"Embers And Envelopes"
By grayink
Chapter 1
[Taken place in 2nd year]
Lily pranced into Gryffindor Common Room with a small smile gracing her lips. The night was young and everything had gone right today, she couldn't pass up this opportunity to jolt something down in her journal. She reached into her book bag, searching around for a thin, black book but panicked when she realized it wasn't there. 'Where is it?' She wondered, trying to bring back the memories of the night before, the last time she wrote an entry.
'Let's see... I came down here and sat near the fireplace to write in my journal because that snoop, Linsey, kept trying to peek over my shoulder. I wrote for fairly long time and went back upstairs to my dorm to- Oh! Oh no, I left it on the table next to my chair!' Lily recalled, then scanned the room.
"Hope no one took it," She prayed silently.
Her eyes widened, horrified. No, her journal wasn't taken, it was much worse! There, scattered all around the Common Room's fireplace, laid torn pictures and journal entries. 'No, no, no!' She dropped her bag and ran over to scraps, scooping them up with her tiny hands. Her memories and her privacy were now broken, invaded by strangers.
She picked up a crumpled picture of her and her mother, the bottom was partly torn. Her eyes were blurred with tears that were not willing to spill, not just yet.
"Who did this?!" She screamed out, demanding answers.
She glared at all of her peers in the room, some of them looked back very confused. It was silent for a while then everyone resumed onto their conversations which left Lily extremely angry.
Meanwhile, two boys were huddled in the corner and one of them was howling with laughter, oblivious that it caught Lily's attention. She rubbed away her tears and squinted to see what they were looking at. They were holding her journal! Lily marched up to them, blocking their light.
"Hey, you're in our-" A boy with long, black hair complained but stopped halfway.
Lily pointed an accusing finger at them, "You! You both, you.. you.. I! Insufferable little gits!"
She snatched her journal away from their prying eyes, "How could you?"
"Well, you just left it around the Common Room, whaddaya expect?" The other boy with messy jet-black hair and thin-rimmed glasses replied.
'The nerve!' She thought, glaring at the very rude boy.
"These are my thoughts, my privacy, my memories! How could you invade my life, you don't even know me! And to make matters worse, you destroyed my, my," Tears streamed down her delicate face as she swallowed back the lump in her throat, "my only way of ever remembering my family!"
"Look, I really don't-" He started out lazily but was interrupted by a slap across the face.
Everyone in the Common Room heard the echo of skin against skin and stared at one very angry redhead and two black-haired boys, one rubbing his cheek. Lily ran up to the girls dorm, crying silently.
- - -
"James, wait up!" A plump boy ran up to him, wheezing and panting as he caught up with him.
"Hey Peter," James acknowledged.
"Hey," He greeted back.
"How's it going?"
"I was just wondering..." Peter's eyes went narrow and his voice was barely a whisper, "We still on for tonight?"
"No, it's not. You've just been asking every five minutes and I now just decided against it," James replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Peter's ears went pink, he felt stupid for asking now, "Oh, okay."
The conversation died after that so they continued to walk in silence. James shoved his hands into his pockets and walked into the classroom. He dropped his book bag next to Sirius' seat.
"Hey." He mumbled.
"Ay Prongs!" Sirius slapped James' back, "Ready for another fun filled lesson from our most enthusiastic teacher?"
James snorted, "With teachers like Mr. Binns, who needs lullabies?"
As if on cue, Mr. Binns floated into the classroom, already droning on about the Troll War. He glanced at Sirius who was already snoring...
[A/N: Oi! Liked it? Hope so!]
