Disclaimer: I only own the plot.
A/N: Okay the only reason I am replacing Chapter 1 the original is because the format was messed up.
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Prologue: The Rivalry
The rivalry between Lily Evans and James Potter was legendary at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily Evans was pretty, popular, smart, and athletic. The guys stared at her wherever she went and the girls gave jealous stares, However, she never had a boyfriend. It's not that she never got asked. She was asked plenty of times. She just always turned the guys down.
James Potter was cute, popular, smart, and athletic. Unlike Lily, he was with someone all the time. Most of the time it only lasted a week or so but occasionally he would get one girl that he really liked and that would last for a month or two. When he ran out of girls, he would go back to old ones.
Now what started the rivalry was mainly classes in 1st year. James always seemed to "know everything" as he liked to put it. Most people just let it go but Lily Evans was not like everyone else as you will soon be able to tell. Every time James said something incorrect Lily would be sure it was corrected. Over the first year this built a wall of competition and it just keeps getting higher and stronger. Nobody has knocked it down yet. Eventually, Lily became popular for her knowledge and James was forgotten for a while.
Well in second year James tried out for the Gryffindor House Quidditch Team and made it as a chaser. Lily also tried out and was made the seeker. Once again, James was shunned aside and Lily was in the spotlight. To get attention James began to hang out with 2 other guys along with his best friend, Sirius. The four of them began to brew trouble. They would play pranks on all the students. Sometimes even teachers. Especially Professor Anderson, the potions master. Everybody hated him except the Slytherins of course. Anderson always showed extreme favoritism when it came to Slytherins. This was because he was head of Slytherin house.
When everyone returned for 3rd year, Lily became the spot light in the guys eyes with a new look. Her usually messy auburn hair was now straight and darker, bringing out the emerald color in her eyes. James pulled ahead by starting to date. The guys began to ask Lily out but she always refused to. That's how she got the girl friends she has now.
Last year was constant competition over everything and to make matters worse, Ashley, Lily's best friend, began to date Sirius, James's best friend. This only caused more chaos.
Now the gang is back together for their fifth year and as dark activity continues to build, Lily and James find themselves in a position where they might have to call a truce to survive.
Chapter 1: Chaos on the Hogwarts Express
Lily's long auburn hair bellowed behind her as she rushed to Platform 9 ¾ to catch the Hogwarts Express. It definitely wouldn't look good on her Prefects report if she missed the train. She ran at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 just as the clock struck noon. She lifted her trunk and boarded the train just as the began to move forward. For once Lily had almost been less than perfect.
Lily looked around at all the compartments in search of her friends. Finally she found them in one in the back. She heaved her trunk in and immediately was greeted by her 3 best friends, Ashley, Marie, and Chelsea. They all looked so different. Ashley was much tanner, obviously she had spent the summer in the sun. Marie was sunburned, obviously not using suntan lotion. Chelsea, on the other hand, had a sort of dazed look in her eyes. Lily just shrugged this off and began to talk to the girls.
"So Lily, how was your summer?" Ashley asked, her brown eyes shining as usual. She was known for having the prettiest eyes which was hard competition against Lily's bright emerald eyes.
Lily grinned. "It was the best. We went to Africa and saw the ancient runes. My dad was actually there on business and Petunia was off at some camp so my mom and I went sight seeing."
Chelsea laughed. "Was Petunia at Camp for the Mental or Camp for the Ugly?" Her thick brown hair went well with her easily tanned skin. It was obvious that the blood in her system was mainly Indian.
"Wouldn't surprise me if she went to Camp for the Blind. She walks around like she's the prettiest girl in the world. Either she's blind or all her mirrors are broken." Marie commented. She was the only blond of the group. The girls sometimes joked saying that it reflected upon her personality but they always laughed at stuff like that.
"So Ashley, did you visit Sirius over the summer?" Lily asked slyly.
Ashley blushed furiously. "Well, yeah. I stayed over at his house for a week before he went over to James."
Chelsea gave Ashley a mischievous look. "You know, you've guys have been going out for how long?"
"6 months." Ashley answered.
"Right. And the farthest you guys have gone is a quick kiss on the cheek. Now we all know that is VERY out of character for Sirius. What happened over the summer?" asked Marie.
"Nothing happened," laughed Ashley.
"That has BS written all over it." Lily said.
"Look guys, I don't kiss and tell." Ashley grinned. That was when the compartment door slid open.
"Now what are all my lovely friends talking about?" came a too-familiar voice. In walked 4 guys, more commonly known as The Marauders.
"We are talking about your week with Ashley." Chelsea answered Sirius's question. Sirius grinned slyly and sat down next to Ashley and whispered something in her ear. Ashley giggled.
"So how was everybody's summer?" Remus, the more down-to-earth guy of the group asked, sitting down next to Lily.
"Just fine and yours?" Marie asked.
"Just peachy." Remus replied. Everybody laughed. Remus just had someway of brightening up the day if ti was gloomy or just making it even brighter if it was already bright.
"What did James do over the summer?" Chelsea asked.
"Who cares?" Lily said. James glared.
Remus laughed. "Well we all know Lily still has not yet grown up."
"Shut up Remus." Lily joked. Remus thought for a moment.
"Why don't you make me?" Remus asked. Lily hit him playfully on the arm.
She replied, "In your dreams."
"Anyway, if anybody cares, my mom said we could all hang out at the manor for Christmas since my dad will most likely be gone." James said. Everybody's attention snapped to the boy with messy hair and thick rimmed glasses.
"Christmas at the manor. That has romance written all over it." Sirius said, looking at James and then at Lily. Sirius had the craziest idea about Lily and James eventually getting together.
Everybody began to talk about their summer's to one another but Lily was quiet most of the time, thinking about Christmas away from family. It was tradition that every year she went back home to help decorate the Christmas Tree and exchange presents with the family. What would Christmas be like with friends instead of family.
Lily's thought were interrupted when the train jerked to a sudden stop, sending items every where and people across the compartment. Lily was jerked out of her seat and hit her head against the wall, knocking her unconscious.
While Lily laid their, unconscious, the rest of the students in the front began to scream. James exited the compartment, wand in hand and began to make his ay down. He saw many hooded men, looking through every compartment whispering a name. James couldn't hear over the screams but obviously they have not found that person yet. James hid in a storage area as the men passed. He wanted to see who they were looking for. When they began to search James's compartment he knew that they had found whoever they were looking for. James raced after them as they saw them carry a girl with dark red hair out of the compartment. It was Lily!
"STUPEFY!" James shouted at the man carrying Lily. He froze automatically and the rest of the hooded men turned to get James. Just then, Remus and Sirius began to shoot Stunning Spells at all the other men, hitting them with perfect aim. When everybody was stunned, James made his way beck to the compartment. Ashley was kneeling down next to Lily, putting a bandage around the area were she was cut. James knelt down next to her.
"Is she okay?" James asked.
Ashley looked up at him and smiled. Maybe Sirius is right, she thought. "Yeah, she'll be fine. We just have to wait till she wakes up. I'm going to go help calm the first years. Anybody want to come?"
Everybody ended up leaving except James. He sat up on a seat. With in about 20 minutes, the train began to move again and Lily woke. James closed his book and knelt down next to her again.
"Are you okay?" James asked. Lily looked around and groaned, massaging her head.
"What happened?" she asked.
Jame thought for a moment, trying to think of what exactly did happen. Replaying everything in his head, he suddenly realized something. "Lily I need to ask you something. Think before you answer okay?"
"Um…okay." Lily said, not quite understanding what could be so important.
"Have you ever heard of Tom Riddle?" asked James. Lily thought for a while. The silence was crucial.
"no. It doesn't trigger anything. Why?" Lily asked. James shook his head.
"I'll tell you some other time. Go back asleep. I'll wake you up when we get close to the school." James said.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. James just read and thought. The others didn't return. When the bus slowed down James woke Lily and James left to change into his robes.
As he walked outside, pinning on his prefect badge, he saw Lily talking to Dumbledore. Once again, she was in the spotlight but for some reason James didn't mind as much. He got into a carriage and was off to the school, ready to begin another year.
