James Potter smiled smugly and sipped from the tall glass of orange juice
mixed with champagne that he had smuggled from the un-suspecting flight
hostess.
His mother, Janet Potter, displaying her almost super-natural sixth sense, turned from the window where she was watching clouds pass and looked at her son suspiciously.
"James?" she said in a firm voice,"what is that you're drinking?"
"Nothing Mum," smiled James with what he hoped looked like an innocent face. "Nothing but fresh, vitamin C enriched orange juice."
Janet hadn't lived with James for sixteen years for nothing however, she knew all his tricks. Grabbing the glass off him, she sniffed it a few times and said to him in a stern voice,
"James? Have you been drinking alcohol again?"
"Moi? Never!" James replied, fluttering his eye-lashes.
Janet didn't buy it.
"James! Please don't tell me you're adapting into one of those revolting American kids! I don't think I could stand it if you went all alcoholic and- "
"Mum-"
"Think of all those parents with no control of their kids....and those Muggles!"
"Mum-"
"Going to their raves and getting "smashed"...its enough to drive me to my death-"
"MUM!"
"Yes, dear?"
James sighed heavily and started listing points onto his fingers.
"I am NOT American. I DON'T drink or do drugs. And NO, I don't go to random raves."
"Yes...of course...Sorry dear." Janet turned back to look out the window, and in no time at all her attention had been caught by a passing cloud.
James sighed again. He couldn't think what had come over his mother recently. She had suddenly assumed that American pop culture was flooding into Britain- that was why he was being forced to take this damned trip in the first place. Janet, who had been dying to visit an old friend who lived in Australia, had decided that James's mind was being "contaminated" by "peer-pressure".
Apparently, Australia was much more secluded, and thus James was being dragged there for a three-week holiday.
He couldn't understand where her sudden fear of him turning into a Muggle was coming from. Janet seemed to think that he would soon be walking around shirtless, with a ponytail and a guitar strapped to his chest. Sure, he liked some of their stuff...the Beatles played great music, as did the Eagles. And yes, James didn't really object to the 'make love, not war' theme that was circulating around. But take his word for it...James would never, ever talk like a yank.
Speaking of accents, James was rather scared of going to Australia. He had heard that the people there hopped around on kangaroos saying 'G'day mate' to any unsuspecting civilian that happened to wander past.
Of course, he had gotten his information from Sirius, so perhaps it wasn't 100% accurate.
The sudden thought of Sirius sent a sharp pain through James chest. It was going to be hard to be away from his best friend. He didn't think they had been separated longer than a few days since they were wandering around in their nappies together.
At Hogwarts, not much had changed. They were still best friends, although they did make form friendships with a few other boys.
James remembered how he had met his other best friend, Remus.
It was their sorting feast and as James was sitting next to Sirius at the Gryffindor table, they noticed a small, pale boy sitting across from them. Sirius had the bright idea of chucking an exploding Jelly bean at him...however, the boy had not reacted as expected (bursting into tears, sobbing). Instead, he had reached into his pocket and shot a few rather interesting curses at them.
Once they had gotten over having blue hair and jelly legs, they recognized a strong connection, and a threesome had been formed. This threesome did eventually grow into four people when they discovered the fourth member of their dormitory, a small, chubby boy named Peter Pettigrew.
Remus, being too nice to leave anyone out, had reached out to him and eventually they became a group of four.
James couldn't imagine belonging to a more loyal, trustworthy group of friends. He knew they would risk their lives for him, as he would risk his for them. Only just last year had they completed such a task, when they underwent the tasks involved, achieving the goal of becoming animagi to help Remus during his monthly werewolf transformations.
James knew how grateful Remus was, but they all passed it off Maurader style, cracking jokes about the illegal sins they could now perform.
Yes, Hogwarts had been fun for James.
He wasn't ashamed to admit his popularity. He knew that the Maunders were the most sought after guys in the school. He himself had been bombarded with cards this Valentine's Day...he knew of only one person who had received more.
Sirius- the school's resident heart-throb.
Sirius had a bad-boy attitude that the girls found sexy and exciting. It was rumored that he had dated every girl in the grade above and the grade below...but none of them knew the real Sirius...the Sirius inside.
James did-- he knew that with Sirius it was all talk. He was the biggest softie in the world when he was around his friends...or for that matter, Emily Bell. James knew (even if Sirius wouldn't admit it) that he had a crush on her...he had even punched some guy in the nose once because he had called her a slut.
To Sirius, Emily was on a pedestal. He respected her and trusted her, and for that reason he would never make a pass on her.
James sighed again...he would miss his friends so much.
But hey-- Australia was supposed to have some very sexy girls...
* * * * *
"We are now approaching the decent to our destination, Sydney Airport, Australia. I would ask all passenger to remain in their seats while the seatbelt sign is on. The duty-free tray will be coming around a final time for any last minute purchases. Thank you for traveling with British Airways."
Lily felt a grin slide over her face. They were almost there.
Staring out of the window, she watched as they flew lower and lower over the beautiful city of Sydney. As they crossed the harbor an amazing bridge seemed to stretch to the sky.
The elderly Australian sitting next to Lily must have noticed her amazement, because she leaned over and pointed to the bridge, saying, "It's the Sydney Harbor bridge...nice, isn't it?"
"Spectacular," murmured Lily.
"And that," said the Lady, pointing to a beautiful, white building that sloped like the sails of a boat, "that is the new Sydney Opera House."
Lily's smile grew even wider as she watched the amazing building.
They were descending further down every second and soon they were above the giant airstrip. Lily squeezed her eyes shut...Petunia had told her that the plane was most likely to blow up when it was landing.
She felt the plane hit the tarmac, however, and as they coasted down the runway she opened her eyes, marveling at the huge terminal ahead. The plane soon came to a complete stop in front of terminal three.
Lily believed her heart also came to an abrupt halt.
She was here.
Never had Lily felt such emotions...it was like she was being ripped apart, one side terrified, the other desperate with excitement. What would Aunt Karen think of her? And Uncle Jack? Millions of questions raced through her brain.
She had no idea how she managed to get off the plane, or how she made her way through the coffee-smelling tunnels leading to the airport. Lily wasn't even sure how she came about her luggage, or why she was standing in the pick-up terminal. All she knew was the pounding of her heart.
"Lily!"
Lily spun around searching for the voice, nervously adjusting her glasses.
"Lily!"
There it was again...Lily looked to her left and saw her aunt, racing towards her, fiery red hair blowing out behind her. She reached Lily and pulled her into a massive bear hug. When she finally pulled away, she held Lily out at arms distance and studied her carefully.
"So, how are you love? Was the flight okay?"
"It was fine thanks...how is everyone?"
"Oh never mind about them! How's your Mum?"
"Fine thanks," answered Lily shyly, "She sent presents for you all."
"Really?" Karen grinned mischievously, "Lets get you home then!"
She wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulder and lead her to the car.
It took a long time to get out if the crowded carpark, but finally they were on the highway, windows open and crisp winter air blowing in.
"So I hear you're little-miss-magic," Karen said to Lily, a smile on her face, "How marvelous. I mean, at first we were slightly confused and to be honest, a little scared, but then your Mum sent us some amazing pamphlets- and now we think its great!"
Lily smiled shyly and nodded.
"So what's Hogwarts like?"
"Well its amazing really!" said Lily, losing some of her initial shyness as she began to explain about all the amazing things that happened there.
"And your friends? What are they like- geez, wish I had magical friends!"
Aunt Karen must have noticed that a stricken look passed across Lily's face, because she dropped the subject immediately and started to point out the different sites.
Soon they were passing over a large bridge, which Karen identified as the 'split bridge' ("It's called that because when boats come, it separates to let them through"). Once across, they began to drive along a series of twisty roads that lead past a small shopping area and onto a street that overlooked the harbor.
Lily couldn't help but remember, as they passed the massive houses, her mother warning her that Karen had made a very good marriage. Actually, Lily thought, glancing at a particularly big house, she must have made a GREAT marriage.
Soon they came to a stop in front of a pair of massive gates. Karen rolled down her window and pressed the intercom next to the car. A buzzing noise sounded before a deep male voice boomed out,
"Hello?"
"Hi Jack, it's me...I've got Lily."
"Ok, I'll buzz you in."
Another loud buzz sounded as the gates creaked open. Karen drove through the gap and parked in front of another metal gate.
The buzzer action was repeated again, and Karen pushed it open. It led to a number of steps, that led downwards towards one of the most spectacular houses Lily had ever seen.
It was white, and the whole thing seemed to be almost made up of glass. Instead of going upwards as most houses do, it was multi-layered and tumbled down the hill so that the garden was right in front of the harbor. Lily could see a yacht parked in front of a small dock, far down below.
The big blue doors in front of her suddenly opened and a stampede of people came thundering out. They advanced towards Lily, who shrunk back behind her Aunt.
"OY!" yelled Karen and everyone stopped, "Let's not overwhelm the poor girl."
Laughter sounded and everyone spread out into a line made up of cousins and an Uncle. Karen began the task of introducing everyone.
"These are the twins, Sonya and Sam."
A pair of kids that looked about Lily's age waved at her and smiled. Lily smiled back- they seemed nice enough.
"And this is Kaitlyn."
A cute little girl, who looked around eight smiled shyly. The small boy next to her suddenly nudged her out of the way and said to Lily in a matter of fact sort of way,
"I'm Ben...I'm this many!"
He held up 5 fingers and Lily was immediately enchanted.
"Yes, well," Karen said playfully, picking him up and setting him to the side. "And this is the most immature of all. Lily, meet Jack."
A tall, handsome man, who looked as if he had Brazilian blood, shook her hand firmly. He then turned to his wife and scooped her up.
"Immature! I'll show you immature!"
Karen shrieked in false alarm and the kids laughed hysterically. Lily adjusted her glasses, unsure what to do, until Sonya stepped forward and said,
"Hi! You're bunking in with me. Want to go see my room?"
Lily nodded shyly, and Sonya grabbed her hand, leading her inside the house.
Sonya's room was on the third floor down, and to get to it they passed through a great number of amazing rooms, all decorated with sculptures and paintings. Lily wondered how the Mazeilles managed to raise four kids in it! Eventually they reached their destination, a bright turquoise room decorated with all sorts of posters.
Lily wandered over and looked at the most recent school photo of Sonya. She couldn't help but notice that her cousin was stunning. She was an unusual mixture of her parents, with her mother's pale English skin, and curvaceous figure. She had inherited her father's dark eyes and thick lashes however, as well as his straight, dark hair. Her features were certainly unusual, but Sonya managed to carry it off, and Lily thought she looked beautiful.
"So...how do you like Australia?" asked Sonya, after flopping into a hot pink bean bag chair.
"It's great so far," answered Lily softly.
"I'm jealous of you though! England sounds so amazingly great! I want to go with a boyfriend to one of those castles...mmm, think of all the pashing."
"Pashing?" Lily didn't like to interrupt, but she had no idea what it meant.
Sonya looked a bit confused for a moment, before giggling and answering, "Okay, okay...in English, I mean kissing, you know, snogging!"
"Ah," said Lily shyly, "You mean pulling?"
"You call it pulling over there!"
Sonya giggled again, and when Lily didn't join in, Sonya shot her an extra nice smile, "Are you always this quiet?"
"Usually...I'm shy," Lily admitted.
"Hmmm....well, that's going to have to change. In this household quiet people don't last too long!"
Sonya then jumped into a mime of how you have to be assertive to nab the best breakfast cereals. Lily found herself in stitches and Sonya pulled her to the floor next to her.
"So, Lily Evans. Ever played Twister?"
"Twister?"
Sonya grinned evilly and grabbed a game from her top shelf.
"Than you haven't quite lived."
Soon Lily was laughing hysterically as Sonya tried to twist herself into a completely random shapes. Mid-game, Sam sauntered in, and soon launched a tickle attack on both girls when they were utterly helpless.
They all collapsed into a heap on the floor and Sam exclaimed,
"Fun game, aye?"
"You have no idea..." said Lily more confident then she had ever been.
She wasn't quite sure, but she thought this may have been one of the greatest days of her life.
* * * * *
James was lying on his back in their massive hotel room, watching the ceiling and counting the number of times his mother asked him to get changed for dinner.
So far he had reached five.
"James, will you please get changed for dinner...how many times do I have to ask?"
Better make that six.
He was extremely bored. After getting off the plane, they had caught an ugly Muggle bus into the city and checked in at a swanky hotel called 'The Renaissance."
Since then, they had done pretty much nothing.
James had asked if he could go exploring, but Janet had insisted he stay where he was until she had finished sorting out their itinerary. This pretty much meant that there was nothing to do but count meaningless things and watch the ceiling- both of which James had completed.
His Mother was now sending stealth owls (owls that could not be seen by Muggles) that she had hired from a small Wizarding post office, hidden in a small corner of the city, to all her Australian friends, trying to figure out where they were going to stay.
She also had decided that it took several hours to get ready for dinner and had been pestering James about getting changed since four-o-clock in the afternoon.
Sighing, James decided to make her dreams come true, and wandered into the bathroom, where he changed into a pair of smart black pants and an ironed blue shirt. When he emerged, he let Janet fuss over his hair for several more minutes, then grabbed his glasses and smashed them onto his face.
After emerging from their room, they had to travel through several corridors, downwards, via a large elevator, to the second floor and walk through a bar and a club to reach the Posh, upper-class restaurant.
After a short wait, they were seated by a waiter, who introduced himself as Michael, next to a window that overlooked the darkening city. The Harbor bridge was especially spectacular, lit up with lights.
"James," Janet said softly, "Linda replied and said we could stay with her in her unit in Manly. She said that there was a few wizarding locations hidden around and about and she has a son about your age."
"Really? What's his name?"
"Can't think what it is at this moment, but he goes to the A.N.I.W.W."
"Serious? Isn't that hard to get into...what does it stand for again?"
"Australian National Institute for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yes, I think it is a bit difficult to get into. Apparently, he's there on scholarship, but he's back for the holidays so there will be someone your age to hang around with. Supposedly there's some great teen-clubs in the area."
"Great!" exclaimed James as a waiter walked up to take their orders.
The food came surprisingly fast, and as James ate his Veal cutlet, he smiled flirtatiously at the pretty blonde sitting with her parents at the table next to them.
He was in good spirits...tomorrow they would be out of this boring hotel and he would have someone to show him about.
* * * * *
"Sam, could you please pass me the potatoes?"
"Sure thing," answered Sam, sliding the dish across the table to where Karen was sitting. Lily who was sitting next to him had to quickly move her arm out of the way in order to avoid being run over.
She couldn't remember a time where she felt so comfortable. She had only known these people for a day and already they were accepting her into the family. The best thing about it was that there was no uncomfortable silences, or people avoiding her.
Sonya was an easy person to talk to, and Lily was amazed how quickly a friendship had formed between them. She was used to being shunned- not treated as though she was an equal, which Sonya so admirably did. Lily also felt that she got on well with Sam.
Unlike Sonya, he was good at school, so before dinner, Lily had played a game of cards with him and discussed the differences in their educations.
"So, Lily...jet-lagged yet?"
Lily turned to smile at Jack.
"Not yet- I expect that it will hit me sometime soon though."
"Not too soon, I hope," added Sam, grinning, "My best friend, B.J is coming over after dinner, and I want you to meet him!"
Sonya's head immediately snapped up.
"Ben is coming HERE?"
Sam laughed...obviously he knew something that the rest of the family, aside from him and Sonya, didn't.
"Yes, Ben is coming here...and call him B.J for god's sake." Sam then turned to Lily, "He hates being called Ben. He says it makes him sound like he's in the army or something."
Lily giggled, as Sonya jumped up from the table saying, "May Lily and I please be excused?"
"Sure thing," said Karen, a twinkle in her eye.
"Great, thanks," cried Sonya, standing up quickly and dragging Lily along with her. She didn't stop until they were both safely seated inside Sonya's room...the door shut firmly behind them.
"Oh my God...Lily! B.J is the hottest guy ever. You should see him...he has the most amazing blue eyes and..."
Overcome, Sonya flopped onto her bed and sighed dreamily.
"So he's pretty good-looking?"
"Like, YES!" cried Sonya, suddenly launching herself up from the bed, "I just thought of something...he's coming here and I'm wearing this old thing!"
Lily studied Sonya closely. She couldn't see what was wrong with her cousins jeans and jumper. Sonya obviously could, however, as she jumped up and started rummaging through her wardrobe...
"Oh, dammit. I have nothing to wear! And I really do mean nothing..." suddenly Sonya turned towards Lily with a glint in her eyes, "Lil..." she said, turning puppy eyes on full blast. "Could I maybe--you know, borrow some clothes?"
Lily's eyes opened wide. She had nothing to lend Sonya...all her clothes were dingy and unfashionable.
Sonya, mistaking the situation, got down on her hands and knees begging, "Please Lily! I'll do anything!"
"Sure," Lily finally gave up, "But I should warn you that I have seriously no clothes!"
"Yes!" Sonya exclaimed, pulling Lily into a hug, before attacking her bags...
"Ah." She said a few minutes later when she had emerged, "I get your point. You are in need of some serious shopping."
"I know..." said Lily miserably.
Sonya seeing that Lily was close to being upset, reached out and pulled her into a hug.
"It doesn't matter what your clothes are like--it matters what your personality is like. And you, my friend, have nothing to worry about there."
"Really?" Lily sniffed. She was about to tell Sonya about how at her school it DID matter what you look like...She remembered one day last year when she had ventured into Hogsmeade...
----- Lily wandered down the street of Hogsmeade, nervously looking from side to side. Couples were strolling along beside her, along with large, giggling groups of girls.
Lily immediately felt sick...she shouldn't have come. She had no place here among these loud, uncaring people. She didn't have the same life as them...the same energy.
She should have stayed at school and studied.
Another group of girls wandered past and began to chatter loudly and rudely. Lily self consciously tugged at her knee length wool skirt and hugged her arms around her pink-cardigan covered chest.
As they walked away she could hear them exclaim, "Did you see what that girl was wearing?"
"Tell me about it...she looked like some sort of rodent."
"Isn't she the girl who went alone to the disco...you know, the one who wore that ugly-as-hell dress?"
"I don't think so...that girl was at least pretty."
Lily held her tears back, chanting in her head that she was better than them...she was better.
"I get your point...look at her hair," they all paused to giggle.
"Looks like she's been rolling around in filth."
There was a short pause before one of the girls gathered the rest in a said in a low vicious voice,
"No wonder she looks like that...she's a disgusting little mudblood."
Lily's facade of indifference collapsed. Tears streaming down her face, she had hurried back to the safety of Hogwarts and the comfort of the library.-- ----
"Lily?" Sonya's voice brought her back to reality. "Lily? What's wrong?"
Lily could hold it in no longer.
Bursting into tears she related to Sonya about how lonely she was, and how much she hated her school. She even told her about her crush on James Potter and all her problems about bullying.
Sonya waited quietly until she had finished talking, then handed her a tissue.
"Blow." she said simply, waiting for Lily to stop crying. When she had, Sonya pulled her into a hug then held her at arms length.
"Listen here Lily, I've only known you for one day, and already I think you're on of the nicest people I've ever met. You get on with all of us so well...see? There's nothing wrong with you. If anyone has problems, it's those annoying bitches in your dorm."
"Emily's not so bad."
"But she's still not so good?"
"I guess."
"But I'll tell you what. By the time you go back to school next year, you will be a changed girl! First I want you to think confidently! Now, I know the only way I'm going to prove to you that you're a gorgeous-"
"But I'm not!" Lily interrupted.
Sonya blocked her eyes and yelled out, "Not listening!" until Lily shut up again.
"You are so, and that's what I'm about to prove to you. You know that B.J is coming over this evening?"
"Yes?"
"Well I guarantee that when he gets here you will be a gorgeous, gorgeous babe...And I promise that he will not be able to take his eyes off you."
"Fat chance."
"You can shut-up now, Lily...I made you a promise, and Sonya Marie Mazeille always keeps her promises."
She then sat Lily down in front of her vanity and glanced at all the cosmetics lined up in a row.
"Now...where to start?"
* * * * *
Meanwhile Sam had eaten a tuna sandwich, played a game of cards (unfortunately with Kaitlyn, who had a tendency to cheat) and written an essay (for no apparent reason).
He was just going to ask Lily if she wanted to have a game of poker, when the door buzzer went off. BJ had arrived.
* * * * *
Sonya put a little bit more blush on Lily's face, then put the brush down, flamboyantly exclaiming, "All done!"
Lily reached up to touch her face, but Sonya batted her hand away impatiently.
"So tell me Lily, how urgently do you need to wear your glasses?"
"I don't really. They're only reading glasses."
"Then why do you wear them?"
"I guess its just habit."
Sonya sighed, exasperated, and took the glasses from the vanity. Lily opened her eyes and watched in horror as Sonya neatly snapped them in half.
"Sonya!"
"Relax...I'll pay for a new pair. Seriously! These ones look like my Great Grandma's specs."
"Well...alright then."
Sonya grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her over to a mirror, exclaiming, "Eyes closed now. Ready?" She placed her directly in front of it, "Okay? Look!"
Lily opened her eyes and gasped. Staring back at her was a face that she didn't recognize...this face was beautiful.
"What did you do?!" she exclaimed, turning to Sonya with hope shining in her eyes.
"Not much. I told you were gorgeous. All I had to do was take off your glasses-- the rest is superficial."
Lily let out a cry of delight and twirled across the room, grabbing Sonya and pulling her into a waltz.
"Alright, alright!" exclaimed Sonya, laughing happily, "Come on, I have to get you into a decent outfit before..."
She paused momentarily and Lily could clearly hear a voice she didn't recognize coming down the stairs.
"Crap! He's here!"
She ran over to her closet and began sorting through clothes frantically. Finally, she pulled out a powder-blue jumper and a pair of black flares.
"Quick...chuck these on."
Lily did, getting stuck in the jumper mid-way. Sonya followed her example (aside from getting stuck) and pulled on an orange mini-skirt and a white shirt.
They both stood in front of the mirror, and Lily could hardy believe that the reflection was hers.
"See," said Sonya knowledgeably, "Perfect figures...runs in the family."
Lily had to stifle a laugh. Sonya never held anything back- she was as honest and plain as black and white. Lily stared into the mirror again. Could it be possible that she looked even remotely similar to this Amazonian goddess standing next to her? No, she decided, it couldn't be.
"Ready?" Sonya asked her, eyes wide with a big grin.
"As ready as I'm ever going to be..."
"Let's go."
Sonya marched towards the door as if she was going to war. Lily almost expected her to turn around and bark, "Sargent Evans? Are we ready at 700 hours to approach foreign territory?"
Instead she turned around and muttered, "I am, like, so nervous right about now."
"Chill..." said Lily, stepping neatly in front of Sonya, who seemed to be frozen to the spot, and pushing open the door.
Sitting on the couch in front of the projector screen was Sam, with an adorable guy that Lily guessed must be BJ. Immediately Lily shrunk back behind Sonya, who had leapt into action, sauntering sexily up to the couch and sitting delicately next to BJ.
"Hey BJ...this is my cousin, Lily."
He turned around, and Lily felt like fainting. He was absolutely gorgeous, with his black hair and deep tan. Lily had to concentrate hard to stop herself from dribbling all over the carpet.
"Hey, Lily," he said to her, his voice deep.
"Hello..." she whispered...Lily never spoke to guys...never. The closest she had ever come was dreaming about it. But dreams and reality were two different things as Lily was so often reminded.
"Your accent is cute," he said, grinning devilishly at her.
"Thanks...you sound kinda cool too," the closest she would ever come to a compliment!
He laughed, though in a nice sort of way, and patted the chair next to him. She went and sat down, very much aware that Sonya was giving her the thumbs up from the other side.
Once a movie came on to the T.V things got easier. Lily found that there was no awkward silences. Yes, all the hype that people made about talking to boys was false...it was nothing. Really.
"So..." BJ said after the movie had finished. "Anyone wanna go look at the stars?"
Sonya let out a massive fake yawn, and announced she was going to bed. Kissing them all on the cheek, she backed out of the room, nodding furiously at Lily the whole time. Drawing up her courage, Lily turned to BJ and said shyly,"I wouldn't mind."
He grinned, grabbed her hand and lead her outside. Soon they were standing on the balcony, looking out at the amazing view.
"So..."He said, shooting a sideways glance at her, "Sam tells me you're magic."
"He did?" Lily muttered, glaring. Now what was he going to think?
"Yeah. I think its pretty cool. I have a friend who's magical. Went to primary school with me and we kept in touch. He doesn't have un-magical parents though. Apparently his mum's a witch but his dad's not."
"Really?" said Lily, interested immediately, "Do you know what school he's at?"
"Nah," replied BJ, "All I know is that he goes to a boarding school way out near the desert. Hey...you look cold."
Lily almost said that she was fine, until she realised his true intentions. Smiling bravely, she said in the most stable voice she could muster, "Yeah...I am a bit. I was so excited coming to Australia that I forgot that it was winter over here."
BJ shot her a amused look, then wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her in closer to him.
"Is that better?" he whispered in her ear.
"Much."
Before she knew what was happening, she felt his lips brush across her cheek. Lily looked up startled, right into his eyes. For a second she fooled herself...pretended that it was James...in her imagination he had taken her out to the Quidditch pitch to watch the stars.
Lily closed her eyes and indulged in this fantasy for a minute until she felt warm lips begin to caress her own. Her eyes snapped open and her illusion was shattered.
She was in Australia, this was BJ, and she was experiencing her First Kiss.
Suddenly a massive sense of fear overtook her. She was Lily Evans! Girls like her didn't do things like this. Especially not with someone so handsome and charismatic...it wasn't done.
Any second now BJ was going to realise the mistake he had made...realise that she was just the geeky girl that everyone laughed at.
The panic flooded into her brain as she pushed BJ away, her breathing heavy.
"What?" he asked, voice thick.
"No-nothing," she said, voice trembling, "I...I'm just really t-tired."
She turned and ran back into the house, pushing past Sam who was walking towards her, worried. She made it into Sonya's bedroom and crouched behind the door. She could hear BJ enter the lounge and Sam stop him.
"What did you do to her?" came Sam's voice angrily,"She was trembling like a rabbit."
"Nothing- I swear. I just kissed her and she freaked out...Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with her."
Lily slid down to the floor.
"No," she whispered, "Nobody knows what's wrong with me." -
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Wow!
You guys are the best, nicest, most wonderfullest reviewers ever! I have to add in, that the idea's for Stealth Owls come from Lori's amazing fic, "The Paradigm of Uncertainty."
Seriously- I was blown away by how much you responded...cus I love it when people shout out to their reviewers I've decided to do it too!
*Liat86: I'm glad you liked the idea! It was just some random thing that hit me one day!
*me: Actually, in an interview, JK said that James was a chaser...I get confused as well, cus the movie mixes it all up. I like James better as a chaser anyway...it would be a bit cliche if he was a seeker. Thanks for the lovely review!
*RoCkErChIcK: thanks heaps! Your review made my morning!
*shortshrimp: glad you liked it! Thanks for the great review!
*Lavon: don't worry, corniness rules the world! (well aside from those annoying pick up lines, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" ugh (shudders) thanks a bunch!
*Lil-Brat888: AWWWWWWWWWWWWW, your review was so nice! I know what you mean- Kids can be way harsh. I had the worst time at age 11...how young is that!
*Male Volent: I agree, she definitaly needs one...look at the coke-bottle glasses! thanks!
*Hanna-chan: I'll try, thanks for the smashing review!
(sorry everyone...I'm running out of words to put before review! Soon I'm going to be going, "Thanks for the...uh...Mittens? review?")
*crystal shards: awwwwwww, thanks for the grand? review!
*Male Volent: hahahah! you again! (not that I mind! double reviewers rock!)
*Brooke Windome: Thanks! Your review rocked too!
*Amelia: Thanks a bundle! your review was super! (as I said, I'm fastly running out of adjectives...I almost said you review was a carrot then!)
*lils: I know! They should be put in a lunch-box and shoved in a fridge...only to be poked once a week with twigs. Thanks for the review!
*fluffymufin: I made this one longer!
*Laure: lol, thanks! your review was like a chocolate-chip-cookie! (not too sure what that means except it was grand!)
*milky: See I did do it semi-quick! thanks for the nice-spice review!
*The Elfin Child: Thanks for the coolios review!
*KawaiinessPnay: Thanks! I will...your review was like another chocolate- chip-cookie!
*Scarlett*eyes: I know...they do get a bit cliche. Hopefully this one bends the rules abit...thanks!
*Lavinia: Thanks! I will soon...Rock on reviewing!
*AnGeL*Of*MiNe luvya DaNiEl: Thanks! Your review was very very good. (for lack of another cool words)
*Shinning Crystal: okookokokookokokokokokokookokokokokokokokokokookokokokokokokokook- thanks for the cool as a pool review! Go team!
Ok- are we all alright after that little burst of insanity! Hope all the replys to the reviewers were ok!
REVIEW! come'on chant it with me! REVIEW!
Go team!
Bye!
His mother, Janet Potter, displaying her almost super-natural sixth sense, turned from the window where she was watching clouds pass and looked at her son suspiciously.
"James?" she said in a firm voice,"what is that you're drinking?"
"Nothing Mum," smiled James with what he hoped looked like an innocent face. "Nothing but fresh, vitamin C enriched orange juice."
Janet hadn't lived with James for sixteen years for nothing however, she knew all his tricks. Grabbing the glass off him, she sniffed it a few times and said to him in a stern voice,
"James? Have you been drinking alcohol again?"
"Moi? Never!" James replied, fluttering his eye-lashes.
Janet didn't buy it.
"James! Please don't tell me you're adapting into one of those revolting American kids! I don't think I could stand it if you went all alcoholic and- "
"Mum-"
"Think of all those parents with no control of their kids....and those Muggles!"
"Mum-"
"Going to their raves and getting "smashed"...its enough to drive me to my death-"
"MUM!"
"Yes, dear?"
James sighed heavily and started listing points onto his fingers.
"I am NOT American. I DON'T drink or do drugs. And NO, I don't go to random raves."
"Yes...of course...Sorry dear." Janet turned back to look out the window, and in no time at all her attention had been caught by a passing cloud.
James sighed again. He couldn't think what had come over his mother recently. She had suddenly assumed that American pop culture was flooding into Britain- that was why he was being forced to take this damned trip in the first place. Janet, who had been dying to visit an old friend who lived in Australia, had decided that James's mind was being "contaminated" by "peer-pressure".
Apparently, Australia was much more secluded, and thus James was being dragged there for a three-week holiday.
He couldn't understand where her sudden fear of him turning into a Muggle was coming from. Janet seemed to think that he would soon be walking around shirtless, with a ponytail and a guitar strapped to his chest. Sure, he liked some of their stuff...the Beatles played great music, as did the Eagles. And yes, James didn't really object to the 'make love, not war' theme that was circulating around. But take his word for it...James would never, ever talk like a yank.
Speaking of accents, James was rather scared of going to Australia. He had heard that the people there hopped around on kangaroos saying 'G'day mate' to any unsuspecting civilian that happened to wander past.
Of course, he had gotten his information from Sirius, so perhaps it wasn't 100% accurate.
The sudden thought of Sirius sent a sharp pain through James chest. It was going to be hard to be away from his best friend. He didn't think they had been separated longer than a few days since they were wandering around in their nappies together.
At Hogwarts, not much had changed. They were still best friends, although they did make form friendships with a few other boys.
James remembered how he had met his other best friend, Remus.
It was their sorting feast and as James was sitting next to Sirius at the Gryffindor table, they noticed a small, pale boy sitting across from them. Sirius had the bright idea of chucking an exploding Jelly bean at him...however, the boy had not reacted as expected (bursting into tears, sobbing). Instead, he had reached into his pocket and shot a few rather interesting curses at them.
Once they had gotten over having blue hair and jelly legs, they recognized a strong connection, and a threesome had been formed. This threesome did eventually grow into four people when they discovered the fourth member of their dormitory, a small, chubby boy named Peter Pettigrew.
Remus, being too nice to leave anyone out, had reached out to him and eventually they became a group of four.
James couldn't imagine belonging to a more loyal, trustworthy group of friends. He knew they would risk their lives for him, as he would risk his for them. Only just last year had they completed such a task, when they underwent the tasks involved, achieving the goal of becoming animagi to help Remus during his monthly werewolf transformations.
James knew how grateful Remus was, but they all passed it off Maurader style, cracking jokes about the illegal sins they could now perform.
Yes, Hogwarts had been fun for James.
He wasn't ashamed to admit his popularity. He knew that the Maunders were the most sought after guys in the school. He himself had been bombarded with cards this Valentine's Day...he knew of only one person who had received more.
Sirius- the school's resident heart-throb.
Sirius had a bad-boy attitude that the girls found sexy and exciting. It was rumored that he had dated every girl in the grade above and the grade below...but none of them knew the real Sirius...the Sirius inside.
James did-- he knew that with Sirius it was all talk. He was the biggest softie in the world when he was around his friends...or for that matter, Emily Bell. James knew (even if Sirius wouldn't admit it) that he had a crush on her...he had even punched some guy in the nose once because he had called her a slut.
To Sirius, Emily was on a pedestal. He respected her and trusted her, and for that reason he would never make a pass on her.
James sighed again...he would miss his friends so much.
But hey-- Australia was supposed to have some very sexy girls...
* * * * *
"We are now approaching the decent to our destination, Sydney Airport, Australia. I would ask all passenger to remain in their seats while the seatbelt sign is on. The duty-free tray will be coming around a final time for any last minute purchases. Thank you for traveling with British Airways."
Lily felt a grin slide over her face. They were almost there.
Staring out of the window, she watched as they flew lower and lower over the beautiful city of Sydney. As they crossed the harbor an amazing bridge seemed to stretch to the sky.
The elderly Australian sitting next to Lily must have noticed her amazement, because she leaned over and pointed to the bridge, saying, "It's the Sydney Harbor bridge...nice, isn't it?"
"Spectacular," murmured Lily.
"And that," said the Lady, pointing to a beautiful, white building that sloped like the sails of a boat, "that is the new Sydney Opera House."
Lily's smile grew even wider as she watched the amazing building.
They were descending further down every second and soon they were above the giant airstrip. Lily squeezed her eyes shut...Petunia had told her that the plane was most likely to blow up when it was landing.
She felt the plane hit the tarmac, however, and as they coasted down the runway she opened her eyes, marveling at the huge terminal ahead. The plane soon came to a complete stop in front of terminal three.
Lily believed her heart also came to an abrupt halt.
She was here.
Never had Lily felt such emotions...it was like she was being ripped apart, one side terrified, the other desperate with excitement. What would Aunt Karen think of her? And Uncle Jack? Millions of questions raced through her brain.
She had no idea how she managed to get off the plane, or how she made her way through the coffee-smelling tunnels leading to the airport. Lily wasn't even sure how she came about her luggage, or why she was standing in the pick-up terminal. All she knew was the pounding of her heart.
"Lily!"
Lily spun around searching for the voice, nervously adjusting her glasses.
"Lily!"
There it was again...Lily looked to her left and saw her aunt, racing towards her, fiery red hair blowing out behind her. She reached Lily and pulled her into a massive bear hug. When she finally pulled away, she held Lily out at arms distance and studied her carefully.
"So, how are you love? Was the flight okay?"
"It was fine thanks...how is everyone?"
"Oh never mind about them! How's your Mum?"
"Fine thanks," answered Lily shyly, "She sent presents for you all."
"Really?" Karen grinned mischievously, "Lets get you home then!"
She wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulder and lead her to the car.
It took a long time to get out if the crowded carpark, but finally they were on the highway, windows open and crisp winter air blowing in.
"So I hear you're little-miss-magic," Karen said to Lily, a smile on her face, "How marvelous. I mean, at first we were slightly confused and to be honest, a little scared, but then your Mum sent us some amazing pamphlets- and now we think its great!"
Lily smiled shyly and nodded.
"So what's Hogwarts like?"
"Well its amazing really!" said Lily, losing some of her initial shyness as she began to explain about all the amazing things that happened there.
"And your friends? What are they like- geez, wish I had magical friends!"
Aunt Karen must have noticed that a stricken look passed across Lily's face, because she dropped the subject immediately and started to point out the different sites.
Soon they were passing over a large bridge, which Karen identified as the 'split bridge' ("It's called that because when boats come, it separates to let them through"). Once across, they began to drive along a series of twisty roads that lead past a small shopping area and onto a street that overlooked the harbor.
Lily couldn't help but remember, as they passed the massive houses, her mother warning her that Karen had made a very good marriage. Actually, Lily thought, glancing at a particularly big house, she must have made a GREAT marriage.
Soon they came to a stop in front of a pair of massive gates. Karen rolled down her window and pressed the intercom next to the car. A buzzing noise sounded before a deep male voice boomed out,
"Hello?"
"Hi Jack, it's me...I've got Lily."
"Ok, I'll buzz you in."
Another loud buzz sounded as the gates creaked open. Karen drove through the gap and parked in front of another metal gate.
The buzzer action was repeated again, and Karen pushed it open. It led to a number of steps, that led downwards towards one of the most spectacular houses Lily had ever seen.
It was white, and the whole thing seemed to be almost made up of glass. Instead of going upwards as most houses do, it was multi-layered and tumbled down the hill so that the garden was right in front of the harbor. Lily could see a yacht parked in front of a small dock, far down below.
The big blue doors in front of her suddenly opened and a stampede of people came thundering out. They advanced towards Lily, who shrunk back behind her Aunt.
"OY!" yelled Karen and everyone stopped, "Let's not overwhelm the poor girl."
Laughter sounded and everyone spread out into a line made up of cousins and an Uncle. Karen began the task of introducing everyone.
"These are the twins, Sonya and Sam."
A pair of kids that looked about Lily's age waved at her and smiled. Lily smiled back- they seemed nice enough.
"And this is Kaitlyn."
A cute little girl, who looked around eight smiled shyly. The small boy next to her suddenly nudged her out of the way and said to Lily in a matter of fact sort of way,
"I'm Ben...I'm this many!"
He held up 5 fingers and Lily was immediately enchanted.
"Yes, well," Karen said playfully, picking him up and setting him to the side. "And this is the most immature of all. Lily, meet Jack."
A tall, handsome man, who looked as if he had Brazilian blood, shook her hand firmly. He then turned to his wife and scooped her up.
"Immature! I'll show you immature!"
Karen shrieked in false alarm and the kids laughed hysterically. Lily adjusted her glasses, unsure what to do, until Sonya stepped forward and said,
"Hi! You're bunking in with me. Want to go see my room?"
Lily nodded shyly, and Sonya grabbed her hand, leading her inside the house.
Sonya's room was on the third floor down, and to get to it they passed through a great number of amazing rooms, all decorated with sculptures and paintings. Lily wondered how the Mazeilles managed to raise four kids in it! Eventually they reached their destination, a bright turquoise room decorated with all sorts of posters.
Lily wandered over and looked at the most recent school photo of Sonya. She couldn't help but notice that her cousin was stunning. She was an unusual mixture of her parents, with her mother's pale English skin, and curvaceous figure. She had inherited her father's dark eyes and thick lashes however, as well as his straight, dark hair. Her features were certainly unusual, but Sonya managed to carry it off, and Lily thought she looked beautiful.
"So...how do you like Australia?" asked Sonya, after flopping into a hot pink bean bag chair.
"It's great so far," answered Lily softly.
"I'm jealous of you though! England sounds so amazingly great! I want to go with a boyfriend to one of those castles...mmm, think of all the pashing."
"Pashing?" Lily didn't like to interrupt, but she had no idea what it meant.
Sonya looked a bit confused for a moment, before giggling and answering, "Okay, okay...in English, I mean kissing, you know, snogging!"
"Ah," said Lily shyly, "You mean pulling?"
"You call it pulling over there!"
Sonya giggled again, and when Lily didn't join in, Sonya shot her an extra nice smile, "Are you always this quiet?"
"Usually...I'm shy," Lily admitted.
"Hmmm....well, that's going to have to change. In this household quiet people don't last too long!"
Sonya then jumped into a mime of how you have to be assertive to nab the best breakfast cereals. Lily found herself in stitches and Sonya pulled her to the floor next to her.
"So, Lily Evans. Ever played Twister?"
"Twister?"
Sonya grinned evilly and grabbed a game from her top shelf.
"Than you haven't quite lived."
Soon Lily was laughing hysterically as Sonya tried to twist herself into a completely random shapes. Mid-game, Sam sauntered in, and soon launched a tickle attack on both girls when they were utterly helpless.
They all collapsed into a heap on the floor and Sam exclaimed,
"Fun game, aye?"
"You have no idea..." said Lily more confident then she had ever been.
She wasn't quite sure, but she thought this may have been one of the greatest days of her life.
* * * * *
James was lying on his back in their massive hotel room, watching the ceiling and counting the number of times his mother asked him to get changed for dinner.
So far he had reached five.
"James, will you please get changed for dinner...how many times do I have to ask?"
Better make that six.
He was extremely bored. After getting off the plane, they had caught an ugly Muggle bus into the city and checked in at a swanky hotel called 'The Renaissance."
Since then, they had done pretty much nothing.
James had asked if he could go exploring, but Janet had insisted he stay where he was until she had finished sorting out their itinerary. This pretty much meant that there was nothing to do but count meaningless things and watch the ceiling- both of which James had completed.
His Mother was now sending stealth owls (owls that could not be seen by Muggles) that she had hired from a small Wizarding post office, hidden in a small corner of the city, to all her Australian friends, trying to figure out where they were going to stay.
She also had decided that it took several hours to get ready for dinner and had been pestering James about getting changed since four-o-clock in the afternoon.
Sighing, James decided to make her dreams come true, and wandered into the bathroom, where he changed into a pair of smart black pants and an ironed blue shirt. When he emerged, he let Janet fuss over his hair for several more minutes, then grabbed his glasses and smashed them onto his face.
After emerging from their room, they had to travel through several corridors, downwards, via a large elevator, to the second floor and walk through a bar and a club to reach the Posh, upper-class restaurant.
After a short wait, they were seated by a waiter, who introduced himself as Michael, next to a window that overlooked the darkening city. The Harbor bridge was especially spectacular, lit up with lights.
"James," Janet said softly, "Linda replied and said we could stay with her in her unit in Manly. She said that there was a few wizarding locations hidden around and about and she has a son about your age."
"Really? What's his name?"
"Can't think what it is at this moment, but he goes to the A.N.I.W.W."
"Serious? Isn't that hard to get into...what does it stand for again?"
"Australian National Institute for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yes, I think it is a bit difficult to get into. Apparently, he's there on scholarship, but he's back for the holidays so there will be someone your age to hang around with. Supposedly there's some great teen-clubs in the area."
"Great!" exclaimed James as a waiter walked up to take their orders.
The food came surprisingly fast, and as James ate his Veal cutlet, he smiled flirtatiously at the pretty blonde sitting with her parents at the table next to them.
He was in good spirits...tomorrow they would be out of this boring hotel and he would have someone to show him about.
* * * * *
"Sam, could you please pass me the potatoes?"
"Sure thing," answered Sam, sliding the dish across the table to where Karen was sitting. Lily who was sitting next to him had to quickly move her arm out of the way in order to avoid being run over.
She couldn't remember a time where she felt so comfortable. She had only known these people for a day and already they were accepting her into the family. The best thing about it was that there was no uncomfortable silences, or people avoiding her.
Sonya was an easy person to talk to, and Lily was amazed how quickly a friendship had formed between them. She was used to being shunned- not treated as though she was an equal, which Sonya so admirably did. Lily also felt that she got on well with Sam.
Unlike Sonya, he was good at school, so before dinner, Lily had played a game of cards with him and discussed the differences in their educations.
"So, Lily...jet-lagged yet?"
Lily turned to smile at Jack.
"Not yet- I expect that it will hit me sometime soon though."
"Not too soon, I hope," added Sam, grinning, "My best friend, B.J is coming over after dinner, and I want you to meet him!"
Sonya's head immediately snapped up.
"Ben is coming HERE?"
Sam laughed...obviously he knew something that the rest of the family, aside from him and Sonya, didn't.
"Yes, Ben is coming here...and call him B.J for god's sake." Sam then turned to Lily, "He hates being called Ben. He says it makes him sound like he's in the army or something."
Lily giggled, as Sonya jumped up from the table saying, "May Lily and I please be excused?"
"Sure thing," said Karen, a twinkle in her eye.
"Great, thanks," cried Sonya, standing up quickly and dragging Lily along with her. She didn't stop until they were both safely seated inside Sonya's room...the door shut firmly behind them.
"Oh my God...Lily! B.J is the hottest guy ever. You should see him...he has the most amazing blue eyes and..."
Overcome, Sonya flopped onto her bed and sighed dreamily.
"So he's pretty good-looking?"
"Like, YES!" cried Sonya, suddenly launching herself up from the bed, "I just thought of something...he's coming here and I'm wearing this old thing!"
Lily studied Sonya closely. She couldn't see what was wrong with her cousins jeans and jumper. Sonya obviously could, however, as she jumped up and started rummaging through her wardrobe...
"Oh, dammit. I have nothing to wear! And I really do mean nothing..." suddenly Sonya turned towards Lily with a glint in her eyes, "Lil..." she said, turning puppy eyes on full blast. "Could I maybe--you know, borrow some clothes?"
Lily's eyes opened wide. She had nothing to lend Sonya...all her clothes were dingy and unfashionable.
Sonya, mistaking the situation, got down on her hands and knees begging, "Please Lily! I'll do anything!"
"Sure," Lily finally gave up, "But I should warn you that I have seriously no clothes!"
"Yes!" Sonya exclaimed, pulling Lily into a hug, before attacking her bags...
"Ah." She said a few minutes later when she had emerged, "I get your point. You are in need of some serious shopping."
"I know..." said Lily miserably.
Sonya seeing that Lily was close to being upset, reached out and pulled her into a hug.
"It doesn't matter what your clothes are like--it matters what your personality is like. And you, my friend, have nothing to worry about there."
"Really?" Lily sniffed. She was about to tell Sonya about how at her school it DID matter what you look like...She remembered one day last year when she had ventured into Hogsmeade...
----- Lily wandered down the street of Hogsmeade, nervously looking from side to side. Couples were strolling along beside her, along with large, giggling groups of girls.
Lily immediately felt sick...she shouldn't have come. She had no place here among these loud, uncaring people. She didn't have the same life as them...the same energy.
She should have stayed at school and studied.
Another group of girls wandered past and began to chatter loudly and rudely. Lily self consciously tugged at her knee length wool skirt and hugged her arms around her pink-cardigan covered chest.
As they walked away she could hear them exclaim, "Did you see what that girl was wearing?"
"Tell me about it...she looked like some sort of rodent."
"Isn't she the girl who went alone to the disco...you know, the one who wore that ugly-as-hell dress?"
"I don't think so...that girl was at least pretty."
Lily held her tears back, chanting in her head that she was better than them...she was better.
"I get your point...look at her hair," they all paused to giggle.
"Looks like she's been rolling around in filth."
There was a short pause before one of the girls gathered the rest in a said in a low vicious voice,
"No wonder she looks like that...she's a disgusting little mudblood."
Lily's facade of indifference collapsed. Tears streaming down her face, she had hurried back to the safety of Hogwarts and the comfort of the library.-- ----
"Lily?" Sonya's voice brought her back to reality. "Lily? What's wrong?"
Lily could hold it in no longer.
Bursting into tears she related to Sonya about how lonely she was, and how much she hated her school. She even told her about her crush on James Potter and all her problems about bullying.
Sonya waited quietly until she had finished talking, then handed her a tissue.
"Blow." she said simply, waiting for Lily to stop crying. When she had, Sonya pulled her into a hug then held her at arms length.
"Listen here Lily, I've only known you for one day, and already I think you're on of the nicest people I've ever met. You get on with all of us so well...see? There's nothing wrong with you. If anyone has problems, it's those annoying bitches in your dorm."
"Emily's not so bad."
"But she's still not so good?"
"I guess."
"But I'll tell you what. By the time you go back to school next year, you will be a changed girl! First I want you to think confidently! Now, I know the only way I'm going to prove to you that you're a gorgeous-"
"But I'm not!" Lily interrupted.
Sonya blocked her eyes and yelled out, "Not listening!" until Lily shut up again.
"You are so, and that's what I'm about to prove to you. You know that B.J is coming over this evening?"
"Yes?"
"Well I guarantee that when he gets here you will be a gorgeous, gorgeous babe...And I promise that he will not be able to take his eyes off you."
"Fat chance."
"You can shut-up now, Lily...I made you a promise, and Sonya Marie Mazeille always keeps her promises."
She then sat Lily down in front of her vanity and glanced at all the cosmetics lined up in a row.
"Now...where to start?"
* * * * *
Meanwhile Sam had eaten a tuna sandwich, played a game of cards (unfortunately with Kaitlyn, who had a tendency to cheat) and written an essay (for no apparent reason).
He was just going to ask Lily if she wanted to have a game of poker, when the door buzzer went off. BJ had arrived.
* * * * *
Sonya put a little bit more blush on Lily's face, then put the brush down, flamboyantly exclaiming, "All done!"
Lily reached up to touch her face, but Sonya batted her hand away impatiently.
"So tell me Lily, how urgently do you need to wear your glasses?"
"I don't really. They're only reading glasses."
"Then why do you wear them?"
"I guess its just habit."
Sonya sighed, exasperated, and took the glasses from the vanity. Lily opened her eyes and watched in horror as Sonya neatly snapped them in half.
"Sonya!"
"Relax...I'll pay for a new pair. Seriously! These ones look like my Great Grandma's specs."
"Well...alright then."
Sonya grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her over to a mirror, exclaiming, "Eyes closed now. Ready?" She placed her directly in front of it, "Okay? Look!"
Lily opened her eyes and gasped. Staring back at her was a face that she didn't recognize...this face was beautiful.
"What did you do?!" she exclaimed, turning to Sonya with hope shining in her eyes.
"Not much. I told you were gorgeous. All I had to do was take off your glasses-- the rest is superficial."
Lily let out a cry of delight and twirled across the room, grabbing Sonya and pulling her into a waltz.
"Alright, alright!" exclaimed Sonya, laughing happily, "Come on, I have to get you into a decent outfit before..."
She paused momentarily and Lily could clearly hear a voice she didn't recognize coming down the stairs.
"Crap! He's here!"
She ran over to her closet and began sorting through clothes frantically. Finally, she pulled out a powder-blue jumper and a pair of black flares.
"Quick...chuck these on."
Lily did, getting stuck in the jumper mid-way. Sonya followed her example (aside from getting stuck) and pulled on an orange mini-skirt and a white shirt.
They both stood in front of the mirror, and Lily could hardy believe that the reflection was hers.
"See," said Sonya knowledgeably, "Perfect figures...runs in the family."
Lily had to stifle a laugh. Sonya never held anything back- she was as honest and plain as black and white. Lily stared into the mirror again. Could it be possible that she looked even remotely similar to this Amazonian goddess standing next to her? No, she decided, it couldn't be.
"Ready?" Sonya asked her, eyes wide with a big grin.
"As ready as I'm ever going to be..."
"Let's go."
Sonya marched towards the door as if she was going to war. Lily almost expected her to turn around and bark, "Sargent Evans? Are we ready at 700 hours to approach foreign territory?"
Instead she turned around and muttered, "I am, like, so nervous right about now."
"Chill..." said Lily, stepping neatly in front of Sonya, who seemed to be frozen to the spot, and pushing open the door.
Sitting on the couch in front of the projector screen was Sam, with an adorable guy that Lily guessed must be BJ. Immediately Lily shrunk back behind Sonya, who had leapt into action, sauntering sexily up to the couch and sitting delicately next to BJ.
"Hey BJ...this is my cousin, Lily."
He turned around, and Lily felt like fainting. He was absolutely gorgeous, with his black hair and deep tan. Lily had to concentrate hard to stop herself from dribbling all over the carpet.
"Hey, Lily," he said to her, his voice deep.
"Hello..." she whispered...Lily never spoke to guys...never. The closest she had ever come was dreaming about it. But dreams and reality were two different things as Lily was so often reminded.
"Your accent is cute," he said, grinning devilishly at her.
"Thanks...you sound kinda cool too," the closest she would ever come to a compliment!
He laughed, though in a nice sort of way, and patted the chair next to him. She went and sat down, very much aware that Sonya was giving her the thumbs up from the other side.
Once a movie came on to the T.V things got easier. Lily found that there was no awkward silences. Yes, all the hype that people made about talking to boys was false...it was nothing. Really.
"So..." BJ said after the movie had finished. "Anyone wanna go look at the stars?"
Sonya let out a massive fake yawn, and announced she was going to bed. Kissing them all on the cheek, she backed out of the room, nodding furiously at Lily the whole time. Drawing up her courage, Lily turned to BJ and said shyly,"I wouldn't mind."
He grinned, grabbed her hand and lead her outside. Soon they were standing on the balcony, looking out at the amazing view.
"So..."He said, shooting a sideways glance at her, "Sam tells me you're magic."
"He did?" Lily muttered, glaring. Now what was he going to think?
"Yeah. I think its pretty cool. I have a friend who's magical. Went to primary school with me and we kept in touch. He doesn't have un-magical parents though. Apparently his mum's a witch but his dad's not."
"Really?" said Lily, interested immediately, "Do you know what school he's at?"
"Nah," replied BJ, "All I know is that he goes to a boarding school way out near the desert. Hey...you look cold."
Lily almost said that she was fine, until she realised his true intentions. Smiling bravely, she said in the most stable voice she could muster, "Yeah...I am a bit. I was so excited coming to Australia that I forgot that it was winter over here."
BJ shot her a amused look, then wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her in closer to him.
"Is that better?" he whispered in her ear.
"Much."
Before she knew what was happening, she felt his lips brush across her cheek. Lily looked up startled, right into his eyes. For a second she fooled herself...pretended that it was James...in her imagination he had taken her out to the Quidditch pitch to watch the stars.
Lily closed her eyes and indulged in this fantasy for a minute until she felt warm lips begin to caress her own. Her eyes snapped open and her illusion was shattered.
She was in Australia, this was BJ, and she was experiencing her First Kiss.
Suddenly a massive sense of fear overtook her. She was Lily Evans! Girls like her didn't do things like this. Especially not with someone so handsome and charismatic...it wasn't done.
Any second now BJ was going to realise the mistake he had made...realise that she was just the geeky girl that everyone laughed at.
The panic flooded into her brain as she pushed BJ away, her breathing heavy.
"What?" he asked, voice thick.
"No-nothing," she said, voice trembling, "I...I'm just really t-tired."
She turned and ran back into the house, pushing past Sam who was walking towards her, worried. She made it into Sonya's bedroom and crouched behind the door. She could hear BJ enter the lounge and Sam stop him.
"What did you do to her?" came Sam's voice angrily,"She was trembling like a rabbit."
"Nothing- I swear. I just kissed her and she freaked out...Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with her."
Lily slid down to the floor.
"No," she whispered, "Nobody knows what's wrong with me." -
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Wow!
You guys are the best, nicest, most wonderfullest reviewers ever! I have to add in, that the idea's for Stealth Owls come from Lori's amazing fic, "The Paradigm of Uncertainty."
Seriously- I was blown away by how much you responded...cus I love it when people shout out to their reviewers I've decided to do it too!
*Liat86: I'm glad you liked the idea! It was just some random thing that hit me one day!
*me: Actually, in an interview, JK said that James was a chaser...I get confused as well, cus the movie mixes it all up. I like James better as a chaser anyway...it would be a bit cliche if he was a seeker. Thanks for the lovely review!
*RoCkErChIcK: thanks heaps! Your review made my morning!
*shortshrimp: glad you liked it! Thanks for the great review!
*Lavon: don't worry, corniness rules the world! (well aside from those annoying pick up lines, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" ugh (shudders) thanks a bunch!
*Lil-Brat888: AWWWWWWWWWWWWW, your review was so nice! I know what you mean- Kids can be way harsh. I had the worst time at age 11...how young is that!
*Male Volent: I agree, she definitaly needs one...look at the coke-bottle glasses! thanks!
*Hanna-chan: I'll try, thanks for the smashing review!
(sorry everyone...I'm running out of words to put before review! Soon I'm going to be going, "Thanks for the...uh...Mittens? review?")
*crystal shards: awwwwwww, thanks for the grand? review!
*Male Volent: hahahah! you again! (not that I mind! double reviewers rock!)
*Brooke Windome: Thanks! Your review rocked too!
*Amelia: Thanks a bundle! your review was super! (as I said, I'm fastly running out of adjectives...I almost said you review was a carrot then!)
*lils: I know! They should be put in a lunch-box and shoved in a fridge...only to be poked once a week with twigs. Thanks for the review!
*fluffymufin: I made this one longer!
*Laure: lol, thanks! your review was like a chocolate-chip-cookie! (not too sure what that means except it was grand!)
*milky: See I did do it semi-quick! thanks for the nice-spice review!
*The Elfin Child: Thanks for the coolios review!
*KawaiinessPnay: Thanks! I will...your review was like another chocolate- chip-cookie!
*Scarlett*eyes: I know...they do get a bit cliche. Hopefully this one bends the rules abit...thanks!
*Lavinia: Thanks! I will soon...Rock on reviewing!
*AnGeL*Of*MiNe luvya DaNiEl: Thanks! Your review was very very good. (for lack of another cool words)
*Shinning Crystal: okookokokookokokokokokokookokokokokokokokokokookokokokokokokokook- thanks for the cool as a pool review! Go team!
Ok- are we all alright after that little burst of insanity! Hope all the replys to the reviewers were ok!
REVIEW! come'on chant it with me! REVIEW!
Go team!
Bye!