Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. If I did, you would be reading this in a book and the plot wouldn't be a film.
A Cinderella Story
By Araidel
Quidditch Match of Decisions
Lily landed on her bed, her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't forget the look of surprise on James' face. She rested her head on her hands trying to stop the tears. Then there was the matter of Petunia and Rose having sneaked around her room. Their faces of pure glee and spite at Lily's downfall were printed on Lily's mind.
Lily looked up and her eyes fell on the picture of her father and her when she was six, the autumn before he had met Linda. Lily reached over and took the frame of the shelf.
She looked down at it and saw the Hogwarts' Quidditch Pitch behind her and her father, who were both holding Beater bats and had large smiles on her face. Lily's eyes, however, were focused on the face of her father.
"Why?" she whispered. Suddenly, in a fit of anger, Lily threw the photo away from the bed. It hit the wall and bounced off, the glass littering the floor around it. "WHY!" Lily shouted.
Then, crying again, Lily walked over to the frame. "Reparo." She whispered and the glass fixed itself. Lily put the frame back on the table and her eyes caught sight of a box. Taking it down, Lily wiped her eyes and opened it. Once she took the lid off, her eyes fell on a white-gold fairytale book that Lily hadn't opened since she was eight.
Lily took it out and sat back on her bed. She opened the cover and her eyes traveled down the contents until she found the page she was looking for. Turning to it, she looked at the title; Cinderella. Lily took a deep breath and flicked to the end of the story. Reading the last lines of 'And she lived happily ever after' Lily threw the book with all of her might away from her.
Like the photograph, the book hit the wall and fell to the floor, lying half open and face down. Lily then dived into her covers, trying to bury her problems. She wasn't ready to face the school but the morning came too quickly.
"Lils?" Joseph asked as he escorted Lily to the Great Hall the next morning. They hadn't met anyone yet so Lily had avoided any confrontation. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the kitchens?"
Lily shook her head, not wanting to give those people who were sure to tease her, the satisfaction of knowing they had scared her off.
"Jo?" Lily asked as they neared the loud hall.
"I'll be there the whole way." Joseph replied to her unasked question.
Lily gave her friend a grateful smile and walked through the doors into the hall. All talk stopped as Lily walked with Joseph into the Great Hall. Lily began to walk towards the Ravenclaw table, not wanting to sit with her house alone. Whispers began to follow Lily's progress through the Hall and reached a loud high just as she sat down.
Joseph immediately began to fill his plate with breakfast but Lily barely ate a single piece of toast. Her eyes were darting over her house table looking for any sign of the Marauders. Neither James, Sirius, Remus nor Peter were sitting there. Lily's heart rose with happiness and then sunk as the prospect of lessons loomed into her mind.
"Jo?" she asked again, looking at her friend. Joseph looked up, grabbed three pieces of toast and shrugged. Lily got up and walked out of the hall, her head down and her shoulders hunched. She could feel Joseph walking directly behind her.
The bell rang and students began to hurry to classes. However, a crowd had gathered around Lily. It was made up of either Slytherins, happy that a 'Mudblood' had been embarrassed, or of James' fan club, happy that James hadn't got together with 'Cinderella'. Lily's shoulders hunched even higher and Joseph was separated from his friend.
As Lily walked down the corridor surrounded by a laughing crowd of people, James stood at the other end watching Lily walk towards him. His eyes were fixed on her face and he bit his lip when he heard a loud burst of teasing issuing from the followers.
Sirius tugged James' sleeve and James looked away from Lily. However, Lily looked up and briefly caught his line of sight before he walked away. Lily stopped still and Joseph broke through the jeering crowd to reach her.
She barely recognised his attempts to catch her attention as her eyes were still following James' path through the students opposite her.
At the end of that day, Lily was scrubbing the floor in the library again. Linda had found skid marks scratched onto the wood and she had ordered Lily to clean it off. Lily knelt on her calf muscles and sighed. The marks were mostly cleaned off but there was still one black line scarring that wooden floor.
Lily picked up the bucket of soapy water and her scrubbing-brush and crawled to the last blemish. As she soaked the brush in the warm water and started to scrub the mark away, Linda walked over to Lily.
"Lily." She said imperiously. Lily lent on her calves again to look at Linda. "I need you to clean this entire floor again. The marks are found in almost every section of my library."
For some reason, when Linda said "My Library." Lily bristled slightly. It had never bothered her before now, but the library was her father's library and not Linda's. It seemed, however, that Lily had been resting for too long because Linda clapped her hands loudly to attract Lily's attention.
Lily blinked and returned to her task. Students were walking in and out of the library, reading books that would be helpful for the night's homework. A group of fourth year Ravenclaws walked in and the door banged shut behind them. Suddenly, a loud ripping noise echoed through the silent library.
Every face turned towards the librarian's desk and saw the large picture of Next Salamander, along with the wall paper behind it, fall to the floor. Linda gasped and ran to the fallen poster as if it was a wounded friend. She lifted it up and revealed a large rip down the centre of the picture where it had tore on the chair.
Linda lowered the picture and stepped away revealing a patch of beige paint in the poster's place. She then walked over to Lily and threw the picture at her step-daughter.
"I want this repaired and put back up on my wall, now." She ordered. Turning back to the wall where the beige shone brightly, sandwiched between the bright pink walls, she said "The beige looks disgusting. Fix it, now, Lily."
Lily didn't answer. She, along with every other person in the library, was staring at the beige patch. However, only she and Irma understood the meaning of the black message that shone out from the revealed paint; 'Never let the rain keep you from reaching out and winning'. The untidy scrawl of Lily's dead father marked this comment as 'Mark Evans'.
Lily hadn't heard what Linda had said. She had turned to look back at Irma, who smiled warmly at Lily. Lily then turned back to the wall.
"Never let the rain keep you from reaching out and winning" she whispered.
"What?" Linda asked rudely.
"Never let the rain keep you from reaching out and winning." Lily said louder. It was as if something clicked in her head: the wheels that were jammed from grief after her father's sudden death had begun to turn; the wheels of bravery and common sense.
Linda turned around and looked at the quote again, reading it for the first time. "You heard me." She said, rounding on Lily again. "Put up the poster!"
Lily stood up and threw her scrubbing brush into the bucket, splashing soapy water over the floor. "No Linda." She said.
The heads in the library flicked between Linda and Lily, like in a tennis match. "What did you say?" Linda asked, standing straighter, clearly offended.
"I said no." Lily replied. "You have been pushing me around since my father's death and the answer is no. I won't take it anymore. I'm leaving the library and the tower."
"So where are you going to stay?" Linda asked viciously.
Lily blinked, thinking hard. She didn't have a bed in the Gryffindor Tower. However, a voice broke threw her musings.
"With me." Irma said, putting her arm around Lily's shoulders. Lily smiled at her friend and looked at the water ground before defiantly up at Linda.
Linda's mouth was open. Petunia and Rose came up behind their mother and were staring at their step-sister. Lily reached behind her neck and untied the red apron that she wore and it joined the brush on the floor. Lily turned around and stalked up to her attic room. The people in the library were in the same position when she came down a few minutes later, carrying boxes that were filled with her possessions, and walked passed her step-mother and step-sisters out of the library.
Irma followed her but Linda stopped her by saying "If you walk out of those doors, you're fired."
Irma stopped and faced Linda. "Listen, Carmichael, you won't fire me. I quit."
"My name is Evans." Linda said outraged but Irma paid no attention. She dropped her own apron on the floor and followed Lily out of the library. Natalie and Michael exchanged a look, nodded and took of their own aprons.
"We quit too." Natalie said and she stalked out of the library, Michael closer on her heels. Linda's mouth dropped open and Petunia and Rose looked in horror as the students in the library glared at them before leaving the library.
As the large room slowly emptied, Linda looked at the floor. "There is still skid marks on my floor." She said and turned to order her own daughters to help with the cleaning. However, Petunia and Rose had fled together, not wanting to face their mother's wrath.
Lily sat down at Irma's small desk in her room. She ran her hand through her hair but looked up when Irma entered the room.
"So." She said. "What are you going to do now?"
Lily looked around the room, contemplating. "I'm going to live my life." She said simply. Irma beamed.
"Is this all of you belongings?" Irma asked, gesturing to the small box full of Lily's possessions. Lily shook her head and Irma said "You need to get the rest, before Linda does anything to it."
Lily nodded and looked at the floor again. "There's something I have to first, though." She said. Irma lent on the desk and watched Lily. "Something I should have done before."
"Deal with James Potter?" Irma asked.
Lily nodded and Irma put her hand on Lily's shoulder. "Go for it girl." She encouraged
Lily pushed the door to the changing rooms open and walked inside. Tonight was the first match of the inter house tournament, and Prongs had told her that a scout was coming to watch to find any people who were good enough to be professionals.
Lily walked inside and the room gradually became silent as she walked through it, looking for James. She found him sitting on a bench, fully dressed in his Quidditch uniform, having just stopped his conversation with Sirius and Remus.
Lily stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. James stood up and looked at Lily. "Well?" Lily asked. "Are you going to throw it away? Everything we ever talked about ends or begins tonight."
"What?" James asked. The rest of the changing room was silent. The entire Gryffindor team was listening at their argument. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw the doors open and a few Hufflepuffs, Gryffindor's opponents, stick their heads in to listen too.
"If Prongs is really in you," Lily said "Then-"
"Wait a moment," James interrupted, "Prongs is me."
"Then why don't you do what you've been telling me you have wanted to do." Lily said. James' mouth opened slightly and Lily glared at him. "If what you told me was true, then stop being the fake James Potter and be your real self."
James stared her down and Lily broke the eye contact first. "You're ridiculous." She said. Lily turned around and walked to the door with her head held high. However, before she left the room, she turned around again and said "I'd say 'be yourself', but I don't know if your real self is fake or not."
Lily then walked out of the changing room and closed the door. She put her face in her hands and felt arms encircle her. She looked up and saw the dark features of Joseph in front of her.
"Are you coming to the match?" he asked. Lily shrugged and rested her head on his shoulder. They began to walk to the entrance to the stands.
"I'm sure I'll be fine." Lily said. She wiped tears that threatened to fall and Joseph led her to two seats. They sat down and listened to the commentator. Lily barely heard the two teams being introduced and saw, through blurred eyes, fourteen players soar into the air.
Madame Little kicked the box open and the four balls where released, beginning the game. It was a fast game; Gryffindor easily over powered Hufflepuff and soon the score was 50 – 0. James could tell his heart wasn't in the Quidditch Match and he looked down to the pitch where his father stood with the scout.
James caught the Quaffle and soared down the pitch. He scored and looked in the mass of students for Lily. Lily was looking directly at James. She had given up trying to stop the tears that were spilling out of her emerald eyes and given up hope that James would realise his true character.
She shook her head and realised that anymore watching James throw his life away would make her crack. "I can't do this." She muttered to Joseph. Joseph nodded and moved so Lily could walk away from the match.
In the air, James caught sight of Lily walking out of the stadium. Sirius saw his friend's line of sight and called for a time out. His team landed on the ground and Sirius said "Prongs." James looked at his smiling best friend. "Go for it." Sirius said.
James dismounted and pressed his broom into Remus' hands. He ran off the pitch and looked for an opening in the stands.
"James?"
James spun around and saw his father standing next to him. "What are you doing?" Jonathon said. "You're ruining your life's ambition."
But James shook his head. "No, Dad." He said, pushing past his father. "It's your dream I'm ruining."
Jonathon watched his son run towards the stands with his mouth wide. James gave up looking for an entrance and simply jumped over the rail. He grinned at the students either side of him and ran up the stairs.
Lily reached the end of the row and began her slow decent towards the ground. She stopped and gasped when she saw James standing in front of her. Lily looked around the stadium to find the Quidditch Match had stopped. Every single person was watching her and James.
Lily looked back to Joseph and saw him smiling. He nodded and Lily turned back to James.
"You were right, Lily." He said. He stepped closer and said "You were right about everything."
Lily bit her lip and went slightly red. "Now what?" she asked.
For an answer, James moved closer and pressed his lips to Lily's. Lily smiled against James' lips and kissed him in return. The clouds ahead cleared and the stars shone in the night sky. They separated for breath but returned almost instantly. With the new light from the stars and the flood light, Joseph saw every person either smiling or laughing.
In the air, Sirius grinned at Remus and shouted "Way to go Jimmy!"
Lily jerked away and went red when she realised she was the attention of everyone's stares. She gasped and pressed her face into James' Quidditch uniform. James put his arms around her and laughed silently.
'Dear Diary,
Your probably wondering what happened next. To tell you the truth, I was in heaven. My own fairy tale had come true and I was happier than ever. James and I were together all through our seventh year and everything that Linda had done was changed for the good.
It all started when I moved out of Irma's rooms and, for the first time, into Gryffindor Tower. I moved everything out of the attic room and picked up the still open fairy tale book when an envelope, that happened to be my father's will, fell out of it.
So, when Linda next came to the library, there were two Aurors waiting for her. And me, the new owner of the library and tower, watched with glee as Linda 'denied' having ever seen Dad's will. Even with her signature signing the 'wife' spot, she still tried to say she had never seen it before.
Ina short form, Linda lost everything and I got everything. I gave the library and the tower to Irma, because she had kept saying how much she loved working the libraries. But Irma insisted on me keeping Dad's money and other possessions so I was no longer a poor girl, but a girl who had enough money to be able to live comfortably; I'd never say rich.
It turned out that Petunia and Rose knew where my real acceptance letter was so I got them searching through the huge rubbish containers that kept the rubbish before it was vanished once a week. I was lucky and so was Rose; she found the letter and I accepted my new job with a happy heart.
Both James and I got enough NEWTs to be able to become what we had wanted to be. And then, two days before we would leave Hogwarts, I got a letter from James.
Dearest DMLEgirl,
I don't care if you think this is way to fast or anything but I love you more than life itself and I want to ask you something.
Turn around …
Love forever
Prongs42
Looking back, I should have suspected it but I didn't. So I turned around and James was kneeling with a beautiful engagement ring in his hand. His words of "Will you marry me?" made me cry. I'm sentimental!
Anyway, James and I were married in the January after we left Hogwarts. I wore a dress similar to Cinderella's, only it was pure white instead of gold. We also decided that it would be small; only the bare minimum would be invited. After the Quidditch Match, I knew a big wedding would make me even redder …
However, it turned out to be a huge wedding anyway and I remember saying my vows with the biggest smile I could muster.
I couldn't help writing a sentimental vow, but when James said "You showed me the real me" I cried.
Irma cried, Natalie cried and Joseph cried – though he denies it today. And after the wedding was over and the week's buzz had ended and the honeymoon was over, trouble started.
Voldemort was on the move and killing everywhere. Rose was killed in an attack on the Ministry. Petunia, devastated by her twin's sudden death, gave me her wand and left the wizarding world for ever. Linda disappeared; No one knew if she was killed or captured or if she simply moved away from England.
In Rosanna's group, Natasha also died in the same Ministry attack that Rose died in. Noël and Rosanna are still friends and Remus said he heard they were working together. Joseph and I got a lot closer to James' friends in seventh year. Peter was a bit distanced but it didn't really matter; for the first time in the school life, I had friends who I hadn't known for years before.
Joseph also worked with me in the Department for Magical Law Enforcement. Rosanna seemed to like Joseph more when we became friendly with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, but after Rosanna revealed who Cinderella was, Jo told me that he wanted nothing to do with her. Therefore, when she approached him, Joseph pushed her away and went to his then girl friend, Lucy Daniels.
James' family was killed and I woke up to the horrid times we were in. But we moved into James' family house, Godric's Hollow, and never looked back. Now, I don't know what's going to happen or how long James and I are going to stay here. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know how many children we'll have, or how long we'll live in Godric's Hollow for or how long we'll even be alive. But what I do know is the present and right now, the present is perfect.
Love always
DMLEgirl or Lily Potter'
AN: Firstly, I want to apologise for this being up so late; I was banned from the internet … Sorry! And secondly, there's only the epilogue left now … :)
Also, I hope everyone had the most amazing Christmas and an amazing New Year.
And can everyone just be happy that they can say that they have lived to 2005 because of the thousands who died from the Tsunami...
Reviews:
Thanks to
sweetness0984
sexyirishBeep
lindsey
Queen Of Day Dreams
Ella-Watson
arandomreader
IceCrystal
Weird-but-Wonderful
Princess of Rivendell
– I am sorry for taking so long I was banned :(
Book Lover990: This is just a James and Lily story … and I'm a Ron/Hermione fan anyway…But a Harry era version would be amazing too!
GSCer: I hope you are unconfused now …
AN 2: Please can you read Days of Old. It will get better and even if it is a typical Lily/James story, I've got at least 3 sequels so please just comment … :)