Chapter One: "Seven Years"
Norah Jones
The next year whizzed past the six of them, and the day before Graduation was a blur of packing, running around retrieving lost possessions, and of course saying goodbye to everyone that the girls met. Nearly half the day was gone before they returned to their now woefully stripped dormitory. The clothes and shoes that had littered the floor were all packed into the numerous suitcases that lined the walls. Lily was taking home a lot of her books and decorative things that hung on the walls, and Meredith was taking her posters that had come out of her year-long subscriptions to Witch Weekly. They were pullouts of all the famous hot wizards of their time.
Lily sighed and flung herself onto the empty four-poster bed. Life was going to be very different now. After all, she had to go back home to her horrid sister for another summer. She was going to have to suffer through two and a half months of being stuck with her family until their last formal "together" summer vacation was over. After that, Lily was going to move onto her Healer training. She was a charms connoisseur, so sure in her abilities that she was ready for all the challenges that awaited her as a healer in training.
"Lily, stop staring at the ceiling." Meredith stood in her formal robes and black Mary Janes, waiting impatiently for her day dreaming friend. Lily was her best friend in the world, but sometimes she was so introspective that she worried about how she was doing. Meredith had troubles on her mind too after all, but she knew that she had to go on forgetting them. They say to stay on the sunny side of life, so why would you wallow in your own pity if life could be fun?
"Meredith, I'm worried."
"What?"
"I'm worried. I know where I am going in life, but I cannot stop myself from thinking of where I would be going had I accepted James' offer. I mean, that ring was stellar. Anyone would have been completely dazzled by its cut and optical qualities, but somehow I couldn't see anything else but those eyes. Those chocolate eyes burned their sullen image into my mind, and I can't escape it, even as I'm lying here trying with all my might." Lily let her eyes close and roll backwards. There was so much pent up emotions shooting off like fireworks inside her that she could not endure it all a minute further.
"Lily, My dearest best friend," Meredith said as she sat down on the bed, lifting Lily's shoulders up and leaning them against her own, "Lily, James is just a boy. We are young, only 17! It's not the time to be deciding who to marry! We have our whole lives ahead of us, and I'm sure that there will be other guys vying for your hand. Listen to me Lily forget him. Just forget him."
With that, the two best friends hugged and cried into each other's sleeve.
- "Spinning, Laughing, Dancing to her favorite song, a little girl with nothing wrong is all alone," -
--
(The Night Before)
They sat together by that tree facing the lake, talking about the future. Their graduation was, after all, tomorrow. All their sensible friends had long since gone to bed, but neither of them could sleep, and Lily and James had decided to sit up and talk, back at the same spot where they had talked and laughed only a year ago.
"Lily, can I ask you a question?" James looked into her eyes, examining their beauty.
"Sure James, what about?" she responded, gazing back into his.
"I wanted to ask you about the future." He breathed deeply. "Lily Evans, will you marry me?"
"What?" she asked stunned at the question.
"Will you marry me? I mean, I know I don't have a lot, but I do have this ring that I'd like you to wear." He grinned.
"James! I, I don't know James, I mean, there's so much to life that I don't know if I'm ready for such a, a commitment." She stood up and turned away from him, breaking into a sobbing run.
"Lily!" James called out and tore away after her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Lily, Lily, Lily. I love you, and I hope you know that. I thought that you felt the same!"
She cried harder and covered her face with her hands, only to have James rip them off. She looked up into his hazel eyes that were burning with pain and anguish. Lily couldn't bear to see that face, knowing that it was her who made the ache behind those eyes.
"I'm sorry James, I'm so sorry. I can't! I just don't think that I can! Voldemort is getting stronger everyday and I just don't know how it will work! We're both targets, and please don't deny it, everyone knows you're the heir to Gryffindor, and my parents being muggles will rank me high on Voldemort's hit list with you. He'll do something, James I know it. If I married you, he might do something to one of us to get to the other, and I just couldn't bear having that kind of responsibility!" She burst back into tears, but this time she threw herself unto his chest and sobbed until she had cried all the tears her body could muster.
"Lily, I understand, but we could marry, and everything would still be fine!" James insisted.
"JAMES! I know you can't stand to hide in a hole away from Voldemort, and I can't either, so why force ourselves to do that to our families and friends?" she tearfully replied.
"Lil-" he started to speak, but Lily cut him off.
"James, I love you, but this just will never work. I hope you enjoy the rest of your life. I mean it, even if I can't spend it with you." She wiped the tears left in her eyes and perfunctorily kissed him, racing off into the night, swinging open the castle doors and letting them slam behind her.
--
- "Eyes wide open always hoping for the sun, and she'll sing her song to anyone that comes along," -
--
James took a last look in the mirror before leaving his dorm room. His black formal Hogwarts robes were crisp and pressed, thanks to his parents, but he just couldn't get his tie to stay on straight. Just go ask one of them to put it on for you! His mind told him. Sighing in submission, James flung the door open and took the stairs two at a time.
In the Gryffindor Common Room, the whole of the Gryffindor 7th year was packed in, sitting around in their formal school dress robes. Immediately, one group of people especially stood out to James. He grinned and walked over to his friends. Meredith was seated next to Remus, Peter beside him, Sirius next, then Lily. The five were sitting in a circle of armchairs, and as James approached, they all looked up and smiled. Well four of them did anyways.
"Hey Prongs, decided to get up and come to Graduation after all, eh?" Sirius' clever remark came out first to meet him. Everyone else (except Lily, who kept her head down, scanning her nails nonchalantly) smiled at him reassuringly, because just last night James had told them that he didn't know if he wanted to graduate. This, of course, was after Lily had said no to him for what seemed to be the last time.
"Yes, I made it. Happy?" he smirked in that traditional grin, "I just have a slight problem"
"What?" Lily answered first. James almost had to double take when he glanced at her. She looked almost like everyone else did, what with the robes, but her hair was straightened, save for the occasional ringlet curl. It was a lovely look for her, and he was sure that any guy would be pretty damn lucky to end up with Lily in the end. It just killed him that he wasn't going to be that guy.
James held up his red and gold tie. "Will one of you girls help me?"
Meredith avoided Lily having the opportune moment to strangle James and spoke up first, "I'll help you James."
He flashed a look at Lily, something in between pain and remorse. James was so sure that night when he asked Lily that she would say yes, but the unfair world was stealing her from him. Again.
- "Fragile as a leaf in autumn, just fallin to the ground, without a sound," -
James' world had dissolved from in front of his eyes. The girl had just refused his proposal that would have completed his life. Lily was the only girl that he wanted to be with, the only girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He was in love with her, and he had known that she was too, but it seemed that ever since the rise of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Lily had feared for herself, being muggleborn. James wanted to be her protector, the one to keep the world away from her.
"Prongsie, hello?" Sirius broke into his reverie.
James shook his head, only to see that Meredith was finished with his tie, and currently the house was lining up in alphabetical order for their Graduation. He turned and joined the line in between Portman and Quest, looking up the line to catch a glimpse of Lily. It seemed as though everything he had taken for granted about her was jumping out at him, so he had to stare. Those eyes, Lily's emerald eyes, those eyes he wished would look only at him for the rest of their lives, danced around the room, smiling at everyone except for him.
-"Crooked little smile on her face, tells a tale of grace, that's all her own" –
Don't look back, don't look back, and don't look- oh! Lily had been telling herself to keep from making eye contact with James, who had been staring at her for the longest. She had just disobeyed herself and for one fleeting second, their eyes locked into a steady gaze. Lily threw her gaze to the floor in front of her, trying to block out the thoughts that began racing through her mind whenever their eyes met. Think about him- you broke his heart, not to mention your own. When there was no reason to! You know he loves you, and that he'd do anything for you. You would have been safe… James would have protected you no matter what!
The sensible side of Lily overcame her thoughts just in time to see Professor McGonagall turn around to the line of students, smiling an almost sad smile.
"This," she said, clearing her throat, "Will be your last time as Hogwarts students to leave the Gryffindor Common Room. I hope you all will just remember some things about your years here. Whether it was Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew's antics or those of Miss LaBelle and Miss Evans, I know we've seen some amazing things in these past seven years. Not to mention our phenomenal Quidditch Cup record, thanks to the great leaders we've had on this team. Anyway, I just hope now that as I let go of you as my students, you will take life seriously. Realize that now, more than ever, the choices you make will effect the rest of your life. Alright, enough of this sentimentality; I'm sure all of you are ready to graduate!"
She turned around and opened the portrait hole, stepping out onto the empty marble staircase. Lily could see out of the corner of her eye the Ravenclaws procession down from their tower. She could have been in Ravenclaw, the sorting hat had definitely urged her to decide that way, but as it sat upon her head, it searched her mind thoroughly.
-Seven Years Ago-
-The Great Hall-
-The Sorting-
"Evans, Lily." Professor McGonagall read aloud. Slowly, a small redheaded girl walked towards the stool, gingerly taking a seat. The hat was placed upon her head, and as the professor did so, the sorting hat began to whisper into her ear.
"Ah, Miss Evans… Very smart, I can tell, surely to be an expert in Charms. How does Ravenclaw sound to you dear?" the hat paused for a second, the musty smell of the very old chapeau filled Lily's nose. The hat was supposed to see into your deepest thoughts and fears, knowing whether or not you were suited for that particular house. Ravenclaw, Lily thought would have been an excellent place for her, since Rowena Ravenclaw was studious and ambitious, exactly who she wanted to be...
"I, I don't know. I read that Godric Gryffindor was supposed to be the foremost planner for Hogwarts back when it was founded." She replied tentatively.
"Gryffindor then, eh? Home of the brave and courageous, alma mater of the true of heart, the place where real heroes live and thrive. If it is truly where you want to end up, then so be it… GRYF-"
"WAIT!" she thought.
"Yes?" the hat asked, intruding on her thoughts again.
"What if Gryffindor is not where I am supposed to be? What if I am meant to be in Ravenclaw?"
"You belong wherever you wish to. The only person who can decide that is you, dear. So, what will it be?" the hat asked in her ear
"Gryffindor I think."
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat burst out, prompting an uproarious commotion of cheers, whistles, and yells.
Lily hopped off the stool and proceeded to the long table where the crowds of supporters were still on their feet welcoming in the new comer. Finally, Lily felt like there was someplace that she belonged.
-"Spinning, Laughing, Dancing, to her favorite song, a little girl with nothing wrong is all alone"-
Lily sighed and brushed her hair off her shoulders back behind her. Tilting her chin upwards and matching squarely behind the rest of the line of Gryffindors. She was going to face this brave new world with as much dignity and integrity that she could muster.
-"A Little girl with nothing wrong is all alone."-
(A/N): YAY! Short, yes, but I was so eager to get this started that I could not wait for more inspiration. First chapter is up after like a month and a half break, so now I am READY! Ok well I guess I will answer reviews for chapter ten of the first in this little series here!
Reviews!!
Lj4ever- thanks!
Sally: merci ma belle amie!
Lizzle: thanks for being such a great reviewer!! You're awesome! :D
Hpandfriendsruletheworld: thanks, I hope that I can! PRAY FOR LESS HOMEWORK!
Lj4ever/Ella Enchanted Forever: I love those songs, yes but they're sadly not by Anne Hathaway… they're oldies man, way before little Anne's time! Just a note! Keep an eye out for those because I really like them, though!
Ourlittlesecret7: haha I do that too!! Lol but yeah LAX season starts in… counts on fingers a long time! :( sadness… but the hot guys are around playing football and soccer, and I'm a cheerleader, so I'm not complaining! :-D
Madame-knight: I'm sorry you don't like the songs a lot, if you give me suggestions I'll try my best to include them! ;)