A/n; All right I lied, this chapter will most definitely start off the summer! But I'm sorry for sectioning off the chapter so much last time – I hate when people skip around that much, but I had a little bit more ground to cover. Keep the reviews coming – I'm appreciating the feedback I'm getting! Keep an eye out for my possible co-author Mary, who has been writing notes back and forth to me during French class about story lines, they're very --- fluffy!
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The heavy wooden door closed shut behind Lily and she dropped her duffel bag, trunk and backpack on the floor with a series of loud thuds. Her house looked the same as it had when she had left on that night almost three years ago.
"Mother? Father? Petunia?" she called tentatively through the empty entrance hall.
"Who's there?" asked the familiar, slightly nasal voice of her sister.
"Uh – it's me, Lily," Lily said, dreading what would come after she said that.
Silence ensued.
"MOM! DAD! THE WENCH IS HOME!" she shrilled.
The thundering of two pairs of parental feet filled the empty entrance hall and the first thing Lily saw was her stepfather, David - the man she'd learned to hate her entire childhood - followed by her mother, still small and petite though it looked like she had aged far more than three years.
"Lily!" Candice Evans cried, forgetting her formalities and embracing her daughter in a bone-crunching hug. She then moved on to dissolve into noisy tears.
Lily didn't know quite how to approach this situation: she and her mother had grown slightly distant since her father's passing when she was only a little child.
"Oh, Lily," her mother sniffled, "it's been years, darling."
"I know Mum, but I'm back!" Lily said trying to sound cheerful, her voice muffled against her mother's lavender silk shirt.
"We're all simply rejoicing Lily," Petunia said sourly.
"Petty, why don't you go upstairs and watch some television?" her father suggested shortly. "We must talk with your sister for a moment."
"Father! I should think you would want to include me in this very important –"
"Go now," David said sternly with a note of steel in his voice.
"Fine, fine! I'm going," Petunia said huffily, stomping up the stairs.
Mrs. Evans straightened up, letting go of her daughter and wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve.
"You ran out of my house and now you expect to be let back in," her stepfather started out by saying, looking sternly at her.
Lily gulped and shuffled her feet back a little. Her stepfather was staring at her the way a vulture examines its prey. He still scared her, but if she could take on James Potter she could take on her own father.
"I don't think I need anyone's permission; it's my house as well," she said quietly yet more boldly than she would have before Hogwarts.
"You don't think that you can just waltz back into here without expecting punishment, do you, Lily?" he asked dangerously.
"I don't see why I need to be punished; I ran away because I didn't want to grow up under your control," Lily hissed, getting a little louder.
Her father laughed in an icy way. "You are still under my control. You've set foot into my house and you will follow my rules!"
"David –"
"No Candice, she's an ungrateful brat and should live in the attic!" her father said in an irrational voice.
"David! She's my child as well and I think you are being far too harsh on her!"
"Far too harsh? She ran away because she's - she's an ungrateful brat and she should not be let back into the house!" he yelled angrily.
"Don't raise your voice to her, David! She's still a child!" her mother said, cowering a little.
"I can defend myself, Mother," Lily said icily.
"Go upstairs Lily. You may have your own room back, though you'll probably have to fight Petty back for it," her father said austerely. "Dinner is at 6:00."
"Thank you," Lily said curtly, though her heart was brimming with happiness.
"And Lily? You may have your mother on your side, but there will come a time when your mother will not be around to protect you; you're the most ungrateful, most useless little girl I've ever met and if it were up to me, you'd be on the streets."
Lily nodded, trying not to let his words get to her as she climbed up the familiar wooden staircase. She found her sister sitting eagerly at the top of the landing.
"Daddy's upset," Petunia said pretended to be upset by this as well.
"You can all get stuffed," Lily said angrily, trying to brush past her four-year-older sister. Petunia held out and arm and prevented Lily from going any farther.
"You were wrong to come back, Lily; you're nothing but a freak," she leered with an ugly smile.
"Let me go Petunia!" Lily snarled viciously. Petunia shoved her into the wall.
"What do you think you're playing at? Why did you really come back?" Petunia hissed, pinning Lily roughly into the wall. Lily nearly yelled in pain; she could feel her shoulder digging into the wall.
"Stop hassling me, Petunia! I came back to get my things and get the hell out of here; away from all of you!" she snarled back, trying to claw herself out of Petunia's unusually strong grip.
"You'd better get yourself out of here fast, Little Miss Witch. Daddy nearly went through the roof," Petunia said nastily. Her ugly horse-like face contorted evilly. She punched Lily in the stomach and Lily let out a grunt, falling to the floor winded.
Petunia laughed an evil, almost whinnying laugh that suited her face and started to walk away. Lily screamed in fury and, with astounding speed, jumped on top of Petunia.
"I'm sick and tired of everyone pushing me over - Father, YOU, James Potter - but I assure you, if you come near me again I'll hex you within an inch of your life!" Lily shrieked, absolutely livid. Petunia looked mortified and tried to crawl out of Lily's hold but Lily swiftly punched her in her left eye.
Petunia howled in pain and tried to come after Lily but the latter was too quick. She'd grabbed her bags and slammed the door to her room, loud sobs finally engulfing her.
Big, fat, salty teardrops rolled down her face as she tried to take some deep breaths and wished desperately for someone to fly through her window and take her away now. Wryly she noted that her room looked the same as it had before she left, although slightly more juvenile with a big white and pink frilly comforter on her bed and matching nightgowns and curtains. She ripped the nightgowns and threw them out the window and proceeded to rip all of the pictures she had of her and Petunia in matching sister outfits and tossed them out the window as well and watched them flutter out into the perfumed June breeze.
"Take that," Lily said quietly with a sob-strangled voice to no one in particular.
Beginning to unpack and with a fleetness she couldn't understand, she piled clothes into her duffel bag for the beach. She reached into her drawers and pulled out the only bathing suit she owned: a much too small hot pink one-piece with horrible neon-green bows at the shoulder straps. She held it up in distaste pinched between her index finger and thumb.
Well, she sighed to herself, tossing it in the trashcan, maybe Sirius can buy me a new one.
Lily took all of her Hogwarts things and packed them all into her trunk again, adding few more racy things she'd picked up with Sierra, Arabella, Sabrina and… Misty when she was still alive at Gladrags.
Sighing deeply to herself, she pulled out the next thing in the trunk and stared at it. It was the never-been-worn dress robe James had bought her. Pushing back feelings of nostalgia and hurt and anger, she folded the robe neatly and stuffed it into the bottom of the trunk, hoping she would forget about it. Hot tears of jealousy, anger and sadness stung at her eyelids but she refused to let fall any more tears over him. She'd nearly cried an ocean's worth already.
"WITCH! DINNER'S READY; YOU SHOULD BE LUCKY WE'RE FEEDING YOU!"
Lily sighed; she could not endure this for an entire week.
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"Lily darling! Smashing to see you again! Why, it must be years since I've seen you!" Sirius said from the Muggle car the Blacks had – borrowed or charmed, Lily couldn't decide which.
Lily grinned, waving from where she was sunning herself. It was no use, trying to get a suntan – she'd always remain pale as a ghost with nothing but light freckles dusted across the bridge of her nose. She sat up, feeling her thighs stick slightly to the plastic of the chair from the heat.
"Sirius dahling! How good to see you again!" she exclaimed as Sirius bent over and gave her formal kisses on each cheek, the kind the French use to greet one another.
"Sir James is waiting in the car rather sourly; doesn't want to see you," Sirius in an oddly clashing bright voice.
"You mean Prince James? I'll go get my stuff –"
"You must be Lily's – friend," Mr. Evans said coolly, standing imperiously at the doorway.
Lily gulped and shrank back slightly. "I'm just going to get my stuff, Dad."
"Father."
"Of course," Lily stammered, running into the house.
James, from the car, could see Lily shrink in fear of the imposing manner of her father. He watched her emerge from the house a few seconds later and it looked as though she were toting everything she'd need for the next year. Which, James guessed, couldn't be far from the truth judging by how badly she wanted to get out of there.
Sirius' dad; charming, handsome – like Sirius - got out of the car to jovially shake hands with Mr. Evans but Mr. Evans quickly recoiled.
"I'll see Lily safely off to Hogwarts," James could hear Sirius' dad say as he cracked the window slightly. It was stifling in the car.
Lily and Sirius walked to the car and Lily gave a small wave to James. He granted her a half smile – perhaps it was the heat.
"Lils, sorry, but we're going to have to stick you next to James," Sirius said although it looked like he were enjoying himself with a secret joke – probably planned out by the lot of them.
"Oh –" Lily said, dismayed and horrified at the same time.
She opened the car door and peeked in, assessing how much room there was for her. It suddenly seemed to get hotter in there and it was all James could do not to let his jaw go completely slack. Her hair, redder than he remembered, was piled up on her head and held with a clip embedded with tiny emeralds. She wore nothing but a pair of faded jean shorts and a white tank top. She looked so simple – yet utterly beautiful – ravishing.
"You going to let me slide in or sit there gawking like an idiot?" Lily asked in a voice that was a little insecure for her. He raised his eyebrows without saying anything and slid over, though just a bit. He just wanted to feel her right up against him…
She slid in and shut the door. Sirius smiled triumphantly to himself as he clambered into the front seat.
Lily gulped, trying not to let the fact that he was right there get to her. Goodness, it'd been – forever in her mind since she'd been so close to him. And it was driving her insane. How did he do it? Make her be near him for one second and make her completely crazy with a desire to be closer? Clad in nothing but a white tight-fitting ribbed masculine tank top and shorts (a/n; sorry – making you all drool but you know what I mean? Not those like, dork pants but kind of the baggy, cargo ones. I don't mean to make him sound all 21st century but come on; it's James here people!), he looked like a bloody sex god.
"Comfortable back there?" Sirius asked devilishly, turning around in his seat to see Lily nearly crushing herself against the window and James sitting with his left leg so far apart from Lily's it looked like he was getting ready to do a split.
"FINE!" They squeaked in the same voice.
"Great!" Sirius said.
Sirius Black, you're a bloody genius, he said to himself proudly.
"Well! Are we all ready to go?" Mr. Black asked, getting back into the car.
"Yes!" They all chorused, but for different reasons of course.
"All right – Sabrina's house next!" Mr. Black said revving up the car and backing the car bouncily into the street. Lily gulped, digging her nails into the seat cushion as they sped off. Driving in cars with full-fledged male wizards was not an experience she'd like to, well – experience again.
"So Lily, how's your summer been so far?" Mr. Black asked, looking at her out of the reflection of the rear view mirror.
"Oh! It's uh – it's been good, thanks," Lily said searching for nice, vague words.
"That's good…"
"So James, hoping for one of those prefect spots?" Mr. Black asked in an affectionate fatherly way.
"I hope not," James said smiling, "but it would be kind of cool."
"Why not? Why, in my day, being a prefect was the coolest thing around!" Mr. Black said laughing.
"Yeah dad, back when Stonehenge was under construction," Sirius said rolling his eyes.
"Oh come on now! Cut your old dad a little slack here, Siri boy!" Mr. Black said cuffing his son on the shoulder.
Lily didn't think Mr. Black was that old, probably late thirties or early forties. Sirius took after his father in almost every way: his laughing dark eyes, sense of humor, a certain cheekiness with women… though not that Lily had seen that yet, but she could sense it.
They were silent for a few moments and a few right turns later, they arrived at Sabrina's house and along with her were Arabella, Sierra and Fiona. Arabella was dressed simply in forest green flared capris and a matching forest green halter top; Sabrina in navy blue shorts and a red tank top and Fiona in a very expensive looking pixie-like pink mini-dress with a matching scarf tied around her immaculately-done hair. Even her nails matched!
Geez, way to pick the powder puff James, Lily thought grumpily, feeling a huge unexpected jolt of jealousy shoot through her as James scrambled out of the car like some helplessly excited puppy.
"Hey guys!" Lily said, also getting out of the car.
"LILY!" They all shouted, enveloping her in hugs.
"Oh, wow! It hasn't been that long, has it?" Lily said grinning from ear to ear.
"It has been, trust us Lily," James said, kissing Fiona on the cheek. She was known to glop on the gloss.
"Oh Jamesie! What a perfect gentleman!" Fiona squealed at his 'manners' and kissed him soundly anyway.
"Yuck," Arabella muttered under her breath.
Oh GREAT Evans, here we go again, Lily's conscience said to her as the familiar knife of pain sliced through her.
Shut up brain, I'm not getting jealous, Lily told herself.
Then go right ahead and think that, but don't start crying when he MARRIES her! Her conscience cackled.
She forced herself to squash the evil side of her brain and feebly smile and utter a 'come on Potter, save some air for the rest of us!"
Mr. Black, sensing it was time to go, honked the horn. Lily helped Sierra, Sabrina and Arabella with their things and James and Sirius helped Fiona with her bags; the amount of baggage was nearly triple anyone else's luggage.
"Geez Fiona, planning on staying with Sirius for an extra year?" Lily asked jokingly.
Fiona whirled around, truly puzzled. "Why, no Lily! I'm staying the summer with him!"
Lily's eyes widened in disbelief as Fiona smiled in an airhead sort of way.
So she's a powder puff and an airhead. An utter airhead, Lily thought laughing to herself, he must know I've got much more brains than that piece of fluff!
"Getting everything in ok, kids?" Mr. Black asked, "we want to get there in time for dinner!"
"Coming dad," Sirius said slamming the trunk shut. Lily clambered in the car behind Sierra and had to cross over James to climb into the backseat. He smiled weakly and pushed his legs back to let her by. Arabella coughed and rolled her eyes, sticking her leg out and tripping Lily. Losing her balance, she fell onto James' lap. James caught her wrists with lightning-fast Quidditch reflexes. Fiona jumped up slightly, trying to fight Lily off James.
"S – sorry. Arabella's foot was in the way and I –" Lily stammered, suddenly making eye contact with James' sexy chocolaty brown eyes, "uh – tripped."
James smiled uncomfortably as Lily crawled back with Sierra and Sabrina. Fiona looked furiously at Lily; Lily stuck out her tongue in retaliation. Arabella turned around in her seat and gave Lily a nasty smirk.
Mr. Black again started the car and headed off, finally, to Wizard's Cove. The summer that would undeniably change all of their lives – but how much more complicated could things get?
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A/N: To tell you the truth, a lot more complicated =) Every event they go to tends to change their lives, no? Odd. R/R! Thanks!