Disclaimer: Lily, James, and all other characters you know belong to JK. Rowling, I just played with them a bit.

A/N: Sorry this took so long, I've been so busy with school. I want to give a big thank you to my beta reader: Gareth also known as Merlyn Britainnicus. Happy reading.

Chapter Seven

Picture Perfect?

"But mother, I was going to visit the gardeners today," Lily mooned.

"Lily dear, I'm afraid my hands are tied. Your father and I have been scheduled to appear at this function for the past six months," Queen Katherine replied, patting her hair and adding, "should I ask Tin-Tin to braid my hair?"

"Sure," Lily said, not paying attention to what she was agreeing to, "but mother, I've never had to go with you on one of your charity appearances before!"

"Well of course not, but now you are a witch in training. A full heir to the throne, you will have to start performing your royal duties. Besides, I think you are spending too much time with the gardeners, it's not prudent to associate with the servants Lily."
"But-"

"You are going Lily," the Queen exclaimed, "and that's the end of it, so go get dressed."

Still steaming, Lily walked out of the room, trying to think of any way out of this. Finally realizing she was stuck; she let out a loud groan.

"What's wrong with you?" Petunia asked, sticking her noise out of her room and smirking at her little sister.

"I have to accompany mother and father to this stupid charity fundraiser," Lily sighed. Immediately Petunia's scowl increased and she said loftily, trying to hide the jealousy from her voice. "Oh dear, what a shame, well I'd better get ready, my friends and I are going shopping, it's too bad you can't come."

Lily knew full well that she would not have been invited in the first place, even if she had been free, but it still stung. Still smarting from the accounts with her female family embers, Lily went into her room to call a house elf to dress her. Her mood was slightly improved when she saw the pretty purple sundress with flowers on it that her mother had picked out for her to wear. Lily always did love a pretty dress. Her father even complimented the dress as he entered the limo. On the way to the fundraiser, Lily entertained her parents by giving them the top twenty reasons why they should allow her to invite Mia over for a few weeks.

"And she comes from a very respectable family. I'm sure you know the Hopkirks; they donated over a thousand dollars to that orphanage. Her father, Rupert Hopkirk inherited a small fortune from his uncle and of course the family is in the nobility, you invited them to that lovely ball last year and-"

"All right Lily, you can invite your friend over," the king said, rubbing his head.

"Oh, thank you ever so much Father," Lily simpered, hugging him.

"We're here," the driver announced, trying to hide his grin.

The thought of Mia coming over was the only thing that sustained Lily thought the very long and boring day of speeches and ceremonies. First the director of the hospital spoke, then his assistant, then his assistant, it seemed like ever person in the whole building had to give a very long boring speech. Lily had to sit though the whole thing, her back straight, her hands in her lap and seem attentive and clap at all the right times, well trying to suppress a yawn. 'It's worth it' she kept telling herself over and over again, 'it's worth it if I get to be Queen.' Though in the back of her mind, she wished she could run free in the woods or sing at the top of her lungs like she used to, before Hogwarts.

"It's time to go Lily," the Queen said, tapping her on her shoulder, drawing her out of her trance.

"I knew that," Lily exclaimed, standing up rather quickly so her head swam.

On the way back home her mother gave her a sound lecture about staying awake during functions, even if they are dreadfully boring. Though Lily though her heart wasn't in it, because she let Lily run off to visit the gardeners, Edward and Molly, afterwards instead of going to her room. There she spent a happy afternoon with the two, recounting her many adventures of the year as Molly knitted and Edward read a newspaper.

The summer passed this way, full of long afternoons of sitting straight and boring speeches and afternoons in the little gardener's cottage. Once Mia arrived for a long weekend however, it was like they had never been apart, they laughed and giggled and ate chocolate into the wee hours of the mornings.

Mia told Lily all about her mother's new boyfriend and Lily told all about Petunia's new boyfriend. A short, beefy man, named Vernon Dursley, who Petunia had fallen madly in love with. Though Lily though it must be hard to fall in love at fourteen.

All too soon the summer ended and the school year begin. It was much the same as the last, except for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who mildly scared Lily with his stories of death and deserter as a muggle policeman in Haiti. The homework increased a bit, expectably Transfiguration, where Professor McGonagall had resumed her routine of long lectures on very complicated magical topics.

A piece of paper slide under Lily's hand during one such period and she look down to see the neat scrawl of Remus Lupin.

'I can't come tonight, can we do it on Sunday,' He had written, referring to their weekly SHC meetings.

'Of course, why can't you come?' Lily wrote back then checking to see that McGonagall was still drowning on about anamigi- wizards who could turn into animals- she turned around and passed the note back.

'I've got a detention' the reply said. Lily stared at the paper, why would Remus have detention? He never did anything wrong. Almost automatically Lily looked over at James Potter, who was pretending to be absorbed in McGonagall's lecture. She concluded that he must have roped Remus into something, he was always causing trouble.

'What did you do?' Lily scrawled back, just to make sure, but privately she was seething at James, he was such an immature, annoying, prat, who was always getting others into trouble, he just never knew when to quit-

'I used this new spell I learned to throw gum at Peeves in the hall and he crashed into a suit of
armor, that new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher saw me and gave me detention.'

'He's still a prat,' Lily thought to herself, looking back at James, who was now taking notes on anamigi, like he cared. Then she penned a long note to Remus about his errors of judgment.

She had really taken a liking to Remus. He was, different from any of her other friends. Maybe it was the fact that he enjoyed schoolwork, like her, or maybe that he had a former grip on reality. Yet, there was something odd about him and Lily decided this Sunday she was going to find out what it was.

The SHC had taken to meeting in the far back corner of the library. They would sit there, absorbed in their homework, sometimes asking each other about a hard problem, but mostly sunken into a comfortable silence. Till the night Lily broke it.

"Hey Remus, how come you never talk about your family?" Lily asked suddenly as she flipping though a charms book. "you mentioned them that day we meet, remember? Then you've never talked about them since."

"Well, there not really that interesting," Remus muttered, looking away from her and down at his book.

"Well neither are mine, but I talk about them all the time," Lily exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, they're more interesting then mine," Remus persisted, "so what did you get for the
properties of moonstones in potion making, cause I can't find anything on them."

"There's an entire chapter on moonstones in the potions book," Lily said, "and stop trying to change the subject. So, how many siblings do you have?"

"Err… five full ones, and about thirteen half ones," Remus muttered.

"Wow, you never mentioned that, did your parents get divorced or something?"

"Something like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I really don't want to talk about this Lily," Remus said, snapping.

"Oh come on, it can't be anything that horrible," Lily persisted.

"You really want to know about my family?" Remus asked, slamming down his book, "Well my mom's a prostitute happy. My dad didn't know about it till I was ten, because he was always drunk and off with some girl. He finally walked in on her and a client and got so mad he killed both of them. Now he's in jail and my mom's dead and I live in a crowded house with all my siblings and my grandma, who all hate me because I got out of there and they didn't. Is that what you wanted to know?"

"Oh, Remus, I never would have-"

"Of course you wouldn't. You're a princess; you've never had to suffer in you whole life. You've always had everything given to you on a golden platter."

"Remus, I can't help-"

"I know that, but you can help being such a stuck up snob."

And with that Remus gathered up all his books and left a shocked Lily sitting at the back of the library.

Twenty minutes later, Remus came back; to find her sitting exactly were he had left her.

"I'm a prat," he said, sitting down again.

"No," Lily said, hoarsely, "you're right, I was really insensitive."

"Well, you were, but I was still a prat," Remus said, cracking a weak smile.

"Well, you have every right to be," Lily muttered, "and you're right, I am a pampered selfish princess. But you know, I can't really help it, this is just how I was raised."

"Yeah, and I was raised by a murderer and a prostitute, you can change if you want to."

"I guess, but I don't know if I want to. The whole just seems like a better place when you're a pampered princess. Maybe I don't want to wake up to the world."

Remus stared at her, thinking, then shrugged and opened his book again. They continued sitting there well into the night as if nothing had happened, but they both knew something very profound just had. After that night, neither of them ever mentioned their family again.

For a while, Lily was satisfied that this was the answer to Remus's may secrets. Yet in the back of her mind, there was still a nagging feeling that something was wrong with Remus, and it had nothing to do with his family, and all to do with were he went ever month. For a while, she had tried to brush it off, or say it was coincidence, but there was no denying the fact that once a month Remus left. He never told her were he was going, or what he did and ever morning would turn up again, a little worse for the wear. Lily noticed that no one else, not even the teachers,
seemed worried about this.

In fact, one morning after Remus had disappeared, Lily came down early to confront him, and she saw something even more troubling then his sudden disappearances. There at the foot of the stairs stood Remus, battered and bleeding, covered in burses, and next to him stood James and Sirius. Not only were they ignoring the fact that he had disappeared for an entire night, but they
were also not commenting on his injuries. Instead they were talking about Quiddich.

"Did you hear about the Chudley Cannons?" Sirius was saying.

"About them changing their slogan?" James asked, running his fingers though his hair.

"They did?" Remus asked, his voice sounded harsh and he had a hand over one of his many cuts.

"Yeah," Sirius explained, "it use to be 'We Shall Conquer' now it's 'Let's All Just Keep Our Fingers
Crossed and Hope for the Best'"

They all dissolved into laughed at this, even Remus who sort of half coughed, half laughed, though he sounded in pain. Lily would have gone down and yelled at them, except she wasn't suppose to know Remus, him being a scholarship student and all, so she stuck her noise in the air and pranced passed them. On the way out of the ported hole she heard James saying, "well
it's no wonder, they haven't won the league since 1892!" to the howling laughter of the others.

"What's up with you?" Amelia asked, when Lily turned up for breakfast puffing and still upset.

"Oh, nothing, just boys," Lily muttered, wishing she could tell Amelia all about Remus, but they were secret friends, even more secret then her and Sirius. For at least Sirius was some kind of nobility, Remus was just another poor student who would ruin her reparation, even if he was third in the class.

"Did you hear?" Mia asked, sliding into a seat next to Lily, and hiding the awkward silence Lily knew would have followed.

"What?" she asked, glad of the change of subject.

"It was in the post, Hesper Starkey was killed!"

"Who?" Lily and Amelia asked at the same time.

"Oh that doesn't matter, it's what killed him that matters, giants."

"What!" Lily exclaimed, "my grandfather exiled them all about fifty years ago."

"Well they're apparently back," Mia informed her, making both girls shiver, giants were not fun. "My dad was telling me that you-know-who has recruited them."

"Who's you-know-who?" Lily asked, not quite following the conversation.

"Err… Voldemort," Mia whispered, "I don't really like saying the name, neither dose dad. A lot of people are just calling him you-know-who now."

"That's stupid," Lily interjected, "why would you fear a name?"

"It's not just the name," Amelia explained, "isn't just talking about him, it's creepy. I wish someone
would kill him and get it over with."

"Oh, this is so stupid," Lily complained, "he's just one man, I'm sure the ministry will deal with him
soon. Or Dumbledore, he killed that other Dark Wizard didn't he? I wouldn't get to worried about this guy, I'm sure he'll blow over in no time."

"But Lily, he's been around for like ten years now, and he hasn't gone away yet." Amelia pointed out.

"He couldn't have," Lily rebutted, "my parents would have told me if there was a Dark Wizard out there threatening the country for more then ten years, wouldn't they? And I only started hearing about this Voldemort when I came to Hogwarts."

"Well, maybe they didn't want to worry you," Amelia suggested, "because my mom tells me all these horrible stories about Voldemort and his Death Eaters, makes me wish I'd never heard of him."

"Oh snap, we're late for Charms" Mia exclaimed, picking up her bag and leading the other two out of the hall.

On the way though the halls Lily though about all the things her parents did tell her. The problem was, she couldn't come up with any times her parents had said something bad happened in the country. They only ever told her about the good things. What if Mia and Amelia were right and she was being sheltered? Did that mean Voldemort really was out there and a huge threat to the magical world? What else had her parents not told her?

One morning at breakfast, Lily displeasure with her parents grew after an unwelcome surprise in the form of a large tawny owl baring a letter stamped with the official Evans family seal.

'Dear Daughter,

I am writing to give you my discussion regarding you trying out for your house Quiddich team. Although it is a very popular sport, it is my feeling that a game involving metal balls that are magically charmed to hit players off the broomsticks is not a game for twelve year olds. Not to mention future heirs to the throne. Thus I have to forbid you from taking part in any games of this nature. I am sure there are safer ways you could spend your time and energies, such as your studies. I look forward to hearing all about your progress in these aspects of your schooling come the next holiday.

-Your Loving Father

"This is not fair," Lily exclaimed, passing the letter to Mia and Amelia. "I don't see any of the other twelve year olds been banded from trying out!"

"Well, you can't fault his reasoning," Amelia argued, "Quiddich is very dangerous. I had a cousin who got hit over the head with a budger and had to spend a month in Saint Mango's because he lost all his memory."

"But it's still monstrously unfair," Lily complained, "I mean it's not like I said I was going to jump of a cliff or something, it's just Quiddich."

"Well, Lily milady, maybe if you jumped of a cliff your father would reconsider," Sirius joked, coming up behind the girls.

"Would you be serious for once Sirius," Lily huffed.

"But milady, I am always Sirius," Sirius said bowing, which made the girls groan.

"Sirius, that joke is no longer funny," Mia, pointed out.

"I must disagree," Sirius, pouted, "my jokes are always funny. Well I have things to do, people to
annoy, and slimy Slytherins to turn pink, so good day lovely ladies, princess."

And with that Sirius skipped off, literally.

"That boy has way too much energy," Mia complained, "no one should be that awake before noon." Then she slumped over her toast in a pretend nap.

Over the next few weeks though, Mia seemed to be near Sirius more then was strictly necessary for two people in the same house and year. She was always there laughing and joking with him, or asking for his notes for some class or another, even though Lily knew full well she had taken perfect notes herself.

It wasn't just Mia who had taken a sudden interest in boys. Overnight it seemed, Amelia had gotten her first boyfriend, Richard Smith, a third year Hufflepuff.

"But your twelve," Lily exclaimed when Amelia told her the news.

"So?" Amelia asked, combing her hair with her fingers well using a spoon as a mirror, "hey, do you think my hair looks better up?" She asked.

"No, leave it down," Lily told her, then added, "but you're way to young to date!"

"Oh, we're just having some fun," Amelia told her, "it's not anything serious. Besides, my parents met went they were in they're second year."

"But they hated each other till they were twenty," Lily argued, "why can't you give it a few years, we're way to young for all this stuff."

"How can you be too young to just hang out with a boy, it's not like we're kissing or anything."

"I would hope now. My mother told me it was unseemly for a girl to be kissing boys she hasn't been dating for a while."

"Lily, stop acting like such a prude. I'm not harming anyone, so why don't you drop it?"

"Oh all right," Lily said, not entirely sure she had made her point, but knowing she did not want Amelia dating. For when Amelia and Mia dated, that meant she would have to start, or always be left on her own to do homework or something. And she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to date, just yet, expectably not any of the boys she was allowed to date. It was so aggravating, why couldn't she have another year or two to sort this out! It's not like they were even teenagers yet, they were still supposed to be thinking about dolls and ponies, weren't there. Or had nature sent around some sort of memo that she hadn't gotten yet. It was all so confusing.

The months passed, and before the students knew it, it was Christmas again. That time of joy and merry making, were everything was supposed to become right with the world, at least for one day. Lily had decided to stay at Hogwarts again, along with most of the school. Her parents were a little disappointed, for they were having a big Christmas ball and wanted her there to 'show her off' to her future nobility. Sirius, who had been forced home by his mother, sulked all week before leaving, and was heard to complain about how stuck up princesses got everything. Remus too was going home, though he didn't say it directly, Lily hear something about his dad's case getting an appeal and he had to testify for it, that must be a cheerful holiday. The other girls too were leaving, so it would just be her, Mia, and Amelia.

As she had predicted, the break was perfect. Hogwarts glittering with fallen snow, and all around her people laughed and had fun. On Christmas morning she awake, feeling as though there was something she was suppose to remember. Then she looked down at the foot of her bed and knew it was Christmas.

"Mia, Amelia, wake up, presents!" She shouted, sending little spurts of water at them from the tip of her wand.

"What time is it?" Mia asked, stretching then saw the pill at the end of her bed and forgot all about the time.

Lily ripped of the paper on her first present to find a very orange dress robe lying under it.

"Oh, great, mother must have forgotten I hate orange," Lily said, disappointed, then trying to be cheerful added, "Well, I'm sure there are a few good ones."

On the bed next to her, Mia was pulling out a new broomstick, which she had been hinting at for a while now. Amelia had also gotten robes, but they were a lovely emerald green and she was beaming at herself in the mirror well trying them on.

By the time Lily had finished opening all her presents, she was devastated. Not only had her mother forgotten her least favorite color, she had also forgotten Lily was too old for dolls. She had bought her daughter, amongst other things, five, very expensive, porcelain dolls, five silk dressing robes, all in colors she hated, and a very large, ugly, watch plastered all over with diamonds.

"Wow," Mia exclaimed upon seeing the watch, "that must have cost thousands."

"I guess," Lily said, looking down at it, "but mother forgot I didn't like wearing watches. Why couldn't she have bought me that nice bracelet I've been hinting at for a while?"

"Well, she must have got you everything else you wanted, like that pair of shoes you pointed out when she took us shopping last year, that you said you would die if you didn't have. I saw her go back afterwards and buy them."

"She must have forgotten to send them," Lily replied, "because I didn't get them. She sent me these dolls instead."

"Dolls, we're not five," Amelia exclaimed.

"I know, well it doesn't matter, I'll just get her to buy me what I want for my birthday. She always just lets me tell her what I want, but I guess she was a little lost this year, because I wasn't there," Lily told them, putting on a brave face. But inside she was devastated, her own mother didn't remember her favorite color, or that she was too old for dolls, or, well, she didn't remember anything about Lily, it seemed.

Even Petunia, who had been forced to send her a gift, had been closer to getting her a good present, with a pack on Chocolate Frogs and a note that told her she'd get fat if she ate to many of them, like she usual did.

Then she reminded herself there were some people who didn't even get presents, or only got one, so she should be grateful, right? Yet, looking down at her very expensive presents, she couldn't help thinking she would have been happy if her mother had sent her the shoes she had like, that they had picked out together.

Lily they usual did, when Lily was having a good time, the seasoned passed very quickly. Spring came, and with it, the usual amount of homework. Lily started spending every free moment she had with Remus, in the library, bending over books, studying for the approaching exam. It was almost a relief when they finally came, because it meant they were almost free of the painful task of studying.

Lily thought she could have done better on her History of Magic exam, because she kept forgetting the dates of the different goblin rebellions, but she made up for it in all her other subjects. She even had fun on the Transfiguration one, making her matchbox into such a beautiful tea cup that Professor McGonagall told her she was going to keep it in her office for when she had guests over.

Then they were done, with exams at least, and they had a few wonderful days before the train took them home. It during one of these days that the SHC had its last meeting, and Remus told Lily something she would never forget.

They were sitting in the library like always, talking about what they were likely to learn in class next year, when Remus suddenly turned very serious.

"Lily," he said, quietly, "can I trust you completely?"

"Err… sure Remus, why?"

"Well, it's just, I've been thinking," he said, focusing all his attention on her, in a mildly creepy
way.

"And?"

"Well, I've decided I don't want to lie to you anymore."

"Remus, you know you can tell me anything."

"I know, now, before I tell you, just remember, you've known me for a long time now, and I've never been… dangerous before."

"Remus, just tell me, I promise I wouldn't hate you or anything."

Her turned to her, his eyes becoming very sad and distant and spoke the words she had for a long time now, been dreading.

"Lily, I'm a werewolf."

Reader Response:

Thank you to: jmarit17 (Thanks, I would write more, but I have evil teachers who give lots of homework), Lady-Elizabeth4242 (Yeah, I like Lily and Remus as friends to, well nuff said for now, hope you liked the scenes with them in chapter 6, oh and thank you so much for telling me about the title thing. I was up late and I make mistakes, so please tell me if that happens again!), dreamergirl86 (Thanks), carrietella (I know, sorry, I'm horrible at that, but as you will notice if you read the a/n at the beginning of the chapter, I got a beta reader, so no more mistakes!), sugur-huny-bun (thanks, glad you like it, hope you like these chapters as much!), anna (I know, sorry, I got a beta reader! So, it will stop.) .Aurorablu. (two reviews! Thanks, I'm glad you still like it, I procrastinate so much, but I do it on my homework instead of chapters, actually I'm doing it right now. Anyway, glad you like it and thanks for the reviews.), victorprimis (bad-guy Peter is annoying. So I wrote him my way. Glad you like it and thanks for the review!), all-good-things-must-come-to-an-end (about right now, lol. Sorry it takes me a while, because I make the chapters so long, eleven pages each! And always update two at a time, a Lily chapter and a James chapter. Stick with me though, there will be updates, eventually), and cec123 (thanks, yeah, go Irish, I'm half Irish myself! I just like green eyes more though, even though I know blue eyes are most common.)

To everyone else: Thank you for reading, but please review. I spent a lot of time writing this so I would love it if you spent the time to review and tell me if I'm completely screwing up the story or something. Or you could just click on the story a lot, and make my hits go to 3000 that would make me feel loved.