Chapter One: Back to reality
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that you recognize from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter.
Music and my grades were my two biggest passions. Over the past summers I'd gotten I job in a small perfume shop (the pay wasn't the greatest but I got free bottles and was tipped generously by old rich ladies just look for a way to show off how much money they had) and I was able to pay for my first guitar last year. I learned a lot over the summer, but I was still learning.
All my life I've had to pay my own way. I'd saved up since I was eight for the old beat up vehicle I call my car. Luckily the school I attended had a scholarship fund the aided me. Plus, my friends' parents would shower new clothes and school supplies on me. But since I bought my car, I've saved up for something that at the end of my seventh year I'd have to buy, my very own apartment. But at the moment, I wasn't worrying about that.
After an hour and twenty minutes in the car, I arrived at my destination, King's Cross train station. When I got my luggage on a trolley, I looked at the platform numbers.
Eight... nine... ten...
And in between nine and ten a brick wall that, as I ran into, brought me to platform 9 ¾. Right away I saw one of my best friends, Kristen.
"Krissy!" I said as we greeted each other with hug.
"Lils! It's been so long since I saw you last! Wow!"
"Wow yourself, Kristen. You look absolutely great!" I was happy for her. She's finally lost a lot of weight and her hair had grown about three inches.
"Thanks, but don't you think it may be too much of a change?" she asked absentmindedly twirling a piece of brunette hair around her index finger.
"Not at all... now let's go and find a seat and Lynn," I said as we helped each other load our trunks on the train. After, we took our carry on bags in our hands and looked for Gwyn and an empty compartment.
Looking through most of the compartments we couldn't find her so we settled in a compartment hoping she would find us.
"Kris, I have to go to a head girl meeting about now. If you see Lynn, tell her I said hi and will be back in a little while," I said as I smoothed out my skirt and left for the head's compartment.
As I got there I opened the door and saw some familiar faces. (Most of them where prefects from last year and new 5th years.) But amongst a group of 5th and 6th year girls was (who I told myself) my least favorite person in the world, (well except for Voldemort, my mom, my dad, my sister, and...) at least at Hogwarts, James Potter our 'oh-so-famous' Gryffindor chaser and residential heartthrob.
"Mr. Potter," I said attempting my best at staying nice. "Would you mind going to your own compartment?"
"Sorry to say, Ms. Evans, but I do believe I am allowed to stay in here," he said with a smirk.
"And why Mr. Potter, do you believe that?" I asked putting a hand on my hip.
"Ms. Evans, head girl of our dear old school, have a seat." I did as he said. "The reason is well... I'm head boy." He smiled as I stared at him. He took out his badge and showed me it.
Okay, this wasn't supposed to happen. He shouldn't be in such a high position! I mean I've worked for this for at least four years. He probably decided it would be 'cool' to be head boy.
I didn't want to start the term off bad with him so I got my self together and said, "Well congratulations."
"Thanks Evans," he said smirking smugly. My hand itches to smack the smile of his face but I knew that wouldn't look well with Professor Dumbledore on the first day of Head duty. Instead, I turn and look at the prefects. I plastered a smile on my face and put a cheery note into my voice.
"Hello, I'm Lily Evans, and this is James Potter, and we're the Head's this year. As you know all of you have—" I stop as James clears his throat loudly. "Yes?"
"I would just like to welcome everyone and say I am honored to be your head boy," he said running his hand through his hair, which made several girls simper. I hid my disgust with a cough and again turned to the group.
"Yes, welcome everyone. Now as I was saying…" I went on to give out schedules, rules, and their responsibilities as prefects while James looked pretty in the corner. I wouldn't be surprised if over half of the girls hadn't heard a word I said. They were to busy checking Potter out.
After dismissing them I go to walk out but James slides the door shut with his foot before I'm able to. "What are you doing now?" I all but growled.
"I just wanted to say a few things before you go back to your friends." He said grinning.
"Fine, lets hear it," I say tapping my foot impatiently.
"As you know we are going to be seeing a lot of each other this year—"
"Sadly," I mutter.
"Yes, well we both know we aren't the best of friends, no fault of mine, but I think we should have a truce." He stated. I wanted to laugh. I couldn't even stand to be in the same company with him more then a few minutes and he wants me to be nice to him to whole year. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a truce though.
"Only if you refrain from asking me out," I say in return. Potter rubbed his chin and pretended to think. I say pretended because no one with a brain as small as his could handle the job of thinking. "Really Potter I have go. Do we have a truce or not?" I ask getting impatient.
"No deal." He said and walked from the compartment. I stared after him my brows knitted in a frown. This was going to be one hell of a year. I turned in headed for the compartment where I had left Kris and was about to open it when Gwendolyn Northwood popped her platinum blonde head out.
"There you are Lil!" She said embracing me tightly.
"Lynn! How have you been! I haven't heard from you since you left for Italy," I said happiness again filling me at my both of my closest friends smiling faces.
"I got preoccupied. So who is the head boy?" She asked walking back into the compartment and dropping into a seat.
"Potter, I thought I was getting away from the arrogant toe rag this year but nope," I complained sitting next to Kristen.
"Poor Lily, she has to spend the whole year with the second best looking guy in the school," Lynn laughed.
"If James is second, who is the first?" Kristen asked confused.
"Sirius Black of course," Lynn said smiling dreamily.
I rolled my eyes. Lynn had the biggest crush on Sirius Black ever since third year. The worst part about it was that he knew. He had known for at least two years, but he hadn't done anything about it. I don't understand why either.
The head's meeting had taken up at least an hour and a half. Before I knew it the lunch trolley came around signaling that we were halfway through our trip.
Throughout the rest of the commute, we talked about our summers: Lynn had gone to Italy and had a pleasurable time, Krissy had gone to Madrid to work with orphaned witches and wizards, and I had stayed home and worked.
About twenty minutes before the train arrived, we started to get ready for Hogwarts. I had to be out on deck first thing so I could yell at all the little first years to hurry up and get aboard the train. Not too fun of a job, but at least I could get out of the sorting which, in my opinion, was the boring part of the feast.
When the first sign of the train breaking happened I grabbed my bags and ran toward the door where I surprisingly met Potter.
"You're actually here?" I asked, astonished.
"Where else would I be? It's a job," he said sounding, well, kind of mature. I shrugged and when the train came to a complete stop, jumped out.
"Oh by the way Evans, you look pretty today," he called over the students coming off the train. I rolled my eyes. A compliment from him didn't mean a thing.
"First years to the tall man standing over there! Everyone else, carriages!" I yelled for what seemed like a million times.
Finally after the last boat and carriage left, Potter and I got into the head's carriage. It seemed like there was a head everything!
"So... Evans, how was your summer?" Potter asked trying to make conversation.
"What's it to you?" I snapped. He knew nothing of my life and I wasn't planning on enlightening him on it either.
"Just wandering what a fellow pupil was up to," he said as he shrugged.
"I did nothing except work and writing. No vacations, nothing. Let me guess, you went on an extravagant cruise in the Caribbean where you met five trillion girls who drooled over you," I said as we got off the carriage and started walking up the path to the castle.
"Not exactly a trillion but I'd say about five. And no, it wasn't to the Caribbean, it was around the Mediterranean. Nice guessing though," he said grinning.
"Ughh... you're impossible!" I said stalking off. The last thing I heard him say is, "What'd I do?"
Reviews welcomed and encouraged! BTW... my name is Kaci and I'm normally a writer on the Hp boards but they mess up sometimes so I decided to post here!