Special Repost Note: In this chapter, there is a mention of God. I don't mean to offend anybody with that mention, and I'm sorry if I do; I know many people do not have the same beliefs as I do, and I'm going to keep any mentions of God in this fanfic to a minimum because of that.
Kiss The Boy (01)
"I wouldn't eat that one, if I were you," I told my younger brother, Joshua, who was preparing to pop a vomit-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean into his mouth. This was the last bag of the wizard sweets that I had brought with me after my sixth year at Hogwarts, and today was the day I was leaving to begin my seventh and final year.
Joshua smiled up at me as he placed the green bean into a small pile of the others that I had advised him not to eat. "Thanks, Lily," he told me gratefully as he reached for another. With a nod of my head, the red bean that was cherry-flavored was in his mouth and he was chewing it up.
I had already packed last week; that's how excited I was to be going back to Hogwarts. It wasn't that I didn't love my brother or my grandmother. It was just that my best friends in the world also went to Hogwarts and I hadn't seen them all summer. Wanting to see them didn't make me a bad person, and Mammy and Joshua knew that.
I was just walking from the sitting room to join Mammy in the kitchen, where she was busily fixing a going-away breakfast for me, but Joshua called out to me and stopped me. I turned around to face him. "Lily, you might not know it, but I'm going to miss you this year," he said, a little softly. Joshua knew that I had only a little longer to live, and it was probably just now that it was finally settling in his brain that his older sister wasn't going to be around to argue with much longer.
"I'll miss you too, Joshua. But I'll probably be back for Christmas holidays, and you and I can have great fun, okay?" When Joshua nodded and went back to snacking on the remained of the beans, I closed my eyes to try to hold back the tears. Once they were contained, I put a cheerful smile on my face and continued on my way to the kitchen, from where delicious aromas were drifting.
Sneaking up behind Mammy, a slightly plump, petite woman with white-grey hair and kindly blue eyes, I wrapped my thin arms around her neck and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Good morning, Mammy," I greeted her as she turned around to reciprocate the kiss.
"Good morning, Lily. Breakfast will be ready in just a few minutes and then Joshua and I will take you to the train station, all right?"
Mammy was my grandmother, my mother's mother. Joshua and I had gone to live with her when I was thirteen and Joshua was eleven, after our parents had died in a bad car accident. My older sister, Petunia, was twenty when they died, and as she was engaged she went to live with her fiance, Vernon Dursley. I only saw Petunia every so often after that, and, truth be told, I didn't really care.
Petunia and I had been super-close when we were younger. We always played together and made up stories together. It was a very rare occasion when you did not see the two of us together. It was like that until I was eleven; then, the letter that changed my life forever came, carried by an owl. Petunia and I still spent every moment of our time together, up until I left for Hogwarts for my very first year. I returned to the Muggle world and Petunia for Christmas holidays, brandishing gifts for everyone. I had an extra-special one for Petunia: a beautiful kaleidoscope filled with dozens of colorful fairies; I just knew she would love it.
However, when I gave the kaleidoscope, which was wrapped in silver paper and tied with a black ribbon, to Petunia, she opened it carefully, without much enthusiasm at all. She looked at the kaleidoscope, then at me as if I were so idiotic to have gotten her such a gift. And then, she threw the kaleidoscope to the ground, causing it to shatter in hundreds of tiny pieces, and it was though my heart had shattered right along with it. I didn't receive a Christmas gift from Petunia that year, and that only furthered the pain I was feeling.
Mum tried to console me. She held me for what seemed like forever. But she didn't punish Petunia for her actions. And that hurt even more than anything Petunia could do would.
As Mammy promised, breakfast was ready just a few minutes later. Joshua, Mammy, and I sat and the small kitchen table and feasted on eggs, toast, bacon, and sausage until we could eat no more. After we ate, Joshua was instructed to bring my trunk and bags downstairs into the sitting room. As I helped Mammy clear the table and put the dirty dishes in the sink, she looked at me with glossy eyes.
"It's going to be terribly different without you here, Lily," she said quietly.
I stopped what I was doing to look up at her. I knew she wasn't just talking about my not being there for the school year. She was talking about when I died...
"Don't, Mammy," I replied, struggling to keep my own tears in. It was only ten-thirty and I had already almost cried twice that day, and over the same thing.
"Oh, Lily, I can't help it," she answered as she wrapped me into a firm embrace. "You're so strong, much stronger than I am, and I'm not even the one who... who..." Her voice broke off.
I finished her sentence for her, "You're not even the one who's going to die. Mammy, everything happens for a reason. Whatever the reason is that God is taking me, it must be a good one. Trust in Him. I know it's hard, but often He's the only one there for you and He's the only one you can depend on to get you through the rough times."
Mammy let me go and nodded her head. "I know, sweetheart. Now, why don't you go into the sitting room and have Joshua help you carry your things to the car. We'll be late to King's Cross if we don't get going."
I nodded and obliged without any protests. As I walked from the kitchen, I heard a sob escape Mammy, and it was as if a knife had pierced my heart. It hurt me when Mammy hurt. And it hurt me even more when she hurt because of me, and I had no control over it. I could do nothing but turn my back and walk from the room to help Joshua.
"Have a wonderful year, Lily," Mammy said into my ear as she hugged me one last time before I walked through the barrier into the wizarding world. "Don't forget to write me!"
"I won't," I promised, pulling away to look at Joshua. "Well, kiddo... have fun. When I come home for Christmas I'll be sure to bring some more treats for you, all right?"
"Okay." He hugged me for just a moment before letting go and walking to stand at Mammy's side.
With a last look and wave in my family's direction, I took a deep breath and pushed my cart through the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. I walked through with ease, smiling once I entered the commotion and chaos of all the kids returning to Hogwarts.
As per usual, the Platform was crowded. Kids stood saying goodbye to their families, socializing with friends or, if they were first years, standing in small groups looking positively frightened to death. I remembered when I was a first year; as a Muggle-born student, I knew absolutely no one, nor did I know anything about what the experience of Hogwarts was going to be like. I had no idea how to even get through the barrier, and had stood with my parents and Petunia, watching and waiting for someone like me to go to Platform 9 3/4. When a small family finally did show up and walk through, I was absolutely incredulous as the sheer idea of walking through a wall. I almost turned my back and walked away from the wizarding world to stay in my safe environment in the Muggle world... but I'm glad now that I didn't. I stood in my spot, staring at the scarlet steam engine, for a long while, before my ruminations were broken by an ecstatic call of my name before I was suddenly in the tight embrace of Arabella Figg.
"Lily, Lily, Lily," the tall brunette said as she held me at arm's length, probably to get a good look at me. Her dark blue eyes were twinkling, like they always did. "Lily, you look great."
The emphasis that Bella put on her last word made me grin like an idiot, but I didn't care. Compliments were hard to come by for me, and a compliment coming from Bella, the least likely of all to just say something to make someone feel good if it weren't the truth, truly touched me. "Thanks, Bella," I replied, hugging her and burying my head in her shoulder. She patted me on the back and said:
"No problem, Lily."
I had several close friends at Hogwarts, but they all paled in comparison to Bella. Bella was my best friend, and I was hers. I first met her after our Sorting, when the two of us were seated at the Gryffindor table, alone, as the "friends" we had made on the train ride had been Sorted into other houses. We weren't instant friends, not at all. In fact, Bella and I disliked each other at first. We became slow friends, and by the end of first year we could have civil conversations. By no means were we close, not in the slightest. But we kept in touch over the summer, sharing the details of our holiday via owl. When we came back for second year, we were better friends, but by the end, we were inseparable. One did not see Bella without seeing me, and vice versa. Our friendship developed and we became so close that we often knew what the other was thinking, even when nothing was said.
Bella and I stood there for a little bit, just sharing the events of our summer, before Bella's older brother Andrew, whom I had had a small crush on during fifth year (while I still was in love with James Potter, mind you!), walked over to put our trunks on the train. He was always quite the gentleman and always, always helped with our trunks, but I had a feeling that Mrs. Figg had something to do with his politeness, for Andrew never stayed around for very long after our trunks were on the train.
This time, as Andrew turned to leave, I called after him, "Thanks for the help!" He stopped for a moment and stared at me before smiling, lifting a hand and waving. It was then that I realized that I had never told him thanks before. As I thought about my rudeness to Andrew over the years, I became aware of Bella looking at me with incredulity in her eyes; apparently even she was shocked. I just grinned at her and asked:
"What?"
With a firm shake of her head, Bella responded, "Nothing. Let's go find a compartment." She walked toward the train, which students were finally beginning to board as it would be departing within minutes. I followed her, taking several small steps for every one of Bella's long strides. When she and I boarded the train and found our compartment, Bella stared at me for a minute before asking:
"Do you fancy my brother again, Lily?"
I knew that question was coming, but I feigned shock. "Whatever do you mean, Bella? Fancy Andrew?" I asked innocently, trying not to smile. The truth was that while I still thought Andrew was quite handsome, I didn't like him in that way; I almost saw him as a brother.
"Just answer the damn question, Lily." Bella's tone told me that she wasn't in the mood for joking, and, not wanting her angry at me before we even reached Hogwarts, I replied honestly:
"No, I don't fancy Andrew. Not at all."
Bella looked at me skeptically for a moment before conceding, "Okay," and sitting down, crossing her legs, preparing for the train to pull out. I followed suit.
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AN: I'm so into this fanfic already that I started this first chapter as soon as I uploaded the prologue, although I actually intended to start getting ready for my date tonight! (Yes, I have a date... go me!) If I'm late, I'm blaming it on this damn addiction that I can't get rid of! Don't forget to review now that you've read!
Well, it turns out that I didn't get this finished before I had to go out on my date. Oh well... it's finished now. I'm so happy with the response that I've gotten, and I'm incredibly flattered that some have even put me on their favorite's list! It amazes me... *Grins* Anyway, as I'm very muddy from being chased around by scary farmer guys with chainsaws (don't ask!), I'm going to get off and take a shower... don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this fanfic belong to me, except for Mammy, Joshua Evans, and Andrew Figg; they are property of JK Rowling and all other affiliated personnel. Some ideas are taken from "A Walk to Remember" by Nicholas Sparks. Don't sue me, please.
THANK YOU:
SweetSinger- Wow, thank you so much!
Felicity Cynster- I might have to check out the book you're talking about... it sounds really interesting. Thanks a lot!
Niki-chan- *Blushes* That's so nice of you. But, this story isn't going to really be in diary form... I think every so often I will have the ending be an entry in Lily's diary, though. Thanks!
lick me- Well, not exactly like it, just in the sense that Lily has cancer and a few of her ambitions. Thanks!
hersheykisses17- Sorry that I didn't alternate the caps in the letters of your name. But thanks a lot for the review! And yes, Lily having cancer was an idea I took from A Walk to Remember.
Bella Black- Thanks!
Lilyflower8602- Some of my ideas were taken from A Walk to Remember, but it's not really A Walk to Remember L/J Style or whatever. Thanks!
DementedFaith- I think I like emotional stories too. Thanks!
Y. Kuang- I agree that the whole A Walk to Remember L/J Style is overdone, but my fanfic isn't going to be too much like it. I think a few scenes will be taken from A Walk to Remember, but most of it won't be. The prologue is more of a narrative, I guess you could say, as opposed to a story, but the story is just being set up in the prologue. And no, there won't be a Christmas play about an angel, I assure you. (And James won't be forced to be in the Christmas play that doesn't exist, either.) :) Thanks!
Everyone seemed to enjoy the prologue so much. I hope that this lives up to everyone's standards!
~drama queen