Title: Goodnight, Stars
Chapter: Freckled Flower
Author: Cinnamon Sunrise
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement was intended! Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, I'm just playing around in my own messed up mind!
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That change in him didn't last very long, though. Once we were back in the company of Sirius and Remus, he was back to being Potter, the goofy boy who could beat anyone at anything. Or so he said. I was too daft to believe that what I felt with him, alone, was anything that I could expect to be there when the others were around. It was alright though, James and I stayed good friends, nothing more, but it was fine. I couldn't even remember how I was like the previous years at Hogwarts; I couldn't imagine life without the boys. I attended every Quidditch game with Remus, Sirius, and Peter; laughing wildly every time James tried to impress his fans with new moves, though he never failed to catch the snitch, and once again Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup. Class finals were nothing compared to the O.W.L.'s taken 5th year, and before I could imagine, the term had come to an end. Although I didn't want to go home, the time separating when the year had started and the train ride home was beyond measurement. Sirius seemed to be dreading getting off the train, going back home, as much as I did, so we promised to keep in touch via owl. I gave Peter and Remus hugs, of course, told them I'd see them next year. I was expecting Remus to be made Head Boy, and I had heard a lot of talk about my name as Head Girl. Peter and Remus' families hauled them off, out of the station, and it was just James and I. Rather awkward, especially with our families around. We both were still trying to pretend that our feelings for each other were of friendship, and not of accidental attraction. Gave him a nice hug, and he promised to write. And that was it. Year six at Hogwarts was over, and I returned home to hell. The first month of my summer was decent, a bit boring, but manageable. My mum and dad decided to leave my dear sister in charge while they went to Paris for a month. Horrible, simply awful. I was locked in my room the entire time, except when a cook or housekeeper was needed. I couldn't contact my parents, and I knew Pet would kill me if I tattled on her anyways. What infuriated me even more was that the fact that I was receiving no mail, not one letter, from the boys. I really wished that I owned an owl; I would have sent it after those boys. Then one day, my parents were still out of town, a knock disturbed my cleaning, and James Potter and Sirius Black were at my door.
*~*~*
"Just a minute!" Lily Evans yelled huffily, setting the mop against the kitchen wall. It had been ages since she had set foot out of the house, and answering the door would at least be a nice break from three straight hours of mopping. "Hullo?" She said, swinging the heavy wooden door open, revealing two familiar faces. Lily gasped.
"Nice to see you too, Evans!" James said, leaning against the doorframe and grinning. Sirius took Lily in a tight embrace.
"What are you two doing here?!" Lily said, pulling away and walking back into the doorway, hoping that Petunia was still safely in her room. Seeing two of Lily's friends, more of "her kind," would cause Petunia Evans' vile temper to come out.
"Well," Sirius said, looking at James, "we were a bit bored, and James' dad owns a muggle car," he motioned to the automobile sitting in the driveway, "taught us how to drive, so we thought, why not go visit Evans?!" Lily looked suspiciously at the boys; they hadn't contacted her for almost a month, and now they were at her house, standing at her door, talking about muggle cars. Life could be so strange!
"Lily!" A shrill voice shrieked from the second level of the house. "Who's at the door?"
"Um," Lily glanced nervously at the boys, "Solicitors, Pet, they're selling, er, brooms." Sirius and James looked confused, but had heard stories about one Miss Petunia Evans, 20 years old and still living at home, so they concurrently decided it would be in their best interest not to interfere. "Shh, ok," Lily whispered to the boys, "there's a park just down the street that way, I'll meet you there in a few minutes, just, uh, let me take care of Petunia." Lily smiled and walked back into the house. "I'm sorry, we're just not interested! Thanks anyways!" She said, winking and shutting the door. She heard the car doors slam, the engine rev up, and soon the driveway was once again vacant. "Pet!" She called up the stairs. "We're nearly out of food; I think it would be a good idea for me to take some of the, er, my money and go buy some groceries."
"Fine. Fine, fine, fine, but I want you back here, locked in your room, by 4. Vernon is coming over, and I don't want him thinking our family is your kind of trash." Lily rolled her eyes. She was beginning to wonder if Petunia didn't need another good taste of Zonko's in her dinner that night. Lily took some pounds that her parents had left for food, and walked out of the two-story Tudor she lived in.
*~*~*
I shoed them out of the way, hoping Petunia wouldn't notice them before they left. We met up in a few minutes at the park up the street from my house.
*~*~*
Lily slowly plodded up the street, feeling upset and confused. Dumb Petunia. She tried to control everything, pretending her weird little Lily didn't exist. Then there were James and Sirius. Sure she was happy to see them, it earned her a pleasant break from housework, but she was still upset with them. Not one letter had arrived all summer, and one day they just appear, on their own terms, to get a kick out of seeing their "friend." Lily kicked a rock down the street as she approached the park. She'd just be happy when summer ended. As she neared the park, she noticed it was empty except for James and Sirius, who were examining a muggle swing set. She suddenly felt a smile creep across her face. There wasn't really any reason to be mad at them. She greeted them, sitting on one of the swings, kicking off her shoes and running her feet through the warm pebbles as the boys continued to gape and awe at the design of a muggle playground.
*~*~*
They did, of course, have very valid reasons for not keeping in touch. I was most surprised to learn that on the second day of the holidays Sirius Black moved into James' house. He had such a cruel family, you see; full of dark and evil wizards. He had a younger brother, Regulus, but he was in Slytherin. If I'm not mistaken, Sirius was the only one in his immediate family not to be sorted into the house of Salazar. James and Sirius, who were already the closest of friends, became even more like brothers after that summer. James' parents, who were the nicest of people, adopted Sirius as a second son. Busy getting acquainted in the Potter household, I couldn't blame Sirius, or for that matter James, for the lack of post. Both boys anxiously told about the Lupins' trip to Germany; an experimental potion was claiming to help with werewolf transitions. Young Peter was somewhere in the south of France, but like myself, did not own an owl. It was great to talk to the boys that afternoon, both had grown in height substantially, and had sun-kissed tanned skin from spending countless afternoons in the Potters' backyard, playing Quidditch and goofing off. My own skin was fair, with an occasional freckle, due not only to my red-headed complexion but also from being trapped inside the house for a continuous time of twenty-some days. I couldn't have been anymore thrilled than when James reminded me that school started in a little over than a week's time. James then asked if I had gotten my Hogwarts letter, I can still remember how his eyes were sparkling. I said that I indeed had not, and I asked if Remus had been made Head Boy. Smiling broadly, he just shrugged. And that was it. It was nearly 4, I had to leave. They decided, with my full approval, that in two days time they'd pick me up and go to Diagon Alley, for some last minute school supply shopping. And that night, even as I was trapped in my room, forced to silence, I couldn't help think about how much fun I was going to have.
*~*~*
"Honk it!" Sirius said, reaching over to tap the small horn. At the noise of the horn, Sirius and James both erupted in laughter. Muggle objects were so bizarre! Lily came running out of the front door, beaming radiantly.
"Guess." " She said, piling into the car and slamming the door, huffing from running, "What!"
"What?' Sirius and James asked, turning to look at her.
"I just got it!" She was on the verge of tears of happiness. "Oh, I'm so pleased!"
"Well, 'just getting it' explains a lot…" Sirius sniggered; James was still looking contentedly at Lily, as if he knew what the next words of out her bubblegum pink lips were going to be.
"Head Girl!" She exclaimed simply, though still beaming. James' smile turned from a grin to an enormous smile as he turned to look at Sirius.
"Well, well. Congratulations, Ms. Head Girl. Looks like a celebration is in order, mind you I'm saving it for the train." James was still grinning as he backed the car out of the driveway and started for London.
*~*~*
The same day they came to take me to Diagon Alley I had received an official Hogwarts owl. Head Girl, it said. I was overjoyed. Sirius and James seemed thrilled too, it was nice to know they could be happy for me. It proved our friendship even more. The car ride was simply frightening, though. James' driving was comparable to that of a goblin at Gringotts, and that's stated nicely. I quickly realized why wizards don't usually drive. James and Sirius had both passed their Appataration tests, but driving was the only way to avoid muggles and ensure I could get there safely. Ha, ha, ha, yes, I survived his maniacal driving, but just barely. When we got to Diagon Alley, our first stop was at the ice creamery, where James treated us all to an ice cream cone. In order to save time, Sirius decided he would go buy our quills and parchment while James and I headed to Flourish and Blotts to buy our final books for Hogwarts.
*~*~*
"How about this one? How to Curse Your Sister into a Skink and Your Brother into a Baboon. I say, I think I'd rather have a sour sister than a skink running around." James said, flipping through the books in the "New Arrivals" section.
"Hmm, I don't know. At least I could lock Petunia up that way…" Lily said distractedly. She wasn't really paying attention to the books; she was just happy. Happy at being made Head Girl, happy at being with her friends, happy that Hogwarts was starting up again soon. But most of all, she was just happy to be out.
"Well, the books we need," James panned the list, "should be back here." He led her around the store, piling up books as they walked. The last book, one that Lily needed for Advanced Complex Arithmancy, was is a dark corner, filled with dust. The book was on the highest possible shelf; it was obvious that this level of the course was not taken by many students. James climbed a rickety old ladder up to the top shelf, bringing the book and a cloud of dust down. Lily sneezed, laughing at the grime.
"Oh how lovely," she said dully, noticing that the book was completely covered in old cobwebs. She felt James' eyes on her, making her checks warm. She looked up, and he was indeed looking her way. "James…" She started, not really knowing what to say. His large hazel eyes were bright in the dark corner, sparkling with desire.
"Yes, Lily?" He asked throatily. She walked closer.
"James, come here," Lily said seductively. She laughed, tossing her head back, her long red hair bouncing. "Come on, James, we have to go meet Sirius, he'll be worried if we aren't there soon."
"Worried? Sirius?" James said, in an unnaturally high voice, trying to steal the moment back. "Nah, Sirius doesn't worry. Ever."
"Even so, what do you expect to do all day, standing in this dusty old corner?" She rolled her eyes, and started to head for the front.
"Well, I suppose I expected to kiss you." He said simply, but it held a completely honest tone. Lily slowly turned around.
"What?" She said in a quiet, low voice.
"I said, I suppose I expected to kiss you." He said, repeating precisely what he had said before.
"That's what I thought you said," Lily didn't make eye contact, instead becoming quite smitten with her shoe. As she continued to look at the floor, James came closer.
"Lily, you can't tell me that you, that you're not interested in me. I see how you look at me." Lily's face was completely scarlet, burning hot. She opened her mouth, but couldn't force a single word out. "Shh, don't say anything." He lifted her chin up, forcing her to make eye contact. "Remember Christmas?" He grinned as Lily bit her lip, he gently took her hands, so soft and delicate compared to his own rough, callused, Quidditch-beaten hands. "Lily, I don't know why you find this so uncomfortable, it really shouldn't be." He paused, looking intently into her eyes. "And I don't know why I didn't say what I'm going to say now to you before. If I could take back all the time between then and now, I wish I'd have said this to you right after Honeyduke's. I know we haven't always been friends, hell, I know I've been a complete prat at times, but I really like you." He swept a piece of hair out of her eyes, her hand still enclosed in his. "You are bloody brilliant, did you know that? You're so bloody brilliant and completely gorgeous. I fell for you the first time I saw you, Lily. Since I helped you through the platform, do you remember that?" Lily nodded, shutting her eyes and smiling. "Although that did get me into a rut here, seeing as I haven't had a girlfriend since forth year. But it doesn't matter, Lily. I'd do anything for you; even live my life as a single man." He laughed anxiously. "I never thought we'd end up as friends, being so different, but life has a plan for everything, I suppose." Lily was gazing back at James now, realizing that even though he was usually a joker, he was in no way kidding about what he was saying. James grinned back. "Lily, would you want to be my girlfriend?" Lily bit her lip. She tried telling herself it wasn't a big deal; it wasn't like he was proposing to get married! But it was a big deal. In her 17 years of life, she had never had a boyfriend; the closest she had come was James' solitary kiss. She could hear her heart beating in her inner ear, she was so nervous about something that was entirely what she wanted. She smiled inwardly, remembering the exact sweet taste of his lips.
*~*~*
We walked around, until we were in the dustiest and dirtiest section of the store, where all the Advanced Divination and Arithmancy books are. Spider-webs hung from the ceiling, it was downright repulsive. And in this dark corner, James broke into this long speech, and I was just beside myself. I had never seen him this serious, and I don't mean like Sirius. He was staid in talk and said the nicest of things. Furthermore, he asked me to be his girlfriend. It was finally all out in the open. After 6 months of confined emotions, everything was out in the open. I think it's pretty obvious that I said "yes" to James' question.
*~*~*
"Of course." Lily said, breaking out into a wide, toothy grin and wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. James laughed, pulling away slightly to look into her one-of-a-kind green eyes. She wrinkled her nose in delight, pulling James into a kiss. Though the dusty corner was anything but romantic, the kiss was quite the opposite. Lily allowed James full entrance into her mouth, making the kiss an overwhelming delight for both of them. Lily ran her fingers through James' messy, fluffy ebony hair and his hands smoothed her silky red tresses. Lily could think of nothing besides James, her head now engulfed with thoughts of him.
"Well, well. Finally cut the tension, did we?" Sirius said, leaning against a shelf, a sack of supplies and three butterbeers in hand. James and Lily quickly broke off, separating and getting themselves together as quickly as possible. They were both flushed crimson, their checks glowing as Sirius smirked. "I was bored outside," Sirius said, shoving a bag of supplies and a butterbeer into each of their hands as they walked to the cashier, "so I decided to see what you two were up to. Can't say I was surprised to see you together, but I didn't expect to see you snogging in the Arithmancy section!" Sirius smiled deviously and James gave him a nice shove and then wrapped his arm around Lily. Lily squeezed her eyes tight and smiled.
*~*~*
James and I were together. It was just another factor of my anxiousness to return to Hogwarts. Time moves so quickly when you least want it to, and so incredibly slow when you are awaiting something. The entire last week I was home I filled my head with anticipation for Hogwarts, organizing and re-organizing my trunk countless times. However, my mum and dad had returned, so life that last week was a step up from pure hell.
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A/N: Big thanks to those who have reviewed! You guys are amazing! *Hugs* Sorry this update took so long. Please continue to let me know what you think! Every comment helps!
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cinnamonsunrise@hotmail.com