Chapter 1
The day was a Wednesday. The sky was bright and blue, birds soaring through the air. The sun shone brightly above, and it wasn't too hot, or too cold. It was warm, and just right. Lily Evans hated it.
Today was the day that all Hogwarts students returned to their school. For Lily, this was her seventh year, and her final. After this, she wouldn't see her friends again, nor would she see James Potter, the boy she'd always had an eye on. Of course, she'd missed everyone, especially him, over the summer. But now that school had come, she was wishing she were back in her first year. That would've given her more time with James. But, sadly, that fact couldn't be helped.
You see, Lily Evans was Head Girl this final year. She'd always told off James and his friends for picking on others. She'd also turned James down every single time he asked her out for a reason that was so totally unknown to Lily that she felt like ironing her fingers for being so stupid.
Steam billowed through the smoke stack on the engine that was the Hogwarts Express. Pushing her trolley for the last time seemed to slow Lily down. She began thinking back to the first day she'd ever seen the train. Better yet, the day she got her letter of acceptance. It pained her to just think that she'd never go back to that school she'd loved too much after this year. Sighing, the redheaded girl pushed her trolley to the luggage department, dropping it off with the luggage man.
"Lily! Lily Evans! Over here!"
Lily lifted her gaze from the cement below her feet to the source of the voice that called her name. When she saw the person, her face lit up. Hestia Jones, her best friend, was waving to her, her arm brushing her raven colored hair all over the place. Lily picked up her pace to join Hestia.
"Hestia, I missed you!" Lily squealed, pulling her friend into a hug.
"You too, Lily! Shall we find us a compartment?"
Nodding, Lily and Hestia set off into the train to find an empty area for them to sit and talk in. For the first few minutes, they couldn't find a single empty compartment. All of them were either full or occupied. Finally, at the back of the train, Lily and Hestia found a single empty room. With a few swift steps, the both were in, and they slid the glass door shut.
"So, how was your summer, Lils?"
"Oh, fine. Just thinking about school and avoiding Petunia's evil glares towards me. The normal. You?"
"Thinking about Sirius Black."
If Lily had had anything in her hands, she would've dropped it that instant. Sirius Black? So that was whom Hestia liked? Lily paused for a moment, then looked at her friend who seemed to read her mind and nodded.
"Really? I would've never guessed, Hest!"
"Yeah, well, I've liked him since the first year. Kind of like you and James, y'know." Hestia gave her a knowing grin.
Lily tried to scowl at her friend, but it turned into an embarrassing blush that crept to the roots of her hair. Was she really that obvious? If it were, then surely James would know. Lily nearly died.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yep."
"To everyone?"
"No, just me."
Lily sank into her seat, thankful that no one besides Hestia knew. The knot in her chest subsided. She didn't really feel like having James know about her feelings for him. Blinking, Lily sat up again, looking to her friend. Hestia never had trouble confronting the one she liked. Maybe she could help her . . .
"Hest, I have a favor to ask you."
"Shoot."
Lily sighed, and then told her about her problems. She told Hestia about how she really liked James but didn't know what to do about it. Hestia listened closely, nodding and 'Aha'ing here and there. When Lily was done, a pleading expression dawned on her face. Hestia scratches her head.
"Well," she said after a while, "You could always drop him little hints here and there. It'd do some good, shock would, to James-"
The glass door slid open and Hestia stopped abruptly. Both girls looked up.
"Talking about us, were you, Hestia?"
Two black haired boys walked in. One wore glasses that hid mischievous brown eyes. The other had slightly longer black hair and dark, almost black eyes.
"Black," Hestia spoke.
"Potter," Lily said.
The two boys beamed down at the girls.
"You have our carriage," James spoke, leaning against the glass sliding door.
Lily and Hestia gave each other glances, and then burst out laughing. James and Sirius, on the other hand, sat right next to the girls, giving them both a quizzical look. Lily wiped her eyes for nonexistent tears. Hestia snorted.
"Really, Potter? Well, show us where your names are, then." Lily said with a smirk.
James coughed, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then shut it again and crossed his arms. What was Lily playing at? She seemed more confident now than she ever did any time he'd seen her in the past years.
"Oh, well. Mind if we join you, Ladies?" Sirius spoke in a debonair tone, sitting next to Hestia and putting his arm up behind her. Hestia rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling with a half-smile tugging at her lips.
"If you insist," both girls said at the same time.
A few minutes in, the horn sounded, which signaled the departure of the train. James sat there next to Lily, playing with his stolen Snitch. Lily was rolling her eyes and leaning up against the window. Hestia sat there, reading a book, while Sirius cast his glance over her shoulder. Apparently, though, he whispered something to her during that time. Hestia gave him a sharp jab in the rib cage with her elbow. Lily snorted.
"Trolley. Any of you dearies want something?"
Without noticing the time, they jumped at the sound of the kind trolley lady. Her cart was filled with candies of every kind, ranging from Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans to Licorice Wands. Hestia shook her head, and Sirius followed in suit. Lily bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should get something. James looked over towards her, then back at the trolley.
"Ten of everything," he said, tossing a bag of galleons and sickles and knuts onto the cart. The other three looked up as James went to grab the lot that he bought. Lily coughed, and then everyone went back to what they were doing beforehand.
When James came back in, his arms were laden with candies of all sorts. Using his wand, James conjured up a small table to set the stuff on. Lily was about to tell him off because you weren't allowed to do magic outside of school, including on the train. But then she remembered that they all were of-age now. She bit her tongue to keep quiet.
"So . . .Who wants what?"
Sirius dove into the chocolate frogs and began ripping the boxes open for the cards. Soon, there were ten chocolate frogs bouncing around the compartment. Each of the four grabbed some and stuffed them into their pockets and laughed. Lily was laughing so hard that she fell into James. The boy grinned down at her, his brown eyes glinting. Lily sat up and glared at him slightly, then added a slight smirk. James still wondered what she was up to.
Lily decided to take Hestia's word and drop James a few hints. If he didn't start getting them near the end of the year, then Lily would just scream, shave her head, and change her name to Bartholomew. Snorting, Lily picked up a licorice wand and stuck it in her mouth.
"So," Hestia said, trying to make conversation, "What'd everyone do over their summer?"
"I was at James's house, mate," Sirius shrugged. "Got nothing better to do."
"Yeah, over at my house all summer," James grinned. "Pigging out on everything in sight." Sirius chucked a chocolate frog box at him. James just snickered.
"Well," Hestia said, "I was with my Mum. Y'know she's in St. Mungo's. Got bit by a jinxed water hose."
Lily winced. Sirius made a face. James coughed. Hestia's mother was a Muggle. Her father had died when she was young. Sirius withdrew his arm, setting it at his side.
"So, what about you, Lily?" Hestia wanted to get the attention off of her. Whenever someone said something about her mother, she would lose her quirky touch and become saddened.
"Well, I – Err," Lily thought. What did she do over the summer, besides daydream about James? "Oh yeah, I learned Quidditch. It's pretty fun, you know. I'd never think it would be something that was real enjoyable."
Sirius made a fake gasping noise while Hestia clapped for her friend. James, on the other hand, started laughing, as if it weren't possible for her to learn Quidditch. Catching his breath, he asked a simple question.
"So what position are you best with?"
"Seeker."
James sat back. Seeker was his position. Sirius raised an eyebrow to him. Would Lily try-out for the team? If she were anything good, he would lose his position.
"Ha, I bet you couldn't beat me," James said, relaxing a bit.
"And I bet I could give you a run for your money, "Lily said, pulling out a book and hiding her grinning face behind it. James choked on his licorice wand. Sirius came over and gave him a nice slam on the back that knocked it out of his throat.
Everyone stared at Lily after that. After a few seconds, she felt the uncomfortable sensation of someone watching her. Casting her gaze over the top of the book, she saw everyone's eyes upon her. Putting her book down, Lily became red in the face.
"What're you staring at?" She demanded.
"Nothing!" All three said, and went back to their prior doings.
An hour passed and the light out the window soon grew dim. They were almost to Hogwarts. Lily held her breath for a few moments and shut her eyes. She felt a nudge coming from James and she opened one eye to glare at him.
"What?"
"What're you doing?"
"Imagining you naked."
James stopped nudging her and just stared, his face growing red. Lily blinked her one eye and rolled it.
"I'm only joking."
James just stared at her still. After a while, she got tired of it and pushed his face away. Yet again, she felt as if she was being watched. Lily returned to her book. She decided to let them stare all she wanted. She wouldn't let that bug her and her thoughts.
Ten minutes ago, she couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts. Now they were finally there. A knot tightened in Lily's chest again, as if she didn't want to exit the train. It felt too much like home, for some reason, and she didn't want to leave. And if anyone bugged her, she thought, she would cry.
"C'mon, Lily," Hestia's voice broke through her thoughts.
James and Sirius had already left. Lily sighed, standing up. Hestia looked at her friend, wondering why she had such a distraught look about her face.
"What's wrong, Lily?"
Sighing, Lily looked towards her. "I'm just going to be home-sick after this year."
"That's all."
The day was a Wednesday. The sky was bright and blue, birds soaring through the air. The sun shone brightly above, and it wasn't too hot, or too cold. It was warm, and just right. Lily Evans hated it.
Today was the day that all Hogwarts students returned to their school. For Lily, this was her seventh year, and her final. After this, she wouldn't see her friends again, nor would she see James Potter, the boy she'd always had an eye on. Of course, she'd missed everyone, especially him, over the summer. But now that school had come, she was wishing she were back in her first year. That would've given her more time with James. But, sadly, that fact couldn't be helped.
You see, Lily Evans was Head Girl this final year. She'd always told off James and his friends for picking on others. She'd also turned James down every single time he asked her out for a reason that was so totally unknown to Lily that she felt like ironing her fingers for being so stupid.
Steam billowed through the smoke stack on the engine that was the Hogwarts Express. Pushing her trolley for the last time seemed to slow Lily down. She began thinking back to the first day she'd ever seen the train. Better yet, the day she got her letter of acceptance. It pained her to just think that she'd never go back to that school she'd loved too much after this year. Sighing, the redheaded girl pushed her trolley to the luggage department, dropping it off with the luggage man.
"Lily! Lily Evans! Over here!"
Lily lifted her gaze from the cement below her feet to the source of the voice that called her name. When she saw the person, her face lit up. Hestia Jones, her best friend, was waving to her, her arm brushing her raven colored hair all over the place. Lily picked up her pace to join Hestia.
"Hestia, I missed you!" Lily squealed, pulling her friend into a hug.
"You too, Lily! Shall we find us a compartment?"
Nodding, Lily and Hestia set off into the train to find an empty area for them to sit and talk in. For the first few minutes, they couldn't find a single empty compartment. All of them were either full or occupied. Finally, at the back of the train, Lily and Hestia found a single empty room. With a few swift steps, the both were in, and they slid the glass door shut.
"So, how was your summer, Lils?"
"Oh, fine. Just thinking about school and avoiding Petunia's evil glares towards me. The normal. You?"
"Thinking about Sirius Black."
If Lily had had anything in her hands, she would've dropped it that instant. Sirius Black? So that was whom Hestia liked? Lily paused for a moment, then looked at her friend who seemed to read her mind and nodded.
"Really? I would've never guessed, Hest!"
"Yeah, well, I've liked him since the first year. Kind of like you and James, y'know." Hestia gave her a knowing grin.
Lily tried to scowl at her friend, but it turned into an embarrassing blush that crept to the roots of her hair. Was she really that obvious? If it were, then surely James would know. Lily nearly died.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yep."
"To everyone?"
"No, just me."
Lily sank into her seat, thankful that no one besides Hestia knew. The knot in her chest subsided. She didn't really feel like having James know about her feelings for him. Blinking, Lily sat up again, looking to her friend. Hestia never had trouble confronting the one she liked. Maybe she could help her . . .
"Hest, I have a favor to ask you."
"Shoot."
Lily sighed, and then told her about her problems. She told Hestia about how she really liked James but didn't know what to do about it. Hestia listened closely, nodding and 'Aha'ing here and there. When Lily was done, a pleading expression dawned on her face. Hestia scratches her head.
"Well," she said after a while, "You could always drop him little hints here and there. It'd do some good, shock would, to James-"
The glass door slid open and Hestia stopped abruptly. Both girls looked up.
"Talking about us, were you, Hestia?"
Two black haired boys walked in. One wore glasses that hid mischievous brown eyes. The other had slightly longer black hair and dark, almost black eyes.
"Black," Hestia spoke.
"Potter," Lily said.
The two boys beamed down at the girls.
"You have our carriage," James spoke, leaning against the glass sliding door.
Lily and Hestia gave each other glances, and then burst out laughing. James and Sirius, on the other hand, sat right next to the girls, giving them both a quizzical look. Lily wiped her eyes for nonexistent tears. Hestia snorted.
"Really, Potter? Well, show us where your names are, then." Lily said with a smirk.
James coughed, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then shut it again and crossed his arms. What was Lily playing at? She seemed more confident now than she ever did any time he'd seen her in the past years.
"Oh, well. Mind if we join you, Ladies?" Sirius spoke in a debonair tone, sitting next to Hestia and putting his arm up behind her. Hestia rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling with a half-smile tugging at her lips.
"If you insist," both girls said at the same time.
A few minutes in, the horn sounded, which signaled the departure of the train. James sat there next to Lily, playing with his stolen Snitch. Lily was rolling her eyes and leaning up against the window. Hestia sat there, reading a book, while Sirius cast his glance over her shoulder. Apparently, though, he whispered something to her during that time. Hestia gave him a sharp jab in the rib cage with her elbow. Lily snorted.
"Trolley. Any of you dearies want something?"
Without noticing the time, they jumped at the sound of the kind trolley lady. Her cart was filled with candies of every kind, ranging from Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans to Licorice Wands. Hestia shook her head, and Sirius followed in suit. Lily bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should get something. James looked over towards her, then back at the trolley.
"Ten of everything," he said, tossing a bag of galleons and sickles and knuts onto the cart. The other three looked up as James went to grab the lot that he bought. Lily coughed, and then everyone went back to what they were doing beforehand.
When James came back in, his arms were laden with candies of all sorts. Using his wand, James conjured up a small table to set the stuff on. Lily was about to tell him off because you weren't allowed to do magic outside of school, including on the train. But then she remembered that they all were of-age now. She bit her tongue to keep quiet.
"So . . .Who wants what?"
Sirius dove into the chocolate frogs and began ripping the boxes open for the cards. Soon, there were ten chocolate frogs bouncing around the compartment. Each of the four grabbed some and stuffed them into their pockets and laughed. Lily was laughing so hard that she fell into James. The boy grinned down at her, his brown eyes glinting. Lily sat up and glared at him slightly, then added a slight smirk. James still wondered what she was up to.
Lily decided to take Hestia's word and drop James a few hints. If he didn't start getting them near the end of the year, then Lily would just scream, shave her head, and change her name to Bartholomew. Snorting, Lily picked up a licorice wand and stuck it in her mouth.
"So," Hestia said, trying to make conversation, "What'd everyone do over their summer?"
"I was at James's house, mate," Sirius shrugged. "Got nothing better to do."
"Yeah, over at my house all summer," James grinned. "Pigging out on everything in sight." Sirius chucked a chocolate frog box at him. James just snickered.
"Well," Hestia said, "I was with my Mum. Y'know she's in St. Mungo's. Got bit by a jinxed water hose."
Lily winced. Sirius made a face. James coughed. Hestia's mother was a Muggle. Her father had died when she was young. Sirius withdrew his arm, setting it at his side.
"So, what about you, Lily?" Hestia wanted to get the attention off of her. Whenever someone said something about her mother, she would lose her quirky touch and become saddened.
"Well, I – Err," Lily thought. What did she do over the summer, besides daydream about James? "Oh yeah, I learned Quidditch. It's pretty fun, you know. I'd never think it would be something that was real enjoyable."
Sirius made a fake gasping noise while Hestia clapped for her friend. James, on the other hand, started laughing, as if it weren't possible for her to learn Quidditch. Catching his breath, he asked a simple question.
"So what position are you best with?"
"Seeker."
James sat back. Seeker was his position. Sirius raised an eyebrow to him. Would Lily try-out for the team? If she were anything good, he would lose his position.
"Ha, I bet you couldn't beat me," James said, relaxing a bit.
"And I bet I could give you a run for your money, "Lily said, pulling out a book and hiding her grinning face behind it. James choked on his licorice wand. Sirius came over and gave him a nice slam on the back that knocked it out of his throat.
Everyone stared at Lily after that. After a few seconds, she felt the uncomfortable sensation of someone watching her. Casting her gaze over the top of the book, she saw everyone's eyes upon her. Putting her book down, Lily became red in the face.
"What're you staring at?" She demanded.
"Nothing!" All three said, and went back to their prior doings.
An hour passed and the light out the window soon grew dim. They were almost to Hogwarts. Lily held her breath for a few moments and shut her eyes. She felt a nudge coming from James and she opened one eye to glare at him.
"What?"
"What're you doing?"
"Imagining you naked."
James stopped nudging her and just stared, his face growing red. Lily blinked her one eye and rolled it.
"I'm only joking."
James just stared at her still. After a while, she got tired of it and pushed his face away. Yet again, she felt as if she was being watched. Lily returned to her book. She decided to let them stare all she wanted. She wouldn't let that bug her and her thoughts.
Ten minutes ago, she couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts. Now they were finally there. A knot tightened in Lily's chest again, as if she didn't want to exit the train. It felt too much like home, for some reason, and she didn't want to leave. And if anyone bugged her, she thought, she would cry.
"C'mon, Lily," Hestia's voice broke through her thoughts.
James and Sirius had already left. Lily sighed, standing up. Hestia looked at her friend, wondering why she had such a distraught look about her face.
"What's wrong, Lily?"
Sighing, Lily looked towards her. "I'm just going to be home-sick after this year."
"That's all."