Fate Intervenes
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is, by no means, ours. All characters and objects belong to J.K Rowling.
Aboard the Scarlet Train
Lily looked mournfully at the solid-looking barrier behind her. That was probably the last time she would ever pass through the barrier to Platform Nine and three quarters until she was seeing her own child off to Hogwarts.
Not that I'm sure I'll even marry someone let alone have a child She mused, smiling a little.
"Have a great year honey!" Diana Evans said tearfully, kissing her daughter on the cheek.
"Write to us often," Rob Evans put in gruffly and patted her shoulder.
"Bye Mum…bye Dad," Lily said, smiling at her parents.
She turned and faced Petunia, still standing far off from her little sister.
"Bye 'Tunia," Lily said, a trace of disappointment in her voice at her sister's disapproval, "See you soon."
"Yeah…" Was the vague reply.
Turning from her family, Lily gripped her trolley hard and started running toward the barrier. Feeling a rush of smooth coolness, she emerged onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
The Hogwarts Express was already there, the scarlet engine puffing steadily in a stream of grey smoke. Mesmerized, Lily stared at the wondrous train that had carried her halfway across the country to Hogwarts for almost six years.
"Lily!" Someone yelled from behind her, snapping her from her reverie.
Lily turned to see Alice hurrying toward her, looking positively wild. Before the redhead had time to comprehend the approaching girl, Alice had reached her and pulled her into a hug.
"I heard you'd been made Head Girl!" Alice shrieked, almost deafening the poor girl she was currently attacking, "Congratulations!"
"T-Thanks Alice!" Lily stammered, caught off guard by her friend's enthusiasm.
Alice smiled happily, her dark brown eyes glittering with excitement. And the ice was broken. The pair started chattering happily as they loaded their luggage onto the train. Lily and Alice wandered around, Lily wanting to get Alice a compartment before she left for the Heads compartment.
"It's so crowded nowadays!" Alice observed, glancing around at the compartments already overflowing with students, "It seems the older kids are taking up two or three just for themselves."
"I know," Lily agreed.
"Hey, this one looks empty," Alice said, sliding open a door.
"Hey Evans, Times."
The slightly obnoxious-sounding voice of Sirius Black greeted them. As usual, the Marauders were sitting in the compartment. Sirius grinned up at them, his long dark hair slightly tangled and a bit messy as usual. His dark eyes glittered with mischief.
Remus Lupin smiled gently, looking up from a textbook he was poring over, as Lily and Alice entered. For some reason, he looked paler and thinner than the last time Lily saw him. His light brown hair was slightly messy and his dark brown eyes were kind.
Peter Pettigrew, a rather mousy little boy with watery blue eyes and sandy hair, smiled at the pair as well. To Alice and Lily's surprise, James Potter, the fourth addition to the group, was missing.
"Have you see Rianne?" Alice asked the three, "Or Frank?"
Alice had recently been dating Frank Longbottom, an honest, tall, modest boy in Gryffindor. It was well known by the boys that Frank had harboured feelings for Alice ever since third year but it was only recently Alice had been returning his affections.
Frank was quite a good looking boy, tall with light brown hair. His dark chocolate brown eyes were always kind. He seemed like a perfect contrast to Alice, with her shoulder length dark brown hair and light, hazel eyes.
"Haven't seen Frank, sorry, but I spotted Rianne in an argument with her brothers at the platform. Something about slipping a Niffler into her bag or something," Sirius laughed.
Right on cue, Rianne stormed into the compartment door, looking slightly red-faced and very angry. As usual, her strawberry-blonde hair was swept up in a high ponytail and her exotic-looking green eyes were blazing with light-hearted annoyance.
"Hi Alice, Lily, Frank, Troublemakers," She greeted, substituting Marauders for her own choice of words, "Heard you've been made Head Girl Lily, congrats."
Lily caught Sirius and Remus exchanging looks.
"What?" She asked curiously.
"Nothing," Sirius covered up smoothly, "Speaking of which, you might need to go to the Heads compartment now Evans."
"Oh no!" Lily cried out, glancing at her watch, "I completely lost track of time! Bye guys!"
Her friends waved goodbye as Lily took off at a fast-paced walk to the first compartment in the train. And she was distinctly annoyed when she ran into someone standing outside the door.
Picking herself off the ground, Lily was startled and annoyed to see the familiar messy, jet-black hair.
"James Potter, for your information, this is the Heads compartment. And no, I will not go out with you," She snapped in a sharper tone than she intended to.
"Evans, for your information, I am perfectly aware of what compartment this is," James responded calmly, much to Lily's surprise, "And I was not, for once, asking you to go out with me."
She was further shocked by this uncharacteristic remark and was almost irritated to see the shiny badge, almost identical to hers, pinned onto his Hogwarts uniform as well.
"You're the Head Boy?" She asked, realizing, too late, how lame that sounded.
Has Dumbledore gone completely loony? What made him pick POTTER as the Head Boy of all people?
"Yes I am," James replied smoothly, his voice emotionless except for a slight smirk of amusement, which Lily didn't completely like, "And I gather you are Head Girl, so we should go inside and inform the Prefects of their duties."
000
"Your job is to patrol the corridors and looking for misbehaviour. We do not expect you to abuse your privileges or you will be stripped of your position," Lily concluded.
The new Prefects nodded and slowly departed for their duties. Lily groaned inwardly after that impromptu speech she had been forced to give. It was lucky James could speak and rant without a second thought.
The new Prefects… She spent some time reflecting on the fifth year students, the new Prefects.
As usual, there were two Prefects for each house, a boy and girl. The Slytherin prefects consisted of a sly looking boy with dark hair and cold, grey eyes. The girl looked sharp as well, with a long mane of wavy black-brown hair. She found out that they were Martin Engima and Stacey Kinhoone.
The Hufflepuff Prefects were marginally more pleasant looking. Lily was amused and delighted to find that the prefects were a pair of twins, named Brooklyn and David Witherwings. Brooklyn had looked really sweet with her brown hair in pigtails, her blue eyes sparkling. David looked identical to his sister except with short brown hair and more freckles.
The Ravenclaw Prefects looked like complete opposites, one witty and one dreamy. The Ravenclaw boy was named Edwin Xarlebure, a striking boy with dark bottle-green eyes and shoulder-length dark hair. He barely needed any instructions-it was like he already knew every single thing about being a Prefect (which he probably did).
The girl was called Diana Crescentline, an unusual surname. Diana's appearance matched her unusual name. She was slim and pale, with a misty and vague sort of look to her. Her blonde hair trailed to her waist and her protuberant blue eyes were dreamy in a shrewd sort of way.
And the two Gryffindor Prefects were Sameth Patil and Vienna Yerin. Sameth looked very polite and also very witty-with his dark brown hair and chocolate coloured eyes. Vienna looked very exotic, with creamy skin, long dark hair and dark green eyes. Lily, who knew Vienna however, knew that Vienna was as brave and courageous as Rianne.
Snapping out of her preoccupied state, Lily was led to their compartment with James at the head, breaking her train of thought. It took a few minutes for Lily to regain her composure but she was soon calmed and got a chance to look around at her surroundings.
The Heads compartment was significantly more luxurious than the usual compartments the Hogwarts Express had to offer-with cushioned seats and shining, dark brown armrests and a luxurious type of carpet with a crystal chandeliar dangling from the ceiling. It seemed a bit too overdone to Lily.
The compartment was clearly designed for two people, with two double seats and two wide windows on either side of the section. Lily felt very uncomfortable in the silent compartment-it seemed that James didn't want to talk for once.
The food trolley had been past several times (It seemed to Lily that it passed the Heads compartment more often) and Lily had already finished the three Chocolate Frogs and the Pumpkin Pastry she had bought earlier.
Sighing, she decided to go visit her friends. Anything was better than sitting in the carriage in the awkward silence.
000
Say something…say something!
The annoying voice was chanting in his head as he fiercely tried to swat it away. For once, he was at a loss for words. It seemed almost impossible to talk normally in Lily's presence.
He had noted that she looked even more beautiful than any other years. Her long, fiery auburn hair had been laid down; it trailed to the small of her back now. Her emerald eyes were so enchanting and her fair skin only brought them out even more.
He had thought to get started with another round of his trademark sentence: 'Want to go out with me?' as soon as they entered the carriage. But something had held him back from that.
The more he thought about it, the more James felt disgusted with himself. No wonder Evans had grown to dislike him so much-the question sounded so immature nowadays. Shaking his head, James decided to go back to the compartment with his friends.
000
"Why do you have to eat like such a pig Black?" Rianne's complaint was the first words Lily heard as she walked into the compartment.
The compartment was crowded. Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting on one side of the room. Sirius was wolfing down candy and cakes at an alarming speed. Remus was reading again and Peter was gazing, dumbstruck, at the greedy way Sirius was devouring his food.
On the other side, Alice and Frank were sitting together, talking and occasionally laughing at some private joke of theirs. Rianne was glaring fiercely at Sirius, reprimanding his barbaric way with food. Lily grinned and slid into the seat next to Rianne just as a familiar voice was heard from the doorway.
"Greenshaw, he can't help it. He's had a love affair with food ever since the beginning," James Potter winked and sat down beside Peter, grabbing a packet of Berti Botts Every Flavour Beans. Lily found herself smiling along with Rianne as they all watched Sirius.
"Want one?" James asked, offering the box to Rianne and Lily and taking out a bean for himself.
Rianne and Lily both took one and bit down.
"Eurgh!" Rianne exclaimed, pulling a face, "Fish…I hate fish!"
James grimaced as he spat out the bean he had taken as well.
"I don't really like Grass flavour either," He remarked.
Lily bit down on hers, slightly apprehensive but relaxed as a warm, buttery taste flared up in her mouth. Savouring the taste, she giggled at the sight of Rianne's envious face as well as James' amused one.
"I got pancake flavour," she announced after finishing the rare delicacy.
"Figures," James said, grinning at Rianne, "The greediest one always gets the worst."
"HEY!" Rianne said loudly, mock-punching James.
Lily laughed as Rianne slumped back into her seat. Sirius finally looked up from his food, looking slightly sick now. James shot the two girls a worried grimace before turning to his best mate.
"Ahhh," Sirius sighed in a pained voice, sounding as if he was forcing himself to say something positive about the previous engagement, "G-great food…these H-H-Hogwarts stuff…"
He looked slightly green now as the Hogwarts Express chundered to a stop outside the train station. Just as well the train stopped as Sirius flung himself outside and promptly threw up in the rubbish bin.
Lily pulled a disgusted face as a whiff of the sour smell caught her nose but was interrupted as the loud, gruff voice with a distinct accent echoed from the giant figure standing at the platform.
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"
"Hey Hagrid!" Lily shouted over the loud voices of various students.
"Lily!" Hagrid beamed as the slender girl weaved her way to his massive form, "How ya' doin'?"
"Great thanks," was all Lily could say before she was dragged to a carriage, apparently still pulled by the invisible horses.
The inside of the carriage smelt faintly of mothballs as Lily, Alice, Rianne and Frank clambered in. Lily took a seat next to Rianne and was just about to settle down when the door of the carriage opened and James and Sirius clambered inside.
"Where's Remus and Peter?" Rianne demanded.
"Got pushed into another carriage," Sirius replied airily.
Rianne made an angry face but was interrupted as James asked, "Can we sit?"
"Suit yourselves," Rianne shrugged.
Sirius clambered over next to Frank as James took a seat beside Lily. The group sat in complete and undisturbed silence until the carriages came to a stop outside the castle. Upon stopping, Alice and Frank clambered out, holding hands and coming close to a snog before being pushed along by the rest.
Sirius immediately ran off to find Peter and Remus and soon came back with them, Remus looked disheveled and pale for some peculiar reason. The three walked in front, Sirius laughing loudly, with Peter trying to see what the joke was, and Remus smiling along with them.
Excusing himself from Rianne and Lily, James hurried up to catch up to his friends. Laughing with Rianne until they reached the great wooden doors that announced the Entrance to the Great Hall, Lily suddenly realized, with a confused jolt, something.
She had spent nearly a whole train ride with James Potter and not felt disdain…
Author's Note
Finally an update! But no reviews! Sobs So sad! But I must thank the three reviewers who have shown their support! Thank you!
Onyx Rose- Thanks for your support-yeah, her in Ravenclaw just wasn't going anywhere. Some of the ideas will be incorporated though. Thanks for reviewing!
Rikki K- Sobs You review so faithfully I really should dedicate a story to you… I'll work on that. Lol. Thanks for your continuous support!
Aurorablu- Aiyeee! Teh Sierra-ness is back! Thanks for reviewing!
Until next time,
Eternal Phoenix