A/N- Wow! Here it is chapter 11! Can you believe it! Eleven chapters! I can't either, buy boy are there a whole lot more where these came from! I am so excited to continue but first a serious note! Okay- Song lyrics deleted… I hate that it has to be this way- but I guess it does! Oh well! Goodies! Huggles to all who listened! –Like always, TajM Untold Secrets Suck- The Truth Sucks More
oOoOoOoOoOoOo "Um… Great Aunt Cassidy?" Lily called looking the empty hallway. "Is anyone home?"
"Here Kirsten, no need to shout." Came a reply from a stout woman with her gray hair in a tight bun, reading glasses on the edge of her nose, a pointed nose that gave her an ever-speculating look. There was nothing friendly about her.
Lily sighed, "Oh, hello? It's nice to see you."
"Yes, yes, come in Kirsten- don't leave the door open, who knows what type of insects may come in."
In December Lily thought.
"And don't call me 'great-aunt' makes me feel quite old!"
And the wrinkles don't?
" Aunt would do quite fine- but don't dare call me Cassidy! I don't encourage formality- you should know."
"Yes Aunt Cassidy, and you can call me Lily, since that happens to be name." She managed to make that comment sound less rude by laughing slightly at the end.
"Lily- I don't really appreciate the fact that your parents gave you such a Flower-child name…"
It so is not.
"Now Petunia is a nice, respectable name, if they had to keep a pattern why not Rose-Mary, or Heather?"
Rose-Mary is an herb.
"You're right. But Lily is simpler."
"True. And in my old age that's all we're looking for, isn't it?" she asked raising her eyebrows.
Lily managed to suppress a smile. This was going to be a LONG week…
--
"Lily!" called the aunt as she dusted away at an already spotless vase. "Please continue this for me whilst I go prepare dinner."
"Sure." Lily said and grabbed the feather duster and made her self around the shelf and moved onto the bookshelf, Dickenson, Bronte, Shakespeare, Alcott, Dickens, and Austin. War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, A Tale of Two Cities, A Room with a View stared back at her. For a stuck up old prude (sorry dad) she must have an avid vocabulary. Moby Dick, Robinson Cruis, Sense and Sensibility. Lily frowned as she saw a Hamlet to King Lear sitting together in a nice pile with other works of the famous play writer. Moving from book to book, she found a single book hidden in a corner behind a thick dictionary. She read the title smiling slightly Romeo and Juliet.
--
"Lily come, dinner is set."
Dinner was a meal consisting of consisting of a warm broth severely lacking salt- and seasoning like the rest of the house.
"How was the train ride?"'
"Er… good."
"And how is school going? I heard that you have been made head girl."
"Yes, school is going well, thank you."
"What's the name of the school again?"
"Umm… Saxton's School for Girls."
"Yes and why didn't Petunia go there?" Aunt Cassidy questioned with her eyebrows raised.
"Her grades weren't high enough?" Lily supplied weakly.
"Of course."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Hola James- Mr. Potter- oh well- James!"
"Hello Professor Prewert." James called as he walked into the defense against the DADA room. "When are you going back the ministry? It's killing me calling a family friend by his last name- after years of calling him Fabby…"
The Professor (who was only older by a few years) groaned, "Now don't do that Mr. Potter, and don't worry, I myself would prefer calling my students by such things as Jamsie... but we can't all get what we want! Besides I promised Gideon I would keep a tab on the Marauders and their little pranks. Especially you and your little escapade for a certain Ms. Evans." He laughed.
"Ha ha, Fabian, very funny," James replied glumly.
"I know it was wasn't it?"
"Well see you around later then…"
"You too then Mr. Potter- Do be careful I think a certain Mr. Sirius Black and Lupin are looking for you with an abnormally large supply of snowballs…"
"Crap," James replied smiling slightly. "Gotta go prof!"
Professor Prewert shook his head as he watched the disgruntled teenager make his way out of the class room.
"Ah Professor McGonagall, I didn't see you come in!"
"Hello Fabian- how is our head boy doing?"
"Very well, I'm sure, but of course I sense there might be a bit of tension with the head girl, perhaps?"
"Isn't there always?" the strict Professor asked amused.
"And you chose those two to work together in harmony?"
"Dumbledore always ahs his reasons…"
"Really Minerva!"
"Well, when they aren't arguing or at each other's throats you must admit that they do make a good team- they both are highly talented, in my opinion balance each other off…"
Playing matchmaker are we? Fabian thought smiling.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Lily was dusting again the next day… It was all that she seemed to have been doing.
This time a parlor- coated in layers of dust, and not used in years.
She started on a cabinet after finishing the fireplace lifting frames depicted faded landscapes and vases and candles over so she could dust underneath.
When Lily saw one last picture far in the corner crumpled and hidden behind fake flowers, she gasped and jumped back, having to clap a her hand on her mouth to keep from screaming.
It was a wizard photograph!
A pretty young curly haired woman waved enthusiastically under a head of red hair, next to a handsome man with his arm around her waist. Both were grinning and waving at shocked Lily.
"Lily!"
Lily jumped at the sound of her name, and decided to keep the snapshot in the pocket of her jeans… to… to investigate later.
"Coming Aunt Cassidy!"
--
That picture was what Lily was staring at through the night, while she was tossing and turning trying to get to sleep (she honestly didn't want to though.)
Wizarding photos where a shock to her at first but now where completely as normal as James Potter's attempts to ask her out. (Wait… why was she thinking about that, right now). But definitely not here- not in the house of her great-aunt who was so obviously a Muggle.
The woman photographed was obviously pretty and obviously meant something to that man and vice versa. Was it somebody her aunt knew? Lily couldn't imagine such a joyful and carefree expression would once mark the strict and dull face of Cassidy Evans.
Lily now had a deep yearning desire to see her own photos. She now propped out an album (she 'needed a little bit of magic with her' as Mia had said') from her duffle bag at the foot of her bed, and hid under her quilt reading by the light of the crack in the curtain.
An eleven-year-old Mia smiled back at her with a first year's enthusiasm and innocence, and on the flip side a frowning twelve-year-old one with her tongue sticking out. Lily remembered that picture. Mia got her hair cut to a daring length- to her chin, a horrible decision for someone's who hair was so curly, thick and, frizzy as Mia's. That gave Sirius Black a few nicknames for her…
Frank, Mia and Lily were sitting at Three Broomsticks for their first time- loaded on Honeyduke's sweets but still ready for Butterbear, an enthusiastic game of checkers with Frank, Mia and Lily squealing and hugging after Gryffindor beat Slytherin at last year's Quiditch game. They all helped bring a homely atmosphere to the bare walls of the guest room
Lily was passionately telling off a fourteen-year-old boy with incredibly messy hair, and all he did to respond was smile- hand her a rose, and transform it into a lily… James Potter…
James Potter.
And she was even starting to like him, after years of hating him, despising him, cursing his every word he spoke towards her, she was actually starting to like him… and what does he do? He proved her dead wrong- for trusting him in any form- and dead like right for what she thought before.
It was dark the night of the Quiditch match and Lily had to go find her book. While walking back from the Quiditch pitch she saw something… something so bright that it caught her eye and shook her inside and out. She saw James Potter turn into a beautiful stag… He was an animagus! Her first reaction was shock, amazement, but then fear and anger…
Not talking to James was hard… but acting like nothing happened after she saw that would be much harder. Was she over reacting? Definitely not… but why did she feel so guilty right now so far away from the Hogwarts ground? It was because she might have gone a bit to far… maybe she shouldn't have criticized his loyalty to his friends, but what really sunk in was when he said the L word and that just wasn't fair! Taking over all her defenses like that! SHE DIDN'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT! SHE SPENT OVER A MONTH TELLING HERSELF TO IGNORE IT- AND TAKE THAT IDEA OUT OF HER HEAD! She doesn't listen to herself very much…
She didn't hate him just scared (though she hated to admit it)… he was rash and… and…. Maybe James knew her quite well, but she didn't until this year. Oh yes she knew James Potter- but not this type, the sympathetic, more mature, honest, friendly, responsible, real?
But the patronus. Yes she had finally came to the real problem… that patronus was so real… and so was his form… and what did that mean? Okay, so maybe she didn't want to know what that really meant. And all her guesses where not pointing to what she wanted to hear… She had been performing it for years now (though she didn't really need it… yet) and always found her corporal form odd. A stag? Why a stag? Some girls get otters, bolts of lightning, rush of sparks… and she gets a stag…just great Lily… it would almost be as bad as being a seer…
These types of things don't happen in real life- they're fairy tale events, fake hopes thought up by fantasizing day dreamers- not real. They went against order, structure, and a schedule and wouldn't ever happen to Lily Evans, whose world revolved around those things.
She was only seventeen- love didn't fit in yet!
But it wasn't fair to make James, innocent, always so kind James pay for her stupidity and fear. She was a Gryffindor and why was she scared…. But the uneasy thought fogging her mind was that he probably didn't care anymore, that he gave up… no that would be okay still for her. That he moved on- with her finally coming back and with that pleasantly uneasy thought Lily Evans tried to fall asleep, the last thought she had was of James' face right before she kissed him that first time.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
James' last thought before drifting into another night of uneasy sleep was of Lily that was on her face when she confronted him with what she knew. It was a look of anger… and pain. James Potter would never want to cause the single love of his life- a major reason for his will to wake up in the mornings any pain.
It was horrible watching the Slytherins cursing her… he felt such a strong hatred for anyone who would dare harm her in any way… she was so important to him… he realized then or maybe he did before or later… did it really matter when… that he loved her. Yes love, not just a stupid crush, but also a rush of emotions so strong that they couldn't be explained.
But now he was doing something just as bad as they had done- he made hurt her- maybe not severely, but in a way he never meant to and he couldn't stand that. It wasn't meant to happen, all he ever wanted to show the girl he always seemed to was taken with that she could be happy with him. But not this, not her being quite, hiding things from her friends, her unhappiness. Not for a moment, he wasn't a self conceited anymore- he didn't have a large head and wasn't selfish, and that's when James Potter decided that he loved Lily Evans enough, to not love her…
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Pass the sugar please, Lily. Thank you."
Lily and her aunt where having mid morning tea now.
"Aunt Cassidy do you have any photo albums anywhere?"
"What? Well not really? Why do you ask?"
"Oh I was just curious, I personally do love photos. I like to paint and so on but photographs are so much different don't you think?" Lily knew she was speaking gibberish but she didn't care, somehow she would have to lead into her real point.
"I suppose so."
"To me photos are like movies almost, they hold many stories, don't they? It is almost like watching a mini-movie being played. Sometimes I wish… oh no… it's silly!" Lily tried to sound like a giggling schoolgirl.
"What?"
"That they actually moved, but that would be like wizardry, magic."
Her aunt spluttered her tea. "Yes I suppose it would be… why are we having such a random conversation?"
"I don't know, I suppose it reminds me of my headmaster Dumbledore."
"WHO?"
"Have you heard of him?"
"Lily Kirsten Evans you're a witch?" the aunt stuttered in shock.
"Excuse me?" Lily asked slightly amused, slightly shocked (but hiding it well).
"Hog…hog… Hogwarts… Dumbledore…the new head-master…"
"Oh- that, yes. Now with that out of the way, how do you know about this all?"
"I only spent seven years- seven of the best years of my life there!" the old dignified woman began to quarrel like a young teenager.
"Well now we're getting somewhere!"
"I can't believe your parents kept this from me…"
"Well, I don't see where they are to be blamed."
"Excuse me! But who do you think you got your magical blood from?" and quickly scanning her over, "many other things."
"Like?"
"Your red hair. Mine."
Possessive aren't we?
"Now can you please explain this photo for me Aunt Cassidy," Lily politely questioned placing the photo on the table.
"It's him… him…"
"Who?" Lily asked earnestly.
"Where did you get that? Why are you showing me? I don't want to talk about this… I left the wizarding world long ago because of it… Don't think I would tell you now!"
"Please Aunt Cassidy. I've always wondered where I had this from and now that I know I wish I could share with you things that are so hard to explain to anyone else in the family! But first, I wish I knew about you."
"That man… next to me… was the love of my life child…the one who made me feel… wonderful…. my reason for living… and when he stopped… I did too." She muttered her eyes filling up with tears, burning up red, as she turned away.
Lily gaped and looked at her aunt trying to imagine her as a young woman at Hogwarts in love.
"What happened?" Lily asked softly.
"He always used to follow me around for years in the beginning, bloody handsome and popular- but always asked me! He was amazing, but I would never admit that to him."
This sounded oddly familiar to Lily and it was scary, and she felt a queer tingle go down her back.
"But when we became heads he proved to me that he was real and I loved him for that. He showed me how to have fun, how to live, how to love… It is hard to explain- but the times where tough and dangerous and he was so brave… so brave… we both where in the ministry… engaged… and he was… he later on… he was murdered and with him died my liveliness, my sense of everything, and I couldn't stay in the world we both loved so much. I moved to this small town where I grew up… and decided I would be a like a Muggle."
Lily took sharp breaths as tears began rolling down the old woman's clouded eyes that where staring into space.
"It will never be something I could ever explain… ever… but after something like that you can't just move on, and I was never able to love again… never wanted to."
And for the next while both witches just sat there looking at not one another- there hands, there feet, the wall but not one another, until her aunt spoke one last thing about the matter.
"Lily right now I want to tell you something, we were twenty three- but I keep wondering if I listened to my heart sooner if I would have a family now… if we would have more time together… my only regret… I never regret falling in love- it is the single most amazing feeling in the world and never fear it, if you have any chance for it Lily seize it. Be careful of course- but I was too much… sometimes you have to follow your heart and understand that something is out of your hands Lily… just try it out… try everything once especially love."
'James. James! James?' her mind screamed.
"What was his name?"
"Harry."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Pass me the snowflake Lily!"
Lily levitated the ornament over to her aunt with her wand.
"It feels so good to have a tree in the house again- it's been too long…"
Both had now become friends almost… closer even… there was a blood bond there as well, especially for Cassidy Evans- it had been too long for so many things.
--
Lily woke up, with one thought… it's Christmas morning isn't it?
Her watch read 6 but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep so moved on to the pile of presents by her bed.
A set of beautifully bound books from her aunt, a beautiful bracelet, some jumpers, and money of course and long letter from her parents. Chess set from Frank (he knew she was horrible at it!) and she groaned a purse just like the one she sent to Mia from Mia! Honeyduke's chocolate from Remus, Bertie Bots from Sirius, and a set of bath soaps from Alice and Byrne. That seemed to be all- a good load this year (including home-made fudge from Mrs. Potter.) Her hands shook as she reached for the last perfectly packaged box, To My Lily Flower, Love Like Always James.
As she slowly opened it she saw that it was a locket… like the one she had last year but broke during one of the Marauder's pranks, and had a lily on it, she, now used to James' wit opened it expecting to see a picture of him or something like that- but no, he didn't… It was beautiful… and they where in the middle of a quarrel so he really shouldn't have, but he did….
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
James woke up early on Christmas morning, and made his way to the stack of presents that was collected by his bed. Quiditch gear, books, Quiditch items, clothing, chocolate, candy and more Quiditch stuff was unwrapped next to his bed, when he found that he had on perfectly wrapped box left.
Who from? He had everyone already that he could imagine. Aunts, uncles, all of them, he had already opened. He shook his head in disbelief when he read:
Merry Christmas James!
I do hope this brings you good luck! I know, I know, you're not superstitious…
Your friend,
Lily Evans
Out of the box fell three pairs of socks (along with some sweets from Honeydukes), Quiditch socks no less. With depictions of snitches, brooms and so forth- she had spent time finding them, all charmed to do different things such as zoom around. He laughed remembering the joke at Hogsmeade that October- why did it feel forever ago?
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Lily and her aunt where sitting by the fireplace in the parlor drinking hot chocolate late Christmas night (around eleven).
"Lily, are you all right?" The old woman asked. "You have been quite quiet all day."
"Oh- yes everything is fine! I was just wondering if it would be possible for me to get back earlier then planned…"
"Who is he?"
"What? There is no he!" Lily replied stubbornly. She couldn't believe she was arguing about a boy with the same great-aunt who she couldn't even get to call her by her real name just days earlier.
"Of course there is, I bet it is that Potter boy isn't it?"
"NO!"
"You've only been talking about him for the past few days now!"
"He's just a friend." I hope he's still that anyways.
"A friendly friend?"
"Whatever," Lily replied staring at the flames of the fire dance around. It was true, she was thinking about James and only James. She was really really really missing him, and she was over it and ready to freely admit it. But, it was scary how it seemed her aunt knew what she was thinking.
"Lily Kirsten Evans, I am still your elder and I have the right to know what is going through your mind before I let you go gallivanting off to the castle and be released from my care earlier then previously scheduled and decided on!"
"Well I… I have been thinking about what you have said and…"
Cassidy Evans stood up and looked into the eyes of her great-niece, and then hugged her, "Lily Evans you are a wonderful young woman, who always does the right thing, so now go and do the right thing!"
She stood up and reached for a vase next to the fireplace and lowered it to show it to Lily, floopowder, "Just in case! See you can do things out of order, for a purpose. Now you can go gallivanting off to the castle!"
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Lily along with her luggage made her way to the Gryffindor common room, where the cloak chimed 11:45, not to late…
She didn't know what she would say, do, or anything, but all she knew was that she needed to see James and stop the horrible pattern that was occurring, but she didn't need to look very far because off in a corner was James Potter sitting on a chair, snogging with another girl. Now she definitely didn't know what to do.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
A/N- And now for the awesome reviewers! I swear I have the best ones in all of fanfic. dome!
MAE-GENE! (Is the explanation better now? I hope so!)
Hazaled-Eye-Marauder- YAY!
And welcome to two new readers (I guess you may be new… whatever!)
Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI- Meri beaucoup!
Katana-Babe- Oh I do hope they work this out! Wait I'm the writer am I not… darn it… now I have to figure out how! LOL! Never fear! THANKS!
General-Muffin- HAS A NEW STORY! Thanks Kelso for the review!
Don't be discouraged! They're only 17! It takes time! You didn't really believe it could be so simple, did you? Don't worry they're getting there, I mean they will I PROMISE! Please review and tell me what you think! I enjoy reviews sooooo much! And now a poem why (Mrs. Schaeffer you wanted poetry…)
I love reviews yes it's very true,
But only can be received by you!
So please be kind to me
And leave something in my review boxed for me to see!
Okay then! BYSIES! I'm going to change out of my retro 50's dress (someone said it made me look like a 50's housewife and yah… Hey I finally wore it for the second time! Cool non?) I love you but I don't feel like being dressed up now! (It was another concert! The third one and not the last! Darn, but the others are music in the parks so that's fun! You see I'm in band and chorus…)
Like always,
TajM