Chapter Seventeen

Summer Holidays and The Playstation, dun dun dun.

Lily woke up, to the sun streaming in through her curtains. She sat up and looked around her room. She pulled herself up and pulled her dressing gown on. When she arrived downstairs, her mother was cooking eggs. Emmeline Evans was petite and blonde, with emerald green eyes, she was wearing a pink dressing gown and stirring eggs on the stove.

"Morning Lily, dear. Have a good sleep" she asked, turning to face Lily as she rummaged in the fridge for juice.

"Alright, Mum. Are there enough eggs for me?" she said pouring herself a glass of orange juice at the counter.

"Course dear. Petunia has just gone to get bread. Morning Hugh" she said, greeting Lily's father as he arrived in the kitchen. Hugh Evans was thin with light brown hair which at this present time, looked like he had stuck his head through a haystack. He rubbed his eyes and kissed his wife on the cheek and Lily on the top of her head.

"Morning, darlings. So nice to have all my girls back in one place." He said, ruffling Lily's hair as she dodged out from his hand. "What have they been teaching you at that school. Come up with a cure for my hair loss yet" he asked.

"Not yet. I'll be sure to use it on you, when I find it." Lily said.

"How are your friends. Lana and Livvy. That's right, isn't it" Steve said.

"Lainie and Livvy, dear. How are they. Lainie still as much of a tomboy as she was when I met her. Still obsessed with that sport, what is it..... Quizlitch? " Emmeline said

"Quidditch, Mum" Lily said, who as thoroughly used to correcting her mother about magical things. "And yes, she still loves it. Though Liv and I have been supervising her dressing, though. Fortunately she isn't as clueless about those things as she used to be"

"That's nice, dear. And what about her friend, that boy, James Potter. Seemed rather interested in you, if I remember rightly." Emmeline said, looking up, with a look of mock innocence. Lily rolled her eyes and was just starting her eggs when her sister Petunia stomped in through the door. Petunia had average curly brown hair, brown eyes and a rather sour look about her. She nearly threw the bread on the table. Petunia nearly resented exercise as much as she hated Lily. "You're back." Petunia grunted, as she helped herself to eggs.

"Hello you to you too, sister dear." Lily said, innocently eating her eggs. Petunia was just about to retort when a large grey owl, tapped on the window, Lily was quite used to owls by now, but parents watched her very cautiously as Lily carefully retrieved the letter, she recognized the owl as Lainie's, his name was Fergus, he affectionately nipped her fingers. Petunia however, finished wolfing down her eggs and turned and stomped upstairs. Lily's parents turned as she disappeared, they both sighed in exasperation. The girls just couldn't get along since they found out Lily was a witch.

Lily was reading the letter and when she had finished, she turned to her parents. "Oh my god, Mum. Lainie invited me to her beach house. She invited me and Livvy so we'd all be there together. Please can I go, it's only a week." All this Lily said without a breath and rather fast. Her parents stared at her, puzzled, so she just handed them the letter and watched them in anticipation.

"So, can I go" Lily said, she couldn't wait for her parents to finish reading. She had heard all sorts of tales from the beach house, like the summer when the hot guys from America came to stay and when Lainie met the Scottish quidditch team. How great a whole team of hot guys with cute accents.

"Well, we'll have to think about it. But all seems fine so the answer should be yes" her Dad said, peering at her from behind his newspaper.

"Brilliant. Thanks Mum, Dad" Lily said excitedly, getting up from her seat and kissing her parents on the cheek. Then she turned and ran up the stairs.

"Lil, where are you going. You haven't finished your eggs" her mother called after her.

"I'm packing." Lily's voice floated down the stairs.

"But you've got three weeks to do that" Her dad said reasonably.

Up in Lily's room, she was sitting on her bed. How great would that be, a week at the beach with her two best friends on what could be their last summer together. She was grinning at the thought of it. And think, what if the quidditch team was there again. Even if they weren't there was always James. James, ahh yes, James.

She couldn't make up her mind about him. She was sure he liked her, but then there were moments when she was sure he didn't. She wanted him to do something, anything to show her that he still cared. She had stopped denying it to herself, she knew she liked him. He could have said something in his letter at least. Like "Lily, I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. Can you not give me hope that one day, you could possibly say that one day you might love me as well" Or not. Those muggle romances were really having a bad effect on her. she must stop reading them, she thought to herself. As she gazed dreamily out the window, her daydream was shattered by the sound of the garden gate opening. She saw a thickly built man with a face like a rhino. She realized it must be the "great Vernon". She locked her bedroom door so that she couldn't be forced to be nice to this man. Then she began to pack, folding her clothes neatly. How was she going to make three weeks pass quickly.

When the big day finally arrived, Lily and her parents set off for Lainie's country house just out of London. To Lily, the drive seemed to take forever. Finally they drove down the neatly hedged drive way and pulled into the impressive looking gravel area in front of the house. The house itself was two storied and white, it looked rather posh Lily thought slightly nervously. Lily and her parents rung the doorbell and waited. The heard footsteps, and then the door opened. Lainie was standing there.

"Lily, darling." She said, hugging her tightly "Come in" she said pulling her inside. Just then Claire and Ross Robinson came out and introduced themselves, inviting them inside for a drink. Lily looked around the room she was in, it was big and spacious, off to one side was a kitchen and lounge where she could already hear voices. The house was very nice with simple yet stylish furniture, it looked like something out of magazine. Off to the other side was a lounge, which had large grey couches and there were voices from in there.

"Come on, Lily" Lainie cried, dragging Lily from where she was looking at the pictures on the bookshelf. She was almost used to Lainie's houses by now, all three of them. She dragged her into the living room, where there was two people on the couch, staring at a television. They seemed to be playing some kind of game. They turned around to look at her.

"Lily." James said, flashing her a massive grin, cracking his neck in the process. Lily tried to stop the grin that was trying to force it's way onto her mouth, she started to twitch her mouth funnily, but eventually she just gave up, and stood there grinning at him stupidly.

They were interrupted by snickers from the couch on the left. They saw Lainie and Sirius snickering at them from the couch on the left, heads sticking up over the back of the couch, looking at them with raised eyebrows. Lily felt the heat rising up her face. There was silence as Lily felt so incredibly awkward with the other three staring at her smirking.

"Don't be mean you two" James said, sticking up for Lily.

"Fine, we'll stop torturing you." Lainie said, "Come and play on the Playstation."

When she saw Lily's face she said "Don't worry. Someone will teach you. Grab a controller and sit on a couch. In fact, James might help. Won't you, James."

"Course I will. Sit here Lily" James said, patting the seat beside him. Lainie was waiting for Lily to scorn him but it didn't come. Lainie grinned, she knew Lily liked James, she just knew it. James was stunned. Lily agree to sit next to him, things must be changing. She sat down next to him and he began to teach her how to use the playstation. He leant over her and showed her which buttons to push. They were playing Crash Team Racing.

Over on the other couch, Sirius and Lainie were extremely amused. Lily let James get within a mile of her, that was a rare occasion, but it had happened a bit lately. "Come on Lainie, do you want me to show how to play." Sirius said, he was being sarcastic but wouldn't have minded. After all, Lainie was kind of hot, okay, really quite hot. And it wasn't just him. The three girls were voted the hottest girl at school. Unofficially of course.

"Go on, Lainie." James said, teasingly. "What you scared of him. He won't bite. Actually, lets put something on it. If me or Sirius win, we get to chose something for you to do. And if you or Lily win, you get to do the same thing to us. So it's really up to you, Lain, Lily can't drive to save herself. Best of three. You up for it."

"Course" Lily said, Lainie stared at her, Lily was usually the cautious one and she was usually the stupidly competitive one. Lily was out to get revenge.

"Lily, are you sure. It's really me who should decide. I'm the only one who can play half way decent." Lainie was extremely cautious. She had a feeling she knew exactly what James wanted to know. Well, two things exactly. But who was she to stop a good competition. "Fine. I'll do it."

While his fierce competition with high stakes was going on, Lily's parents were talking to James's and Lainie's parents. They were enjoying a wine in the lounge, none of them had any idea of what their hormonally challenged teenagers were up to. In fact Lily's parents had just agreed to stay for dinner.

Now it was one all, Lily had been no help to Lainie, coming dead last in every race. Time for team strategy.

"Right, Lily, just try to crash into their cars to give me a head start. And if that doesn't work, flash them. Got it." Lainie ordered.

"Why do I have to flash them" Lily whined.

"Because you can't steer."

"Fine, then"

The race was going great, Lily had actually managed to block James and Lainie was winning. She was concentrating hard, so she didn't notice James's meaningful look and Sirius drop his controller and dive at her.

Flashback.........

"Right, if she's winning, we'll tackle her and then win. Got it." Sirius said

"Who will tackle her. I would, but I think you might enjoy it more. And I can do it any day." James said.

"So what if she evades my tackle. Worst case scenario"

"Do something, um, shocking. Something that will definitely stop her"

Back to the Present...........

"Wha..." Lainie cried as something heavy hit her. She realized what had happened and chucked her controller at Lily before she was pinned under Sirius, who pinned her arms down. "Go Lily, steer." Lainie cried. If this was a movie, Lily would have been miraculously been able to steer and won it, but as it wasn't, she tried. She really did, but she crashed from side to side and James sped up and overtook her. Lainie hid her head in the couch and groaned. Lily grimaced and looked awkward. For the second time in about an hour.

James and Sirius exchanged triumphant glances, thoroughly enjoying Lainie's despair and Lily's guilt.

"Lainie, I'm so sorry. It's really not my fault I can't steer." Lily said, looking at her firnd who was still pinned under Sirius.

"That's all right. I knew that they would do something like this. Sirius, you've won, you can get off now." She said, with a look of scorn. The other three all had exactly the same thought, the ice queen knocks back her victim with a swift strike. Lainie had a reputation for being an ice queen and being so horrible to any guy who liked her that they'd be too scared to say anything to her again. The other two had taught her to flirt just for fun and she had been surprised at enjoying it. She had melted slightly but it had still taken Alex about three years to get her to go out with him. Sirius went back to his original position with James and Lily both giving him sympathetic looks.

Just then they were called for dinner and all went on uneventfully. The bet was forgotten and dinner went off smoothly. Then Lily's parents left and the girls went to bed. In the morning Livvy arrived and the packed Lainie's parents silver Range Rover and began the drive to the beach. They had decided to drive as the neighbors would be suspicious if they arrived with no car. The girls chatted and listened to muggle music on Lainie's walkman. When they arrived at the house they got out and heaved their bags up into the house. The house itself was modeled on one of those French villas and had terracotta walls and grapevines. They opened the old wooden date and walked into the courtyard. They walked through the courtyard, opened the wooden gate, and entered into the house. They found themselves in the kitchen, which was lit pink by the sunset. The kitchen and lounge area looked out onto the beach.

The girls walked out to their room. It was actually separate from the house. it had a double bed and a fold out couch. It had an amazing view, out to the beach. It had a bathroom and was very nice with everything done in white and silver.

The girls unpacked and then flopped into bed. They were all asleep within minutes.

hey all, i can't belive england are out but still, go holland, im slightly dutch too. anyway thanks to the people who have reviewed, ten whole reviews, yay yay. especially to j. fain because she sent me an email. even more exciting. anyway, please review, can u tell me who is your favourite charcter, just so i know, and see if peoples are the same as mine.

luv cam xx