Chapter 2 – back to reality
Lily Evans stretched out sideways in the comfy armchair in front of a roaring fire in the common room. Her thick red locks spilled over the edge of the chair sparkling with warm golden highlights from the flames of the fire. Tiny splotches of pink appeared on her cheeks and matched the color of her small, soft lips. She smiled, fixing her luminous, emerald eyes on her friends who were sprawled out around her. Alice Garrison, a petite brunette, had just handed a stack of pictures to pretty, fair-haired Wilona Carroway, who laughed at the top picture. Lily continued smiling dreamily, glad to be back home where she belonged, Hogwarts. The embodiment of the world that changed her life. She still couldn't believe it. Only six years ago, she sat in her room, living her boring Muggle life with her boring Muggle family in a boring Muggle world. And now here she was, a witch, and one of the best in her class, at that.
"Our last year," she said sadly, making Alice and Wilona look up from their pictures and start screeching.
"Oh Merlin! Lily, we know! We know! Why'd you have to remind us! You're going to make me cry again," said Alice, looking miserably at Lily, tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Aw, Alice, come on...It's been fun though, hasn't it? Everything, I mean. Just everything," said Wilona, smiling faintly but looking more like she wanted to frown. "Just think, if we hadn't been rammed onto the same boat with each other our first year, we might not be such great friends." Alice giggled and Lily's smiled widened at the memory.
"And we have our whole future ahead of us. Just think of that."
"Let's make this year perfect though. Nothing will stop us" Alice said determinedly, .
"Mmm. Sounds good," murmured Lily softly, watching the dancing fire in front of her.
"What is with you today, Lily? You've been sitting in that chair for ages, just lying there with a dreamy look on your face." Lily snapped back to reality.
"I don't know, Alice, I was just thinking about stuff. Nothing important. I'm just trying to enjoy my time before classes start." Alice seemed to think that an acceptable explanation, though it was a bit far from the truth. She had a lot more on her mind, for instance, what she would be doing after she graduated.
"Oh, you guys!" gushed Wilona a bit loudly. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" She seemed about ready to faint. "You know who I saw this morning? You know who I saw?" She began to hop up and down and wave her arms.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Hmm... Let me see? Who gets you this excited, is really good looking, and also is a PRAT!" she concluded loudly.
"Ahh. Our beloved Sirius Black. When will you learn Wilona. Not to fraternize with the enemy." said Lily, rolling her eyes as well and straightening up in her chair. She glanced around the common room, which was beginning to empty as people wandered upstairs to bed early because of classes tomorrow. Wilona looked dissapointed at their lack of enthusiasm, and tried to start a different conversation with the obvious intention of directing it back to Sirius.
"Maybe we should just go to-" began Lily, but she drifted off when she saw the Portrait hole swing open wildly and a very dark, very messy head poke in.
Realization dawned on her, as only one head in the whole house could have hair like that. "Oh no, no, no, get me out of here, come on, let's go to bed. Now. Please. Please," Lily pleaded, her eyes hopelessly darting back and forth between her friends and the four boys who just entered the common room. She grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her towards the stairs. Wilona, however, stood rooted on the spot, her mouth slightly open.
"It's him," she said breathlessly, staring at Sirius with her mouth hanging slightly open.
"Oh for GOD's sake, Wilona. Suck it up!" snarled Lily uncharacteristically as she leapt up out of her chair.
They had just about reached the stairs when she heard an all too familiar, overly-confident sounding voice say, "Well, hello there, Evans. In a hurry to get somewhere, are we?" When she didn't turn around, the voice continued, "Might we be able to assist you fine ladies up to your dormitory?"
Wilona let out a small squeal.
Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she slowly turned around; her friends followed suit. James Potter stood in front of her, dark messy hair and all, while next to him stood Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. A small head poked out from behind James, and she identified it as Peter Petigrew's. She heard Wilona suck in her breath at the sight of Sirius in all his glory and perfection.
"Hello, James," she said simply and casually, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her get riled up. She realized her lack of emotion was a large mistake, as James's eyes lit up joyfully at her "friendliness".
"Evans! Nice to see you've finally come around. Very nice. So...does that mean you'll go out with me?" he asked assertively, sure of the answer. Remus looked a little doubtful, but Sirius was just about ready to clap his friend on the back.
Lily stared straight into James eyes and matched his confidence, calmly saying, "No thank you, I have much better things to do with my time," before she marched up the stairs in a swirl of red hair and black robes.
Lily Evans stretched out sideways in the comfy armchair in front of a roaring fire in the common room. Her thick red locks spilled over the edge of the chair sparkling with warm golden highlights from the flames of the fire. Tiny splotches of pink appeared on her cheeks and matched the color of her small, soft lips. She smiled, fixing her luminous, emerald eyes on her friends who were sprawled out around her. Alice Garrison, a petite brunette, had just handed a stack of pictures to pretty, fair-haired Wilona Carroway, who laughed at the top picture. Lily continued smiling dreamily, glad to be back home where she belonged, Hogwarts. The embodiment of the world that changed her life. She still couldn't believe it. Only six years ago, she sat in her room, living her boring Muggle life with her boring Muggle family in a boring Muggle world. And now here she was, a witch, and one of the best in her class, at that.
"Our last year," she said sadly, making Alice and Wilona look up from their pictures and start screeching.
"Oh Merlin! Lily, we know! We know! Why'd you have to remind us! You're going to make me cry again," said Alice, looking miserably at Lily, tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Aw, Alice, come on...It's been fun though, hasn't it? Everything, I mean. Just everything," said Wilona, smiling faintly but looking more like she wanted to frown. "Just think, if we hadn't been rammed onto the same boat with each other our first year, we might not be such great friends." Alice giggled and Lily's smiled widened at the memory.
"And we have our whole future ahead of us. Just think of that."
"Let's make this year perfect though. Nothing will stop us" Alice said determinedly, .
"Mmm. Sounds good," murmured Lily softly, watching the dancing fire in front of her.
"What is with you today, Lily? You've been sitting in that chair for ages, just lying there with a dreamy look on your face." Lily snapped back to reality.
"I don't know, Alice, I was just thinking about stuff. Nothing important. I'm just trying to enjoy my time before classes start." Alice seemed to think that an acceptable explanation, though it was a bit far from the truth. She had a lot more on her mind, for instance, what she would be doing after she graduated.
"Oh, you guys!" gushed Wilona a bit loudly. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" She seemed about ready to faint. "You know who I saw this morning? You know who I saw?" She began to hop up and down and wave her arms.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Hmm... Let me see? Who gets you this excited, is really good looking, and also is a PRAT!" she concluded loudly.
"Ahh. Our beloved Sirius Black. When will you learn Wilona. Not to fraternize with the enemy." said Lily, rolling her eyes as well and straightening up in her chair. She glanced around the common room, which was beginning to empty as people wandered upstairs to bed early because of classes tomorrow. Wilona looked dissapointed at their lack of enthusiasm, and tried to start a different conversation with the obvious intention of directing it back to Sirius.
"Maybe we should just go to-" began Lily, but she drifted off when she saw the Portrait hole swing open wildly and a very dark, very messy head poke in.
Realization dawned on her, as only one head in the whole house could have hair like that. "Oh no, no, no, get me out of here, come on, let's go to bed. Now. Please. Please," Lily pleaded, her eyes hopelessly darting back and forth between her friends and the four boys who just entered the common room. She grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her towards the stairs. Wilona, however, stood rooted on the spot, her mouth slightly open.
"It's him," she said breathlessly, staring at Sirius with her mouth hanging slightly open.
"Oh for GOD's sake, Wilona. Suck it up!" snarled Lily uncharacteristically as she leapt up out of her chair.
They had just about reached the stairs when she heard an all too familiar, overly-confident sounding voice say, "Well, hello there, Evans. In a hurry to get somewhere, are we?" When she didn't turn around, the voice continued, "Might we be able to assist you fine ladies up to your dormitory?"
Wilona let out a small squeal.
Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she slowly turned around; her friends followed suit. James Potter stood in front of her, dark messy hair and all, while next to him stood Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. A small head poked out from behind James, and she identified it as Peter Petigrew's. She heard Wilona suck in her breath at the sight of Sirius in all his glory and perfection.
"Hello, James," she said simply and casually, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her get riled up. She realized her lack of emotion was a large mistake, as James's eyes lit up joyfully at her "friendliness".
"Evans! Nice to see you've finally come around. Very nice. So...does that mean you'll go out with me?" he asked assertively, sure of the answer. Remus looked a little doubtful, but Sirius was just about ready to clap his friend on the back.
Lily stared straight into James eyes and matched his confidence, calmly saying, "No thank you, I have much better things to do with my time," before she marched up the stairs in a swirl of red hair and black robes.