Title: Hate to Say I Told You So

Author: Child of the Wolves

Summery: Takes place when Lily is seven, she lives in London with her mother, and her father lives in New York. One night, Lily's mom leaves and doesn't come back and Lily is sent away from her home to live with her father. Seven years later, about a quarter through her fourth year at Polion, her wizarding school, her father dies of cancer and she is sent straight to Hogwarts to finish off the quarter. Once the quarter is finished Lily goes back to her mother for the winter holidays, but she's met with a surprise.

Disclaimer: I don't own it... ext. ext. I hate disclaimers.

"Lily! Hey Lils!"

A single fiery auburn red head turned in the huge mass of navy blue robes. Two third years raced by her, nearly knocking her over. Rolling her eyes, the red headed fourteen-year-old makes her way towards the source of the voice. Fifth year prefect of Silverthorne, her house. Her house, at Polion School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Finally, the teen makes her way there. Obviously this was not the same little girl who had given her best friend her necklace seven years ago. Her hair is a brighter red, wavy, and reaching her hips. Curves are all too apparent though freckles are less so. The only obvious thing that had stayed the same were her glittering eyes. Those deep jade eyes.

"uummhmm?"

"Marverine wants to see you. He didn't look happy."

A shocked look on her face, making her way to the front of the school, to where the headmaster resided. Why would he be unhappy? She never did anything wrong. or at least never got caught. Finally, after what seems to be ages, the girl reaches a painting, a fiery gryphon image upon it. The gryphon snorts at her. Its golden-flecked eyes so obviously demand a reason or a password. 'Probably both with my luck.'

"um. I'm here to see Professor Marverine?" Another snort from the gryphon tell her that's not quite what he wanted to hear. Cocking an eyebrow, she repeats in a shaky voice, "so.. um.. open sesame?" Nothing.

"Oh move!" She exclaims, reaching for her wand. But before she can do anything the gryphon, which somehow doesn't seem as proud anymore, swings the portrait aside, letting her open the door hidden behind it.

Shrugging she puts her wand away, slightly unhappy she didn't get to blast the annoying portrait to pieces.

"ahh.. Lily."

The voice comes from one of the corners of the room. Designed in the shape of a hexagon, the main attraction of the room is obviously on the largest wall. Hanging, gazing fiercely at her is a picture of the same gryphon. This time not as fiery, but just as proud, if not more so, and graceful. Very graceful. Each corner of the room falls into shadows in the point where the two walls meet, a desk resides in the middle. A door lays slightly ajar behind the desk, which Lily could only assume, led to his sleeping quarters. The walls seem enchanted to portray a sky, though obviously not their own for now a starry night glimmers all around the room, though outside the sun beats down on her fellows in Herbology.

And hidden in one of the shadowy corners of the starry room was Professor Marverine. He was thin but tall and gave the impression of one who had once been very intimidating indeed, but had gone to seed. He wears deep purple velvet looking robes adorned with small silver stars. His eyes are a light hazel color, and were always dancing, like they were laughing at a joke only he could understand. Whenever Lily looked at those eyes, she remembered somebody, but the name of who that was always slipped her mind.

"I could keep you here for small talk and tea, or I could tell you right out why I called you here, Lily. You choose."

Though small talk seems a bit safer "Tell me," comes out of her mouth before she can manage to think about it too much.

"Your father, Lily. He's gone."

***

A week later, the redhead sits in a speeding train, looking out at the passing scenery. After having spent 4 hours on a plane, she's not quite sure how she feels about getting off. Stretching her legs sounded good, but this whole new school thing was a bit odd. She wasn't even going to see her mother. She was being sent straight to this Hogwarts school. She sniffs a bit, but refuses to cry. She never cries. She mourned for her father, but she didn't cry. It was something Lily Evans just didn't do.

Sighing, she shifts positions and turns her head to a large Maine Coon cat, brown with darker brown tabby markings and white paws and chest. His ear tufts, an ivory color, as is his tail tip. His purrs are heard clear across the compartment. Leaning over, she scratches him behind his left ear and he sways his head to one side, giving her a large view of the side of his head, as though saying 'be my guest.'

She almost smiles, but simply settles with a comment about him mooching off her and leans back to her seat. But she still stares at him with loving eyes. He was the only really family she had now.

***

"Remus, what are you so excited about?"

"Didn't you hear Sirius? New girl."

"Say no more." Replies a grinning Sirius, seven years older than he used to be, when he knew his first childhood friend, a small girl with glittering green eyes and a sassy attitude. "'Ey James, loan Remus your crappy cologne. He's trying to score with the new girl."

A messy black head emerges from one of the four-poster beds, light blue eyes glittering wickedly. "It'll take more than cologne for Remus, and that stuff's expensive, man!" Soon after his smart aleck reply he receives a mouth full of pillow. "Well wasn't that uncalled for!" He yells at Remus's back.

"He'll be back to apologize." At a snort from Sirius, James gets out of his bed, finally, and starts getting ready. Clean clothes. no wait. Those were dirty. No wait. clean? No.

"Who cares, Prongs," exclaims Sirius, seeing his friends dilemma. "They all smell the same by the end of the day anyways." Obviously he was taking his belief to an extreme, to prove a point he had been hiding his clothes from the house-elves, his clothes currently resemble something of the sort of wet pigskin, but without the cleanliness.

Taking his best friends advice for once, James slips on a T shirt and pants, pulling his robes on over them, and runs hectically around the room like he does every day five minutes before class, making sure he knew where his wand was. ("Stupid thing hides from me")

Sirius himself starts down the stairs to the common room, and leaves through the portrait, conveniently forgetting to mention that Remus put it on the mantle last night when James tried to see if it was possible to transfigure somebody halfway between an elephant and a submarine.

***

"'ey Moony, what's up?" Sirius exclaims with more pizzazz that should have been shown on a Monday morning at breakfast.

"New girl's here," exclaims Remus excitedly. He always liked to examine the new kids, especially the girls, especially the ones who had been sorted into his house, and were conveniently in his year. Yes, especially those ones.

"And what does she rate?" Sirius asks, flashing his smile once more before grabbing onto some French toast. Remus always rated them on a scale from 1 to 10. 10 meaning, if you touch her, you die, 1-meaning send her back she's broken.

"No clue, she hasn't shown herself yet." He replies, craning his neck above everybody, getting a good look at the entrance hallway. After falling twice from the bench to the hard stone, he gives up and gets up to go show James where his wand is.

Upon finishing his breakfast, Sirius grabs his bag, nonchalantly walking to Charms. He had a whole two minutes to get there. No problem. He was good.

"WHAM."

Papers fly everywhere as he looks up from the ground rubbing his head, about to yell at whoever had run into him for giving him a headache and taking away his opportunity to trip on purpose for a few laughs when he finally sees who had run into him at full speed. A girl around his age, with deep emerald green eyes and long bright red hair. "Lily?" He asks, a questionable look upon his boyish face.

Looking up, Lily stares at him. His eyes. They're so familiar. Light hazel, and always dancing, like they knew something you didn't. "Sirius?" She asks, baffled clearly. "Sirius!" She instantly jumps on him, squishing him, wringing him around the neck.

"Lils.. air!"

Eventually, she lets go, grinning madly. "I didn't know you go here." She says nonchalantly. "Ugh you smell awful." She giggles.

"I could say the same thing to you. are you the new girl?" Sirius replies, ignoring her scent comment.

She nods her head. "I've come to live with my mom again."

"Why?" He asks, his childish face cocked to the side. He looks seven again.

"We should get to Charms, we'll be late" She exclaims, looking at her watch. Jumping up, she holds out a hand and he takes it, standing up, starting to gather his books.

"Oh your not in trouble. Your only late if the bell rings, before that you have no reason to hurry."

A clear crisp note rings throughout the school and Sirius's eyes get a bit wider. "That'd be us late."

***

A minute later, both walk into the classroom, red in the face, Lily receiving quite a few stares. Sirius, obviously enjoying the attention. Plopping down next to Remus with Lily on his other side. Leaning over to him, Sirius whispers, "Definitely a 10."

***

Yup. Cheesy huh? Not the best of all but I'm in a freakishly happy mood, which means nothing good can come of it. Oh well. I might re-write it later. I tried to make it pretty long so tell me what you think of that too.

Thanks to my first reviewers! I love you all. Buwaha.

Anyways, remember to click the little button and tell me how much you think it sucks, and if you don't I'll be forced to come after you with rabid hamsters. Beware the hamsters.