Chapter 14

(A/N) Thanks for all the reviews! Oh, and thanks to kelton for reminding me about Quebec and Canada. I meant Quebec (in Canada). Oh, and I apologize for any typos in advance… for some reason, the indents aren't showing up.

Disclaimer: I own the plot.

*~*~*~*~*

For the next few days, Leslie showed up almost everywhere Lily and James went, with a bubble of enthusiasm.

For one, she appeared fascinated with the English customs, and observed their ways of speech whenever they held a conversation. She often would find any person willing to explain to her the rules of quidditch, saying it "wasn't that popular back home".

That appeared to be her explanation for everything. "Back home in the US," "Back home, we didn't do that", "Wait'll my friends back home hear", or "Well, we didn't have that back home".

Leslie never tired of imitating their speech, proving herself quite good at it, and entertained them in the Common Room by blending all their accents together, Irish, English, American, French, Cockney, and then changed smoothly from one to another in a sentence. In fact, she even managed to do a decent imitation of Hagrid's speech.

Though some found her slightly annoying, she was an endless source of perky, happy energy, and they couldn't help but feel happy along with her. Sharing a room with Evelyn, Bella, and Lily, the girls took her in, and the Marauders treated her as an "honorary Marauder".

Needless to say, the Gryffindors were quite happy with the new addition (though some grumbled she should have been in Hufflepuff) to their House.

*~*~*~*~*

"Want me to help you pack, Lily?" Leslie asked. "I can help you pick out the popular fashions back home!"

"Erm… alright," Lily nodded at her trunk. "So, what's it like in the United States, anyway?"

"Well," Leslie said, frowning at a skirt of Lily's, "We have a president, Jimmy Carter. We don't say 'er', we say 'uh', we don't wear skirts, we wear jeans, we don't have headmasters, we have principles, and we don't cross our legs like that all the time."

Lily frowned. "Er…"

"Your legs," Leslie explained. "You always cross them, all lady-like and proper. We don't do that very much. Feminist thing."

"Er…"

"Never mind, never mind," she shook her head. "You'll see once you get there. What time are you leaving?"

Lily checked her watch. "In… an hour and a half."

"Good, that gives us plenty of time to choose an outfit for you to wear once you get there," Leslie nodded.

Lily glanced at her outfit. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"

Leslie's eyes swept over her, from head to foot. "Well, you're so… classic. Black and white, Lily, who wears black and white?"

"Me?" Lily asked uncertainly.

"Not anymore," Leslie shook her head. "Be colorful! Self-expression through colors! Colors, colors, colors!"

Lily laughed as she watched Leslie prance around the room, waving a colorful scarf.

Stopping, Leslie held up a tie-dyed T-shirt, and said, "Why don't you have anything tie-dyed in your wardrobe? It's all so… so… solid and… and… plaid!"

Lily laughed again.

"And your hair!" Leslie continued. "Let's curl it!"

*~*~*~*~*

In the end, Lily and Leslie had come to a compromise in their fashion senses.

Well, not really.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Leslie, this isn't going to help, I look the same as I always do."

"But with better hair and a colorful scrunchy!"

Lily frowned, and replaced the scrunchy with her usual cream colored one, and attempted to brush out her hair one last time.

"Lily!" Leslie complained. "Now you look the same as you always do!"

"Good," she said, smoothing her wavy hair.

*~*~*~*~*

"What took you?" James asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Leslie decided to give me a last-minute make-over which I took off anyway," she said. "Why, did you miss me?"

"No," he replied moving away from the door as they walked towards the Knight Bus, where Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore were waiting for them

Professor McGonagall pressed the tickets into their hands. "You did exchange some of that into American money, right?"

James held up four twenty-dollar bills.

"And your passports?"

Lily showed her the two passports.

"Plane tickets?"

Dumbledore handed them the tickets.

McGonagall breathed a visible sigh of relief. "Good. You're ready, then. Now, here are the booklets with the rules," she said, handing them both a large packet of papers magically bound together. "Look them over on your way there."

"We will," Lily promised.

"Have a… how do you teenagers call it, cool time," Dumbledore winked.

Lily laughed, as did James. "Very cool sir," James said.

"Yes, well…" the Headmaster crinkled his nose, "It sounds much better when Mr. Black says it… and it gets more ladies, as well."

"Albus!" McGonagall scolded.

"Kidding, Minerva!" Dumbledore smiled at the two. "Have a jolly good time, then!"

"We will," Lily nodded.

*~*~*~*~*

"… No correspondence with anyone you know from your own school, aside from the other than the other student," James finished.

"That was…"

"Boring," James finished for her. "Stan, how much longer?"

"Usually, it don' take this much time," the young man said. "But, considern' it's a muggle area, it may be 'nother minute o' so."

"So it's an hour and a half at each of our houses?" Lily asked, as her house suddenly came into view.

"Right," James nodded.

*~*~*~*~*

Walking up the pathway, James stopped suddenly.

"What?" Lily frowned.

"Your family… they aren't, by any chance, like you, are they?" he asked.

"What, perfect?"

"No, annoying and stuck-up," James replied.

Lily rolled her eyes as she rang the doorbell and turned to face him. "Just my sister, Petunia. I warn you, she's-"

The door swung open to reveal a blonde, blue-eyed, girl, sneering, giving her a most horse-like appearance.

"Oh," she said. "It's you."

"Petunia," Lily smiled, walking in, followed by James. "Where's mum and dad?"

Before her sister could reply, a blonde haired woman suddenly appeared, with a tall man. Obviously, James noticed, Lily had gotten her eyes from her mother and hair from her father.

"Lily!" her parents hugged her.

Mrs. Evans raised an eyebrow at James. "And you are…?"

"James Potter, ma'am. I'm the Head Boy, with Ev- Lily," he answered.

"I see," Mr. Evans nodded. "You're from a magical family?"

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Evans nodded again. "Well, come on into our living room."

*~*~*~*~*

Mrs. Evans had taken to James almost immediately.

"He's very polite," she had whispered to Lily.

At hearing this, she had laughed out loud, earning herself a strange look from Petunia's boyfriend, Vernon.

Mr. Evans, also, found him good company. He would, in an excited voice, explain to James how a television worked, as James explained to him how it was like to live in a magical world.

"So, do you get along well with Lily?" Mrs. Evans had asked, winking.

Overhearing this, Lily smothered a laugh as James fought to keep a straight face.

"Get- along-well- with her?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"It's impossible, mum," Lily explained, "He's an insufferable idiot."

James opened his mouth to retort, but stopped, thinking that it may be rude to call Lily an "annoying know-it-all" in front of her parents.

"He seems nice enough to me," Mrs. Evans said, passing him a tray of brownies.

Nearby, Vernon Dursley grunted, noticing that he hadn't received such a welcome when he had first met Petunia's parents.

James frowned, seeing Petunia and Vernon glaring at him. "Er, Evans, what's with them?"

Lily glanced up. "Oh, that's just my sister and her boyfriend," she said. "They don't like you."

*~*~*~*~*

By the time they left Lily's house, it was a quarter past eight, and quite dark out.

"Nice parents, wonder how they had a daughter like you," James commented.

"Funny, Potter," she said sarcastically.

"I have an idea," he sat up suddenly. "Let's skip my house, and go directly to the airport!"

"Why?" Lily asked, brushing out her hair.

"You want to get there as soon as possible, right?"

"We'll be two hours early," she said.

"Yeah, but you've already met my father," James said.

Lily rolled her eyes, placing her brush away and stared out the window, as large trees appeared to "jump" out of the way of the bus.

"'Ere we are, eh?" Stan called from the driver's seat. A large "BANG" sounded as the Knight Bus skidded to a stop in front of-

"A mansion? You live in a mansion?" Lily asked incredulously.

James shrugged. "Welcome to the Potter Residence."

*~*~*~*~*

The large doors of James' house opened, and a man in a butler's uniform appeared.

"Mister Potter, welcome home," he said. "Your parents have retired to the drawing room for the evening. They are waiting for you."

"Right," James nodded.

"May I take your coat?"

Without waiting for an answer, he took Lily's coat along with James' and disappeared.

"The drawing room's this way," James muttered, leading the way.

"Nice house," she murmured. "I can actually see why those Hufflepuffs would like you for a husband, for once."

James shrugged, and continued to walk past rooms until he reached a large room, with an oriental carpet in the middle, several plants around it, and, of course, his parents inside.

"James," Mr. Potter nodded.

"Welcome home, dear," his mother smiled.

It appeared to Lily that Mrs. Potter showed no resemblance to her son. The woman had pale blonde hair, blue eyes, and a thin smile. She was wearing a silk apricot colored dress, a necklace of pearls around her neck, and her hair pinned in place with a mother-of-pearl comb. There was a fragile air around her; Lily had the feeling that she would break almost any second.

Mrs. Potter appeared more of a decorative piece in the surroundings.

"Mother, this is Lily Evans, the Head Girl at our school," James introduced.

"How do you do, Lily?"

"Um, fine, thank you," she said.

"And you've already met my father," James nodded in the direction of James Potter Senior, who was watching her closely.

"Yes, I have," Lily gave the man a small smile, though it wasn't returned.

"James, your mother hasn't been feeling well, so she won't be joining us this evening, until dinner" Mr. Potter said. "The doctor will be here shortly, and I haven't the time to spend it with you. The house-elves will cook dinner for you, and tell them to bring your mother the medicine."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Do not disturb me, do not make noise, and do not come to the third floor."

"Yes, sir."

"Your mother and I will join you for dinner when the time comes."

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Potter stood, helped his wife up, who, indeed, appeared to be ready to break into pieces at any moment.

Stepping back, James watched as his mother and father walked out of the room, then turned to Lily.

"Those are my parents," he said simply.

"Oh. They're very… very…"

"Save it, Evans," James snapped. "I don't care."

"Master Potter!" something tugged at his leg. It was a small, skinny little thing, with round eyes and long, bat-like ears. It was wearing a dishtowel wrapped around like a skirt and another towel with holes for its arms as a shirt.

Lily stared. "Er…"

"Master Potter! Dinner is served now!" it squeaked.

James sighed. "Evans, this is Tilly, one of our house-elves."

"Hello, Tilly," she greeted politely.

"Miss!" it squeaked. "Will miss be dining with Master Potter this evening? Tilly cook something extra special for you!"

Lily shrugged. "I…"

"That'll be all, Tilly," James said.

The small house-elf curtsied and disappeared with a crack.

*~*~*~*~*

The dining room was just as grand as almost every other room. There was a long table with a white tablecloth spread over it.

A candle had been placed in the center of the table, and a large window on each side of the room, with large, maroon drapes, pulled so a small portion of the outside could be seen.

An orange tabby kitten had perched itself on the window ledge, and a white cat had jumped onto the table.

"The orange one's name is Honey," James said, following her gaze. "And the white one is Sugar."

"Oh. Does Sugar dine at the table?" Lily asked.

"My mother's cat," he said. "Sugar goes almost everywhere with her, except at dinner."

Lily smiled slightly. "Who came up with their names?" she asked, petting Sugar.

"One of my father's colleague's daughters," he said, shrugging. "Sugar was a kitten at the time, and I was five, so…"

"And Honey?"

"Honey is one of the kittens that Snowbell gave birth to."

Lily frowned. "And Snowbell is…?"

"The cat my aunt bought me when I got into Hogwarts," James said. "She's here, but she likes to eat with the House-elves, because she gets more food."

"So, when are your parents coming down?" Lily asked, tilting her head to see the clock. "It's half past eight already."

"They'll be down," James said. "Of course, they'll interrogate you politely, then they'll annoy you with tidbits about themselves politely, then they'll watch you through the entire dinner to see how you act, politely, of course, then they'll ask you about school politely, then they'll tell you to leave briefly as they must talk to me about you. Politely."

"Nice, polite, family," Lily nodded.

James shrugged.

"How'd they get a son like you?"

"I'm a disappointment to my father, that's for sure," James nodded in agreement. "I blame it on Sirius."

"I see," Lily smiled. "He doesn't seem like the type to befriend stuffy, formal idiots."

"What's that supposed to mean?" James asked.

"You're an idiot, but a bearable idiot."

"Unlike my father, you mean," he said. "Who is a rich idiot."

"I see."

*~*~*~*~*

"So, Lily, as I haven't had the pleasure of acquainting myself with you, tell me about yourself," Mrs. Potter said.

"What would you like to know?"

"Well, how are you doing in school?"

"I think I'm doing pretty well," she answered. "Except for Transfiguration, which I really need to work on."

"Oh," Mrs. Potter smiled. "And do you study very much?"

"Yes, I do."

"That's good," she smiled. "And your parents?"

"They're muggles," James said quickly.

Mr. Potter frowned. "James."

"Sorry, sir."

He turned his attention to Lily. "What do you intend to do once you are out of Hogwarts?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet," she shrugged. "My mother wants me to get into a muggle college after, so I'm studying some muggle subjects so I can at least try to."

Mr. Potter nodded. "Hogwarts has a few programs where you can do that," he said, cutting up his steak. "But why not go to another magical college?"

"Well, sir, I think that I might need a muggle education more, as, well, it's important if I need to get a job."

"A job in the muggle world?" Mr. Potter frowned.

Lily took a sip of water. "Maybe. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Well, considering you have a magical education-"

"That's why I'm getting a muggle education at the same time, sir," Lily said.

James raised an eyebrow. His father had let her interrupt him?

"Hmm. And what sort of muggle job are you pursuing?"

"Well, I was hoping to be a journalist, maybe. Or, perhaps, a doctor."

"Medicinal practice?" Mr. Potter frowned. "Why not a magical doctor? Would it not be easier with magical cures?"

"I'm looking for a challenge, sir," Lily said. "Muggles don't have such an easy time with cures and treatments. If I were to become a muggle doctor, perhaps I could improve the methods."

"What makes you think that you could do that?"

Lily frowned. "What makes you think that I couldn't?"

Mr. Potter sighed. "Miss Evans, don't accuse me of things I didn't say."

"So then do you think that I could?" she asked.

James concealed a smile. Lily must have been the first girl his father had ever been challenged by. All the others…

"You must admit, Lily, the idea seems a bit farfetched," Mr. Potter said.

"My goals are high," Lily agreed. "But so are my standards."

"And who sets those standards?"

"They're my own, sir," she said.

"And if they don't match the standards you are required to match?" Mr. Potter asked.

"Then I'll change my standards," Lily answered.

Mrs. Potter put down her glass of water. "Your parents must be very proud of you, Lily."

"I hope they are," she said. "Why would you think they are?"

"Well, you have a polished surface, obviously good breeding, academically accomplished, and underneath the surface, you appear to be able to speak your own mind. Congratulations, you may be the first girl my son has brought home that meets both his and our standards."

Lily smiled slightly. "Excuse me?"

"Of course, now we have the added feat of making him see beyond the tip of his nose and appreciate that," Mrs. Potter said.

Mr. Potter chuckled, and Mrs. Potter smiled. James frowned.

"Dad, please, don't."

Mr. Potter turned his attention to his son. "James…"

"Sorry, sir."

*~*~*~*~*

(A/N) What'd you think? I realize I may make James' parents a little… whatever, and Mr. Potter doesn't seem too popular, but they get better. And Mrs. Potter is ill, but well enough to eat dinner with them, sorry if there were any misunderstandings there. Not my best chapter, but still, I hope it's good enough. Review!

To Come: America!