Chapter 8: After so much time
Lily stirred in bed. She had been having that dream again, about the day when everything had changed. It had been 10 and a half months since the day she had first hit James Potter, and he hadn't spoken to her since, except for a whispered "Sorry" before he had stumbled out of the Three Broomsticks. She found it quite helpful at first, no more Potter following her around and annoying her to no end. Though after a week, she began to feel lonely…she never knew how much he had taken up of her time and she wanted it all back. The Marauder's didn't know what she had said to him, but they wanted to know when he had changed in front of their very eyes, and began to date girls instead of his gaze following after Lily at all times of the day, and Lily's friends, after finding out what had happened had found it quite difficult to understand Lily's actions since. Olivia knew her friend didn't mean to be bad when it had happened, but she did show a slight amount at anger towards her friend for doing that to her brother.
Since then many things had changed over the past year. Sydney and Remus had begun dating since the Halloween ball and were still together and going strong. Cassidy was the same gossip queen, and she had still resisted Sirius even though he had become dependant on her. He liked her to no end, and even though they hadn't even kissed, he knew she was something special. Olivia was still single and a laugh. She was still her same self, and even more mischievous nowadays. Lily hadn't changed one bit. She was still sarcastic, lovable and funny, and that was why James Potter, even though he hadn't spoken a word to her since before Halloween, he had still loved her.
Lily fidgeted with her covers and released herself from her bed. She looked up at her ceiling. When was she going to stop thinking about this dream? Hadn't she been punished enough by having to endure long hours of silence when in company with him. Couldn't he just speak to her, stop her from wanting to scream at him? The only times she now heard his voice were when he spoke to someone that was near her. She had stopped getting annoyed with his arrogant smile; it wasn't because she didn't have to endure, but because he never released it. She wasn't annoyed by the way he ruffled his hair, because she noticed that he tried not to do it, but even if he did it…Lily doubted she would get angry. She didn't care if she got arrogant Potter back…just to have him around then it would be okay…if she had a reason to want to hate him. Then it would be okay.
She climbed out of her bed, and her feat touched the warm carpet. She wriggled her feet into some warm fuzzy white slippers and brushed her fingers through her hair, before raising herself from her bed and walking to her bathroom. After securing the door, she turned the shower on and climbed in. After a while she came out with a towel wrapped around her and she walked to the mirror hanging above the pearly sink, and looked at herself.
Who was she? After a few moments of this question rolling around her head, she shook it, trying to think of something else. Hogwarts! Today she would be returning to the place where she felt at peace. With it's large corridors and sweeping stairways. The constant bustle of the Common Room, and the late night talks in the dormitory about which boy had caught their eyes. Hogwarts, with its spell casting every several minutes, all the wonderful creatures with exotic natures and some…not. Today she would be going back…for her last year.
She pulled the clothes off her desk chair that she had ironed the night before. She slipped into cropped jeans, a yellow t-shirt, a zip-up and her Dunlop pumps. She threw all the items she had needed overnight into her trunk and backpack, and started to pull it towards the door. After brushing her hair out she was ready. Ready to go back