Here is Chapter 3 of 'Things', hope you enjoy - and as always further notes at the bottom.
James woke from sleep in a strange and new bed, one occupied by someone he wasn't used to spending the night with. As he turned his brown eyes onto the situation, he saw that there was a head buried into the side of his neck and long red hair was pouring out across the white sheets under and around him.
Lily.
The large amount of red hair reminded him, helplessly and hopelessly, of how beautiful she was. Suddenly, he remembered the first day he met Lily, the first day he realized she might be beautiful...
***
He and his parents had been walking across Platform 9¾ when they spotted the girl sitting alone and looking at the ground on the bench. Her long red hair, plaited in two, long to-the-waist braids fell over her white cheeks and James, then, had thought her an odd sight, to say the least. His parents had spotted her first and had pointed themselves toward her, seeing that she had a trunk sitting beside her.
"Miss?" his mother, Sarah Potter, had asked, touching the girls right shoulder softly. The redhead's face shot up toward Mrs.Potter quickly and James was shocked to see the girl's eyes. They were emerald green. In all his life, he'd never seen green eyes before - blue, brown, and gray all the time, but never green. He wondered to himself, briefly, if eyes could actually be that color - or was there something wrong with this girl?
"Darling, what's your name?" his father asked, kneeling down to be eye-level with the girl.
"Lillian Evans, sir," the girl, Lillian, said so softly that it was almost a whisper.
James saw his mother shoot A Look at his father. The girl had a Muggle-name. "That's a very pretty name, isn't it?" Sarah Potter said, turning her eyes back to the girl and taking a deep breath. She was about to ask The Question and James knew The Question had to be thought over, deeply. If this girl was not on her way to Hogwarts and was just a Muggle girl sitting beside a spare trunk and Sarah Potter let something slip, Something Bad would happen to the girl. Oddly, James didn't want anything to happen to this girl, Lillian. He found himself liking her, a little. He'd never been friends with a girl before. "Are you waiting for the train at...Platform 9¾ ?"
Lillian looked at Mrs.Potter with deep eyes and nodded.
"Why aren't your parents with you?"
"They dropped me off," Lillian said, softly.
"You're eleven?"
"Yes."
"I see. Well, I'm sure both you and your parents know that going to
Hogwarts is a big responsibility," Mrs.Potter said, smiling gently at Lillan. "I'm sure your parents are very proud of you. This is my son, James. It's his first year at Hogwarts, too. You two might be good friends if you stick together?"
Lillian nodded. "I'd like that," she said but James knew that most things said had very little baring on what happened later. He would have to see about the girl some other time.
James watched as his Mother gave Lillian instructions on to how to get into the Platform. The girl looked a little more than afraid but she rolled her trunk on its cart toward the wall and, closing her eyes in fright ran toward the barrier. James watched her run right through the solid wall and then, less scared than he probably should be, ran toward the barrier himself.
As he sailed to a stop he opened his own eyes and saw Lillian standing completely still with her eyes shut. As her eyes flew open again, he heard her let out a sigh of amazement. Now, his own eyes turned toward the scarlet steam engine before the two of them. The Hogwarts Express.
Soon, he felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "Give me your tickets, you two. Gotta give them to the collector." The two children quickly gave Ben Potter their tickets and turned back toward the majestic train.
Sarah quickly spotted someone she'd gone to school with and went over to chat with them. Lillian seemed to be taking in the sights of the Wizarding World and James suddenly felt very self-conscious, after all - he was standing around alone with a girl. He'd never associated with a girl before, much less a Muggle girl with (beautiful. had he just thought the word beautiful?!) green eyes like the one this Lillian possessed.
"I suppose I should go change into my robes, shouldn't I?" she said, looking at the other girls prancing about in their brand-new over robes which seemed to flow around them like black water. "I'll be right back."
And just like that Lillian was gone.
Suddenly, he noticed boys looking at him. Three of them to be exact. The first was tall and thin, with wild, slightly long black hair and light blue eyes (james thought the boy to look rather like him, with the exception of the eyes.), the second was James's height with shot, dusty brown hair that, oddly, seemed somehow gray and wild brown eyes, and, finally the last, a slightly pudgy, short boy with innocent looking features and a desperately human smile. The three were standing together and staring at him with distinct interest.
The tallest seemed to make a decision and walked towards him, the other two dragging slightly behind. The tall one stuck out his hand and, brightly, said, "Hullo, the names Sirius Black."
James felt oddly adult as he shook the boy's hand. "James, James Potter."
"Oh?" Sirius said, with interest. James, again, felt very adult as he heard Sirius continue on, "A Potter, are you?"
James nodded and looked toward the other two boys.
"Oh yes," Sirius said, "this is Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew." He pointed at each of the boys in turn. James smiled at them, also with interest. "We're staring our first year at Hogwarts this year. All eleven."
"Me too," James began but was cut off by someone clearing their throat.
He turned around to see Lillian standing behind him, wearing her black over cloak in new pride. She had taken down her braids and now the majesty of her hair was apparent and unmistakable, falling brightly red 'round her white pale cheeks. In her right hand, a tightened fist, she held the two yellow ribbons that had formerly held her braids.
The three new boys were staring at her in wide-eyed shock and interest. Lillian bit her lip, looking at the boys before her. Evidently, she was feeling a little shy and nervous herself. "Uh, James - I don't believe you've introduced me," she muttered, looking toward the ground.
"Oh, uh - Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew," he pointed at each of them in turn.
"Oh." Gently she turned away from them - looking hopelessly through the
crowd for Mrs.Potter, hoping to be away from the uncomfortably of these boys.
Ben Potter came back through the crowd towards the spot where he'd left James and Lillian. Seeing the three new children standing with them, he raised his eyebrows. "Uh, the train will be loading up soon - are you ready James?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
Sarah was back from her brief chat. "Oh James - we'll write everyday."
She, clearly, was embarrassing him in front of his new friends. He blushed slightly, "'Course - every day."
Mrs.Potter was turning and biting her lip, looking away for her son and his new friends. "It's time to be getting on the train," she whispered, walking quickly away from them - hoping to hide the slight hint of tears.
Later on the train, the five of them shared a compartment. The four boys talked on and on about their lives, stopping only to buy candy from the Cart-Witch when she walked past. Lillian mainly just sat in the corner, looking small and reading from a book while chewing on her long hair.
James dared to look at her, seeing her shy and all too quirky with a long strand of hair in her mouth. "Lillian - "
She looked up toward him with a start. "Yes?"
"Would you tell us about your life?"
"Oh, yes..."
And so, he took a Chocolate Frog from his pile and offered it to her. As their hands touched, she looked at him - her long, red hair making a curtain around her face and smiled. "Lily," she said, softly. And he understood.
He was to call her Lily.
***
He had been watching her sleep for ages when her eyes snapped open, green and shining. She said nothing to him only stared up at him in the silence of the almost-empty room and smiled. She slipped out of the bed - revealing the slip-like green-checked nightdress she'd been wearing the night before.
She sat down at Beatrice Falstaff's vanity table and began to pull a brush through her hair. Interested, he approached her and took the brush from her hand and began to pull it through her hair himself.
She turned to look up at him with amused eyes and her hair fell away from her face, beautifully. It was now that he kissed her - leaned forward and snagged her lips with his own. And it was simply that, a kiss. Chaste but searching. Simple but loving. Their first kiss.
When he pulled away from her, he felt himself backing away - wondering if she might hit him for advancing on her but she did nothing but look amused. Now, she pushed herself up from the Vanity Chair and walked toward her wardrobe.
"If I were you, I'd go get dressed before we're late for breakfast," she said, removing her uniform from the insides of her personal closet.
"Okay," he said.
She smiled, oddly. "I'll meet you in the Common Room in a minute, okay?"
"Of course."
"James?" she asked and he turned toward her. "What are you thinking about?"
"Things," he answered.
"Things?" she teased.
"Of course..."
"I'll see you at breakfast."
"Of course..."
Author's Note
Chapter title: let me surround you/my sea to your shore/let me be the calm you seek
Sorry this took so long, you guys. I would have posted it sooner but I was pretty sick this week. I spent the entire week doing homework and sleeping, so do forgive me - anyway, please do Read and Review. I don't think this chapter is that good - but hey, whatever. And Chapter 4 will be out soon. Oh and yes, fans of this fic will certainly like my new one - 'Immortality', which is, certainly, connected to his fic.
James woke from sleep in a strange and new bed, one occupied by someone he wasn't used to spending the night with. As he turned his brown eyes onto the situation, he saw that there was a head buried into the side of his neck and long red hair was pouring out across the white sheets under and around him.
Lily.
The large amount of red hair reminded him, helplessly and hopelessly, of how beautiful she was. Suddenly, he remembered the first day he met Lily, the first day he realized she might be beautiful...
***
He and his parents had been walking across Platform 9¾ when they spotted the girl sitting alone and looking at the ground on the bench. Her long red hair, plaited in two, long to-the-waist braids fell over her white cheeks and James, then, had thought her an odd sight, to say the least. His parents had spotted her first and had pointed themselves toward her, seeing that she had a trunk sitting beside her.
"Miss?" his mother, Sarah Potter, had asked, touching the girls right shoulder softly. The redhead's face shot up toward Mrs.Potter quickly and James was shocked to see the girl's eyes. They were emerald green. In all his life, he'd never seen green eyes before - blue, brown, and gray all the time, but never green. He wondered to himself, briefly, if eyes could actually be that color - or was there something wrong with this girl?
"Darling, what's your name?" his father asked, kneeling down to be eye-level with the girl.
"Lillian Evans, sir," the girl, Lillian, said so softly that it was almost a whisper.
James saw his mother shoot A Look at his father. The girl had a Muggle-name. "That's a very pretty name, isn't it?" Sarah Potter said, turning her eyes back to the girl and taking a deep breath. She was about to ask The Question and James knew The Question had to be thought over, deeply. If this girl was not on her way to Hogwarts and was just a Muggle girl sitting beside a spare trunk and Sarah Potter let something slip, Something Bad would happen to the girl. Oddly, James didn't want anything to happen to this girl, Lillian. He found himself liking her, a little. He'd never been friends with a girl before. "Are you waiting for the train at...Platform 9¾ ?"
Lillian looked at Mrs.Potter with deep eyes and nodded.
"Why aren't your parents with you?"
"They dropped me off," Lillian said, softly.
"You're eleven?"
"Yes."
"I see. Well, I'm sure both you and your parents know that going to
Hogwarts is a big responsibility," Mrs.Potter said, smiling gently at Lillan. "I'm sure your parents are very proud of you. This is my son, James. It's his first year at Hogwarts, too. You two might be good friends if you stick together?"
Lillian nodded. "I'd like that," she said but James knew that most things said had very little baring on what happened later. He would have to see about the girl some other time.
James watched as his Mother gave Lillian instructions on to how to get into the Platform. The girl looked a little more than afraid but she rolled her trunk on its cart toward the wall and, closing her eyes in fright ran toward the barrier. James watched her run right through the solid wall and then, less scared than he probably should be, ran toward the barrier himself.
As he sailed to a stop he opened his own eyes and saw Lillian standing completely still with her eyes shut. As her eyes flew open again, he heard her let out a sigh of amazement. Now, his own eyes turned toward the scarlet steam engine before the two of them. The Hogwarts Express.
Soon, he felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "Give me your tickets, you two. Gotta give them to the collector." The two children quickly gave Ben Potter their tickets and turned back toward the majestic train.
Sarah quickly spotted someone she'd gone to school with and went over to chat with them. Lillian seemed to be taking in the sights of the Wizarding World and James suddenly felt very self-conscious, after all - he was standing around alone with a girl. He'd never associated with a girl before, much less a Muggle girl with (beautiful. had he just thought the word beautiful?!) green eyes like the one this Lillian possessed.
"I suppose I should go change into my robes, shouldn't I?" she said, looking at the other girls prancing about in their brand-new over robes which seemed to flow around them like black water. "I'll be right back."
And just like that Lillian was gone.
Suddenly, he noticed boys looking at him. Three of them to be exact. The first was tall and thin, with wild, slightly long black hair and light blue eyes (james thought the boy to look rather like him, with the exception of the eyes.), the second was James's height with shot, dusty brown hair that, oddly, seemed somehow gray and wild brown eyes, and, finally the last, a slightly pudgy, short boy with innocent looking features and a desperately human smile. The three were standing together and staring at him with distinct interest.
The tallest seemed to make a decision and walked towards him, the other two dragging slightly behind. The tall one stuck out his hand and, brightly, said, "Hullo, the names Sirius Black."
James felt oddly adult as he shook the boy's hand. "James, James Potter."
"Oh?" Sirius said, with interest. James, again, felt very adult as he heard Sirius continue on, "A Potter, are you?"
James nodded and looked toward the other two boys.
"Oh yes," Sirius said, "this is Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew." He pointed at each of the boys in turn. James smiled at them, also with interest. "We're staring our first year at Hogwarts this year. All eleven."
"Me too," James began but was cut off by someone clearing their throat.
He turned around to see Lillian standing behind him, wearing her black over cloak in new pride. She had taken down her braids and now the majesty of her hair was apparent and unmistakable, falling brightly red 'round her white pale cheeks. In her right hand, a tightened fist, she held the two yellow ribbons that had formerly held her braids.
The three new boys were staring at her in wide-eyed shock and interest. Lillian bit her lip, looking at the boys before her. Evidently, she was feeling a little shy and nervous herself. "Uh, James - I don't believe you've introduced me," she muttered, looking toward the ground.
"Oh, uh - Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew," he pointed at each of them in turn.
"Oh." Gently she turned away from them - looking hopelessly through the
crowd for Mrs.Potter, hoping to be away from the uncomfortably of these boys.
Ben Potter came back through the crowd towards the spot where he'd left James and Lillian. Seeing the three new children standing with them, he raised his eyebrows. "Uh, the train will be loading up soon - are you ready James?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
Sarah was back from her brief chat. "Oh James - we'll write everyday."
She, clearly, was embarrassing him in front of his new friends. He blushed slightly, "'Course - every day."
Mrs.Potter was turning and biting her lip, looking away for her son and his new friends. "It's time to be getting on the train," she whispered, walking quickly away from them - hoping to hide the slight hint of tears.
Later on the train, the five of them shared a compartment. The four boys talked on and on about their lives, stopping only to buy candy from the Cart-Witch when she walked past. Lillian mainly just sat in the corner, looking small and reading from a book while chewing on her long hair.
James dared to look at her, seeing her shy and all too quirky with a long strand of hair in her mouth. "Lillian - "
She looked up toward him with a start. "Yes?"
"Would you tell us about your life?"
"Oh, yes..."
And so, he took a Chocolate Frog from his pile and offered it to her. As their hands touched, she looked at him - her long, red hair making a curtain around her face and smiled. "Lily," she said, softly. And he understood.
He was to call her Lily.
***
He had been watching her sleep for ages when her eyes snapped open, green and shining. She said nothing to him only stared up at him in the silence of the almost-empty room and smiled. She slipped out of the bed - revealing the slip-like green-checked nightdress she'd been wearing the night before.
She sat down at Beatrice Falstaff's vanity table and began to pull a brush through her hair. Interested, he approached her and took the brush from her hand and began to pull it through her hair himself.
She turned to look up at him with amused eyes and her hair fell away from her face, beautifully. It was now that he kissed her - leaned forward and snagged her lips with his own. And it was simply that, a kiss. Chaste but searching. Simple but loving. Their first kiss.
When he pulled away from her, he felt himself backing away - wondering if she might hit him for advancing on her but she did nothing but look amused. Now, she pushed herself up from the Vanity Chair and walked toward her wardrobe.
"If I were you, I'd go get dressed before we're late for breakfast," she said, removing her uniform from the insides of her personal closet.
"Okay," he said.
She smiled, oddly. "I'll meet you in the Common Room in a minute, okay?"
"Of course."
"James?" she asked and he turned toward her. "What are you thinking about?"
"Things," he answered.
"Things?" she teased.
"Of course..."
"I'll see you at breakfast."
"Of course..."
Author's Note
Chapter title: let me surround you/my sea to your shore/let me be the calm you seek
Sorry this took so long, you guys. I would have posted it sooner but I was pretty sick this week. I spent the entire week doing homework and sleeping, so do forgive me - anyway, please do Read and Review. I don't think this chapter is that good - but hey, whatever. And Chapter 4 will be out soon. Oh and yes, fans of this fic will certainly like my new one - 'Immortality', which is, certainly, connected to his fic.