t w o i s a c r o w d
summary… James is two years older than Lily. They are good friends during their time in Hogwarts through being prefects, but find themselves losing touch after James graduates.
disclaimer…Whatever sounds familiar isn't mine. What doesn't is….=)
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Chapter 2 : Meet the Roommates (and mum)
"Knight to E5."
"You sure you want to do that?"
"Yes Sirius I do."
"Really Pete? I give you another chance to change. After all, you are my friend."
Remus, who was cooking in the kitchen, came around to see the game that Peter and Sirius were playing. Sirius was rubbing his hands evilly.
"Remus…" spluttered Peter. "Can you please help me?"
"Whatever that's in the kitchen smells good, Moony." Sirius said.
"Why thanks Sirius." Remus said proudly.
"But it doesn't smell as good as the smell of victory in a wizards chess game." Sirius said, howling with laughter at the same time and banging his hand on the table. His chess pieces were also doubling up with laughter while Peter's pieces were staring angrily at their counterparts.
Remus rolled his eyes, then checked the clock. James should be back soon. He was about to head back into the kitchen when there was a rumbling in the fireplace. But instead of their dark haired friend, out popped a skinny girl with golden locks. She fell with a thud on the floor and began to swear.
"I told James MILLIONS of times, to put a cushion on this landing."
Sirius looked at her with a threatening glare.
"Come on, Lila…you have lived here for almost 6 months. Get used to it." Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Lila got up and walked angrily towards him.
"Look, Black…at least I don't sit at home all day and do NOTHING. I have a proper job that pays me."
"What does having a job got anything to do with a cushioned landing, Lila? You just ran out of stuff to throw at me."
"The next thing I will do is to throw you out of this house!"
"Sorry dear. Unfortunately for you, you don't own this house. James does. I doubt he will evict me just because I think you are a noisy, pathetic whinger!"
"James is my boyfriend. .."
"…and what am I? His mistress? So that I am second to you? James will never throw any of us out for a stupid reason like that…"
"You are an immature prick!"
"Oh, we have been reduced to on-the-ball name calling now, are we? I recognize that defense. That's right, my 5 year old brother does it all the time."
Remus came back from the kitchen and nearly laughed when he saw the furious looks between Lila Stone and Sirius. He was used to Lila and Sirius's constant banter, which was twice as funny whenever James wasn't around. Lila would act sweet and charming in his presence, while in his absence, as Sirius says: "Has claws to rival Moony's"
At that moment, there was another thud from the fireplace, and Remus looked at the person that fell from it. It wasn't James, yet she looked familiar.
"Lily…Lily Evans?" Remus said as he rushed over to help her up. But too late, as James landed on top of her. Instead of crying in pain, she started laughing. James looked at her in amazement.
"What's so funny?" He asked with interest. Lily stood up and rubbed to soot off her clothes.
"I have NEVER traveled by floo powder before. My roommate at Hogwarts made it sound like a roller coaster ride from hell. Its so much better than I thought."
James got up. "Well, Lils, ride is over…get up!" James reached over and grabbed her up, helping her push the soot from her hair. Remus looked at this with amusement.
James turned around and looked at his fellow roommates.
"Arguing again, Lila and Sirius?" James said with a smile.
He was greeted by a hurrmph from Lila who walked up the stairs ("I am going to clean the 'Black' dirt from my body") and a crude gesture from Sirius to Lila. James shook his head.
"Sirius…cant you at least get along with her?" James asked as he sat on the couch and took off his shoes, airing it on the coffee table.
Sirius looked blankly at James. "Is that a trick question?" Sirius asked James with an bemused look on his face.
"So, what are you doing here, Lily?" Remus said, diverting attention to Lily. Sirius too, turned around.
"She's going to live here for awhile." James announced.
"As long as you are not as bitchy as Ice Queen upstairs…" Sirius muttered under his breath.
"So what's the sleeping arrangements going to be like?" Remus asked James. He thought for a second.
"Well…right now, with the three rooms. I have my own. Lila has the other smaller room, and the boys sleep in the bigger room. So, I guess it would make sense if Lily sleeps with Lila. It might be a little tight."
"Oh no…" Lily said hurriedly. "I don't mind, but will Lila mind?"
"Does it matter?" Sirius said with a smirk, clearly enjoying this new arrangement.
"Lily and Lila." Remus said with a smile. "Kind of hard to differentiate."
"What's so hard about it?" Sirius remarked. "Good and Bad. Ying and Yang. Heaven and Hell…And darling Lily…"as Sirius placed his hand over Lily's shoulder, "I have 10 galleons on you being the good one. Personally, I would be insulted if anyone compared you with Lila."
Lily blushed. James looked at her and noticing her awkwardness, said: "So, Moony, dinner almost ready?"
"Yeah sure." Remus said, as he walked into the kitchen.
"I'll help you." Said Peter.
James turned to Lily. "Why don't you leave your stuff here for now. We have to tell Lila the new arrangement during dinner. Then we can move your stuff into your room."
"Good luck with that, Prongs." Sirius said, snickering and smacking James in the back. James laughed half-heartedly. Privately, he knew Lila wasn't going to be happy.
And he was right.
"What do you mean, this girl is staying with us here?" Lila spat bitterly at James during dinner.
"This girls name is Lily." Sirius said in a gentle yet satisfying voice. He could see Lila fuming. Lily looked down uncomfortably, knowing James was going to cop a lot because of her.
"So where is she sleeping? She cant possibly sleep with the boys."
"she's going to share your room with you." James said quickly.
"What?" Lila said. "No way, James. I am sharing my room with no one."
"Well, Lily can share James's room with him." Sirius said pointedly. Remus choked into his drink, and Peter snorted. James and Lily looked at Sirius with a horrified expression. But Lila smiled.
"I can share James' room with him, Lily can take over my room." She suggested, looking innocently at James. James thought about it for a split second, then shook his head.
"No way," he said, ignoring Lila's deflated look. "My father will never approve of it."
"Why does it matter, James?" Lila retorted angrily.
"It matters, Lila. Lily shares the room with you, Lila. Besides, as Lily will tell you, its only temporary." Lily looked up and nodded, but Lila took no notice of her.
"Then really, James, if there was obviously no room for her, why did you ask her to stay?" Lila rudely remarked. Remus could see that James' patience was wearing thin. James bit his lip and ruffled his dark hair. Then he straightened his glasses.
"Lila, Lily is sharing the room with you. Any stuff you cant fit in there, we can store them in the cupboard under the stairs."
"But…"
"Now, Remus." Sirius said gleefully, interrupting a fuming Lila. "You have to make this shepherds pie again. Its simply delicious." Remus and Peter chuckled.
"You know, James," Lily said, approaching him after dinner as they were clearing the dishes. "If I had known how much trouble I was going to cause you, I would have refused to take you up your offer."
James turned to Lily. "Nonsense. I don't want you to ever say that. You are my friend, as everyone here is. They are here because they are my friends. There is no way I am letting you stay at the Leaky Cauldron when I can accommodate you here."
"But, James…" James stopped her.
"It would be fine. I know the first few days will be painful," he said, casting a glance at Lila, who had walked away from the dinner table after her dessert and headed for the stairs. "But, it will get better. Besides, you are a girl. You girls will learn to get along, I assure you."
The uneasy look on Lily's face made him laugh.
"Gosh, you haven't changed since Hogwarts. You still have that look."
"What look?" Lily asked suspiciously.
"I don't know how to describe it. The Lily look, I suppose."
"And is that a compliment?" Lily questioned him with a slight cross look on her face.
"You can take it as a compliment." James said with a wry smile. Then his cheerful expression dried up when he saw Lila walk down the stairs again.
"Here, lets get you settled into your room…" James whispered into Lily's ear.
* * * * * * * * *
"…that was your best Hogwarts moment?" Lily asked in a surprised tone. James was walking with her up a hill, to a known port key that would take them close to where Lily's parents live. It was about 10 am in the morning, but Lily was awake much earlier than that, as Lila had made it a point of making as much racket as possible to awaken her roommate before she left for work. According to Remus, Lila works as a hairdresser in a shop in Diagon Alley.
"Yeah." James said, feigning a hurt tone. "What's wrong with that?"
"What wrong with that? James Potter, you never striked me as a trouble maker."
James burst out laughing. "My dear Lily, if you only knew… the four of us, are responsible for every prank ever played in Hogwarts during our time."
"But you never seemed the type."
"Well, that's probably because Sirius used to take the blame for everything. MY father would kill me if I ever got in trouble for pranking, so Sirius always owned up to the pranks."
"Originally, I didn't take part because I was afraid my father would be mad. But Sirius was always the adrenalin-pumped person out of all of us. The thrills were too much to ignore, yet he wanted me to share in the spoils. So we would go through the prank, enjoy it, and Sirius would take the blame. Its unfair, but I will cop it in other areas."
"Alright then," Lily said. "Worst moment?"
Immediately, James' face turned sour, as if reminiscing.
"That, I cant tell." He replied abruptly.
"Oh…ok then."
"Anyway, here's the port key." James said as they approached a chipped brick by the side of the road. James picked it up and glanced at his watch.
"According to the timetable, it should come in 2 minutes." He stated. Then he glanced at the confused look on Lily's face and laughed.
"Please tell me you have traveled by port key before?"
"Umm…no" Lily said embarrassingly. James looked at her.
"I may have been good at school, but all this everyday stuff that the magical world does, I have never done before. Ask me what the Patronus Charm is, or what a Veriteserum does, and I can tell you. But not this. Out of school, I live in the muggle world."
James nodded understandingly. "Fair enough. Well, we both have to hold this brick." He reached out and grabbed Lily's hand to hold the brick, but it wouldn't fit. James hand was too big.
"Looks like you cant go Lily," James said jokingly. Lily smiled.
"Well, I'll give you my address and you can get my stuff by yourself." Lily said, playing along with James. James laughed.
"And face your sister on my own? Thanks Evans." James said sarcastically. "Look, the only thing I can think of, is for you to hold my other hand. Like this." James took Lily's hand and held it tight. Lily couldn't explain it, but she began to blush. James, noticing her reaction, smiled, but quickly turned away, so that she couldn't see the big grin on his face he just couldn't wipe away.
Suddenly, there was a big whoosh and the next minutes, Lily and James were in a park that Lily remembered was close to her house.
"Recognize this place?" James asked.
"Yup. My parents house should be just around the corner." Lily replied. It was only when they reached the footpath, when they realized that they were still holding hands. James let go gently and they caught each others blushing looks.
"What about you, little Miss Valedictorian and head girl. What's your best moment? I bet it can't beat mine." James said with a pompous look as they turned the corner.
"Spot on, Potter. I couldn't possibly top the famous Marauder's pranks." Lily said.
"Aww come on." James complained "I told you, you should tell me." Lily shook her head defiantly.
"Look, that's my house." Lily said, pointing at a cozy Victorian terrace with a neat front yard. James walked over excitedly as if he was in a zoo.
"Wow… I have seen pictures of muggle homes, but I never thought I would actually get to see one. Look at the fence. How did you muggles get it straight without magic. The ones at Sirius place would go crooked intentionally when guests arrive…and look at those garden gnomes. They don't move…" and he went on and on, until Lily poked him repeatedly. They had reached the front door. Lily rang the front door.
"Coming!" came her mothers voice from inside. The door opened, and Mrs. Evans saw her daughter.
"Lily!" she shrieked happily, grabbing her daughter into a bear hug. "Sweetheart, I have been so worried about you. When you left, I called all the motels in our area, and you weren't there. They I called Uncle Sylvester, and you weren't there either. You had me worried sick, prancing away like that, whatever it was, we could sort…" she stopped when she caught sight of James. He had been watching this reunion with interest.
"Who's that, Lily?" her mother asked warily.
"Mum, this is James Potter. I am staying with him and some friends. He is a friend from Hogwarts. I have been living in the magical world. That's why you couldn't find me."
"Good Morning, Mrs. Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you today." James said, stretching his hand out politely and bowing at the same time. Lily tried to hide her giggles. Mrs. Evans took in his sight, and obviously happy with what she had seen, shook James' hand.
"Look, mum, we are just here to grab the rest of my stuff. We will be out of here before you know it."
Mrs. Evans, who was so taken by James' manners, looked her at daughter sternly.
"Now, Lily, you have a guest. Why don't you come in, James, I have a cup of tea brewing inside and I just baked some blueberry muffins." She said, ushering a smiling James into the house. Lily looked at the two of them shocked.
"Make your guest comfortable, Lily." Mrs. Evans said crossly to her daughter. "I'll get the tea and muffins." Lily had no choice but to lead James into the living room.
"James…" she said pleadingly to him.
"What's wrong, its just a cup of tea and the muffins."
"But I haven't sorted everything out with them." Lily rushed. "I hoping to get it over and done with as soon as possible without running into Petunia."
James, noticing the depressed look on Lily's face, said: "Look, how about I speak to you mum here, you go up to your room and get your stuff, then we will make up some excuse that we have to go off somewhere. That way you can avoid any confrontations."
Lily thought about James plan, then nodded.
"Good idea, James. Ok… I'm going up now, just wait here…" she said.
Then she turned around. "Thanks James." She said with a grateful smile.
"You owe me Evans. That story about your 'best moment' should be a sufficient payment." James said with an evil smile.
Lily laughed and walked out. Just as she was climbing the stairs, she heard a key in the front door click, and it opened. A voice that she hated most in the world rang in her ears.
"Mum, Vernon and I are back, are those muffins ready yet, we are starv…" she stopped when she caught sight of who was in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" Petunia Evans said angrily.
* * * * * * * * *
author's note…
Thanks for the reviews for ch 2. didn't really expect so many. I only write this ff because it isn't as intense as my other one and it gives me a break.(ps: if you like this one, please take time to read my other one… I put more time into that one, so I would really appreciate it…=) )
Anyways, catch you guys soon.