A/N: So many things went wrong eith this chapter, but it is finally here! Yay! This Fic doesn't really follow cannon. It may a little, but I've had this idea long before I read OoTP.

Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express

I disclaim... Lily's line "Am I not pretty enough?..." Is from a KaseY Chambers song. I just couldn't resist.

People were milling about on platform 9 3/4. It was really crowded and hot, and Lily Evans was getting quite frantic. She had set her trunk down on the platform, and was turning in circles searching for her best friend.

It wasn't like Bella to be late. Well... it wasn't like Lily to be on time either. Maybe she had thought that Lily would be late any way so she didn't have to rush. But, she had been pretty adamant in saying that they should meet a half an hour early. Last year they had been stuck in a compartment with a couple of noisy first years, and the year before that it had been two 7th years who smelled like they hadn't bathed since they left Hogwarts at the beginning of the summer. It looked like everyone had the same idea though, seeing as there was hardly any pace to move on the platform.

Lily suddenly got bumped for behind and it startled her so much that she fell over her trunk and landed on the feet of someone standing near by. A parent by the looks of him. He glowered at Lily, and moved is feet away, as not to soil them. She turned to see a hand held in front of her face, and she gratefully took it as she looked to see who her assailant was. She was so startled to see whose hand she was holding that she lost her footing again, time landing on the hard platform.

"Woo Evans, sorry about that. It wasn't my fault though. Sirius pushed me, and I didn't have any time to react." James Potter stated as he reached for Lily's hand and pulled her up into a standing position.

Sirius Black came up from behind James. "Yeah sorry," He then turned to James. "Peter and Remus are over there by the train. We should go get a compartment now."

James glanced over at the train and nodded. He started leaving without even saying good bye.

"It was a pleasure knockin' you up, Evans. We should do it more often." Sirius said, then he winked at her, and left her all alone spluttering on the platform staring after their backs. When they were out of sight she looked down at the hand that James had grasped to help her up, and thought briefly of never washing it again. Then she giggled softly. James would never touch her hand again if it was all dirty and stinky.

And that is where Bella found her later, daydreaming about James' calloused hands.

"I should have known that you would be late," she scoffed, hitting Lily's arm lightly. "Luckily, you weren't too late, we might be able to still get a compartment."

"Me late? I was even here five minutes early. It's you who were late." Lily replied indignantly, grabbing her trunk and heaving it in the direction of the train.

Bella hurried to follow her. "I was not late!" She cried. "I haven't been late since the day that I was born."

Lily just ignored her and continued her trek to the train. The two girls walked down the aisle and sighed with relief when they found a compartment that was empty, and sat down in it, beside each other.

"You'd better be happy that we found an empty compartment," Lily hissed. "Or else you would be in big trouble!"

"What were you going to do little miss prefect? Take off points? We haven't even got to school yet. And where do you get off getting mad at me for being late? You're late practically everyday of your life." Bella paused. "Hey, I wasn't even the one who was late here."

"No," sneered Lily. "You weren't late for the train, but we had arranged to meet at 10:30, and it's rude to be late."

"Oh, you are such a hypocrite!" Bella yelled and turned to face the window. Minutes passed and both girls seethed in their seats. Finally Bella broke down.

"We probably just couldn't find each other in the crowd." She relented. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you."

"Oh good," Lily exclaimed. "Because I have some exciting news to tell you involving James I-don't-know-his-middle-name Potter..."

"It's Edward," Bella cut in.

"Edward. James Edward Potter," Lily breathed. "Mmm, I like it. It sounds rich."

Bella then gave a cough that sounded remarkably like 'gold digger.'

"Hey," Lily replied indignantly. "I fell madly in love with him before I knew the size of his Gringott's account. That it's so large is just an added bonus."

"What are you talking about? Added bonus," Bella muttered. "When has James ever given you the time of day?"

"Today," Lily said dreamily. "That's what I was going to tell you about. Get this... James Edward Potter held my hand."

"He held your hand?" Bella asked incredulously.

"Yes," Lily said. "First he pushed me over, which I think he did on purpose. And then he grabbed my hand to pull me up. And it was either my imagination or he was reluctant to let go."

"It was your imagination then," Bella stated rather rudely.

"Hey," Lilly replied, hurt. "Why can't you be happy for me? This is the first good thing that has happened to me in a long time. I was expecting some support from my best friend."

"Lils, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you. I'm just trying not to get your hopes up," Bella spoke softly, taking Lily's hand in her own. "You should have seen him at the Avery's party. A lot of gorgeous, older girls were falling all over him, and he hardly gave them the time of day."

"Well," Lily replied hopefully. "Maybe he was thinking of me."

"No," Bella almost whispered. "He wasn't."

"Why?" Lily broke in loudly. "Why wasn't he? Am I not pretty enough? Is my heart too broken? Do I cry too much? Am I too outspoken?"

"No Lily, it's not any of that, James Potter, he's just, well... he's just out of your league." Bella winced as the words left her mouth, knowing what effect they would have on her friend.

"Is this because I'm muggle-born?" Lily asked harshly.

Bella didn't say anything though, and just stared at her lap to make she that she didn't make eye contact with Lily.

"Well, I don't believe you!" Lily yelled, and slammed her fist against the wall. "Why is every one so against muggle-borns still? Whit that psycho Voldemort running around spouting anti-muggle-born nonsense, you'd think that people would be more accepting of muggle-borns just to spite him. I'm proud that that loser hates me. The feelings mutual!"

"Wo, wo Lily," Bella soothed. "Sh... the whole train is going to hear you. Just forget that I said anything. I have exciting news for you too."

"What," Lily sniffed, still breathing heavily after her rant. "Did you and Sirius finally get together?"

At this Bella turned bright red and chose to look down at her lap again.

"Really? I was joking you know, but it's actually true? When's the wedding? Can I be a brides ma... no, I call Maid-of-Honour!" Lily babbled, trying to get rid of the tension that her anti-Voldemort rant had caused.

Bella laughed uneasily. "I don't know if there's even going to be a wedding. I mean, we were pretty serious during the summer, but just before I found you on the platform I saw him and waved. I was going to go over and talk to him, but he didn't even smile at me. He just gave me a little wave, and then turned back to his friends. It's like those two months meant nothing to him."

"Two months," Lily said in a wounded voice. "Two months and you didn't say anything about it to me. Not even an owl. You've wanted him ever since third year when he started doing air guitar on one of the tables in the common room, and now that it has finally happened, you don't even tell your best friend!"

"You know how my mom is Lil," Bella stated.

Lily snorted. "Yes, unfortunately I know all of her majesty's little quirks. So that means that you still didn't tell her that your best friend is a mudblood?"

"Lily," Bella exclaimed. "Don't say that word! The truth is that she never asked, and I didn't want to start a fight over it. She was so excited about Sirius and I. Her and Mrs. Black had been good friends at Hogwarts, even though my mom was two years younger. They were both on the Slytherin Quidditch team. The only girls."

"It's funny how both you and Sirius both ended up in Gryffindor," Lily said.

"More like fate," Bella stated. "And luck. I get to be in the same house as both you and Sirius. How much better can it get?"

"Well," teased Lily. "A double date to Hogsmead would be nice. You, Sirius, James and me. Now that would be better."

Bella sighed and looked sceptical, as though she didn't think that a double date would ever happen.

"Bella," Lily said softly, reading the look on Bella's face. "He was probably just excited to see his friends. Plus, he wanted to steer clear of our reunion for the sack of his eardrums. Why, I bet you that right now him and James are discussing the merits of taking us out on a double date versus going out alone."

As she said the word alone, Lily wiggled her eyebrows. Bella smiled weakly and said "I wish I had your optimism."

"I got optimism, and you got beauty," Lily said cheekily. "If I were a boy, I would be all over you."

"I don't know whether to be flattered, or scared that we are to be sleeping in the same room tonight." Bella replied.

Both girls started laughing uproariously at this, so they didn't hear a knock on their compartment door moments later. They were quite surprised when the door opened and a timid looking first year girl stepped in.

"Umm, can I sit here with you?" The girl asked, looking as though she was going to cry. "All of the other compartments are taken. Please?"

Lily was about to say no, Bella and her had not see each other for the whole summer and had a lot of catching up to do after all. But then she remembered that she was a prefect. They could always talk while sitting with the girl, and all of the juicy stuff could wait until that night.

"Sure," Lily replied kindly, giving the girl a smile. "I'm Lily Evans, what's your name?"

"Hey Pete, Remus. Good to see you guys again," Sirius exclaimed slapping Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin on the back, one with each hand. "How was Spain Peter? Meet any hot Spanish Girls?"

"Yeah," Peter said, nodding his head in greeting towards James who was standing beside Sirius. "I met a few."

"Meet them," Sirius chortled. "Was that all you did?"

"Come now Sirius," Remus interjected. "You should be happy that he even bothered looking. For the past few years he's only had eyes for Miss Ellen Heyworth."

Peter's face turned a very violent shade of red. "Sh Rem, someone might hear you! She might hear you, and then what would happen?"

"I would like to think that she would jump you right here and now," James sneered, motioning for the boys to board the train. "But I doubt that my eyes could take it."

"Oh James, I disagree," Sirius said in a conspiratory voice. "If we just bloked Pettigrew here out, it would be quite the sight. And we hold front row tickets."

"Hey don't talk about her like that," Peter Protested. "She's a very nice girl."

James snorted. "That I don't doubt. She's a Hufflepuff for crying out loud."

"That's never stopped you before, eh James?" Sirius teased.

"Oh would you two stop it? You're making poor Peter look like a great ruddy tomato over there," Remus exclaimed. "And besides, I would like to be able to look at Ellen at tonight's prefect meeting without picturing her and Peter doing something that I shouldn't be picturing them doing."

Sirius banged open a compartment door, and looked almost upset that it was empty. He muttered something about scaring ickle-firsties as he stepped inside and sprawled out one of the spaces by the window. Peter sat down in the space beside Sirius, and Remus sat across from him, leaving James to take the last remaining corner.

Peter and Remus had been hoping that the other boys would let the whole matter with Ellen drop, but James and Sirius had other ideas. "But Remus," James pouted. "Something has got to amuse you during the long, dull hour that you will be forced to spend with the Prod Squad."

He said this to a litany of "Oh! Oh Peter, don't stop. Oh, oh... Peter!" graciously supplied by Sirius. Remus groaned and covered his ears, while Peter turned an odd shade of purple. James and Sirius burst out laughing, giving each other a high-five from across the compartment.

"Oh Peter, that colour is so becoming on you!" James managed to say through his mirth. He and Sirius kept on laughing, and Remus started banging his head on the wall by the door.

Suddenly, the compartment door swung open. The boys stopped their previous activities and turned to glare at the perpetrator, expecting it to be Severus Snape. But, in the doorway stood a little girl who was obviously in her first year. She stared at the older boys, obviously afraid of them, with her owl cage clutched to her chest.

"Nice owl," Sirius said. "Can I have it?"