Engaging

Faces and Friendships

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they belong to J. K. Rowling. Except for Sara Sweets, she belongs to me . Author's note: This is based upon what I have taken from the Harry Potter stories, and is totally in my head. And I seriously believe that Voldemort is either in love with Lily or is her half-brother, so that is in this story. If you are easily offended by vulgar language or sexual content you should not read this fanficiton. Please review.

Lily stepped forward, once again finding herself on Hogwarts grounds. She took a deep breath of the cool clean air that she had loved and lived in for six years before. She closed her eyes and imagined this exact moment all those years ago. She had been eleven, young and excited and scared. She hadn't known what life had set before her here, at this majestic school of hers.

Then the sound broke her concentration. It was the sound of hundreds of students coming off the train, the first years being called off for the traditional boat ride to their future.

The horseless carriages came around to pick up the rest of the students. Her friend had once mentioned that the carriages had beasts that pulled them, but she had said nothing more when no one else agreed. Lily had assumed that her friend had just imagined her carriage beasts.

Leaving her stuff on the train, Lily found her way into one of the carriages, wondering where her best friend had gone. On the train she had said that she needed to find someone, but she had left before telling Lily exactly who she was finding. Of course Lily assumed it was a certain Sirius Black that her friend had had a crush on since the beginning of their Hogwarts career.

She waited patiently until there was loud shouting just outside the carriage. A smile came to her face, Sara was angry.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Black?" she shouted furiously.

"Sara, I said I was sorry. I didn't think it was you, really I had no idea!"

"Bull shit!" she cried, "How dare you! Get the hell away from me!"

"C'mon Sara, Sirius is right. He thought it was someone else." Another voice came in. Lily's heart skipped a beat, it was the boy she had had a crush on since last year. Not quite as big as the one Sara had on Sirius, but it was her first real crush.

"Shove off, Potter!" Sara shouted. "He prolly thought I was someone else cuz' you told him I was!"

A calm voice broke in, "Miss Sweet, your hair is sparking. What has you so angry?"

"Oh Rimi! It's your friends, the scoundrels! I'm not even going to say what they did to me! Come on Rimi, you can ride with us." Sara said, "But don't even think the two of you are invited!" she snapped.

A moment later Remus came in, well, was pushed in, followed by the redhead that Lily knew so well.

"Who were you looking for?" Lily asked, knowing the answer.

"Shut-up, Foxy." Sara snapped playfully at her friend, they both knew the truth. And so did Remus.

"You know you shouldn't be that hard on them, Sara, they were just pulling another prank. It's what they do." Remus said in their defense.

Sara rolled her eyes, "Play with fire and you get burned. Mess with me and you fry." She said with a shrug, then she took in Remus's pallor, "You don't look so hot, Rimi. Here, have a chocolate frog." She said, handing him the package.

"Thanks," he said, taking the candy. He was a bit happier that Sara and Lily had found out his secret, and a lot happier that none of the other marauders knew about it yet. He opened the package and ate the frog before it could hop away, "Look, it's a rare card. You want it Sara? I have five."

"Nah, I got nine already, give it to the Fox, she doesn't get many frogs in Muggle-land." Sara suggested.

"You guys eat too much chocolate," Lily scolded, taking the card that she, indeed, did not have.

"Sara, can we please come in?" Sirius's voice rang from outside the carriage.

"Hell no!" Sara shouted back at him.

"Sara, be nice." Lily said.

"I am being very nice. Neither one was toasted. I think that was wonderfully generous of me." Sara countered.

Lily shook her head, "You guys can come in," she called to them.

"Thanks," James said, climbing into the carriage.

"Yeah, thanks." Sirius agreed but his eyes were on Sara who was carefully looking anywhere but at him or Potter.

Peter followed them in, skittish and silent. Sara made a noise but no one cared. She hadn't liked Pettigrew since their first year. The poor boy, she was his first prank assignment. And of course she had been pissed. And she had let him have it. The other three marauders had had to come in and save him. But Lily knew there was something else about him that Sara just didn't like, though she didn't know what it was. The boy seemed fine to her, a little paranoid, but nice.

The carriage began to move, following the others up to the castle of a school.

Lily couldn't help but smile. This was her year. Lily frowned. This was her last year.

She looked at the others in the carriage, Sara and Sirius had gotten into another fight, Remus acted as referee, and Peter cowered in the corner. James looked out the window at the castle, his thoughts on the same thing as hers were, though neither knew they shared similar fears.

When everything was said and done, when this final year was over, would they still be who they were? Would these friends stay in touch? Would they break apart, never to see each other again?

James's eyes met Lily's. He smiled, she blushed.

Then he turned to look back out the window.

Her eyes never left him. This year was her last. And she knew how to make it her best.