Oct 8, 2005

A/N: There's nothing to be said here that I haven't already said, so, enjoy )

Chapter 1—Once Upon a Rainy Train Ride

Lily Evans lugged her huge valise through the compartment door, dragging it over to the window seat and plopping down into the threadbare cushions, sighing and brushing her hair out of her face. She looked around at the empty compartment, then smiled. It was good to be back.

It had been a hectic morning. Lily had arisen at five with the sun, hurriedly pulling on a sweater and a pair of jeans before bustling downstairs to grab some breakfast and finish packing, only to realize that she wouldn't have to leave for another three hours. She had whiled away the time sitting up in her room, ignoring Petunia, who swaggered in from time to time, sneering and tsk-ing incessantly. Then, after wading through the throng of people that lined the station, she had finally made it aboard the Hogwarts Express, early again, it seemed.

Lily sighed once more, gazing out through the rain into the bustle of people still lining the station, pulling out her wand and muttering the spell to dry her rain soaked hair and clothes. She watched as frightened looking first years boarded the trains, waving nervously to their worried parents, dropping books and potion ingredients everywhere, watched anxious parents dabbing away at their eyes, and wished she was anywhere but here, in the empty prefects compartment, early again, as always, awaiting the rest of her classmates. She imagined sitting with her two best friends, Leah and Salina, chatting about their upcoming year.

"Hello, Evans," a voice sounded nonchalantly as the compartment door slid open loudly and a large red and gold trunk floated in with a thunk, followed by a tall black haired boy in Lily's year. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Potter," Lily replied coolly, inclining her head in his direction, then turned back to the window, not bothering to be insulted by his tone. She had, after all, known James Potter for six years, beginning with their not-so fateful meeting shortly after their Sorting, and was well familiar with his behavior. They had bumped into one another, exchanging a few apologies and pleasantries, bidding each other farewell only see each other again at class the next day and find themselves equally clever and equally ambitious. Lily's hot temper and James' arrogant manner had naturally clashed, and neither enjoyed being bested by the other. What had resulted was five years of teasing, skirmishes, and torture, which had only been escalated in their last year at Hogwarts, when James had, as a last day of school joke, most likely, locked her into a third floor broom closet, only letting her out when just before the train was to leave.

Needless to say, they were not on good terms, and Lily was beginning to dread the upcoming year, and the upcoming arguments.

Now, James flopped down into the seat opposite her, one eyebrow raised and looking at her pointedly, which Lily chose to ignore. Instead, she turned her attention to the boy that followed James into the compartment.

"Hello Lily," Said Remus Lupin pleasantly, choosing a seat next to James and smiling slightly, a smile she gladly returned.

Remus was the only one among the group of James's friends whom she generally was on good terms with, when he not with the others, of course. He was never purposefully unpleasant to her, and was always reluctant to join her and James's little feud. The more studious and reserved member of the little group, Remus was often the one to think before acting, and whose good, if slightly besmudged, reputation with the teachers had gotten them out of many a tight spot. If they had met under different circumstances, Lily thought, they might have ended up good friends.

But of course, they hadn't, and weren't, and there was nothing she could do about that.

'Stupid James,' Lily thought, 'arrogant, heartless scum someone who would gladly sleep with any girl who was willing and some who weren't so, then dump her the next day without any feelings of remorse Was everyone blind? Was James so charismatic that there was no resisting his charms? Why does every fifth, sixth, and seventh year girl still wish he would look at her the way he looked at his potential 'conquests'?' Lily didn't know, and frankly, it wouldn't have made a difference anyway.

There ensued an awkward silence, which was hastily broken by Remus. "Did you have a nice summer?" he directed at Lily, still smiling.

"She was too busy with her nose buried in a book to notice," Retorted James, as Lily opened her mouth to answer then snapped it shut at his remark.

Lily bit back her temper. "Yes, and I see you must have enjoyed yours immensely, since you obviously didn't have the time to deflate your large head."

"Touché, Lily," Was the phlegmatic reply. James leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head and propping his feet up on the seat next to her, ignoring Lily's look of utter disgust.

They remained that way for the remainder of the boarding process, him smirking at her coolly and her doing her best not to retort, with poor Remus looking awkwardly from one to another, the only sound the drone of voices outside on the station.

Soon, thankfully, the compartment began to fill with their fellow prefects, most nodding at Lily in a friendly manner, though some merely inclining their heads. The room was presently affluent with chatting voices, and the mood lifted considerably.

Lily spent the remainder of the train ride to Hogwarts engaging in pleasant conversation with two Ravenclaws sixth years, their conversation moving from wizarding news to favorite pastimes, and for the first time since she had boarded the train, Lily began to feel at home again. From time to time she would glance over to see James flirting animatedly with one or another of the girls, or smirking at her, though even that couldn't dissipate her emotions of coziness.

Their conversation was impeded at times as their prefect duties called, two of them at a time leaving to patrol the train, confiscating inappropriate items and calming frantic first years.

Lily did this with a crooked smile on her face, nodding at familiar faces but not bothering to stop until she had reached the compartment she had been looking for. Biting her lip, she slid open the door and peered in. Alone inside were her two best friends, Salina and Leah, lounging along the chairs, legs crossed.

"Lily!" they squealed simultaneously when they spotted her, jumping up and pulling her into the compartment after a fiery embrace.

"I've missed you so much guys." Lily cried, "God Leah you're so tan."

"Like it?" Leah replied anxiously, trying to catch her reflection on the glass windows, then smiling and looking her friend over.

"Like it? I love it. You were too pale."

"Pssh," Salina cut in, who had a very pale complexion herself, complimented by her dark hair and deep emerald eyes that were a sharp contrast to Lily's bright green ones. She sad down and lounged back against the seats, eyebrows raised.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way," Lily hurriedly replied, rushing over to her and wrapping her arms around her friend. "You're so pretty Salina." She paused, "And you too Leah." She added, grinning.

They stared at each other for a few moments, then broke out into an immense bout of giggling that made their sides ache, though neither knew what they were laughing at.

"You've got to tell us all about your summer, Lily, we're dying to hear," breathed Leah when she had regained her composure, her chocolate brown eyes twinkling.

"I cant," Lily replied reluctantly, sighing and rising, "Not right now. Prefect duties. I just stopped by to see you guys for a second…Besides, there's nothing to tell. All I did was stay home and gather dust."

"Ew," said Salina, wrinkling up her nose, "Prefect duties."

"Mm hmm. With James Potter." Lily winced.

"God that boy is so immature."

"Cute dimples, though, you have to admit."

"Salina!" Lily cried, incredulous.

"All right, all right," Salina laughed, holding up both hands in innocence, "I was just commenting."

"Yes, well, comment away. I have prefect duties."

"Bye Lil," said Leah, who had been watching the exchange with interest.

"Bye guys," she returned, "I'll come back after my patrol, and then I can stay for the rest of the time until we reach Hogwarts. Save a seat for me."

---

Her patrols finished, Lily Evans spent the hour left until their destination laughing with her friends, enjoying their company and chatting about trivial aspects of life. James never graced her mind once, save for the time he swaggered into the compartment, leaving only under threat of being hexed by a furious (and extremely competent) Lily.

Twenty minutes to Hogwarts stop and when the terrain had already begun to shift from mountainous to foresty, and the pouring rain had lessened to but a steady drizzle, Lily sighed, bade her friends goodbye, and made toward the prefects compartment and to find her luggage and change into proper school attire, Leah's laughter and Salina's sarcastic remarks still ringing in her ear.

She smiled slightly as she pulled open the compartment door and made to her seat and her trunks, only to find the ever present James Potter lounging indolently in what had been her spot, his feet in his grubby shoes propped upon her trunk.

"Excuse me," Lily said as politely as she could, not willing to speak more than a few words to him.

"Of course," James replied, though he made no move to get up, instead just staring at her with his eyebrows raised and a half smile on his face.

Lily gritted her teeth. "You're on my trunk."

"I'm perfectly aware of that, but thanks for letting me know."

"I need my things."

James didn't reply, his smug expression plastered on his face.

"Get off."

When he again gave no answer, Lily forced down what may have been an inappropriate remark, and made to tug her belongings out from under James's feet. As she reached toward the handle of her trunk, James lugged his feet off her trunk, and his arm shot out and grabbed her wrist, his face losing his expression of insolence and instead rearranging itself into a slight, contemplating frown. They stared at each other for a long moment, ignorant of the glances they were receiving from the other prefects present, anger on Lily's face and a strange, almost confused expression on James's, then he seemed to change his mind, and finally let go of her arm, though not breaking their eye contact.

She stared at him curiously for a few moments more, trying to gauge his thoughts through his golden eyes, then grabbed her trunk and departed with a swish, shooting him one last glare.

His eyes followed her out of the compartment and away from sight.

---

The first thing James noticed as he stepped of the train into the Hogsmede station was that the air was surprisingly warm, quite a bit warmer than the rain drenched King's Cross from which he had departed. He drew a deep, lasting breath, then slowly let it out, savoring the taste of the air and reveling at the cozy atmosphere of the little hamlet of Hogsmede even through the rain, or, as it should be said, especially through the rain.

He let his eyes roam across the various houses and shops, all quaint and tidy to some extent, looking forward to his first Hogsmede visit. The Three Broomsticks looked especially inviting, and, if it were any time but the first day of term, James would've damned all the consequences and protests of his friends and made toward it. Instead, he sighed, and contented himself with his thoughts.

Unbidden, his mind strayed to Lily, and the glance that they had shared aboard the train. There was something that passed between them at that moment, something he saw in her bright green eyes that caught him off guard. Something had changed. James was sure of it…and at the same time, he was not so sure.

James had known Lily since his first day at Hogwarts, and the first thing that his mind had registered about her was that she was a prim and neat, straight laced and uptight witch, and that she was, if anything, a waste of time and of energy. They had developed a mutual dislike, and, if anything, it was the desire to best her and the struggles that had resulted from it that had watered the seeds of pompousness that had already been sowed in him.

Lily. He had to admit that she was very attractive, as he looked over to where she stood, laughing with her friends, looking fresh and crisp in her new school robes and scarlet scarf, her auburn hair stubbornly refusing to stay within her hood.

'Damned stuck up little brat,' he told himself, then ducked instinctively as a large textbook came flying his way.

"Padfoot!" he shouted a moment later, after regaining his composure and balance, "You prat!" He had to raise his arms in defense again as Sirius Black came bounding toward him, tackling him almost to the ground and growling in mock anger.

"Oy, gerrof me," James choked, disorientated by the momentum of the attack, batting aimlessly at the mass of black robes and hair that was his best friend, and finally managing to throw him off with a grunt.

Sirius Black had been James's best friend since as long as they any of them could remember, their families having been, after all, equally rich and equally well known. Although not as intelligent or highly thought of as James, there was no question that Sirius was, indeed, better looking, and possessed a kind of dark beauty that had most of the Hogwarts witches drooling. Simply put, he was the Hogwarts heart throb, and he knew it, judging by the number of girls he had won over and taken to his bed. That's not to say, however, that James didn't get his fair share. In fact, more often than not, his charisma and rugged individuality brought him as many witches than did Sirius's attractiveness.

"You know I only do it 'cause I love you, Prongs," the person in question replied seriously, panting from his exertion and stepping back, his sincerity belied by his large grin. Sirius nodded to Remus, who had picked up the thrown textbook with distaste and was now performing a drying spell on it. "Moony." He said in greeting, and was acknowledged by an inclination of Remus's head.

"Stuff it, Sirius," James retorted, grinning like a madman. "You're mental."

"Yeah, well, five hours spent alone with Peter here can do that to a guy," Sirius said, shrugging and gesturing over to the last member of the group, who had trailed behind him and was looking on anxiously. "Don't look so scared Wormtail, I haven't hurt him."

Peter Pettigrew blushed a deep crimson. "I know that," he said, then shrugged apologetically when his friends looked at him incredulously.

Short and chubby, Peter was stirringly out place among the four, his rosy countenance and perpetually nervous composure lending him a sharp contrast against his friends. Truth be told, though no one ever knew why James, Sirius and Remus had accepted him among them, they were the only reasons why Peter wasn't hanging from the chandeliers by his boxers half the time, or locked in some empty supply closet or another. The protection of his friends were the only thing stopping Slytherins and Gryffindors alike from picking on him. Set beside Sirius's sleek handsomeness, James's rugged charisma, and Remus's quiet sincerity and sensitivity, no girl ever looked twice at Peter, the poor guy.

Finally Sirius shook his sleek hair and broke the silence. "I know this is a heartfelt reunion and all," he said, "but I'm getting drenched, and you guys are just so cute together that I'll start crying if we don't leave soon."

They all nodded in agreement, and hailed the nearest horseless carriage, climbing gratefully into the dry interior. As James glanced out of the carriage, he could not help but lean out of the window and try to discern from the mass of black robes a flash of auburn hair and bright green eyes.

"James?" said Remus cautiously and worriedly, catching the expression on his friend's face.

James turned hurriedly back, regaining his composure quickly. "Sorry Moony," he smirked, "but I already ate all of the chocolate."

As the rain fell steadily, the carriage began moving, following the gleam of the not-so-distant lights that was Hogwarts castle.

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A/N: Send any comments/etc to or leave a review. D