LILY POTTER AND THE CHANGE OF TIME
Warning – This is the sequel to Harry Potter, Time Traveler. If you have not read, Harry Potter, Time Traveler, I would highly recommend it as this story will get very confusing. You may not recognize many of the characters and may have no idea what is going on if you do not read it.
Summary – Harry Potter is supposed to be dead. But thanks to the Book of Time and a little time traveling back in his fifth year, he is now alive. Now Lily must overcome the obstacles of being a typical teenage witch and finding out where time got changed because you never want to mess with fate. Sometimes it does not always come out for the best…but yet…sometimes it does.
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter, the characters, or the Harry Potter world. They all belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. However, while I do not own their names, the characters and the personality traits of Lily Potter, Eddie Weasley, Daris Malfoy, Christof Nott, as well as Asher Lazard and Robyn Andrews all belong to me.
Chapter 6 – One Crazy Summer:
Lily sighed wearily as she dragged her luggage off the train and on to Platform 9 and ¾, with Eddie right on her heels. Fortunately, in Lily's opinion, her fifth year at Hogwarts had ended on a positive note; she thought she had done well on her O.W.L.s and nothing else interesting had happened with no dramatic or huge events occurring. She was extremely pleased and happy to start her summer without any danger so far, so to speak. In fact, Lily smiled with and sighed with relief at the very thought.
Lily stepped comfortably on to the platform and dropped her trunk, looking around to find Sirius, who was always there on time to pick her up for the summer; ever since her first year. Thankfully and excitedly she saw him standing near the entrance to King's Cross Station with none other than his godson, Harry Potter, who was leaning against a podium with his arms crossed over his chest. Lily's breath hitched in her throat at the sight of him. Harry did not seem to notice Lily's discomfort; either that or he pretended not to notice. Instead, he just smiled sweetly at his daughter, who reluctantly gave a weak smile back.
"Bugger, this is going to be a long summer," muttered Lily, turning her head towards Eddie. He, Asher, and Robyn all looked at her in concern. Asher Lazard, an extremely short and skinny boy with dirty blonde hair, a large nose, and stormy gray eyes was a good friend of Lily and Eddie's. Robyn Andrews, whom they sometimes referred to as Robby, was a Muggle-born witch. She was a beautiful girl, tall and skinny, with dark brown skin, her soft black hair, perfect smile, and large, round brown puppy dog eyes. Most Muggles in the Muggle world sometimes mistook her for a model. She and Lily were not the best of friends before they came to Hogwarts, but they had become close over the years.
"Everything will be okay, Lil," said Robby reassuringly, also struggling to carry her trunk. Lily sighed again and pushed her trolley towards Sirius and Harry, who were excitedly talking to Ron and the two little girls who were with him; his daughters. One was about a year old, little Anne Weasley, and the other was eight year old and outspoken, Teresa Weasley.
"Hello you all," said Ron, smiling at the four teenagers. They all nodded and grinned back at him. "Are you ready to go, son?"
"Yeah, I suppose," he said nodding, before turning to Lily. "I reckon I'll see you over the summer?"
Lily smiled and opened up her mouth to respond, but Sirius interrupted them:
"Actually, Ed, you won't be seeing much of Lily this summer," he said slowly. Lily whipped around angrily and glared at both Sirius and Harry. Eddie both raised a suspicious and curious eyebrow. "In fact, Lily, Remus, Harry, and I are all going on vacation this summer. We leave the day after tomorrow and we won't be back until about a week before the new term starts."
"What? A vacation? Why?" asked Eddie blankly and quite rudely. Ron gave an exasperated groan and nudged Eddie in the ribs to tell him to be quiet. Sirius smiled knowingly at Eddie, knowing why the boy was so angry for not being able to spend time with Lily over the summer; because he would not be able to see her. Eddie rubbed his ribs before glaring at his father and turning back to Harry and Sirius.
"I…erm…I hope you all have a good time…" he muttered. Eddie turned towards Lily. "Do you promise to owl me when you get back?"
"Absolutely!"
Eddie smiled affectionately at her before turning his trolley and going through the portal to King's Cross Station. Lily shrugged and started anxiously telling little Teresa all about her school year at Hogwarts. Unlike Eddie, Lily had always had a soft spot for younger children, particularly Teresa. Ron, Sirius, and Remus, however, were all grinning at Eddie's retreating back.
"How many Galleons do any of you want to bet that Eddie will ask Lily to be his girlfriend by the end of the summer?" asked Sirius, nudging Ron playfully in the rubs. Ron and Remus gave weak chuckles. Harry did find the subject so amusing.
"Quite frankly, I'm not fond of this particular subject," said Harry in an irritated voice. "Can we drop it please?" The three other men just chuckled and nodded, dropping the subject, out of respect for Harry. They all knew and understood how overprotective he was of Lily when it came to boys.
"C'mon, Flower," said Sirius putting a hand on her shoulder, guiding her away from little, talkative Teresa. "Let's go home."
It was many weeks after the summer had started and his fifth year at Hogwarts had ended. To speak quite frankly, Eddie was bored out of his mind and had resorted to lying on his bed reading Quidditch Through the Ages and listening to Asher ramble on and on about some Muggle girl that he had met at in London while shopping.
"So? How are things going with Lily?" asked Asher, out of nowhere. Eddie nearly choked on his own saliva and fumbled with his book; falling off of his bed. He narrowed his suspicious eyes at his friend who was laughing heartedly at Eddie's obvious reaction to the question. "I knew that would get your attention."
"Get my attention?" snapped Eddie, getting back on to his bed hastily. "What's that supposed to mean?" Asher just grinned and shrugged innocently.
"It doesn't mean anything really. I just knew that bringing up Lily would get your attention," he said, still grinning. "I mean, you were acting rather odd around her this term at school."
"What?" asked Eddie, nearly choking on his words. "I wasn't acting odd!"
"Right," said Asher, rolling his eyes as he brought Eddie's desk chair from the desk and placed it beside his bed, backwards, and sitting on it, his arms leaning across the top as he rested his chin on them. "Then do you care to explain why whenever you had the chance, you would stare at her with these stupid sparkly eyes and follow her around like a lovesick puppy?"
"I did no such thing!" snapped Eddie childishly and defensively. Asher rolled his eyes again.
"There's no point in denying that you like her," said Asher thoughtfully. "I mean, everyone else knows…except Lily of course. She's always been a bit thick when it came to boys fancying her."
"Alright, Asher, you've had your fun. Now get that bloody idea out of your head, alright?" muttered Eddie as he furiously opened his book again and pretended to read. Unfortunately for him, Asher was tenacious and continued to press the subject.
"Hey, calm down mate," said Asher, throwing his hands up in defense. "I'm not saying that fancying her is a bad thing. She's cute in her own way."
"In her own way?" asked Eddie, almost accusingly, daring Asher to insult Lily further. Personally, he loved the way Lily looked and how she acted. He loved her fiery spirit and the fact that she was a bit of a tomboy.
"Well she's cute," said Asher slowly, sensing Eddie's temper rising. "But I think she would fare better if she stopped acting like a guy and started acting more like a girl…you know what I mean? Guys are not interested in dating other guys or girls who act like guys." Eddie narrowed his eyes.
"It's just her style! It's just how she is!"
"Chill, mate, I know that," said Asher impatiently. "You're taking this the wrong way; I respect and adore Lily Billy. Though I don't think I adore her as much as you do."
"It's not like it's something to be embarrassed about," mumbled Eddie his ears going red and his cheeks blushing; his voice trailing off.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed," said Asher casually. "Lily is most certainly cute. And despite her toughness and attitude problem, she has this vibe that men just can't ignore."
"A vibe? What do you mean?"
"I can't quite explain it," said Asher uncertainly. "I won't lie to you Ed; she's is definitely not the most attractive girl out there, but sometimes I just get this vibe from her; making her seem…irresistible. It's almost impossible to ignore or overlook it. It's like men are her prey and she's some kind of predator luring men into her trap." Eddie stared blankly at his friend and blinked repeatedly.
"That's…kind of strange, mate," said Eddie slowly. "I've certainly never felt that way around her. She's just…Lily…"
"That's probably because you like her for who she is," explained Asher, his stomach beginning to rumble. Both boys ignored the call for food. "Unlike that Ned Collins guy…"
There was a long, pregnant pause. Asher rose from his seat and grabbed a deck of Muggle playing cards from Eddie's desk; beginning a game of Solitaire.
"So, are you going to ask her to be your girlfriend?" asked Asher, as though he were asking about the weather. Once again, startled by another one of his questions, Eddie looked at his friend with wide-eyed with shock.
"Asher, are you bloody crazy?" asked Eddie, both embarrassed and shocked.
"Why not? You fancy her, don't you?"
"Yeah I fancy her," started Eddie nervously, "but you've seen what she's done to the few blokes that have asked her out. She practically blew Collins into smithereens!"
"She didn't blow him to smithereens because he asked her out," said Asher, almost condescendingly. "Lily attacked him because he kept bothering her even after she told him to leave her alone. Besides, you're Eddie Weasley; you're her best friend and she cares about you. She would never hurt you like that. I mean, sure, she'll give you a punch in the nose or a black eye once in a while, but only if you really deserved it."
Asher's words were actually a great comfort to Eddie. Ever since he realized that his feelings for Lily had run deeper than friendship, he had been scared out of his wits over her rejecting him, but he had also been terrified over the thought of her finding out, freaking out, like she normally did when it came to the opposite gender, and hexing his bits off. It felt as though a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and his heart began to flutter with a kind of hope and excitement that he had never felt before. The prospect…the idea that Lily could one day be his girlfriend made him feel lighter and happier than he had in a long time.
"You think I should ask her?" asked Eddie, trying to contain the excitement that had settled in his voice; even he was able to hear it.
"Absolutely," Asher encouraged brightly, growing excited for his two friends, knowing that they would be very happy together as a couple. "There's no reason why you shouldn't." There was another long pause as Eddie hopped off of his bed and walked to his window, staring out of it, watching Teresa swinging on a tire that his father had hung on one of the thicker trees earlier in the summer.
"What about Harry?" Eddie's voice was collected and calm, but there was no denying the icy tone that escaped from his tone. Asher sighed and looked down at the cards, not studying them.
"Harry, from what I've observed, doesn't like any boy that so much as looks at Lily the wrong way," said Asher, honestly. Eddie did not say anything; he kept himself cool and collected, but his fists clenched tightly. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, mate. You're his godson and the son of his two best friends. He wouldn't do anything to you; if anything he'll just give you dirty looks."
"It wouldn't matter," said Eddie, his voice steady and firm. He was thankful that he was still looking out the window so that Asher would not notice his fierce blush. "I'd fight for her anyway." Asher looked up at him with a look full of shock and admiration.
"You'd fight for Lily?"
Eddie did not say anything. He continued to watch Teresa spin around on the tire, giggling with delight. Changing his gaze from the girl to the sky, Eddie's mouth opened, closed, and then opened again; clearly unsure of what to say. Finally, gathering that courage to admit to himself what he was about to say, Eddie took a deep breath and let out a breath of relief, with a weird and pleasant smile on his face.
"I'd do anything for Lily," whispered Eddie. Asher beamed at his friend.
"I know you would, mate" said Asher, smiling. "I think Lily knows that too."
"My only problem is that I'm not sure I've got the courage to ask her," said Eddie uncertainly, looking down at his hands, blushing.
"Why not ask her out on a date during the first Hogsmeade trip?" suggested Asher. "But, make sure she knows that you'd like to go as more than just friends. It's a good way to see how she responds."
"That's brilliant Asher!"
Dear Eddie,
How are you doing? I miss you and England like crazy! But, I must admit that the United States of America is pretty bloody awesome! Sirius, Remus, Harry, and I have been to Florida, New York City, Washington D.C. and some place called Woodholly, or something like that, in California. It's a place that has something to do with Muggle television. Personally, I didn't find it that impressive.
How are Ron, Hermione, Teresa, and little Anne doing? I want you to tell me everything! I miss everyone so much! Is Teresa doing anymore accidental magic? Has Anne said her first words yet?
Sirius and Remus are fine, as always, but Harry is being an overprotective git! He practically won't let me out of his sight. I told him to let me roam around a little on my own and he just mumbled something about his scar hurting. Please don't ask me what that is supposed to mean because I have no bloody idea. You'd think I'd be able to take care of myself right?
Anyway, an update is not the only reason that I'm writing. Apparently Robby is having a huge birthday party at the end of the summer; the week before we go back to Hogwarts. Everyone is going to be there but I really don't want to go if you're not going. Most people bloody annoy me. I think that Robby might have some crazy ideas of getting the band to perform but I have absolutely no desire to that. Let me know what you're doing. If I don't see you at the party then I'll see you on September 1st on the Hogwarts Express!
I miss you!
Your best friend,
Lily
Eddie smiled brightly; his chestnut eyes sparkling. Lily would be coming home soon and he was going to be seeing her at Robyn's birthday party. Without even hesitating or thinking about it, Eddie grabbed some parchment and a quill; immediately writing a letter to send back to his best friend; the best friend that he missed and loved so much.
Dear Lils,
Everything is great here! Mum and dad are fine, but miss you and everyone else dearly. Teresa is still being an annoying git and Anne is still silent.
Robby wrote to me earlier in the week about her party. It would kind of not be right to not attend our friend's birthday, so yes, I will be there. I'm glad that you'll be there too because I'm missing you like crazy. Asher is always good company but he's most certainly not you.
I hope to hear back from you soon. I really can't tell you enough how much I miss my best friend. I'll see you at Robby's party! I can't wait!
Your best friend,
Eddie
Eddie knew it was a lame note and definitely not as personable as Lily's letter, but he was too excited to even think. He was going to see Lily in a few weeks! He flopped down on his bed with a big, bright grin on his face, knowing he would be able to see Lily in four weeks and three days. Just four weeks and three days…
Four weeks and three days seemed so close, yet so far away. Unable to contain both the sadness and excitement that he was feeling, he knew that he had to get out of the house and his mind off of Lily. Without informing his mother and father of where he was going, Eddie wandered out into the backyard of the Windum and into the deep woods on the outskirts of his yard. He and Lily had explored these woods so many times during their childhood, despite their parents' protests, that he knew them like the back of his hand. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Eddie trekked through the woods, pondering why he was feeling such a mixed array of emotions. Knowing that he was not going to see Lily in four weeks made him feel like there was a giant hole in his chest; as though a huge part of him was missing and he could only wish that the four weeks would go by faster. On the other hand, the thought of seeing Lily in four weeks made him feel all excited and giddy inside.
Without thinking, Eddie picked up a random, thin stick from the ground and started writing Lily's name in the dirt. He sighed and stared at the name until he heard a loud, terrified, high piercing scream from the distance. Gasping in fear, Eddie jumped up and dropped the stick and sprinted in the direction of where he had heard the scream. Using his judgment and instincts, he knew that it was a girl's scream. Eddie heard it again, as though it were pleading with him, and it sounded much closer.
"Hello?" Eddie called out nervously. He heard the scream again, still desperate.
"I'M OVER HERE!" Yes, it was definitely a girl screaming. "PLEASE, HELP ME!"
Gathering his Gryffindor courage, Eddie ran over to the sound of the voice and stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw. Backed against a tree, there was a girl backed, a terrified look on his face, with a large looking dog-like-wolf advancing on her. It looked more like a dog with rabies. The animal was, without a doubt, dangerous and this girl was about to be attacked by it. Not caring about the consequences of doing magic underage or if the girl was a Muggle, Eddie whipped out his wand and aimed it directly at the wolf.
"Stupefy!" he shouted. A ball of red light flew out of the tip of his wand and hit the wolf, stunning it to the ground. Eddie slowly lowered his wand and pocketed it quickly. He timidly walked over to it, poking it with his wand to make sure that it was unconscious before going over to check on the girl, who had fallen to her feet, crying hysterically, clutching her chest, and breathing heavy.
"Are you okay?" asked Eddie, bending down so that he was eye level with her. The girl looked up at him, making eye contact, and nodded.
Eddie nearly gasped when he got a good look at her. He had never seen a more beautiful girl. She had long silky black hair that fell to her waist and rippled like blue water in the sunlight. Her skin was soft looking and tan, almost olive and she had warm dark chocolate brown eyes.
"Oh, thank you," said the girl, throwing her arms around Eddie's neck and sobbing into his shirt. Eddie choked on air and patted her back awkwardly; uncomfortable with being hugged by a total stranger. "You saved me."
"Erm…yeah…it was nothing…" said Eddie his voice trailing off, blushing slightly. He could feel his ears grow hot. The girl took a step back and pulled away. She stared at Eddie and looked him up and down before smiling.
"How can I ever thank you?"
"There's no need," Eddie said simply. "I was happy to do it." She smiled and giggled.
"I never knew that a wizard could be a knight in shining armor as well," she said flirtatiously, while quickly placing her hand on Eddie's upper arm. Eddie looked at where her hand was located, then back at her face wide-eyed. She giggled again.
"I…I…erm…."
"Oh don't worry," whispered the girl, stepping closer to Eddie. "I won't tell anyone. I know it's against wizarding law." Eddie began stuttering over his own words. How could she possibly know any of this? Unless…
"You're a witch?" he asked stupidly. The girl giggled again and slapped his arm playfully.
"Well, aren't you a charmer," she teased. Eddie blushed. "But, yes, I am a witch. My name is Raven Dawsetta." She held out her hand for Eddie to shake.
"Ed Weasley," said Eddie, taking her hand in his and shaking it. Her smile widened at him, showing off her pearly white teeth.
"Do you go to Hogwarts?" asked Raven curiously. "I'm a transfer student. I just moved here from France and I'll be starting there this year."
"Yes, actually; I'll be a sixth year there this September," explained Eddie, a smile beginning to form on his face.
"Oh, excellent!" exclaimed Raven brightly. "I'll be a sixth year as well. It'll be nice to know someone. What House are you in?"
"I'm in Gryffindor!" said Eddie proudly, not realizing that he was puffing out his chest. Raven giggled again and Eddie decided that he rather liked the sound of her giggles; they were like a pleasant ringing in his ears.
"Ah, but of course," said Raven, smiling brightly and twirling a strand of her hair between her long, thin fingers that contained light pink polished nails. "I should have known you were brave and courageous, after saving me and all." Eddie shrugged and grinned sheepishly while blushing. Raven giggled at his embarrassment.
"You're modest," observed Raven. "That's such a rare and attractive quality on a man. Tell me Ed; are all of the boys at Hogwarts as handsome as you?" Eddie's heart pounded against his chest, not overlooking how seductive Raven sounded. It made him blush to the point where he became redder than his hair.
"Erm…I…uh…blimey," he stuttered nervously. Raven shook her head and continued to giggle flirtatiously.
"Where do you live?"
"I live just outside the woods," said Eddie pointing into the general direction. "It's called the Windum."
"Oh, I think I heard my mum say something about that place," said Raven thoughtfully. "I live nearly by as well; just right over there. It's called the Morridor. I guess I started exploring and sort of got lost in the woods. Would you mind helping me find it?"
"No problem," said Eddie brightly, smiling down at the girl.
"Good!" said Raven in relief. "I need a big strong man to protect me from all of the other monsters in these woods."
Eddie did not comment on her flattering compliment. Instead, he continued smiling down at her, still blushing furiously. He guided her in the direction towards her house and they walked through the woods in a comfortable silence. As they continued to walk, Raven casually entwined her arm with Eddie's and he was shocked to find that he did not pull away. He smiled, but thoughts of Lily nagged the back of his mind.
Eddie slipped on a pair of jeans and a dark blue jumper before combing his bushy, fiery red hair. He had less than fifteen minutes before Asher came to the Windum using the Floo Network; then they were going to Floo on over to Robyn's house.
Tonight was the night that he was finally going to see Lily. But to Eddie's immense and startled surprise, he was not excited as he was when he first found out that she would be at the party. He wondered if it had anything to with Raven.
Eddie and Raven had become extremely close over the summer. They spent their sun filled days taking long walks in the woods; Eddie showing her different trails so she would not get lost again. They also took day trips to Diagon Alley and he had even bought her dinner and a butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron; almost like it was a date. Eddie found himself truly enjoying Raven's company; even if she was a bit snobby sometimes. No one was perfect, right? What surprised him the most was that when Raven was around, Eddie did not even think about Lily as often; it eased the pain of being away from her. Plus, he really liked Raven.
While contemplating his thoughts, Eddie heard a tapping noise on his bedroom window. Turning around, he recognized the jet-black owl as Raven's and immediately opened the window. The owl dropped the letter on Eddie's bed before flying back out the window and back to Raven's house. Slamming the window shut, he went to his bed and anxiously opened the letter.
Hey Eds,
I've missed you since I saw you yesterday. Would you like to hang out later?
Lots of love,
Raven
Eddie beamed and blushed at the letter. He was going to respond with, 'Hell yes!' but he remembered that he still had to go Robyn's birthday party. Personally, he knew that Robyn would not mind if he brought Raven along; Robyn was always such a little social butterfly. Making a quick decision, Eddie immediately grabbed his ink, quill, and parchment and wrote a letter back.
Raven,
I would love to see you later. In fact, my friend Asher and I are going to our friend Robyn's birthday party. Almost everyone worthwhile from Hogwarts will be there so it would be a great chance for you to meet everyone. Would you like to come?
I would hurry up with your answer. Asher is going to be here any minute.
Always,
Eds
Eddie sent off the letter with his own owl before sprinting down the stairs to wait by the fireplace for both Raven and Asher.
It was not three minutes before he heard Raven stumble out of the fireplace. Eddie stood up to greet her, but his jaw dropped when he saw her and he was rendered speechless at what she was wearing. Raven was decked out in tight leather pants, a low-cut red tank top, and a leather jacket over it. Hermione also stepped into the living room and saw who had come over. She shot her son a disapproving look before sending a false smile at Raven. Hermione really did not care for Raven as girl her son was dating; in her opinion, she was more beauty than brains and Hermione definitely appreciated brains on a woman.
"Hello Mrs. Weasley," said Raven politely. Hermione nodded back and smiled, though she looked like she was in pain.
"Hello, Raven dear," said Hermione, trying to be as polite as she could, for her son's sake. "Are you going to Robyn's party with Ed?"
"Yes," said Raven, her eyes lighting up. "I'm excited to meet everyone."
At that moment, the fireplace roared and Asher came stumbling out of it. After introductions between Asher and Raven and after Asher started hitting on Raven; stating his disbelief that someone as beautiful as Raven would be interested in Eddie, the three teenagers stepped into the fireplace and headed towards Robyn's house.
"Oh Ed, Asher you're here!" Robyn squealed delightedly, running towards the two boys and throwing her arms around them.
"Happy Birthday," Eddie and Asher said in unison. Robyn backed away and caught sight of Raven. She shot a wide-eyed look at the two boys, but before either of them could offer an explanation, Raven stepped forward and held out her hand.
"Hello, I'm Raven Dawsetta," she said pleasantly. Robyn took her hand slowly and shook it. "I'm a friend of Eddie's; we met earlier in the summer. Do you go to Hogwarts as well?"
"Erm, yes," said Robyn, nodding her head. "Robyn Andrews…"
"Well then it looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other," said Raven with a smile. "I'm a transfer student; I'll be going there this year."
"That's…great…"
"I hope you don't mind, but Eds invited me," said Raven, giggling. "He's such a sweetie…"
"Really?" asked Robyn, cocking an eyebrow at Eddie. "I would never have guessed that Eds was a sweetie…"
"Oh but he is," said Raven as she stood on her tip-toes and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush furiously. "By the way, happy birthday Roselyn." Eddie grabbed Raven by the hand and joined the rest of the party in the yard.
"It's Robyn!" shouted Robyn at Eddie and Raven's retreating backs. When they were out of sight, Robyn rounded on Asher. "What the bloody hell was that?"
"Eddie's new girlfriend?" guessed Asher, looking just as confused as she did.
"But, I thought Eddie fancied Lily!"
"He did," said Asher with a shrug. "But, Raven was here this summer and Lily was not." Asher and Robyn looked at each other helplessly. They both took deep, heavy breaths and decided to join the party, mentally preparing themselves for what was going to happen later on in the night.
"Are you ready to go, Lily?" called Harry from the bottom of the stairs. Lily glanced in the mirror one last time, nodding in approval, before dashing down the stairs.
"Yeah, all set," she said cheerfully as she practically skipped into the kitchen. Sirius watched in amusement as he sat at the kitchen with a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits in front of him. Lily grabbed one of the biscuits and shoved it into her mouth; her green eyes sparkling and her grin widening.
"You seem like you're in a good mood, Lily Flower," said Sirius, smirking. "What do we owe the honor of such a good mood?"
"Oh, nothing really," said Lily, still beaming. "I suppose I'm excited to see Eddie, Asher, Robby, and everyone else."
"I'm sure they'll be pleased to see you too, Lily," said Harry with a smile. "But, just remember, there will be Aurors circling the premises." Lily rolled her eyes and groaned. "It's not because you're there; many of the students of Hogwarts will be at this event and it would be very opportune for Voldemort and his Death Eaters to attack. It's just a precaution, Tiger."
"Yeah," Sirius said, nodding in agreement with Harry. "We promise; you won't even know that they are there."
"I guess that'll be alright," said Lily with a shrug. "Quite honestly, it doesn't really bother me. I'm just so excited to see everyone."
Harry and Sirius shared a grin as Lily ran towards the fireplace, threw in some Floo Powder, and shouted Robyn's home address. When she was out of earshot, Sirius turned to Harry with a raised eyebrow.
"You forgot to mention that you, Remus, and I would be the three so-called Aurors monitoring Robyn's house," said Sirius dryly. Harry turned to him with a doe-eyed look; but a mischievous smile was playing at his lips.
"Did I?" asked Harry innocently, "my mistake."
Sirius laughed.
Asher found himself leaning against the back wall of Robyn's yard, inwardly hating Eddie for having brought Raven along. He had never met someone so arrogant, rude, and flat out ignorant; disregarding everyone else's feelings and presence in the yard. Everyone who had come to greet her; Jem, Mandy, Danny, and everyone else from Hogwarts that had been invited to the party had received cold shoulder or a rude comment from her. ("Oh my dear Jem, that hairstyle went out of fashion in the nineties!") The only person who seemed completely amused and smitten with her was Eddie, which made absolutely no sense to anyone as she would be attending Hogwarts with them soon. It seemed that Raven thought she did not need another friend at Hogwarts other than him; after all, Eddie seemed to be wrapped around her little finger. Asher took a swig of soda from his bottle and shook his head, knowing that Lily was going to have a field day with this new budding relationship.
Unable to hear the sound of Raven's voice any longer, Robyn had gone to her Muggle stereo and put on some loud music. Unfortunately, this was not going to stop Raven from making everyone at the party even more uncomfortable.
"Would you like to dance, Eds?" Raven asked Eddie, over the music, eyeing him up and own. Eddie nodded vigorously as he took her hand and led her to the middle of the patio and started to dance. As they danced, Eddie continued to tell Raven how stunningly gorgeous she was, which always sent her into a fit of giggles and a comment of, "I know!"
"Really?" asked Robyn to herself, rolling her eyes at Asher and Jem. She looked helplessly at her friends, particularly Asher. "How could you let him bring her?" Robyn kept hissing at him, but he just continued to shake his head in amusement. However, Asher felt like their situation had been saved when he heard a loud stumble from the fireplace and a string a curse words coming from a girl's voice in the living room.
"Bloody hell, I'm gone for the entire summer and no one is here to greet me?" the voice shouted playfully from the living room. Asher's eyes widened with glee.
"Lily is here!"
"And I'm here to stay!" she shouted through the yard, coming through the back door. Lily caught sight of Asher and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"How was America?
"Bloody amazing," said Lily with a smile, going to greet Robyn, Jem, Mandy, and all of her other friends from Hogwarts. Asher could not help himself for giving Lily a once over, knowing that there was a chance that Eddie might kill him. It was hard not to notice that Lily had changed a great deal over the summer; her long blonde hair had gotten longer and she had lost a considerable amount of weight making her natural curves more defined. No one also failed to notice that she was looking over everyone's heads, clearly in search of the person that she wanted to see the most.
"Where's Eddie?" asked Lily, stung by the fact that he had not come to greet her. She noticed everyone share uncomfortable glances at one another. Lily raised a curious eyebrow. "Did something happen to him?"
"You could say that," said Mandy softly. She was one of the few people who Lily had trouble losing her temper towards because she always so sweet, shy, and even a bit naïve. Then, slowly, she pointed towards the middle of the patio.
Lily saw Eddie and a girl she had never seen before dancing in the middle of the patio and she felt as though something or someone had stunned her; punching her in the stomach. She wanted to call out to her best friend, but her jaw was set and she was rooted to the spot. Lily's eyes widened with horror and disgust when she saw the girl dance even closer to Eddie; almost grinding on him. Obviously, he being a sixteen year old boy, Eddie did not seem to mind at all.
Every bone, muscle, and artery in Lily's body began to clench; especially her fists. Her nails were digging deep and painfully into her palms. She could not seem to understand why she was getting so worked up over this. It was just some random girl; she could not be a priority to Eddie. After all, Lily had known Eddie all of her life.
So, why did this bother her so much?
Harry, Sirius, and Remus wondered around the outskirts of Robyn's backyard, safely out of earshot from the mingling teenagers. Harry was under his Invisibility Cloak while Sirius and Remus decided to use Dillusionment Charms. They stuck next to each other, so not to lose one another and kept the teenagers safe.
"What's wrong with Lily?" whispered Remus out of nowhere. She was staring at a certain spot in the yard looking as though someone had slapped. Her eyes were narrowed and her fists were clenched.
"What are you talking about, Moony?" Sirius asked in concern, catching sight of her. "She's fine."
"Well, yes, she's safe. But, she looks…she keeps looking at this one spot in the yard and clenching her fists. It looks like someone just stunned her or something." Sirius looked over in Harry's direction, who had not said a word throughout the entire conversation. Silently, they both followed Lily's gaze; it landed on Eddie who was dancing closely with a pretty girl whom neither of them had seen before. Harry's eyes widened, realization dawning on him, and he held his breath. He quickly looked over at Lily and saw something in her eyes.
"Lily just looks angry with that girl who is dancing with Eddie…" said Sirius slowly, as though reading Harry's thoughts.
"Angry?" asked Remus incredulously. "You call that look angry? That's not angry, Padfoot, that's a look of loathing and jealousy. I swear if looks could kill…"
The music coming from Robyn's Muggle stereo halted and there was a pause between songs; as there was a radio host speaking now. No one was sad to see the song end and they were not sad to see the two teenagers dancing horribly in the middle of the patio.
Lily took advantage of the situation; the music had stopped and Eddie's were now wandering the yard as he laughed with the girl. When he glanced in her direction, Lily reached out her hand and waved to him, smiling eagerly and her green eyes twinkling. Either he did not see her, or he chose to ignore her because he was now looking back into the face of the strange girl whom Lily did not know. All of the sudden, she felt completely helpless and she looked desperately at Asher and Robyn for support.
"She's a twit," said Asher firmly, with Robyn nodding wide-eyed I agreement. "Don't worry, Lily Billy, Eddie will come around."
"Whew, it's hot," giggled Raven, fanning herself. Eddie nodded and looked around the yard, thinking that he might have heard Lily's voice while he had been dancing with Raven. He caught sight of her standing across the yard, surrounded by their fellow Gryffindors and Jem (who was in Ravenclaw).
"LI-" Eddie was trying to shout out for his friend, but Raven had grabbed his face and turned her towards him.
"Eds?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to give you something, if you'll let me," she whispered. Eddie nodded with a shrug and before he could contemplate anything else, Raven had pressed her lips to his own and her tongue was begging for entrance, which Eddie happily obliged, anxiously kissing her back and wrapping her arms around him.
They continued in this manner for several moments before the two of them needed to come up for air. Eddie hesitantly pulled away and stared into space, as though someone had hit him over the head with a shovel.
"Did you like it?" she asked in a seductive whisper. Eddie groaned; but not from any kind of frustration.
"I bloody loved it," he whispered back, pressing his forehead against hers. Raven smiled, reaching up and kissing Eddie again.
When Eddie pulled away, he looked up and gazed around the yard, looking for Asher so that he could give him a 'two thumbs up.' Instead, his eyes fell on to a pair of emerald green eyes staring intently at him; looking directly into his own. He knew that he should run to her, greet her, and tell her how much he missed her. Instead Eddie offered Lily a week smile before resuming kissing Raven.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me," groaned Danny, as though he had stumbled across something rather unpleasant. "They're snogging right in the middle of the bloody yard again!"
"That's not very polite," commented Many quietly, trying hard not to stare at them.
"It's like looking at a train wreck," said Robyn, disappointedly shaking her head. "You know you shouldn't, but it's so tragic that you can't help but stare."
"Oi! Get a room!" shouted Asher; apparently neither Eddie nor Raven heard him. Lily continued to stare at the couple, without even blinking.
"He didn't even say 'hi' to me," whispered Lily, her voice almost shaking. "He saw me. I know he did. All I get is a bloody, half-arsed smile?" Asher put a comforting hand on her shoulder and sighed.
"I'm sorry, Lily."
"What is wrong with him?" demanded Lily, looking around at everyone as though they knew something that she did not. "Eddie would never act like this!" They all looked at her helplessly.
"I wish I could you what his problem was, Lily," said Asher, almost regrettably. "But he hasn't really kept in touch with anyone. He's has been a bit…preoccupied this summer."
"I can tell," said Lily bitterly. "I'm not taking this!" Lily stormed up to Eddie and tapped him on the shoulder impatiently. Eddie whipped around, startled.
"Lily!"
"What the bloody hell is your problem, Edward Weasley?" shouted Lily, jabbing her finger into his chest with each word. "You haven't seen me all damn summer and when you finally do, you don't so much as approach me with a bloody greeting?"
Eddie immediately narrowed his eyes and got defensive; "I greeted you!"
"Oh that pathetic excuse of a smile is what you call a greeting?" bellowed Lily, her face now going red. "Are you flipping kidding me?" Eddie opened his mouth to retort, but;
"Excuse me," interrupted Raven coldly, coming from behind Eddie and standing in front of Lily with a cold, fierce expression on her voice. Lily did not back down; she stood her ground and raised an eyebrow at this girl, with her arms folded across her chest. Lily's posture almost dared the girl to threaten or make fun of her. Everyone watched the scene, holding their breaths, waiting for one girl to make the first strike.
"Cat fight," Asher whispered into Robyn's ear. She rolled her eyes and nudged him rather hard.
"I don't mean to interrupt," continued Raven in a cold voice, "but just who do you think you are, talking to Eds like that?"
"Eds?" asked Lily, half disgusted, half laughing, looking straight at Eddie. "That's the nickname this daft bimbo gave you? And you're allowing her to call you that?" Lily let out a disbelieving laugh before turning to look back at Raven. "And for you information, I'm Lily Potter, Eddie's best friend. After fifteen years of friendship, I think I have the privilege to talk to him anyway I damn well please! So, why don't you mind your own business?"
"Lily, stop this!" snapped Eddie, glaring at her now for insulting Raven. Raven, on the other hand, looked rather curious.
"Potter did you say?" she asked quietly. "Any relation to the famous Harry Potter?" Lily snorted in a frustrated manner, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Yes, Harry is my dad," she snapped impatiently. "Yes, I'm the daughter of the Boy Who flipping Lived, blah, blah, blah! Ask me something interesting!" Raven just stood tall and proud, eyeing Lily up and down, as though sizing her up to see if she could take her in a fight or something. But, Lily knew that she was just sizing her up to somehow insult her.
"Wait, wait, wait, so let me get this straight," said Raven slowly, as though not believing Lily to be Harry Potter's daughter. "You're the daughter of the famous Harry Potter? You?"
"Yes, me!"
"It looks like the apple does fall far from the tree," said Raven coolly, once again, eyeing Lily up and down. Lily pulled out her wand and started advancing on Raven.
"You daft bitc-"
Asher had sensed danger and immediately ran forward, grabbing Lily around the waist and carrying her inside the house, while Robyn pulled Lily's wand from out of her hands, so she would not hex Raven. Even as Asher carried Lily out of the backyard and into the living, she continued to shout insults and profanities at Raven. It was not until that Robyn had blocked the back door, wand at the ready, that Asher finally put Lily back on her feet.
"Lily, you need to calm down," said Asher, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders. Before Lily could even respond, the back door slammed open and Eddie came storming into the living room, his face bright red and his eyes seething with rage.
"Get out," he snarled at Asher and Robyn. "I need to talk to Miss Charmer over here…alone…."
Just by looking at the rage on Eddie's face, neither Asher nor Robyn argued with him. They nodded and after Eddie hesitantly gave Robyn his wand, leaving both Lily and Eddie wandless, they both went out the back door and back into the yard. Once they were out of earshot, Eddie turned furiously towards Lily, who was staring up at him determinedly.
"You don't even know her. How dare you treat her like?" snapped Eddie, immediately going on the offense. "Just what is your problem, Lily Potter?"
"I don't have a problem," said Lily, trying to keep her temper in check; but her voice was raised from a normal volume. "You're the one who has not seen me in months, claimed that they missed me, and then didn't so much as greet me! You're the one that seems to have a problem and it's about 5'6 with long, dark hair!"
"Oh cut the crap, Lily," said Eddie angrily, and even a bit defeated. His eyes were squinted shut and his hands were practically covering his ears, as though he did not want to hear anymore. "I'm so sick of your drama and I'm sick of your bloody attitude problem. You know what? I'm just sick of you right now and I have no desire to talk about this with you…at all! Owl me when you decide to grow up!" Before Lily could even retort, Eddie had turned on heel and stormed out of the living room, slamming the back door so hard that it seemed like the whole house shook.
For perhaps the first time in her life, Lily was speechless and it was not because Eddie had stumped or beat her in a battle of hits. It was because he had just genuinely crushed her heart with his words. Lily felt like she could literally do nothing except stand there with her jaw open and her eyes filled with such hurt that words would not be able to describe it. Lily felt like she did not have the emotional or physical energy for anything.
She could not have felt more disappointed or more let down. Eddie, her best friend, the friend she would give her life for, ditched her and in the matter of minutes. Lily knew that if she had the ability to cry, that she would be sobbing hysterical right now.
Asher watched with a raised eyebrow as Eddie quite literally stormed out of the living room, slamming the door furiously behind him, and walking straight up to a smug-looking Raven. He took her hand in his and began to whisper to her, rubbing his fingers over her knuckles comfortingly.
"I can't believe it," gasped Robyn, standing closely behind Asher, even though she towered over him. "Eddie ditched Lily for…that?" Asher sighed and ran his hand over his face, knowing that this was just the calm before the storm that was sure to hit.
"I'm going to go check on Lily," Asher told Robyn quietly. "Make sure no one follows me. Lily hates when people pity her; especially when there's a group of them."
"No problem," said Robyn. Her nod was a sign that she was silently encouraging Asher to go talk and comfort her. Robyn immediately announced that she was going to open her birthday presents, in order to distract everyone from Asher slipping inside the house.
When Asher entered the living room, the sight inside of it disturbed him. Lily had resorted to sitting on the couch and she was staring into the oblivion with an impassive look on her face; her eyes glazed over it. It looked like she was in some sort of trance and in a way, she was. It looked like her whole world had been turned upside down and in a way, it had. Asher cautiously moved to sit next to her on the couch and put a comforting arm around her.
"What happened?" he whispered softly, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
"Nothing really," answered Lily honestly; her voice monotone. "I just…I think that this might have caused a rift in our friendship and I'm not sure how I'm going to survive this year at Hogwarts without him." Asher did not say anything. He knew that she just needed him to listen and not speak and he was more than willing to do so.
"I mean, Harry is going to be teaching this year at Hogwarts and I'm not sure how I'm going to stand having him around, especially with this change in time and everything that happened last year…" Lily rambled on before burying her face in her hands. "Who am I going to talk about this with?"
"You could always come to me," suggested Asher, rubbing his hand up and down her arm in a comforting manner. "I know I'm not Eddie. But, I do know everything that happened with Harry last year and about the change he made. I could definitely be able to help you with all of that." Lily looked up at Asher and shot him a grateful smile.
"Normally I'd try and blow you off," said Lily with a light chuckle. "But, I may just get desperate enough to take you up on that offer. Thanks, Ash." Asher laughed at her attempt to lighten the mood and gave her a one-armed hug.
"Anytime, Lily Billy." He gave her one last, one armed squeeze before taking his arm away from her shoulders. He took a deep breath, daring to ask the question he did not want to ask, but knew that she needed to answer; to feel better.
"So how are things with Harry?"
"Erm…we're okay I guess," Lily muttered awkwardly, staring determinedly at her knees. "I pretty much avoided him the whole summer…"
"Lily!" groaned Asher, exasperated.
"Hey!" Lily snapped defensively. "You try watching your father die and then come back from the dead. I can promise you that it will be a bit awkward and traumatizing!"
"Alright, alright, point taken," said Asher putting his hands up in defeat. "I suppose he's still trying to find a way to fix things?"
"Yeah, he did a little time traveling over the summer to try and figure out where time might have gotten changed. It wasn't really successful because Sirius kept trying to thwart him." Lily said shrugging. "Sirius isn't too happy with Harry's decision to change things."
"Are you happy with it?"
"I'm not sure," she whispered, finally looking up from her feet. Asher knew that the conversation was over and he did not press the matter. Lily gazed towards the back door for a moment before looking back at Asher. "So how mad do you reckon Robby is for starting a fight with Eddie during her birthday party?" Asher chuckled.
"She's not mad at you at all," said Asher reassuringly. "She understands where you're coming from. I'm sure she would have been just as peeved as you if her best friend had ignored her. It's Eddie who's going to owe her a hell of an apology later; for bringing that troll!"
Lily threw her head back and laughed. Asher got to his feet, helped Lily to her own, and they returned to the party together; just in time for cake.
Due to the night's events and drama, Robyn had quietly suggested that Lily, Mandy, and Jem stay over her house for the night for some much needed 'girl time.' Mandy and Jem seemed quite eager over the idea and Lily reluctantly agreed, only because she felt guilty for causing so much drama at Robyn's birthday party.
It was late into the night and into the early morning. The girls were all lying in a circle, in the middle of Robyn's room, lying on their bellies, propped up by their elbows which were resting on big, fluffy pillows. There were bags of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Licorice Wands, and even some Muggle candies and bottles of Butterbeer and soda all over the floor.
"I hope you had a great birthday, Robby," Mandy, the shyest and quietest one of the group, pipped up.
"Yeah, only one more year until you become of age," Jem called out excitedly. Robyn grinned and popped a piece of Chocolate Frog into her mouth.
"It was a great birthday," she answered truthfully. "I'm really happy that you all decided to come." There was a pleasant pause before Robyn glanced at Lily nervously. "Though, I wish some people would have stayed home."
"You mean Eddie and his new gal pal?" asked Jem, irritated. Robyn nodded, nervous for Lily's reaction to the topic of Eddie. Surprisingly, Lily did not comment, or even make a facial expression. She just continued to rest her chin on her arms as they wrapped around one of Robyn's many pillows. Robyn, Mandy, and Jem all looked at each other, waiting for the explosion; Mandy bit her lip.
"Lily?" asked Jem in concern. Lily looked up with an innocent look; as though she had just come back from a trip to outer space. "Are you alright? You haven't said two words since the party ended and normally, we can't get you to shut-up." Lily chuckled. "What's wrong?" Lily took a sip of her Butterbeer and took a deep breath.
"I'm fine, guys," she said quietly. "I'm just concerned about Eddie and how strange he was acting tonight."
"I don't think weird is the word to accurately describe how he was acting," said Mandy softly, looking at Lily sincerely.
"Yeah, I think a right, foul git would be a better choice of words," said Robyn casually, causing the rest of the girls to laugh.
"We're sorry, Lily," said Mandy, patting Lily's hand comfortingly. "You didn't deserve that kind of behavior from him. That's not how you treat your best friend."
"Even so, I wouldn't have expected that kind of behavior from Eddie," said Jem incredulously. "I mean, Eddie, of all people."
"What do you mean?"
"Normally, if he hadn't seen you in two months, he would have devoured you with hugs and hellos. You wouldn't have been able to get rid of him. But, because he was under that spell from that Raven girl, he didn't say two words to you. I would never have expected Eddie to treat you, of all people, like that." At these words, Lily was looking down at her Butterbeer sadly.
"Lily?" asked Mandy, encouraging her with her big, innocent blue eyes to continue and to get her feelings off of her chest. Lily looked around and saw that Robyn and Jem were looking at her anxiously.
"How could he have blown me off like that after almost sixteen years of friendship?" Lily blurted out angrily, her eyes looking anguished and bitter, "And for a stupid bimbo like Raven! How could he do that after all that we've been through together? I would jump in front of the Killing Curse to save him if I could and I know he would have done the same for me, but now…after how he treated me tonight…I'm not sure anymore. Tonight…he…everything he said to me and how he acted towards me…it…it hurt a lot." Lily looked up frantically and saw all the looks of pity she was getting. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I shouldn't be rambling like this. I don't expect any of you to understand."
"You're right, Lily, we don't understand. But we can imagine…" Mandy said, her voice trailing off. Lily shook her head and placed her Butterbeer on the nearest countertop.
"No, I really don't think you can imagine," muttered Lily as she turned away and laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. Robyn, Mandy, and Jem all stayed utterly silent, and did not even move until Lily was breathing steadily and they were sure that she had fallen asleep.
"Poor Lily," Mandy whispered with a sigh, breaking the silence.
"This whole thing really confused me. Everyone in Ravenclaw, including me; we always thought Eddie fancied Lily," said Jem uncertainly. Robyn nodded.
"I know. We all thought that."
"What I didn't realize was how much she likes Eddie back."
Mandy shook her head. "No, she doesn't fancy Eddie." Robyn and Jem looked at her astonished. She looked at her friends' faces before whispering, "I think she's in love with him. And, before tonight, I could have sworn that Eddie had been in love with her too…"
There was a very long, pregnant pause and their silence towards one another suggested that Robyn and Jem agreed with Mandy's statement.
"Well, this certainly has been an interesting summer…"
"Summer? Hell, it's been an interesting year!"
They could only begin to ponder and dream of what the next year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was going to bring them; was going to bring Lily.
But, they could only ponder and dream because what was waiting for them over the horizon was unimaginable.
A note from the Jitterbelle. This chapter was extremely difficult to revise because I changed the whole thing, but in a way so that it did not affect the plot. I mostly just changed the situation, certain conversations, and the setting. The original one was kind of immature and cliché and I wanted to make it a bit more realistic. I hope you all like the changes. But, nonetheless, revised and updated! Please do not forget to review and please continue to enjoy the story!
Coming in Chapter 7 - Eddie comes around and realizes that he has been a stupid git to Lily…but will Lily forgive him easily?
