing and calm down. That's vital." He smiled at her. She smiled back and took a deep breath.
"Ok," she said. "I'm calm."
"Ok," James acknowledged. "Now go on. Do it. Turn the teapot into a tortoise."
"James I can't!" she wailed. "That's what I'm saying." James took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He took her chin in his hand.
"You CAN do it." He smiled at her, his sparkling blue eyes linked with her emerald green ones. They stood like that for a good while until Lily finally broke the moment by nodding.
"Ok," she said, flicking her wand. In the place where the teapot had stood just a minute before now held a small green tortoise. She screamed. "Oh my God James! I did it." She threw her arms around him.
"See?" he said. "You CAN do it." Lily smiled up at him, beguilingly, and he felt his knees weaken, slightly, as he smiled back. They spent the rest of the afternoon transfiguring various objects into other things.
"It's you hand movement, Lily," James told her. "You wave your wand. You should flick it. That's why you're transfiguration often doesn't work." Lily nodded, accepting her mistakes. She waved her wand and James shook his head. "No," he said. "Let me show you." He stood behind her and took her wand hand in his. He placed his other hand on her slim waist. Lily jumped slightly at his touch, which seemed to burn her skin. He flicked her hand out, in demonstration, and she nodded and copied it, this time by herself. It worked. Silver sparkles shot out the end of her wand. She jumped and hugged James. When she was with him she felt powerful, as if she could do anything she tried. It was a feeling she had never felt before but she liked it. She smiled at him and stood back. They stared at each other for a couple of minutes and, on impulse, Lily decided to do what she knew had been at the back of her mind all day. She pulled James to her and kissed him softly, stroking the back of his neck as she did so. It was a sensation she had never gotten while kissing other boys. Even kissing Stephan, drop dead gorgeous Stephan, couldn't measure up to James' kiss. Bolts of electricity shot between them and her skin burned after James' touch. Their bodies seemed to fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Somewhere far in the back of her mind she knew what she was doing was wrong. Very wrong. But she couldn't help it. All that mattered at that moment was her and James. Eventually she pulled away.
"We shouldn't be doing this," she gasped to James.
"I know," he complied. He stroked her cheek, gently. "I care about Shannon and I know you do too so let's stop being stupid now." She nodded. He leaned down and kissed her once more, a lingering kiss on the lips, and turned to go. Lily breathed in, gathered up her books and, in a daze, retreated to her dorm, where she proceeded to lie on her bed deep in thought, with the draping shut.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is J.K Rowling's. Anything else is mine. As you already know. I've decided I hate disclaimers!!!
Christmas came and went and before the girls knew it they were packing to go back to Hogwarts again. For Lily it was almost a relief. Her parents were pretty cool when it boiled right down to it but they did get annoying and of course two weeks on the trot with Petunia was downright horrible!!!
"I can't wait to get back to Hogwarts!" exclaimed Lily on the train ride there.
"I dunno, Lils," Phoebe disagreed. "You're family are really cool, minus Petunia of course. I could have stayed that your house forever without getting sick of it! You're grandma is really cool." True. Lily's grandmother, Anne, was a hilariously funny woman with the most sarcastic sense of humor ever. She was a tough old bird, convinced they were still in the middle of World War 1. Lily laughed.
"I'm not sure, Phoebes," she said, thoughtfully. "You'd get sick of her pretty quickly!"
"I don't…" Phoebe started before she was interrupted by the door banging open, a loud burst of laughter and a couple of guys stumbling in the door. It could only have been the Marauders! James, Sirius, Remus and Peter straightened themselves up and flopped down on the seats opposite the girls.
"How are my favourite chicks today?" Sirius asked, earning himself four steely glares. Well three. Tara was too busy, leaning over to kiss her boyfriend, to glare at Sirius.
"Where's Shannon?" Lily asked James.
"Oh she has the hen pox or something like that," James informed her.
"Chicken pox," Lily corrected, having had it herself.
"That's it," James said.
"Have you noticed how couplish Tara and Remus are?" Phoebe whispered to Lily, watching the pair who were all cuddled up together on the seat opposite them.
"Yea." Lily nodded. "Sickening." Phoebe snorted.
"I'm really starting to hate train rides," Phoebe remarked, slumping down in her seat. "Their so boring!" Lily nodded in agreement. James, Sirius and Peter lurched in the door, guffawing at Plan 642, which they had just carried out. Something to do with Slytherins, traditional Irish dancing, those adorable Celtic dresses worn while dancing, long blonde hair and of course the inability to stop dancing reels and jigs.
"What a brilliant plan!" gasped Peter, collapsing into a seat.
"You said it, Petey boy, you said it!" roared Sirius, falling into convulsions again.
"I don't think we've played a prank as good as that since Halloween!" wheezed James. "You know the one where at the stroke of midnight all the teachers turned into pumpkins!"
"Oh yea!!!" All at once Sirius was in fits of laughter again, gulping for air.
"Awww would you look at the lover birds?" he cooed, after calming down, leaning over Remus and Tara.
"Love birds," corrected Phoebe.
"Whatever," uttered Sirius. "My baby is growing up so fast," he wailed, rubbing Remus' sandy coloured hair and pretending to wipe away a tear.
"I swear to God sometimes," Sirius just gets so annoying!" declared Phoebe, once they were up in their dorm, collapsed on their beds.
"Uh-huh." Lily stifled a yawn and drifted off to sleep.
Weeks passed by. Shannon arrived back to school with two weeks, finding the Marauders had gone wilder than ever in her absence. No doubt she would tone James down again not exceeding a couple of days. Lily craved for her old Texan lifestyle, feeling that Hogwarts was just too calm for her, causing her to snap at everyone and sink into a mild depression.
It was a gorgeously sunny day in May. The first sunny day all year. Lily had set her books up by the lake and sat next to them, dangling her feet in the icy water below her. It was deliciously cool. She swept her hair back behind her ears and opened her Transfiguration book. She hated transfiguration, with an intense passion. It was without a doubt her worst subject, she still finding it difficult to turn a teapot into a tortoise not to mind the more difficult things, and often made her want to tear her hair out. She clenched her fists together and squeezed her eyes shut, not understanding how someone who excelled in Charms, Potions, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy could be this inadequate at Transfiguration. Feeling a presence behind her and seeing a shadow fall next to her on the ground, she turned slowly. James Potter stood behind her, smiling easily, leaning against a tree, arms crossed.
"Having difficulties?" he enquired.
"James, I don't know how you do it!" Lily said, in a high-pitched tone, almost at octave higher than her own. "It's bloody impossible."
"Do what?" he questioned. She threw her Transfiguration book at him.
"Bloody Transfiguration that's what," she half yelled. "I can't even turn a teapot into a tortoise and that's third year stuff!!!" James crouched down next to her.
"The first thing you need to do," he said. "Is stop stressing and calm down. That's vital." He smiled at her. She smiled back and took a deep breath.
"Ok," she said. "I'm calm."
"Ok," James acknowledged. "Now go on. Do it. Turn the teapot into a tortoise."
"James I can't!" she wailed. "That's what I'm saying." James took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He took her chin in his hand.
"You CAN do it." He smiled at her, his sparkling blue eyes linked with her emerald green ones. They stood like that for a good while until Lily finally broke the moment by nodding.
"Ok," she said, flicking her wand. In the place where the teapot had stood just a minute before now held a small green tortoise. She screamed. "Oh my God James! I did it." She threw her arms around him.
"See?" he said. "You CAN do it." Lily smiled up at him, beguilingly, and he felt his knees weaken, slightly, as he smiled back. They spent the rest of the afternoon transfiguring various objects into other things.
"It's you hand movement, Lily," James told her. "You wave your wand. You should flick it. That's why you're transfiguration often doesn't work." Lily nodded, accepting her mistakes. She waved her wand and James shook his head. "No," he said. "Let me show you." He stood behind her and took her wand hand in his. He placed his other hand on her slim waist. Lily jumped slightly at his touch, which seemed to burn her skin. He flicked her hand out, in demonstration, and she nodded and copied it, this time by herself. It worked. Silver sparkles shot out the end of her wand. She jumped and hugged James. When she was with him she felt powerful, as if she could do anything she tried. It was a feeling she had never felt before but she liked it. She smiled at him and stood back. They stared at each other for a couple of minutes and, on impulse, Lily decided to do what she knew had been at the back of her mind all day. She pulled James to her and kissed him softly, stroking the back of his neck as she did so. It was a sensation she had never gotten while kissing other boys. Even kissing Stephan, drop dead gorgeous Stephan, couldn't measure up to James' kiss. Bolts of electricity shot between them and her skin burned after James' touch. Their bodies seemed to fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Somewhere far in the back of her mind she knew what she was doing was wrong. Very wrong. But she couldn't help it. All that mattered at that moment was her and James. Eventually she pulled away.
"We shouldn't be doing this," she gasped to James.
"I know," he complied. He stroked her cheek, gently. "I care about Shannon and I know you do too so let's stop being stupid now." She nodded. He leaned down and kissed her once more, a lingering kiss on the lips, and turned to go. Lily breathed in, gathered up her books and, in a daze, retreated to her dorm, where she proceeded to lie on her bed deep in thought, with the draping shut.