Disclaimer: same as before – what you notice does not belong to me and what you don't notice, does.
Author's Note: O_O whoa! First off, I would like to thank all of you who read and reviewed the first chapter for my premiere in writing L/J stories…I can't believe people actually liked that. I honestly thought no one would read this story. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart! You guys rock! Hopefully the second chapter of this story is as good as the first one…be warned though, I tend not to jump into the romance part immediately. If any of you have read my R/H story, curiosity, then you would know that. So please don't get mad at me or something…But anyhow, here's the second chapter. So, please read and review this chapter as well and let me know what you thought about it…enjoy!
Chapter Two: A Degree of Separation
James Potter looked at his watch, running a hand through his unruly hair. It was the beginning of another school year – September 1st – and as always, James stood next to his parents and sister, scanning the sea of people for the three familiar faces of his friends. After a few seconds of searching, the boy heard a familiar voice yelling amidst the throng of people. Turning towards the source of the commotion, James smirked as he saw Sirius hanging halfway out of a window (and being held in place by Remus and Peter Pettigrew), wiping fictitious tears off his cheek as he kissed his mother and sister goodbye. "I've spotted them mum," he said, gently tapping his mother's shoulder. Giving his mother a quick hug and his father a firm handshake, James turned to his sister with a smile. "Ready to go?" he asked his little sister, who was getting a hug from their parents.
"Have a nice term, you two," said their mother, giving her children a wave goodbye. "And James, do look after your sister."
James nodded in compliance and gave his parents one last look goodbye, turning to walk into the train, his sister a few steps behind her.
~~*~~~*~~
James entered the compartment occupied by him and his friends, rolling his eyes at Sirius, who was still hanging halfway down the window, still saying his goodbyes.
"Mother! I don't want to leave you, but I must! I shall miss you for the whole time that I will be gone…owl me everyday, mum…and you too Emily…"
"What the hell is he doing?"
Remus turned to face James, his hand holding on to the back of Sirius' shirt. "I don't know what this bloody git is doing, but I think he's exhausting his goodbyes…at the rate he's going, his mother and sister are not going to want him back after this term…"
Peter chuckled. "Come on Padfoot…get back in here," he said as the train began to move. "Wouldn't want you to hit a tree or something…"
Sirius, in mock anger, plopped himself onto the seat, grinning madly. "Ahh…another year…so…how's everybody doing today?"
"Great," answered Peter, rubbing his hand (he had been holding on to Sirius as well).
"How was you summer, Wormtail?" asked Remus, taking a seat across from Sirius. "You went to Australia, right?"
"Yeah, went there to visit an aunt or some relative. I never knew we had relatives in Australia…weird is—"
"Wait…Australia?" said Sirius, cutting his friend off mid sentence. "Is it true that the toilet flushes in the other direction there?"
"Er…I didn't pay much attention to the toilet when I flushed it, Sirius…" answered the boy timidly.
"Well do me a favor, Wormtail: next time you visit your auntie in Australia, flush the toilet –without anything in it – and take a picture. Alright?"
Remus chuckled good-naturedly, as Peter shot Sirius a bewildered look. "Um…sure Padfoot…I'll do that…"
Peter continued talking about his visit to Australia, not noticing that only Remus and Sirius were giving him any attention. The fourth marauder was staring out the window, deep in thought. After minutes of silence from the boy, Remus took notice. "James, are you paying attention at all to what Peter's saying?"
James, shaken out of his reverie, looked at his friends with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that…I was just thinking about…someone…"
"Huh?" Peter wondered aloud, looking at the other two marauders in wonder.
"Oh, our dear Jamesie here met a girl during the summer and he's been thinking about her ever since," explained Sirius with a smile.
"Oh really?" asked Peter, raising an eyebrow in interest. "What does she look like?"
An admiring expression spread across James' face. "She has beautiful auburn hair that's midway her back, gorgeous green eyes, alluringly pale skin…and extremely intelligent. She's like an angel."
Sirius stared at his friend in a mixture of disbelief and amusement. He was amused that two hours with this girl had made his best friend a love struck teen.
"So what's her name? Didn't she tell you?" asked Peter, a bit intrigued.
"That's the problem: she never told me her name…all I know is that her name has four letters in it," replied James, a bit melancholy. "That's a great clue, isn't it? I mean, there's probably a hundred female names with only four letters in it!" James sighed, running a hand through his hair.
Remus, noticing James' rather hopeless expression, sighed. "Listen James, I'm you're friend and I want you to be happy. But you have got to move on. I have a feeling you're never going to see this girl again. There are other fish in the sea…"
James remained quiet, choosing not to answer to his friend's comment. Intent on cheering his friend up, Sirius grinned a broad smile, brandishing a two-foot long parchment with two long columns of writing. He handed the parchment to the somewhat distraught James. "I know how much finding this girl means to you, Prongs, so I took the liberty of writing down every single four-letter female name I have ever heard," said Sirius, puffing his chest out slightly, proud of his accomplishment. "Aren't I the greatest best friend ever?"
"We're his best friends too," said Peter meekly, looking in at the parchment.
"Er…Padfoot? Some of these names aren't female names," began Remus, scanning the last few names on the parchment. "I mean, come on: Will? John? Alex?"
Sirius shrugged. "Hey you never know. Her parents probably wanted her to be unique and decided to give her a boy's name. Either that or she could really be a he…"
James stared at his friend, grateful for taking the time to write such an extensive list but at the same time amused at his friend's theory. Peter simply scratched his head in confusion while Remus rolled his eyes good-naturedly. The compartment door suddenly opened, revealing an eleven-year-old girl with shoulder-length black hair tied in pigtails. "Hello James."
"Hello Agatha. Did you find a compartment all right?"
"Yes I did, James. And please call me Aggie," said the little girl, smiling at her brother and his friends. "So, what have you four been up to?"
"Nothing much really…just sitting here and talking," answered Remus. "So, are you excited about your first year at Hogwarts?"
"Oh definitely! James has told me SO many things about the castle. I can't wait to see it!" began the girl, her eyes filled with excitement. "I'm really hoping I'd become a Ravenclaw. They're such nice people."
Sirius grabbed his chest, pretending to be hurt by her comment. "But what about us? And your brother? Wouldn't you want to be come a Gryiffindor?"
"Well…"
James smiled at his sister. "I'm alright with Aggie becoming a Ravenclaw. After all, she's beautiful, charming, and intelligent. She'd be perfect for that house."
"So who were these Ravenclaws you've met?" asked Remus out of curiosity.
"Diana Watson. Do you know her James? She's a prefect like you."
Sirius, Remus and Peter burst out laughing, James giving his friends an annoyed look. "James here has never gone to a single prefect meeting. It's really surprising that he's still a prefect."
"What the hell are you on about, Padfoot? You're a prefect too and you've never been to a single meeting either," retorted James, shutting Sirius up. A short silence followed, Remus and Peter stifling laughs, and Agatha smiling fondly. "Well then, I better go," she said, breaking the silence. "I told Diana I'd only be gone for awhile. See you later then." She waved goodbye at the boys, closing the compartment door gently, and walked backed to the compartment she shared with some Ravenclaw girls. As she neared the said compartment, a slender girl with blonde hair and blue eyes approached the first year, a warm smile across her face. "So did you see your brother? Well then, come with me. I'd like you to meet someone," said the girl, gently taking Agatha's arm.
Upon entering the compartment, Agatha noticed that another girl she had never met before was in their little section. She was reaching for something in her luggage, her red, shoulder-length hair covering her face. When the girl finally looked up, she had a book in her hand and a satisfied look on her face. "Oh hello Diana," she greeted with a smile. "And who's this?"
"Agatha, this is Lily Evans – another Ravenclaw prefect. Lily, this is Agatha; call her Aggie though."
The two girls shook hands, giving each other cordial smiles. Diana spoke again. "Lily here is the most intelligent witch in our year."
"And quite possibly one of the prettiest as well," said a voice from behind the girls. A girl with brown, curly hair entered the compartment. "Bella!" said Lily, giving her friend a hug. "How are you?"
"I'm great Lily. I see you've met Aggie here. She's such a sweet girl, isn't she?" she said, turning to face the girl. "Let's hope you'll become a Ravenclaw." She turned to face Lily, touching her straight, red hair. "So Lils, why did you cut your hair? It was so beautiful when it reached the middle of your back."
Lily shrugged. "I don't really know…I suppose I just wanted some form of change."
"Excuse me dears, but do any of you want anything from the carts?"
The four girls turned around to face the witch, a toothy grin across her face. Diana and Arabella nodded, taking out small pouches filled with coins. Lily followed suit, handing some knuts and sickles to her friends. When Agatha did the same, the three older girls told her to keep her money. "Umm…thank you," she said, taking a seat as Diana and Arabella browsed through the food on the witch's cart. Lily sat across from the first year and opened her book, starting to read.
"What are you reading?"
Lily looked up, showing the girl the front cover of the book: Summoning Charms and More: The Complete List of Magical Charms to Ease Everyday Life. Agatha gasped. "My brother has been looking all over for that book! He went to Flourish and Blotts to get it, but he said they've ran out of copies!"
Lily smiled, recalling the incident that happened while shopping for the book. James… Snapping out of her short reverie, the redhead gave the first year a small smile. "Yes, it's a rather popular book. I suppose it's because magical charms are essential in the wizarding world," she said as Diana and Arabella entered the compartment, arms full of food. They handed Agatha and Lily a Pumpkin pasty each. "Tell you what: once I've finished reading this book, I'll give it to you so you can give it to your brother. I'm sure he'd really appreciate it!"
Wide-eyed, Aggie smiled at Lily in thanks, unable to speak because of the pastry in her mouth.
~~*~~~*~~
The Hogwarts Express arrived at its destination early in the night. Aggie waved at her Ravenclaw friends, bidding them goodbye as she joined the other first years for the boat ride across the lake. She caught a glimpse of her brother and smiled. I'll see you in the castle, she mouthed silently. James nodded and gave her a thumbs up.
Inside the Great Hall, students eagerly chatted with one another, catching up after three months of not seeing each other. When the first years finally entered the hall, the older students hushed into silence and listened to the sorting hat sing its song and proceed with calling out houses for each student. James groaned, lightly massaging his hungry stomach as Melinda Myers was proclaimed a Gryffindor. After three students, Professor McGonnogal called out his sister's name, prompting James to sit up, alert. He watched as his sister placed the battered hat on her head, smirking when she clapped in joy as she was hailed a Ravenclaw, practically skipping towards her house table. She was greeted by the table with a huge smile from her fellow housemates, the grey lady beaming at her with pride. He watched as his sister hugged three girls about his age: one with blonde hair, another with brown hair, and lastly, a girl with shoulder-length auburn hair. He gasped. Everywhere I look, I am constantly reminded of her…he thought, wrenching his eyes off his sister and the redhead, whose face he cannot see. He was snapped out of his trance when Sirius started to bang his knife and fork on the table.
Once the sorting had ended, Dumbledore stood from his seat, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes as he glanced at Sirius, still banging on the table. "Welcome to another year. Before we begin the feast, I would like to remind the prefects for each house that there will be an early meeting tomorrow at 7 AM. Please be prompt."
Sirius groaned. "It's not as if we'll be going," he muttered to James, a bit peeved that Dumbledore didn't start the feast as he hoped.
"Now then," continued the wizard. "Enjoy!"
A clatter of knives and forks filled the hall as each student happily ate the feast prepared for them. Sirius, who immediately attacked the whole chicken that appeared in front of him, gulped down his food as though without chewing. Remus looked at him in shock. "I honestly can't believe that you're a prefect…James, I understand…but you…"
~~**~~~**~~
Eep! So…how was it? Again, please let me know through your reviews how this chapter was. I hope you don't mind that I'm slowly progressing to the romance part. And also, I hope you all got the meaning of the title, as it is somewhat significant to what's going to happen. If not I'll explain on the next chapter (on the author's note). I also would like to apologize if this chapter is shorter than the first one. By the way, I'm not going to make this story exactly like the movie. I'll take some aspects of the movie and incorporate it into this story, but I won't be a complete copycat or anything like that. well again, thank you for taking the time and reading this little story of mine. Don't forget to review. I'll post the next chapter sometime next week, or earlier if I get Atleast 10 reviews for this chapter. Thanks again and god bless you all!
~~:AzaleaFaye:~~