Chapter Three
I've always loved to paint. In fact, when I was small, if I wasn't dreaming about becoming a comedian (which I'm thankful I didn't decide to be because honestly I suck), I was dreaming up different projects to paint on canvas, papers, napkins, walls. Most of my muggle school books were filled with pictures drawn by me, and the rolls of parchments at Hogwarts weren't free of them either.
I went through most of the typical stages as well. Drawing large bosomed, thin, model-like women with incredibly outrageous dresses, ponies, rainbows, dragons, sci-fi things, until I managed to acquire my signature way of drawing. I'm pretty good, modesty aside and all.
Of course, my artistic talent, though allowing me to draw the most lavishing and succulent of machinery, did nothing to improve my sense of taste when it came to cars apparently.
"You bought a van?"
"I did not buy a van." I said rolling my eyes. Seriously, at least he could be a little more subtle about it.
"What do you mean; I'm looking at the van. It's right in front of my eyes. What do you mean you didn't buy it, was it a gift?" He said with such disbelief it was almost comical. You know what, it's my mind, I don't have to lie to myself, it was comical.
"Would you believe me if I told you it was?"
"A gift? Of course not. Where'd you buy it?"
I sighed. "Lamark gave it to me."
He walked around the van, mechanical glint in his eyes, and then stopped to look at me. I like to think of him as a sort of demi-god. No one in this world was supposed to be that good looking. I remember back when I first met him I used to think he was too good looking to be considered my friend. Then I actually met the guy he really was underneath that nice package and discovered that once you knew him and became his friend, it really didn't matter he was so stunning. Still, I like Carol and I wouldn't do anything to destroy her marriage with Mr. Cute.
"Lamark gave you a van?"
"Yes, Jared. It was a gift from Lamark. Can we get over this now? Thank you."
He shook his head, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just that you don't strike me as the sort of person someone'd give a van to. I mean, it's a van. That's the sort of thing you give to your wife when the kids are almost finishing a hand."
I nodded and silently agreed but refrained from saying so. Jared liked to talk more about stupid things than what he was supposed to be talking about. He thought he was funny like that.
"I called you so you could use the van to take some shipments to that muggle project we signed last week."
"What do you mean by that? Doesn't Lamark take care of that stuff? Isn't it his job?" Jared said a bit sarcastically if my hearing was correct. I mean, I know I'm an extremely laid back boss, but really, does he not think I can fire him for this kind of treatment?
"Yeah, well, Suzy decided he needed a break since its Saturday and I think I might've agreed, somehow, I don't remember." I faded off. My bad boss act sucks too now that I think about it. Jared rolled his eyes but agreed to do it. And you know what? I knew he would.
"Okay then. Here's the address." I said as I handed him the piece of paper, and walked towards my car. My real car. The nice, new, sleek, black one that was a gift from me earlier that year. I got in quickly and turned it on, and just as I pressed the accelerator I heard his indignant shout and ignored it.
"What do you mean Dover?! Lily!"
---
Later that day I sat with my mother in the living room couch trying to watch some tapes of when I was small and my sister didn't hate me as much. It was boring and my mind drifted towards the past, as it tended to do now that I realized the present was so not fun, to a conversation I had with James once about which animal we would turn to if we had to become one. We used to fancy ourselves thoughtful thinkers back then, and it was a topic we discussed a lot when we met. Everyone always had different inputs but most of the time we agreed.
If Sirius were an animal he'd be one of those hyperactive, overgrown puppies. Too much energy, always yapping and barking with its tail wagging. Dogs are pretty sensible so he would calm down and be solemn if something called for it, but you couldn't help put either love him or hate him at first sight. And if you did hate him, then he'd just start to grow on you, because that's what puppies do. They make you love them.
JoAnna would be a sea otter. She may seem very outgoing, buy raised in a quiet home where she was incredibly overprotected, made her want to be in groups and remain close to familiar things. Sea otters are excellent swimmers and JoAnna has the ability to do anything she wants to she had that same advantage, but prefers to stay within things she knows.
Suzy is a llama. They are adorable, cute, and you can't help but want to hug them and pet them and admire them. They are also incredibly strong and can walk in less than half an hour after being born. Suzy has that same strength in her, and though at first you may not think she has it, it shines through and makes itself shown whenever the time or the need arises.
James then, would have to be a Weddell seal. You would think he'd be something that could fly, but being a seal has the same liberties only underwater. Weddell seals are adventurous and always looking to break new boundaries and if they find something they want they get it no matter how tough. And unlike most seals, it has no fear of people; rather it acts playful around them, like James. Though if you hurt them their trust is hard to recover.
Peter is a mongoose. They're always eating and playing around, and you think they'd be stupid and everything. But those little rascals can kill a snake with a well placed bite. Peter seems an easy target, but when someone he cares about is in danger he doesn't hesitate to kill the snake for them.
If I were an animal I'd love to say I'd be something incredible, like a falcon or a stallion. The truth is I'm probably a panda. Cuddly and slow and huggable, and almost nonexistent. Not because I think I'm being hunted down, or that I'm so rare. But people always say that pandas are dependable and though nor really having a wild side, they can do pretty incredible and unpredictable things every once in a while.
Remus is the easiest. If he were an animal he'd be a wolf.
I look up and see that my mother has dozed off in the other side of the couch, and I stand up and turn off the telly, then head to my room. After thinking about all those people I'm going to see again, some who I haven't spoken to in person since JoAnna's birthday three months ago, I decide to set out what I'm going to wear for the reunion thing.
I look at my clothes and see only dark greens and dark reds and blacks. My life. I take out a comfortable yet classy black dress and place it on my bed. You'd think I would've grown from my Goth tendencies now that I'm past twenty. With so much shit going on, you'd think I'd want some light in my life. Angst is too overrated.
I've always loved to paint. In fact, when I was small, if I wasn't dreaming about becoming a comedian (which I'm thankful I didn't decide to be because honestly I suck), I was dreaming up different projects to paint on canvas, papers, napkins, walls. Most of my muggle school books were filled with pictures drawn by me, and the rolls of parchments at Hogwarts weren't free of them either.
I went through most of the typical stages as well. Drawing large bosomed, thin, model-like women with incredibly outrageous dresses, ponies, rainbows, dragons, sci-fi things, until I managed to acquire my signature way of drawing. I'm pretty good, modesty aside and all.
Of course, my artistic talent, though allowing me to draw the most lavishing and succulent of machinery, did nothing to improve my sense of taste when it came to cars apparently.
"You bought a van?"
"I did not buy a van." I said rolling my eyes. Seriously, at least he could be a little more subtle about it.
"What do you mean; I'm looking at the van. It's right in front of my eyes. What do you mean you didn't buy it, was it a gift?" He said with such disbelief it was almost comical. You know what, it's my mind, I don't have to lie to myself, it was comical.
"Would you believe me if I told you it was?"
"A gift? Of course not. Where'd you buy it?"
I sighed. "Lamark gave it to me."
He walked around the van, mechanical glint in his eyes, and then stopped to look at me. I like to think of him as a sort of demi-god. No one in this world was supposed to be that good looking. I remember back when I first met him I used to think he was too good looking to be considered my friend. Then I actually met the guy he really was underneath that nice package and discovered that once you knew him and became his friend, it really didn't matter he was so stunning. Still, I like Carol and I wouldn't do anything to destroy her marriage with Mr. Cute.
"Lamark gave you a van?"
"Yes, Jared. It was a gift from Lamark. Can we get over this now? Thank you."
He shook his head, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just that you don't strike me as the sort of person someone'd give a van to. I mean, it's a van. That's the sort of thing you give to your wife when the kids are almost finishing a hand."
I nodded and silently agreed but refrained from saying so. Jared liked to talk more about stupid things than what he was supposed to be talking about. He thought he was funny like that.
"I called you so you could use the van to take some shipments to that muggle project we signed last week."
"What do you mean by that? Doesn't Lamark take care of that stuff? Isn't it his job?" Jared said a bit sarcastically if my hearing was correct. I mean, I know I'm an extremely laid back boss, but really, does he not think I can fire him for this kind of treatment?
"Yeah, well, Suzy decided he needed a break since its Saturday and I think I might've agreed, somehow, I don't remember." I faded off. My bad boss act sucks too now that I think about it. Jared rolled his eyes but agreed to do it. And you know what? I knew he would.
"Okay then. Here's the address." I said as I handed him the piece of paper, and walked towards my car. My real car. The nice, new, sleek, black one that was a gift from me earlier that year. I got in quickly and turned it on, and just as I pressed the accelerator I heard his indignant shout and ignored it.
"What do you mean Dover?! Lily!"
---
Later that day I sat with my mother in the living room couch trying to watch some tapes of when I was small and my sister didn't hate me as much. It was boring and my mind drifted towards the past, as it tended to do now that I realized the present was so not fun, to a conversation I had with James once about which animal we would turn to if we had to become one. We used to fancy ourselves thoughtful thinkers back then, and it was a topic we discussed a lot when we met. Everyone always had different inputs but most of the time we agreed.
If Sirius were an animal he'd be one of those hyperactive, overgrown puppies. Too much energy, always yapping and barking with its tail wagging. Dogs are pretty sensible so he would calm down and be solemn if something called for it, but you couldn't help put either love him or hate him at first sight. And if you did hate him, then he'd just start to grow on you, because that's what puppies do. They make you love them.
JoAnna would be a sea otter. She may seem very outgoing, buy raised in a quiet home where she was incredibly overprotected, made her want to be in groups and remain close to familiar things. Sea otters are excellent swimmers and JoAnna has the ability to do anything she wants to she had that same advantage, but prefers to stay within things she knows.
Suzy is a llama. They are adorable, cute, and you can't help but want to hug them and pet them and admire them. They are also incredibly strong and can walk in less than half an hour after being born. Suzy has that same strength in her, and though at first you may not think she has it, it shines through and makes itself shown whenever the time or the need arises.
James then, would have to be a Weddell seal. You would think he'd be something that could fly, but being a seal has the same liberties only underwater. Weddell seals are adventurous and always looking to break new boundaries and if they find something they want they get it no matter how tough. And unlike most seals, it has no fear of people; rather it acts playful around them, like James. Though if you hurt them their trust is hard to recover.
Peter is a mongoose. They're always eating and playing around, and you think they'd be stupid and everything. But those little rascals can kill a snake with a well placed bite. Peter seems an easy target, but when someone he cares about is in danger he doesn't hesitate to kill the snake for them.
If I were an animal I'd love to say I'd be something incredible, like a falcon or a stallion. The truth is I'm probably a panda. Cuddly and slow and huggable, and almost nonexistent. Not because I think I'm being hunted down, or that I'm so rare. But people always say that pandas are dependable and though nor really having a wild side, they can do pretty incredible and unpredictable things every once in a while.
Remus is the easiest. If he were an animal he'd be a wolf.
I look up and see that my mother has dozed off in the other side of the couch, and I stand up and turn off the telly, then head to my room. After thinking about all those people I'm going to see again, some who I haven't spoken to in person since JoAnna's birthday three months ago, I decide to set out what I'm going to wear for the reunion thing.
I look at my clothes and see only dark greens and dark reds and blacks. My life. I take out a comfortable yet classy black dress and place it on my bed. You'd think I would've grown from my Goth tendencies now that I'm past twenty. With so much shit going on, you'd think I'd want some light in my life. Angst is too overrated.