In the Blink of an Eye
A/N: Hello hello! Wow, I have a whole uber (haha I love that word!) long list of reasons why this chapter wasn't up early, but I think that it would suffice to say that I am a horrible updater! Mucho thanks to EyesofEmerald who persuaded me to write!
I know you all were expecting the party in this chapter but it was getting too long. The next one will be out about two seconds after this one, I just wanted to split them up a little…
A little note: I don't know if British people have spring break, so I'm just giving them a long weekend for Easter. Sorry if I'm wrong…I'm merely an American! ALSO: James in his boxers is SUPER HOT!!! Hehehe, we'll all just pretend he's, say, 5 years older when he's doing that so it won't be petefile-ish lol…I was pretending he was while I wrote it ;)
Awesome reviews btw! Keep it up!
WotcherHarry: You are incredible!! So here I am, being a lazy ass writer and thinking that my reviews for the chapter are over and done with and then…you review FIVE TIMES!!! Wow that really really really made my day! I was so uber (hehe) happy you don't even know...Now, I can't exactly answer all of your reviews here (they were so numerous and long (AMAZING I tell you, amazing)), so I do think I will take you up on the offer of emailing you!
BlueRubies: Two reviews! That was awesome! Thanks so much J You know Kal Ho Naa Ho??? That's soooo cool! I love sharukh khan and that movie was amazing!!! I cried the ENTIRE second half of the movie! Lol, I'm so bad when it comes to hindi movies, I don't think there's even one that I haven't cried in. Are you Indian? Or do you just know about hindi movies? (Either way would be awesome!) Glad you like Sharmila! Hope you'll like this chapter! (Good luck w/ur term paper!)
kaleidoscope0-0eyes: Thanks for reviewing! It was soo very long and wonderful! As to whether Lily likes James or vice-versa and all your other questions…well you'll just have to keep reading, won't you?? Heh heh heh… I'm so evil! Thanks so much for the idea about researching the slang, I found some really good stuff that's going to be in this chapter! I loved your story btw!
LilyPotter (): That's like super awesome that you liked my story! Hehe thanks for reviewing! Thanks for the 70's slang ideas…I found some really good ones online!
QuaintEssence: Yay for your reviews! You're the best! I don't know what was different about my writing…I wrote most of it on the way back from New Jersey on the most incredibly long and boring bus ride…maybe that's good for my imagination? Who knows, I work in strange ways lol. I wrote the "game plan" about skipping years and what-not at the end of the chapter so that everyone will read it (or most people…) I love your stories, it's a pleasure to review them! ;)
child-of-scorpio: Hello hello! Thank you, once again, for your very wonderful review! So happy that you liked it!
EyesofEmerald: Hey, don't be sorry! 'Tis no problemo hehe…Thank you for reviewing! Super cool that you loved the chapter and that you've spread the word about my story! Thanks so much for helping me think of a prank and for the 70's lingo...you're super duper (hehe)
shadowed.phoenix: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love your reviews, they're always so thoughtful and wonderful! Hehe I love James too (we're pretending he's 16 for the moment lol) No worries about Remus, there's a lot of him coming up, I've just been trying to get Lily and James down…but we can't leave our favorite and hottest werewolf out of the story!!
Alright, now that reviews are done with (y'all are the awesomestreviewers ever!!) (hehe—y'all…)
Summary: Lily and James have been best friends for three years and are very excited when they find out that they're going to the same school. Their friendship is tested when they arrive. James' long-hidden crush is revealed at school after a certain someone asks Lily out. James turns to pranks and Lily to schoolwork…. Follow them through friends, school, pranks, and, of course, love, as they make their way through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except perhaps a few characters and ideas here and there. JKR and whoever else owns all the good stuff. I also realize that the Slytherin prank has been used a countless number of times but I'm not much of a prankster myself. So I'm going to disclaim that also, it belongs to whoever first thought of it all those years ago…
Meeting Kate Potter
The kids streamed out of the train in groups, all chatting excitedly about what they were going to do over break. Alice had taken control of the group of first years that were coming to the party (namely James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Sharmila, and Alice).
"Okay kids!" she shouted over the noise, clapping her hands as if she were talking to 5-year-olds…and they were certainly acting like 5-year-olds. James and Sirius were jumping around with excess energy, conjuring up streamers and balloons while singing "Stayin' Alive," the new hit by the BeeGees, complete with John Travolta's hand motions from the movie, which Lily had showed them over Christmas Break. Sharmila was speaking so quickly that absolutely no one could understand her, something she tended to do when she got excited. Lily was trying her best to keep up a conversation with her friend but had ended up talking more to herself than anyone. Peter just looked lost, like he didn't know what to do with himself. He soon settled with watching Sirius and James and tried copying their moves, failing utterly in the process. Even Remus was hit with the party fever and had long ago abandoned his book, deciding instead to contribute to Sirius and James' decorations with some more elaborate and well-thought-out ones of his own.
After they had been standing on the platform for 10 minutes with no improvement, Alice rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in defeat. Just then a loud and commanding voice reached their ears,
"James Thomas Potter the tenth! What exactly do you think that you are doing?" the voice demanded. James and Sirius both dropped what they were doing immediately, knowing that tone of voice too well for their own liking. They then tried to clean up the mess they made before the owner of the voice came close enough to see how much damage they had done.
"Sirius, you take the streamers and I'll take the balloons. Go!" James whispered urgently. However, they didn't get the job done and soon a large woman with a very menacing look on her face towered over the boys. They looked at each other fearfully and then turned their faces up simultaneously.
"Y-y-y-yes, Mommy?" stuttered James carefully.
"You boys," the woman said, stressing every word, "are a disgrace to the wizarding world. I don't know what it is that you are trying to do to me but whatever it is, it's working! I am furious…so much so that I'm thinking of suggesting you not attend the party." There were seven shocked gasps and Kate Potter looked up, noticing for the first time the other children.
"Why hello there!" she greeted, her countenance rapidly becoming friendly and welcoming. "Who might you all be?" They stood still, a little stunned by the older woman, and were silent until Sharmila stepped forward.
"Hi, you might not recognize me, but I've been to your parties, they're just dy-no-mite! I'm Sharmila Shah, daughter of Samir and Nina Shah, pleased to meet you." She extended her hand to the lady.
"Ah, so you're Samir's youngest daughter…"
"That I am. This is Alice Prewett, daughter of Andrew and Lucy Prewett, Peter Pettigrew, son of Pierce and Gabby Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin, son of Shaun and Claudia Lupin, and finally this is your neighbor, Lily Evans." Kate smiled at each of them and said,
"Well, I'm delighted to have met you all. We're going to go over to platform 10 ½, where my husband Tom is waiting with the portkey. Boys, who do you think you are? Take the ladies' bags!" she demanded, the previous glare once again in her eyes.
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" chorused James and Sirius, bending over to pick up their friends' belongings. Kate winked at the girls, grinning, and then turned back to the boys.
"Well, let's go! We don't have all day!"
The kids arrived at the Potter house soon after. The party wasn't until the next day and they still had some time until they had to go to sleep. The girls found Kate to be quite sweet and took great pleasure later in teasing the boys about the control she held over them. Thomas Potter was a different story. He was strict as well, but not in the friendly and personal way that Kate was. Whereas Kate truly loved the boys and showed it, Thomas seemed removed from them and their lives.
James' house was filled to the brim with relatives and friends, all milling around in anticipation for the party. In their time there the children encountered James' grandparents, a handful of aunts and uncles, a strange man named Dedalus Diggle, and many other guests, including Professor Dumbledore. They finally came upon Charlie, James' cousin and the organizer of the party, in the living room. There were a few house elves, playing around with various party decorations and looking very puzzled at all the new muggle decorations that Charlie had bought for the party.
Charlie looked like he should have been helping them, but instead he was in the center of the mess snogging his girlfriend, who the kids recognized as Emmeline Vance, the current head girl at Hogwarts.
"Charlie!" shouted James, running to jump on his back. When he saw what his favorite cousin was doing, however, he backed away, "Gross! Charlie, that's disgusting!" Charlie turned and the girls caught sight of what could only be described as an older version of James with blue eyes.
"Jamie boy!" he exclaimed and ruffled James' hair affectionately. James grinned up at him adoringly.
"Hey! When I call you that you hex me for ages! Why can he do it?" Sirius protested.
"Sirius! Great to see you again, mate! And Lily! Been too long, my girl!" Charlie said happily. "And who are these lovely ladies and gentlemen?" he asked, turning to the other kids. Introductions were made all around and soon enough conversations were forming.
"I'm telling you, Charlie, this is going to be the greatest prank ever! I mean, you've seen the ones Sirius and I've pulled off by ourselves…but now, now with Remus with us we're going to be amazing!" exclaimed James, his hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh, and Peter too, of course," he added, grinning at his friend, Peter smiled widely, happy to be acknowledged.
"So what are you guys planning?"
"Well, we've played a few on the Slytherins, but nothing too big yet," started Sirius. "We want to do something for their whole house…something really fantastic." Remus jumped in,
"We were thinking making them sing a song about the superiority of Gryffindor or maybe changing the colors of their robes to scarlet and gold, something along those lines…"
"Guys, I have something for you. I was planning on keeping it for a while but I feel that it will be put to good use by you boys…not to mention it'll help you a lot in your pranking," Charlie said, his eyes glinting mischievously. "James, your dad gave this to me when I first got into Hogwarts because my dad…well, yeah…" he broke off awkwardly. He began again quickly, covering up his hesitation. "I know for a fact that he wasn't expecting me to use it for the things that I did and that you all will no doubt use it for, but it's all good. He doesn't have to know, now does he? He can think what he likes…and we can use it to serve our own purposes!" he finished, his previous enthusiasm returned fully. "Come upstairs with me, the girls won't notice. Oh, don't by any circumstance tell the girls about this!" he warned them, looking each of them in the eyes, three nodded solemnly and Peter shivered with fear.
Meanwhile, Lily and Alice were listening attentively to Emmeline, who was telling them about being head girl. Secretly, each wished that they would be head girl in their seventh year and each knew that it would be a hard fight between the two of them. Sharmila was listening as well but was much more interested in becoming Quidditch captain than head girl.
"So, you have to work really hard and the teachers have to like you, because they are the ones that choose. Try and get yourself involved in school activities and do things over the summer like community service. You'll also want to be very active in the student body and if you're not a prefect then you don't really have much of a chance," she informed them. "But don't let your schoolwork overwhelm you. I did in fifth year and I quite nearly went insane with all the work that I was doing! In sixth year I dropped out of Quidditch because it was too much, I still play occasionally, just not for the house team…" she continued. The two girls were looking up to her in awe; she was their new role model. The boys were now upstairs in Charlie's room leaning over and trying to see what the older boy was taking out of his trunk.
"This boys, is my invisibility cloak," he proclaimed proudly, holding it up in front of him for the boys to admire. There were collective gasps of wonder and four pairs of hands reached out to touch it. Peter gave a little squeak,
"I can't see my hand!"
"That's because it's an invisibility cloak, smart one!" exclaimed Sirius exasperatedly. "What did you think it did?"
The boys spent the rest of the afternoon planning out pranks and the girls continued on to subjects such as Charlie, Charlie, and Charlie.
Later that night they four boys were lying in their beds, too excited to sleep.
"That's it!" exclaimed Sirius, "Let's play dare or dare!"
"Sirius, I think it's truth or dare," offered Remus.
"Yeah, but who would choose truth?" he scoffed and James grinned. Remus and Peter raised their hands tentatively in response. "Fine, fine, truth or dare. It'll be stupid but anything's better than just sitting here doing nothing…"
After a few turns, Sirius had mooned James' back yard, James had run around his house screaming (at which he received a scolding from his very annoyed and tired mother), and even Remus had tried a mild dare (knocking on Charlie's door and telling him that he had an accident, even though they knew full well he was in there with Emmeline). It was James' turn as Peter had declined again.
"Okay James ol' boy, I know what you can do. Go outside and yell at the top of your lungs that you love Lily Evans!"
"What? NO!" James exclaimed vehemently.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, mellow out, man. It's just a dare. Unless little Jamie is too scared to take a little dare…" taunted Sirius. James squirmed in his chair a little.
"But then she'll kno—think I like her! This would be completely wrong, of course, because I don't like her at all. I mean, of course I like her, as a friend, but I don't like her like her! I don't want her to get the wrong impression or anything. Because then she could become one of those really clingy and annoying girls who think that you like them but you really don't," babbled James.
"And you wouldn't want that because you don't like her, right James?" asked Remus slowly.
"Right! Well, no, but yes…you know what I mean!"
"I don't think we do though, mate." James ran his hand through his hair nervously, and after some quick thinking, he realized that there was only one way to get out of this mess. He got up with a pillow in each hand and hit Sirius with both while declaring,
"Pillow fight!" A war ensued with Remus and James against Peter and Sirius. The discussion was seemingly forgotten, but in truth lay quietly hidden the back of the minds of three of the boys: James nervously hoping it would never be brought up again, Remus smiling knowingly every time he thought of it, and Sirius logging it away for future use as black mail or something of the sort, Peter just forgot it. (Stupid Peter…)
A/N: So, what'd you think? The next one is on its way…don't worry! Review please! LOVE YOU ALL!