Chapter 2
The first three months of school passed by quickly in an inseparable haze of events. Lily had no trouble keeping up with all of her N.E.W.T. classes. And Claire and Dylan had already beaten the Slytherines in their first match. Lily of course was extremely happy and proud but she often felt like an outsider. She could never play Quidditch and often was left out of their conversations. And now Claire and Dylan had made friends with the Marauders through Quidditch. Lily felt betrayed although she knew this grudge she held was silly. Maybe they weren't as bad as they used to be she told herself. James and Sirius had stopped cursing everyone they set eyes upon and James had yet to ask Lily out. Maybe she should give it up. Lily thought long and hard. She was being foolish.
It was a Saturday afternoon, the sunlight streamed through the windows. The clouds were the picture perfect ones that you found drawn in story books. Lily had already finished her homework and was lounging around and drawing in her sketch book when James walked in muddy from practice. He looked thoroughly worn out.
"Hello Lily," he said before turning and walking up the stairs.
"Hi James how was practice? Ready to beat Ravenclaw?" Lily asked as she looked up from her book and smiled. She herself was amazed at her total lack of shyness.
"Of course," he said and walked upstairs to shower to tired to realize that Lily had finally spoken to him.
After another hour of drawing Lily began to get hungry. She stopped by the kitchens and picked up some food and went off to find Dylan and Claire. She found them lounging by the lake. Before walking right up to them Lily took a moment to look at them, to observe them. It was one of Lily's habits, to watch people. Claire was dressed in retro jeans and a tight blue dress shirt. Dylan was in her usual baggy jeans and a tight white T-shirt. Lily chuckled and thought that their style hadn't changed over 7 years. Not that hers had, she was wearing a plaid pleated skirt and a green shirt. In fact not a lot had ever changed between them.
Lily walked up to her two best friends in the world. Dylan looked up and saw Lily coming.
"Hey Lil, what's up?" Claire asked peeling her eyes away from the clouds.
Lily laid down next to them on the soft green grass and looked up into the sky. "Nothing, I was just drawing and then I talked to James." She tried to slip in her conversation with James nonchalantly.
"Oh wow Lil. You talked to him? Good I was getting sick of this stupid old grudge." Dylan said as she pointed into the sky, "Look a mermaid."
It was just like Dylan to completely disregard an important breakthrough. But as Lily thought, maybe it wasn't really anything maybe it wasn't a big deal. Or maybe Dylan had been waiting for it to happen. Lily stopped herself. She really did think to much.
"Good one Dylan, look there's a castle," Claire said pointed at a huge fluffy white cloud in the sky.
Lily lay next to them happy. She was content with life. She felt at peace with the world. Nothing could be better, nothing could go wrong. But that is never true. And out of nowhere a saddening thought pierced through her happiness: she would have to say goodbye in a year. How could she leave and start a life. It scared her. It left her feeling lonely even though right next to her, her best friends were pointing out shapes in the sky. The three spent the rest of the afternoon laying there. They even skipped dinner. It was just something they did, sitting around in weird places talking. Or sometimes not even talking sometimes they didn't need to talk, most of the time it was all they needed, to sit in silence with one another.
And so they lost track of time. The sun faded into the west and the night sky came out. Soon the three drifted off into a blissful sleep. The stars shone down upon them watching over them as they slept.
Three boys emerged out of nowhere. They walked down the grounds toward a willow tree. They didn't make much noise and you wouldn't have noticed them if you tried. As the boys pasted by the lake they halted.
"Over there Padfoot," James pointed to the three sleeping bodies next to the lake.
"Looks like it's our favorite friends Prongs," Sirius said and chuckled to himself. The moonlight lit up his face as he smiled that famous goofy smile that made him so untouchable.
"Hmm should we go over and wake them up?" James said with a laugh although knowing he would never just walk over to them definitely not Lily and wake them all up. He could just picture the stunned looks on their faces.
"Maybe but think of how mad Dylan would get. She has the biggest temper. I can't even imagine her grumpy," Sirius said.
"But..." James said thinking out loud.
"Come on, we should probably go find Moony," a small voice said from beneath them interrupting them. It was Peter who was rarely with the Marauders anymore.
"Ok, ok we're coming Pettigrew, hold your horses," James said.
"Ahaha hold your horses and you're a horse!" James hit Sirius over the head.
Peter giggled behind them, "Ahaha that was funny!"
They turned to go but James glanced back around to look at the girls fast asleep. He saw a red glint and smiled to himself knowing it was Lily's hair. Lily...James' brain shut down. How he wished he could kiss her, or at least touch her. But Lily had hated him or at least until she talked to him earlier that day. Now that he thought at it, Lily had talked to him, even called him James. Maybe she had finally realized that he wasn't a prick anymore. Or maybe she would discover that I am still a prick he thought to himself. James was actually scared of what Lily would think of him; this was completely contradicting his personality. He usually could care less.
"James..." Sirius brought James back into the world, "Moony's waiting."
"Oh yea," he said glancing back to the lake's shore line one last time. He smiled to himself and stepped forward leaving behind the girl of his childhood dreams for his friends. Maybe he would meet up with her again he thought.
The first three months of school passed by quickly in an inseparable haze of events. Lily had no trouble keeping up with all of her N.E.W.T. classes. And Claire and Dylan had already beaten the Slytherines in their first match. Lily of course was extremely happy and proud but she often felt like an outsider. She could never play Quidditch and often was left out of their conversations. And now Claire and Dylan had made friends with the Marauders through Quidditch. Lily felt betrayed although she knew this grudge she held was silly. Maybe they weren't as bad as they used to be she told herself. James and Sirius had stopped cursing everyone they set eyes upon and James had yet to ask Lily out. Maybe she should give it up. Lily thought long and hard. She was being foolish.
It was a Saturday afternoon, the sunlight streamed through the windows. The clouds were the picture perfect ones that you found drawn in story books. Lily had already finished her homework and was lounging around and drawing in her sketch book when James walked in muddy from practice. He looked thoroughly worn out.
"Hello Lily," he said before turning and walking up the stairs.
"Hi James how was practice? Ready to beat Ravenclaw?" Lily asked as she looked up from her book and smiled. She herself was amazed at her total lack of shyness.
"Of course," he said and walked upstairs to shower to tired to realize that Lily had finally spoken to him.
After another hour of drawing Lily began to get hungry. She stopped by the kitchens and picked up some food and went off to find Dylan and Claire. She found them lounging by the lake. Before walking right up to them Lily took a moment to look at them, to observe them. It was one of Lily's habits, to watch people. Claire was dressed in retro jeans and a tight blue dress shirt. Dylan was in her usual baggy jeans and a tight white T-shirt. Lily chuckled and thought that their style hadn't changed over 7 years. Not that hers had, she was wearing a plaid pleated skirt and a green shirt. In fact not a lot had ever changed between them.
Lily walked up to her two best friends in the world. Dylan looked up and saw Lily coming.
"Hey Lil, what's up?" Claire asked peeling her eyes away from the clouds.
Lily laid down next to them on the soft green grass and looked up into the sky. "Nothing, I was just drawing and then I talked to James." She tried to slip in her conversation with James nonchalantly.
"Oh wow Lil. You talked to him? Good I was getting sick of this stupid old grudge." Dylan said as she pointed into the sky, "Look a mermaid."
It was just like Dylan to completely disregard an important breakthrough. But as Lily thought, maybe it wasn't really anything maybe it wasn't a big deal. Or maybe Dylan had been waiting for it to happen. Lily stopped herself. She really did think to much.
"Good one Dylan, look there's a castle," Claire said pointed at a huge fluffy white cloud in the sky.
Lily lay next to them happy. She was content with life. She felt at peace with the world. Nothing could be better, nothing could go wrong. But that is never true. And out of nowhere a saddening thought pierced through her happiness: she would have to say goodbye in a year. How could she leave and start a life. It scared her. It left her feeling lonely even though right next to her, her best friends were pointing out shapes in the sky. The three spent the rest of the afternoon laying there. They even skipped dinner. It was just something they did, sitting around in weird places talking. Or sometimes not even talking sometimes they didn't need to talk, most of the time it was all they needed, to sit in silence with one another.
And so they lost track of time. The sun faded into the west and the night sky came out. Soon the three drifted off into a blissful sleep. The stars shone down upon them watching over them as they slept.
Three boys emerged out of nowhere. They walked down the grounds toward a willow tree. They didn't make much noise and you wouldn't have noticed them if you tried. As the boys pasted by the lake they halted.
"Over there Padfoot," James pointed to the three sleeping bodies next to the lake.
"Looks like it's our favorite friends Prongs," Sirius said and chuckled to himself. The moonlight lit up his face as he smiled that famous goofy smile that made him so untouchable.
"Hmm should we go over and wake them up?" James said with a laugh although knowing he would never just walk over to them definitely not Lily and wake them all up. He could just picture the stunned looks on their faces.
"Maybe but think of how mad Dylan would get. She has the biggest temper. I can't even imagine her grumpy," Sirius said.
"But..." James said thinking out loud.
"Come on, we should probably go find Moony," a small voice said from beneath them interrupting them. It was Peter who was rarely with the Marauders anymore.
"Ok, ok we're coming Pettigrew, hold your horses," James said.
"Ahaha hold your horses and you're a horse!" James hit Sirius over the head.
Peter giggled behind them, "Ahaha that was funny!"
They turned to go but James glanced back around to look at the girls fast asleep. He saw a red glint and smiled to himself knowing it was Lily's hair. Lily...James' brain shut down. How he wished he could kiss her, or at least touch her. But Lily had hated him or at least until she talked to him earlier that day. Now that he thought at it, Lily had talked to him, even called him James. Maybe she had finally realized that he wasn't a prick anymore. Or maybe she would discover that I am still a prick he thought to himself. James was actually scared of what Lily would think of him; this was completely contradicting his personality. He usually could care less.
"James..." Sirius brought James back into the world, "Moony's waiting."
"Oh yea," he said glancing back to the lake's shore line one last time. He smiled to himself and stepped forward leaving behind the girl of his childhood dreams for his friends. Maybe he would meet up with her again he thought.