NOTE, this is an IMPORTANT a/n: I don't know what happened, but I can't seem to get back into this story. I feel horrible because I know that it really irks me when authors do the same thing, and I had planned this past summer to make sure this wouldn't ever happen. But there were unforeseeable things that ruined all. I really hope that at some point I am able to get back into this story, because I really do have a personal attachment to it, but I wanted to let anyone who is still reading this know that I am putting it on an indefinite vacation. If it gets to the point that I really can't finish it, I may just ask for emails or something and send what I have so you all can see what I had in store for these guys. I was so in love with the idea of this story in the beginning, and I loved writing stuff way in the future. I have a very clear idea of hat is to come I just can't get from here to there right now. I'm going to try my very hardest to complete this story for anyone who may be attached to it in any way. I really don't want to leave this unfinished, but I need to let my readers know that for now, this is the "end" of the story. It is nowhere near the end of my tale, but I suppose it is a good breaking place. Hopefully after the semester is over I will have time to relax and pump by creative juices. Thank you to all my readers, and I hope you guys are willing to wait for this…and if not oh well, thanks for stopping by! captainwaldo.
Water Under the Bridge
So while this storm is breaking
While there's light at the end of the tunnel
Keep running towards it
Releasing the pressure, that's my heartache
Soon this dam will break
-"Feels like today" Rascal Flatts
School was back in session, and the teachers seemed to think it was time to start preparing for end of term examinations. The first years noticed a significant increase in their weekly workload, and by Valentine's Day were wondering if it would ever end.
--
"So much homework!" Sirius said one Saturday afternoon in the common room. "Can't we go for a stroll around the castle? Maybe we'll run into Snivelers."
"No, Sirius, you are four days behind on your homework." Remus answered. He had become the authority figure of the group, which naturally meant that James and Sirius rarely listened to him.
"Psh, homework, who needs that anyway? I do just fine on tests."
"You may do fine on tests, but homework also counts toward your final marks. You don't want to have to repeat your first year now do you?"
"Technically its still second year just with first year classes." Sirius said smugly.
"Alright, if you want to be in all classes with first years next year, then go and find Snivelers. I'll be here finishing my Potions essay, and no you can not copy it later tonight." Remus said. Sirius looked defeated, and picked his quill back up and resumed writing.
"You are no fun Lupin, no fun at all."
"I'm sorry Sirius. But you're right. I am zero fun. Now get back to work."
--
The second Gryffindor quidditch game of the year was held the third Saturday in February. The game was considered to be an easy victory for Gryffindor, they were playing against Hufflepuff, who hadn't had a decent quidditch team in nearly three decades.
Jena, Chrissy and Adrianne tried to drag Lily along, but she flat out refused. The three girls went down anyway, and met up with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.
"Where's Evans?" James asked after nothing the three girls.
"You know, James, maybe she would like you better if you didn't always refer to her as 'Evans,' she does have a first name." Adrianne said.
"She calls me 'Potter' why can't I call her 'Evans?'"
"Lily, didn't want to come to the game. She said she had studying to do, or something." Jena explained, trying to avoid an argument.
"Who studies when there is quidditch to be watched?" James asked, sounding perturbed.
"Apparently no one." Came the voice of Lily from behind the group. "It is simply impossible to study with all the noise coming from down here."
The eight students sat together, Lily and James on opposite ends, and cheered for their house team. By the end of the game, their voices were coarse from all the cheering.
As was predicted, Gryffindor pulled off and easy victory, 380-30. A party was held in the common room that night.
--
Before anyone knew it, the Easter Holidays were upon them, and then it was nearly time for exams. And though the students thought June was quite far off, the Professors seemed to think it was rapidly approaching. The first years noticed another heavy increase in their homework load.
"Exams aren't for another two months. Why are we studying now?" Sirius whined one afternoon as the four boys sat in the library writing essays for History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Potions.
"Because the more you learn now the less you will have to cram the night before the exams." Remus answered, not even looking up from his essay.
"Because for some reason we decided it was a good idea to listen to Remus when there is a whole castle for us to be roaming." James corrected. Remus looked up from his essay and gave James one of his looks. One of those looks that says "Get back to work, or else" and makes you not want to know what the "or else" is.
--
Lily and Adrianne walked into the first year girl's dormitory to find several of Chrissy and Jena's textbooks laying ignored on the floor, and the two girls standing on their beds, tossing a small blue ball back and forth.
Upon further inspection, Lily noticed that the small blue ball was actually a rolled up sock. "What are you two doing?" Lily asked, half amused and half confused.
"We have been throwing Jean's sock back and forth for," Chrissy looks at her watch. "For over an hour now, and we haven't dropped it once. Ok, we dropped it once, but that was at the very beginning of the game, so it doesn't count."
"Why?" Adrianne asked.
"Because its fun." Jena said, tossing the sock in Adrianne's direction. Adrianne caught it with her left hand, and tossed it back to Jena, who threw it to Chrissy.
"I didn't know you were left handed Adrianne." Chrissy said, throwing the ball back to Adrianne.
"I'm not." Adrianne said, catching again with her left hand.
"Then why are you using your left hand?" Chrissy asked, watching Adrianne throw to Jena who passed the sock on to her.
"That's a good question. I'm not left handed. I write with my right hand. I use my wand in my right hand. I do everything with my right hand."
"Except catching and throwing socks." Jena said, throwing the sock at Adrianne.
The game went on for a few more throws, before Adrianne turned to Lily. "Heads up." Adrianne said as she prepared to throw the sock at her friend.
"No! I'll drop it. I am horrible at games like this." Lily said, as she sat down to watch.
"Oh come on Lily, just try. We'll take it easy on you." Jena said.
"No really, you two have been playing this for too long. I don't want to mess up your game."
"Alright, but its going to get quite dull watching us having all this fun." Chrissy taunted.
Sure enough after watching for about 5 minutes, Lily asked to join. The girls were careful with her, and Jena gave her some pointers, and soon Lily was like a pro.
The sun had long since set, and the girl's room had fallen into near darkness, but they continued the game.
Off in the distance a clock was chiming midnight.
"Oh look at the time. And I've done absolutely no studying. This is going to completely throw off my study schedule!" Lily said frantically, causing Jena to pass her turn up on catching the balled up sock.
"Lily, its ok. We still have ages before exams. You'll catch up. You are already so far ahead of everyone else." Adrianne said, catching Jena's throw and passing the sock on to Chrissy.
"While Lily's logic is completely insane she does have a point. Look at the time. Chrissy, remember what happened last time we stayed up all night on a school night?" Jena said receiving Chrissy's throw.
"True. But at least there are no Charms test tomorrow…Right?" Chrissy agreed.
"No, Chrissy, there aren't." Lily assured Chrissy.
Adrianne thought that Lily was ready to get back into the game, and threw the sock at her red haired friend. Lily caught the sock easily, and held onto it. "I'm ending this game. It's been four hours. And honestly, I am exhausted. Good night girls." Lily set the sock down on Jena's bedside table. The other three girls all stared at the sock in shock.
"All that time….and it comes down to that?" Jena said, sounding as if she had just witnessed a death.
"Lily, how could you?" Chrissy asked, her mouth still hanging open in shock.
"I told you, I was ending the game. I'm going to bed." Lily changed into her pajamas quickly and got into bed. The other three girls we still watching the sock in shock for a good 20 minutes, until the sound of Lily's snores brought them out of their trance.
--
One morning early in May, the Great Hall was again abuzz with rumors and stories about another attack by the "Death Eaters." Nearly everyone had forgotten about the first attacks until the headlines were again plaster across the front page of the Daily Prophet.
This time, the attacks were on a very well known Ministry of Magic worker, and his family. It hit pretty close to home for many of the students, as his son was a 4th year Hufflepuff. He was excused from classes the rest of the term, and sent to live with relatives.
As soon as the son of the latest victims was out of the castle, stories started flying rapidly from student to student, house to house. Within a week everyone seemed to know everything about the murders, as well as a bunch of rumors about them.
At dinner one evening, Professor Dumbledore decided to address the school on the latest gossip. "Attention, attention please." Dumbledore said rising from his seat. "In light of recent events I would like to remind you that as long as you reside within these walls you are safe from the outside world. The Ministry of Magic is doing everything in its power to find these Death Eaters and end the murders. Until the day they are all locked away in Azkaban, there is always the threat of attack, but I assure you, the wizarding world has seen darker days.
"Many of your parents have owled me in regards to your safety, and as I have just assured you, I have ensured them that there are more than just walls protecting this castle.
"I am going to ask that you try to keep the rumors to a minimum. It is impossible for me to believe that talk will cease with this request, but I ask that you all focus on your studies.
"I believe I have delayed the filling of your stomachs long enough. Dig in." As soon as the words escaped from Dumbledore's mouth, food appeared on the tables and the hall erupted in noise. This was the first school wide meal since the Halloween feast, and the food seemed to mimic that. No one questioned the random feast, especially because of the wide variety of foods available.
Down the Gryffindor table, Lily and Adrianne were discussing Dumbledore's speech.
"I never even thought about my parents. Should I tell them?" Lily asked, scooping potatoes onto her plate.
"I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to worry Grand- père about this. Especially if Professor Dumbledore says that we have nothing to worry about while we're at Hogwarts."
"But what about over the summer?"
"It's just been wizards who've been murdered right?"
"No, remember the first murders, there were muggles killed too."
"But they were friends of the wizards."
"You don't think being witches will put our families lives in jeopardy, do you Lily?"
"I don't know Adrianne, I really don't know."
"Don't take this personally Lily, but do you really think that you would be that important? I mean the first muggle killed was a friend of a well known ministry worker." Jena offered, hoping to calm her friend down a bit.
"I suppose your right Jena." Lily agreed, playing with the food on her plate.
--
Further down the Gryffindor table, the first year boys were discussing a prank they had planned for later that night. They had disregarded Dumbledore's speech them moment he was finished.
--
As before, the gossip about the most recent murders died down quickly after Dumbledore addressed the school. Students got on with their lives, and returned to the usual subjects of gossip, who fancies who, and who's cheating on whom with who.
--
Much to the dismay of the Gryffindor first year students, end of term exams were upon them. Lily and Adrianne spent every spare moment in the library, usually accompanied by Remus. The trio would study their combined notes from the previous year. They would quiz one another, and run through old homework assignments.
Jena and Chrissy tried to come along for one study session, but ended up getting kicked out by Lily because they were being to distracting. Jena used one of Lily's note cards to write S.O.S. messages to Chrissy, who was sitting across the table from her. The two girls would giggle under their breath with every "Help me" message Jena would construct. Finally it got to the point that no studying was getting done, and Lily had to ask them to leave.
Another night Remus dragged Sirius, James, and Peter along to the library. Lily snorted loudly when she saw who was following Remus into the library.
"This should be interesting." Lily said in an undertone to Adrianne, who was reading through a chapter about forgetfulness potions.
"More interesting than last week?" Adrianne asked, referring to the night Jena and Chrissy tagged along.
"Its Potter and Black. They never study. What was Remus thinking bringing them along?"
"Maybe they followed him."
"Why on earth would either of them willingly enter the library?"
"James did it once."
"Once, and it was James. I seriously doubt they volunteered for this study session. Hi Remus." Lily said barely taking a breath between statements because Remus had reached their table.
"Hi Lily, hi Adrianne. I hope you don't mind I brought company." Remus said, his expression making it apparent that he knew they did mind but wouldn't say anything.
"Shall we get started then?" Adrianne asked, turning the page of her Potions textbook.
The six first years sat silently reading through notes for nearly 10 minutes.
"Can I leave now Remus?" Sirius whined, breaking the silence. Remus shot a Sirius a look that clearly said, "no, and be quiet."
Adrianne could sense that Lily was getting annoyed. "Lily, will you quiz me on potions?"
Lily agreed, and for a while, was distracted from the distractions sitting at the table next to her. Adrianne, however, wasn't quite as oblivious as Lily at that moment. James had formed a paper airplane out of a piece of parchment, and had bewitched it to fly around the table. Not only was Adrianne impressed with the magic, but she was also impressed that James would even know how to make a paper airplane.
James's paper airplane flew circles around James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus for a while, not venturing over to Lily and Adrianne's side of the table.
Unfortunately, the airplane seemed to tire of it's intended path, and strayed. It crash-landed in the worst possible place, Lily's hair. The color of her face quickly matched the color of her hair, and she looked furious. Adrianne tried to sit Lily down while Remus pushed James out of his seat and into the direction of the library door. Sirius and Peter followed suit, and within a few minutes, Lily was back to her original coloring.
Remus cautiously watched Lily and chose the most opportune moment to apologize. "Lily, I'm sorry. I should have known-"
"It's ok Remus." The three students studied silently until dinner.
--
One week before end of term exams was the full moon. Remus felt sick to his stomach every time he thought about missing a night of studying with Lily and Adrianne. The night before the full moon, as the trio was leaving the library, Remus told Lily and Adrianne he wouldn't be able to make it the next night.
"My mum is really ill right now. I'm going home tomorrow after classes to see her, so I won't be able to study with you tomorrow." Remus said, avoiding eye contact with the girls.
"Oh I'm so sorry Remus. Is it really bad?" Lily asked.
"Er, yeah. They, er, they don't know if she'll get any better this time."
"Wow, and so close to the end of term. I really hope she does get better Remus."
"Thanks Adrianne."
--
Remus waited at the Portrait hole entrance at 4:15. His stomach was turning summersaults. This was horrible timing for the full moon. End of year exams were in less then a week, and Remus felt like he still had so much studying to do. At 4:25, Madame Pomfrey arrived, and led Remus down to the Whomping Willow.
Remus was left alone in the completely secured Shack; left alone to think about his fate. The sun was setting, and the shack was getting dark. Remus shivered. Soon the moon would take over, and boy would become monster.
--
Jena and Chrissy tried studying with Lily and Adrianne again. They seemed to have realized that exams were less then a week away. Unlike the last time, Jena spent the entire study session asking Lily questions about Potions and Defense. Lily was annoyed to be taken away from her own studying, but glad that Jena decided to actually study this time. Chrissy was silently reading her History book.
--
James, Sirius, and Peter were sitting in the common room, bored out of their minds. Everyone around them was bent over a textbook, or rolls of parchment. They had been yelled at more than once for being too loud, and had received more dirty looks then any three boys could have imagined getting. After about 40 minutes of deafening silence and glares, the three boys headed up to their dormitory where they could be as loud as they wanted.
Several games of exploding snap, and chess later, the boys fell asleep on the floor. James woke up sometime well past midnight, and moved to his bed, but when he awoke in the morning, Sirius and Peter were curled up together on the floor. James wished he had a camera to use as blackmail for his two friends.
Sirius was the first one of the pair to awake, and his nearly screamed when he saw James smirking at him from a very short distance.
"What the-" Sirius said.
"Good morning, mate. Sleep well?" James said through his smirk.
"How…what…Peter?" Sirius said in confusion.
"I don't know mate, this is how you were when I woke up."
"And where were you?"
"In bed, where I fell asleep last night."
"Riiiight." Sirius said, obviously not believing him.
--
When exams were finally upon them, the first year Gryffindors were all prepared in varying degrees. Lily, Adrianne, and Remus could recite almost all of their notes on cue. Jena and Chrissy were burnt out from their last minute cram sessions the weekend before exams started. James, and Sirius were as prepared as they ever would be, meaning not much at all. But they were smart enough to not really have to worry about it. Peter, on the other hand, was panicked. He did much less studying then he should have, and knew it was going to hurt him.
They all managed to make it through exams in fairly good spirits. Jena and Chrissy had accepted the fact that they weren't going to do as well as Lily, Adrianne, and Remus, but they did feel pretty good about their performances. Peter knew he failed miserably on Potions. James and Sirius were convinced they aced all of their exams, and while Lily panicked, she, Adrianne, and Remus were also fairly certain they were going to do well.
Now all they had to do was relax and enjoy the last week of the term, before it was time to leave Hogwarts for the summer.
--
"I'm going to miss you this summer Lily." Adrianne said as the two young girls finished packing their belongings, which had scattered all over the room.
"I'm going to miss you too, Adrianne. I don't think life at home will ever be the same." Lily said, finding her butterfly hairpin on the floor under Chrissy's bed.
"It'll be fine Lily. I'm sure your sister will realize you are the same as you were last summer."
"Its not just Petunia. I realized it over the Christmas holidays. My parents don't understand me anymore. Its like we're from two different worlds."
"Well, you sort of are. But it's the same with my Grand-pére. He doesn't really understand Hogwarts, but he tries. And that should be all that matters."
"I suppose. But I still don't know what I am going to do for an entire summer away from here."
"You can write all the time, and maybe if you're ever in London we can meet up."
"Yeah, we could do that."
"And I will write you often too. And if we do go to the Chateau for my birthday, I'll be sure to send you a post card from France."
"Oh, that would be so exciting."
"Oh, look at the time. The end of term feast is about to start." Adrianne said, noticing how late it had gotten. The girls stopped what they were doing and hurried down to the Great Hall for the end of term feast.
--
"This summer is going to be so horrible." Sirius said, throwing his spare robes into his trunk.
"Don't let them get you down." James said, finding a long lost sock in the abyss under his bed. "I'll talk with my parents and we will rescue you as soon as possible."
"Thanks mate, but somehow I don't see my parents going for that."
"Then we'll kidnap you." James offered.
"Alright." The boys continued throwing their robes and belongings into their trunks, while Remus watched from over his book.
After watching James struggle to fit the last of his things in, Remus put his book down and stepped in to help. "You're never going to fit everything in like that James. You have to fold. And as an added space saver, you can stuff socks and underwear into your cauldron and shoes."
James looked at Remus in shock for a second before saying, "Have at it." Remus repacked both James's and Sirius's trunks, and then offered to help Peter with his.
--
After the feast, Lily and Adrianne were full of energy but didn't want to finish their packing. Chrissy and Jena hadn't even started, but the four girls decided to lay on their bedroom floor exchanging wild stories, and memories of their first year at Hogwarts. At midnight, Jena and Chrissy decided they really should start packing if they didn't want to be up early the next morning finishing it before breakfast.
Lily and Adrianne moved from the floor to Lily's bed. It seemed more like they were leaving each other forever, rather than for just a summer.
"Let's make a pact." Adrianne suggested.
"What sort of pact?" Lily asked.
"I don't know, it just feels like we should make a pact. How about, best friends forever."
"Sisters….sisters forever."
"The sisterhood of….of…" Adrianne looked around the room trying to find something to name themselves after. She spotted the satin slippers her Grand-pére had given her for her eleventh birthday. "The sisterhood of the satin slippers." Adrianne proclaimed. Jena and Chrissy looked aver at the two girls in confusion.
"Ok, the sisterhood of the satin slippers. And we swear we will always be best friends and never keep secrets from one another."
"And we will make the Marauders rue the day they ever tried to mess with us!"
"Can we join?" Jena and Chrissy asked in excitement.
"Of course. The four of us, we're sisters now." Adrianne said.
"Shouldn't we have some sort of motto or initiation or something."
"Well, we're the sisterhood of the satin slippers, so we should do something with Adrianne's slippers." Lily suggested.
"Like what?" Adrianne asked.
"We should all rub them and, and we should say something." Jena suggested.
"But what?" Chrissy asked.
"Best friends forever." Lily said quietly. The four girls each put their right hand on the slippers laying in front of them, and in unison said "Best friends forever."
--
After returning to their room from the feast, the boys played a few games of exploding snap before their full bellies and a week of doing nothing took over and they decided to get some sleep.
--
The next morning, the first year Gryffindors woke up early to catch a quick breakfast before the train left the Hogsmead station. After breakfast, they double-checked under their beds and behind furniture for anything they might have missed. Trunks were to be brought down to the Entrance Hall, so until it was time to go down, the Gryffindor common room was even more crowded then it should have been.
Lily, Jena, Adrianne, and Chrissy managed to find a corner to themselves. Jena pulled a camera out of her bag and said, "I want to take a picture, of the four of us. My dad can develop them at home and I can send you each a copy if you would like."
The other three girls agreed, and they grabbed a nearby third year to take the picture. The four girls wrapped their arms around each other and smiled their brightest smiles, but the third year didn't seem to know how to use the camera. In the time it took for Jena to verbally explain, Adrianne noticed Remus heading toward the portrait hole and called him over.
"Jena is it alright if Remus gets into the picture?" Adrianne asked.
"Sure." Jena answered. The third year seemed to know what she was doing now, and the five friends prepared for the picture. No one noticed James and Sirius creeping into the camera's view. It wasn't until Peter tripped over his own foot and nearly knocked Jena and Chrissy over.
A flash startled the group, causing Peter to almost knock everyone over again.
"Great, now she figures out how to use my camera!" Jena said sarcastically. She turned to Peter, but before she could yell at him, she noticed James and Sirius standing behind the girls. "No, no, you are not, no." Jena said.
"Aww, I'm hurt." James said, in a mock hurt voice.
"Really Jena, you don't want something to remember us by over the long summer break?" Sirius added.
"No, I don't. Now go." Jena answered.
"What about Peter? He's the one who messed up the perfect picture." James said.
"He's out too."
"Alright, alright, I can tell when I'm not wanted." Sirius said. "Let's go, we don't need to feel loved." He led James and Peter away from the picture. Jena turned back to her friends and the five first years got back into formation for the picture.
By the time the picture debacle was over, it was time to get down to the Entrance Hall. The hall was crowded with students, professors, trunks, and animals. Slowly the hall started to empty out as students were loaded into carriages that led them back to the Hogsmead station where they would catch the Hogwarts Express back to London.
--
The train ride to London seemed to pass by in a mere moment. The Gryffindor first years exchanged their goodbyes, and promised to keep in touch over the two-month holiday on the platform before heading out into the muggle world to meet their parents.
--
A/N: Sorry this took so long! I was super busy over my Christmas break, working and all, and I was just so exhausted and unmotivated to write anything. If there is anything you want to see, offer it up as a suggestion and I will work with it or play around with it. Thanks for bearing with me, and hopefully we will meet again soon!
DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way to procrastinate on doing my homework. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners