This Time Around

This Time Around

Sequel to Lily Evans

By Dorthey Star

Chapter Three

Lily stared at the book, not really comprehending what it said.

"Lily?" She looked up to see James standing over her.

"Oh, its just you." Lily looked back down at the book, resolving to try and understand what it said. Yet everything in the Transfiguration book seemed to be written in complicated English like it was written in the 1700s. Well it could have been, Lily thought to herself.

"Sirius told me I was supposed to help you with Transfiguration. Actually he told me that months ago. I wasn't going to, but after your most recent disaster in Transfiguration…I decided I'd try to help you." James smiled. Lily stuck her tongue out at him. Earlier that day, during their last Transfiguration class before the holidays, Lily had managed to Transfigure her desk into a large, vicious dog. Lily had gotten four detentions and a dog bite. Absent mindedly, Lily rubbed where her arm was bandaged.

"Since when do you listen to Sirius?" Lily shot back. She would rather die before asking James to tutor her, but she was thoroughly humiliated after the disaster.

"I don't. but I thought, for my own safety, I'd better help you." James sat down in the chair beside hers.

"I don't need your help," Lily said sullenly. James grinned.

"Course you do. You haven't turned that page in the last half hour." James sniggered. Lily hit him on the head with her hand.

"So you've been watching me for the last half hour?" she asked.

"No, but Peter has and he told me." James said quietly, "He fancies you." The grin on James's face grew larger. Lily shuddered and looked behind her. Peter Pettigrew was sitting, staring at Lily. His face blushed a tomato red color when he saw Lily looking at him and he looked away.

"Oh, no!" Lily moaned as she turned back to face James.

"So do you want my help or not?" James said, changing the subject back to his original purpose.

"Oh, no!" Lily moaned again. She shuddered once more. Throwing down her book, Lily crossed the room and went up to her dorm. Once in there, she threw herself down on the bed. Maria had been in there looking for her Charms homework.

"What's wrong, Lil?" Maria asked. She sat down on the edge of her bed, looking at her friend.

"Oh, no!" Lily moaned into her pillow. The door opened once again. James walked inside.

"Hey Lily, I think you hurt his feelings," James said. To see the grin on his face was to know the meaning of the phrase 'grinning from ear to ear.'

"Whose feelings, James?" Maria asked, grinning in a Sirius-like manner.

"No one, Maria." Lily said loudly, just daring James to say it. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at James.

"Sorry, Maria," James said, the grin still on his face, "I can't possibly tell you that Peter likes Lily."

"ARRGH!!!!" Lily bellowed as she lunged at James, fury written on her face. She tackled James to the floor and put the full body bind on him. His eyes looked to Maria to help, but she was laughing to hard to be of any help. Lily put her wand to his forehead and murmured a few spells. When she finally got off him (she was sitting heavily on his stomach) and took the bind off him, he crossed the room to the mirror. His hair was blue and he had lime green spots all over his face and red eyes. James glared at her and left the room. A few seconds later, Lily could hear Sirius's bellowing laughter along with other peoples. Lily smiled a ghost of a smile before turning back to Maria who had stopped laughing by now.

"Oh, you poor, poor girl. Peter? Ugh. I feel sorry for you. Luckily tomorrow is the beginning of Christmas break. We get to go to your house, remember?" Maria smiled at her friend. Earlier that month, Lily had written her parents asking if Maria could come home over the winter holidays. Both sets of parents had consented.

"Yeah. Are you all packed?" Lily asked.

"Are you kidding? I've been packed for days! I can't wait to see your family!" Maria said, sounding excited.

"You'll change your mind once you meet Petunia, but Daisy's a sweetheart. You'll love her." Lily smiled.

"C'mon. Its time for dinner. We wouldn't want to keep lover-boy Pettigrew waiting now would we?" Maria spent the rest of the way down to dinner dodging Lily's curses.

Lily woke up early the next morning. Three weeks without James, Peter, or Sirius, she thought happily to herself. Not that she wasn't friends with Sirius, but he had become unbearable since he'd found out that Peter liked Lily last night. Lily rolled out of bed. Maria was already up and taking the curlers out of her hair.

"Morning, Maria," Lily said as she headed to the showers. After taking a long, warm, shower, she dried her hair with a spell and pulled it back. When she went back into the dorms, Maria had a leather bag sitting on the bed and was checking the contents in it.

"You ready to head down to breakfast?" Maria asked Lily once she saw that she was not alone in the dorm anymore.

"Yeah, sure. Where are Jessica and Natalie?" Lily asked, looking around. This term, she hadn't talked to them as much as she should.

"They've already gone down to breakfast." Maria yawned.

"Lets go then."

When Lily and Maria arrived at Platform 9 ¾ and crossed through the barrier, Maria was so excited to meet Lily's family that she could hardly talk of anything else.

"Why are you so excited to meet my family?" Lily asked Maria as she scanned the crowd for her parents.

"I've never stayed with Muggles before…what's it like?" Maria asked.

"It's normal for me…Daisy!" Lily called out to her youngest sister.

"Lily!" A small red headed girl came out of the crowed and hugged Lily.

"Daisy, this is my friend Maria. Maria, this is Daisy."

"Hi Maria. Will you turn my hair purple? Like Lily's was?" Daisy asked Maria.

"No honey. We can't use magic over holidays," Maria smiled.

"There they are. C'mon Maria." They walked over a little ways to where a red headed lady, and a blonde man and girl were standing.

"Hello Lily," Petunia said coolly, staring at Maria.

"Maria, this is Petunia, my mum and dad. Mum, Dad, Petunia, this is Maria." After all the introductions were made, the five people made their way to the car.

"You have a nice family, Lily except for that older sister of yours," Maria said as she, Lily and Daisy were in Lily's room.

"Whatever you say, Maria," Lily said, but was really thinking Life is going to be a little more bearable this holiday.

Disclaimer: Daisy, Lily's mum and dad, Natalie, and Jessica belong to me. Everyone else belongs to JK Rowling, though I won't mind owning thin **nudge, nudge, wink, wink**

Author's Note: wow, I'm on a roll! Two chapters in one day! I thought I owed it to you, but don't get your hopes up:) Anyways. Did I mention whether Maria was Muggle born or not? And did I mention what Daisy looks like (besides in this chapter, of course)? Anyways. Feel free to email me if you want to talk. I get lonesome with only Amanda and Shana to talk to ;) also, email me if you have MSN Messenger…I'll give you my email addy to add to your list if you wanna talk to me :) don't forget to review! Ciao!

Love Always,

Dorthey Star