Story Title: Love of Two Generations: The First

Chapter Title: The Evidence of a Smile

Disclaimer: All people and recognizable places belong to and were taken out of J.K. Rowling's amazing mind. Plot and some characters belong to me.

Author: Chewy

Summary: In a world of Witches, Wizards, Trolls, and magnificent Beasts, the tale of four different people unravels to engulf the world in luminosity. Can true love blossom from true hate? Can two opposites come together to form a bond so powerful it could save the world? Only TIME can tell…

Re-publishing Date: July 14, 2005

Author's Note: All right, so this is the third version of this chapter. I made a lot of things actually made sense and a lot of the dialogue more…meaningful. I hope you like this version better than the last. I do at least. Review?

Carrot: n. long tapering orange root vegetable; something offered as an incentive.
Tree: n. large perennial plant with a woody trunk.
Lily raised her head when a gasp came from the doorway. She looked to see Marie with her hand in front of her mouth in surprise and wiped the tears from her face quickly, beginning to stand.

"Lily…? Oh my god Lily! What happened? What have you done to your hair?" Marie ran over to Lily and stroked her hands over the head that lacked the beautiful hair it once had, pushing Lily back down to sit.

"What happened sweetie? At first you're sitting beside me then you're running out the door. You shouldn't listen to that prat James Potter, he doesn't matter." She sat back and looked at the tears stains along Lily's pale, ivory features. Lily looked back at her and without a breath engulfed her friend in a large hug.

Lily cried into Marie's shoulder allowing her tears to drench the girl's black school robes. "He… called me a carrot tree…. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I cut it off."

Marie rubbed Lily's back sympathetically and nodded into her shoulder, "it'll be alright Hun."

"No it isn't…. I'm a mess. McGonagall's going to kill me and James Potter thinks I'm a baby and will never let me live it down." She sobbed into Marie's shoulder making incoherent sounds. Marie sighed and pulled away from Lily, holding her at shoulder length. She stared at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, trust me. We'll fix your hair, McGonagall understands and James… we'll figure something out. Now let's get you cleaned up," insisted Marie. She stood and pulled Lily up with her sitting her on the desk chair in front of the mirror. She retrieved the scissors from the floor and started figuring out what to do with her poor friends mangled hair. "Now Lily, are you okay with cutting your hair a little shorter?"

Lily nodded and rubbed her eyes. She looked at her reflection before replying; "I don't care, as long as I don't look like a carrot tree any longer."

"Lily dear, there's no such thing as a carrot tree. Black and Potter are stupid. As for looking like a non-existent carrot tree, I believe you're in good hands. By the time I'm done with you, those two prats will be falling at your feet in amazement," explained Marie giving Lily a warm smile and straightening Lily's hair out.

Guilt: n. fact or state of having done wrong; remorse for wrongdoing.
James and Sirius sat with Remus and Peter in transfiguration class changing tables into chairs. Sirius had transformed the table long ago back and forth and now sat lazily while James leant on the table in deep thought. Remus had a large scowl on his face as he reprimanded James and Sirius for what they had done quickly changing the table to a chair and back again over and over.

"That was stupid and rash. I can't believe the two of you. She didn't even say a word to you and you go making up rude comments about her and blurt them out in front of the entire class."

Sirius let out a large overbearing laugh while spinning a knut on the table. He leaned back in his chair and gave Remus a smirk, "Oh have some fun Moony! It was hilarious to see her run out like that. You can't say it wasn't."

Remus shook his head and Sirius continued to laugh. He put his chair on all fours again and leaned over to James noticing his furrowed brow.

"What's wrong mate?" he questioned, "You can easily turn that chair into a table. It's no trouble." Sirius stared at James questioningly and shrugged at the lack of reply, leaning back in his chair once more continuing to laugh.

James let out a loud sigh and stood quickly, knocking Sirius backwards and toppling over his chair. He packed up his books quickly and walked out of the classroom. Sirius shouted after him, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

James continued to walk and turned at the doorway to reply, "to apologize." He walked out and turned in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

Sirius stood up rubbing his head, "He's gone loony."

Remus shook his head at Sirius, "no, he's grown a brain."

With that Remus turned to Peter to help him with his Transfiguration. Sirius shrugged and straightened his chair. He stared disdainfully after his friend.

Professor McGonagall ran to the door and called after James as he strode off, "Where do you think you're going Mr. Potter? In the middle of my class?" James didn't reply and continued to walk and turned the corner. McGonagall rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Third student in the last hour. That boy will never learn…."

James continued to stride down the halls quickening his pace. When he arrived at the portrait hole he quickly told the Fat Lady the password, 'monkshood' and entered. He walked over to the girl's staircase and looked at it. He took one reluctant step onto the staircase and they twisted into a giant slide. James bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows, 'how am I going to do this?' he thought.

He quickly turned and darted up the boy's staircase retrieving his broomstick and then returned to the girl's stairs. He sat on his broomstick and flew up the staircase until he reached the sixth year girl's dorm. He landed softly, stepping off of his broom to the landing and listened through the doorway.

"You're almost done. Just give me a second to snip this last piece and… voila, I give you the new Lily Marie Evans!" Marie smiled as Lily messed her hair up with one hand. Instead of being it's shoulder blade length that it recently had been, it sat two inches from her head and it had a 'just got out of bed' feel to it.

Lily looked at her reflection, metallic green eye shadow covered her eyelids bringing out her eyes and lip-gloss covered her now pink lips. Her hair was spiked at the back and parted and gelled at the front. She smiled at her reflection, she looked in one word; hot. "Wow Marie. It looks wonderful! Thank-you so much!" Lily chimed standing to hug her friend.

"You'll knock 'em dead Lils, just wait until they see you!" Marie insisted. "It doesn't take much to style in the mornings either so you can sleep in, also allowing me to sleep in!" Lily opened her mouth to reply to that but was interrupted abruptly by a knock on the door. She walked to the door giving Marie a questioning look.

"Evans I'm really sorry about what I said in transfiguration. I had no business saying those things to you. I didn't think you would react like you did," explained a disgruntled James. He stood in the doorway staring at his feet wringing his hands together. The sight of James Potter nervous and receding into himself made Lily start to giggle and the sound of this made him look up. His eyes went wide at the sight before him. "I… I like your hair Evans," he stuttered not being able to put an intelligible sentence together.

Lily raised an eyebrow at him and sat in front of the mirror again crossing her legs. "Thanks, you're the reason it's like this. You and your half-witted friend made me decide on a change." She looked at the reflection and straightened out a hair that had fallen.

"Evans, I just said I was sorry. Can we forget about it" James pleaded walking up to her and standing behind her chair. He gripped the chair, looking at her through the mirror. The mirror let out a low whistle commenting loudly, "well isn't that a nice picture…"

Lily rolled her eyes, glared at the mirror before standing to face him, "No, I don't think we can. You've done too much for me to just turn over a new stone and forgive you."

"You did the same to me, so I wouldn't be talking."

"I tried to mind my own business. I only seek revenge because you insist on throwing blows at me. It's not my fault that you are an insolent pig! All you desire is for me to fail miserably at life," Lily snapped at James. She turned back to the mirror red with rage. She took a deep breath and sat again.

"I do not wish to see you fail! I came to say I'm sorry and you shoot smart remarks at me!" replied James as his voice began to rise. He clenched his fists and stomped like a child angry with his mother sending a glare towards the redhead.

"I don't care! Get out!" yelled Lily pointing to the open door. "I don't want to see you or talk to you again! Just leave!"

"Fine. But don't say I never apologized," with that he left slamming the large wooden door as he went.

"That damn Potter, infuriates me to no end! He is impossible," steamed Lily. She walked to her bed and flopped down. She pulled a pillow from its place and pulled it over her head letting out a scream.

"Well it didn't help with your attitude!" Marie scolded placing the scissors she had been holding neatly down onto the wooden desk.

"I don't care anyways," Lily pulled the pillow away and sat up. "Did you see his face? It was like a lost puppy finding its mother," Lily suddenly began giggling. She looked at Marie's unimpressed expression with an eyebrow raised. "You can't say it wasn't funny."

"All right, all right, it was hilarious!" Marie replied pushing away any pieces of hair that could've stuck to her robes, "he was practically drooling over you!" She came and sat beside Lily on the bed and flopped down with her legs over the edge just as Lily did the same. They lay for a few moments staring at the canopy.

Lily stood quickly and pulled Marie with her, "Let's go to lunch! I'm starved." Marie sighed over exaggeratedly and followed the newly energized Lily out of the dorm, closing the door behind her.

The Great Hall's volume had grown from the consistency of breakfast as more students came filtering inside. The raven-haired James sat leaning onto the table in a daze explaining his experience two his three comrades. "You should've seen her Moony," exclaimed the boy, "Her hair was… amazing! Almost shorter than mine! It was gorgeous!" James shoved half a sandwich in his mouth chewing it rapidly wanting to continue with his story.

"Alas, he's found another reason to think of the 'gorgeous' Miss Evans at every opportunity," Sirius exclaimed in mock dismay, leaning over onto Peter's shoulder. He grinned widely into his hand and ran it through his hair. "Oh Prongsy, will you ever learn?"

"Shut up Padfoot. I don't think of her at every opportunity." James rolled his eyes at his friend, glancing towards the entrance to the hall. "Take a look for yourself," ordered James, pointing to the door. Sirius turned and gasped loudly, his jaw dropping to the floor. Lily walked right past the boys and sat at the table half a dozen seats down.

"Hey Evans!" shouted Sirius. She turned her head slowly towards him raising a curvy eyebrow. She rolled her emerald eyes at his arrogant smile, turning back towards Marie to finish off her sentence.

"Well, she still has her snappy attitude doesn't she?" commented Peter in a somewhat squeaky voice. Remus and Sirius nodded heavily and James rolled his eyes.

"I suppose appearance doesn't change a thing."

'Dear Diary,
It was amazing! Their faces were amazing! I was even given a few catcalls, that's never happened before. I do feel a little guilty at how I treated Potter though, I could've been a little more, civil? He did apologize, even when he didn't have to….'

Lily stopped writing, bringing the feathery quill between her teeth and sucking on the end. She pulled it away and bit her lip tapping the now damp quill against her head. She uncrossed her legs that were folded behind her and leant onto her hand as she wrote the rest of her entry.

'Yet again, I've talked myself into doing something completely against the norm. I suppose I should go apologize myself, wouldn't do to leave this badly.
Lily Evans'

Lily shut the pale blue book and set it back into the drawer before hopping off her bed and heading towards the Common Room. Stepping down onto the last step she scanned the top of the students searching for a messy head of black. Spotting him near the rest of his 'group' Lily made her way towards him. Once standing directly over Potter's shoulder and peering at the whispering group of four she cleared her throat gaining the amused stairs of three of the boys.

"Yes?" James asked, confusion evident on his dark features.

"May I speak to you… in private?" Lily spit out before glancing at his comrades and their newly placed grins.

James laughed and looked at the other three Marauders also, "I don't know, can you?" He slowly lifted an eyebrow as his hand shot to run through his hair. Lily rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm and pulled him from the Common Room glaring at the howling Sirius Black. She pulled him quickly down the corridor by the forearm and pulled him into the closest empty classroom. Once inside she turned to face him looking around at their surroundings.

The room seemed unused, coated with dust in most places and darker than other classrooms she had been in that day. She continued to wonder what the room was for before her eyes came upon James once again an arrogant smile lining his features.

"Gee Evans, I didn't think you felt that way," he stated, lifting an eyebrow in amusement. He let out a groan of pain as he was rewarded with a smack across the back of his head.

"You had to go and say one of your stupid remarks didn't you half-wit?" Lily rolled her eyes at the arrogant boy and turned back to the door preparing to leave without apologizing. "To think, I was actually going to say that I was sorry."

"You were?" James inquired. Lily turned back to him and gave him an obvious nod, rolling her eyes.

"You were," he stated again dumbly.

"Yes… but you and your cocky mouth ruined it!" Lily exclaimed turning back to the door and turning the doorknob with a flourish. She had just stepped into the corridor when a solemn voice brought her back into the room.

"Did you change because of me?" he paused, looking down at his hands. "What I mean to say is… you said it was Sirius and my fault but… I thought you were just trying to guilt trip me. Was I the actual reason you did what you did?" He tripped over his words again, "I- I mean cut your ha- hair and whatnot."

Lily turned back to the boy observing his serious expression, and considering her reply. How could she answer that? If she told him the truth it would give him something else to go on about, but in those few seconds he seemed so…human? James continued to gaze at her as she continued her mental argument. Lily watched as he looked down at the ground then back up at her, "Lily?"

"It was the last straw Potter, I've put up with your continuous remarks long enough. You've constantly made fun of my hair, my eyes…. Since the first time I met you, that's all you've said to me; that and 'go out with me'. Before you even knew me you pushed me into the bloody lake! The only reason I'm still here is because the giant squid helped Hagrid fork me out again and even then I was ill with a cold for a month!

"It was the last…" she stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. "I don't think I can ever forgive you for the hell you've put me through," Lily turned wiping a single tear from her cheek and walked from the room back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

James slithered down the desk he was leaning on to the floor and sat there for a while pondering to himself. Had Lily just confessed why she hated him? A grudge from years ago? James sighed, stood and made his way back to Gryffindor tower with his heart slightly heavier.

Grudge: v. be unwilling to give or allow; n. resentment.
Lily quickly strode past the students in the Common Room and bounded up the stairs to her dormitory praying that it was empty. She arrived and sat quietly on her four-poster. A minimal amount of tears rolled down her cheeks and she took a deep breath and swiped them from her face. A loud hoot was heard from the window causing her to jump up from the bed. Her brother's owl Scrooge had waited for her with a letter from the two boys tucked away in its beak. Lily took the letter from the owl and with a last 'hoot' the owl left and flew into the darkness.

She unrolled the parchment and began to read.

Lillikins,
Are you excited? We are! How's Minnie these days, still a looker? Haven't seen since her since Graduation three years ago. Three years… can you believe it's been three years?
Anyways, meet us in the Entrance Hall tomorrow at lunch. We're planning on wreaking havoc on the school during our visit. It's been awhile but I think we can pull it off. Dumbledore will surely have missed us! Shall see you tomorrow!

Cheers,
Jake Evans
P.S. Marks says 'hello and see you tomorrow'!

Lily smiled and stood from her bed placing the letter in the bottom drawer of her bedside table. She wiped a last tear away from her cheek and smiled down at the folded parchment. Her brothers could always lighten her mood in any situation. She gazed at her watch and yawned. Lily had never been one for staying up late. She would have the twins tomorrow and she could stay up later with them.

No more worrying about James Potter…at least for a few days. With some last happy thoughts she fell into a deep slumber, a dream over taking her very quickly.

Dream: n. imagined series of events experienced in the mind while asleep; cherished hope.
She sat on a rocky cliff staring down at a great body of water swirling over one hundred feet beneath her. The wind blew through her hair and caressed her pale, lightly freckled cheek. Her long hair fell to her mid-back in waves and curled at the ends slightly. Taking in a deep breath smelling and feeling the Ocean air in her lungs she smiled slightly when she felt two strong arms encircle her small form. She leant back into the arms of the man and closed her eyes inhaling his scent of chocolate and freshly laundered clothing.

"Beautiful isn't it?" asked a familiar deep voice.

She smiled turning to face the man and was met with a large blur. The arms around her disappeared with a pop and she was left standing on a large stone balcony, the morning sun beaming down on her skin. She turned and stared out into the large yard, rocks sat framing the outside and the grass was as green as her eyes. Flowers bloomed and pink blossoms covered the branches of the tall apple tree in the centre of the yard leading to a pond filled with fresh water and also framed with stones. She grinned widely before turning inside to find herself looking into a massive bedroom.

The walls were painted blue and white the ceiling a sky blue with clouds and a large bed sat perfectly in the middle of the left wall. Here eyes caught onto the bed where there was movement, its canopy cascading down encasing the majority of the covers. She looked closer and realized there was someone in the deep green covers of the colossal bed. The mystifying person seemed to be hiding from the light from the open entrance. She sauntered over to the bed and began to lift the covers wanting to see this mystery person.

As she lifted the green covers in front of the persons face the dark arms from the rocky cliff before reached from the sheets and pulled her onto the bed and held her securely. She let out a light scream of surprise before closing her eyes and again inhaling the intense and comforting scent.

She laughed as the person nuzzled closer into her. She opened her eyes to finally see this mysterious man but was only met with the vision of warm hazel eyes before she was pulled from her dream world roughly and a flash of deep red eyes glared at her.

Lily awoke with a shock to the sound of loud thunder outside. She sat up and gazed out the window watching lightning strike far off in the distance. It was midnight and pitch black; the distant snoring could be heard from the other girl's beds in the dormitory. Lily sighed and looked at her hands. She wished she could've seen her dream man and learned of his identity.

Lily stood in defeat and stomped her foot softly. She wouldn't be able to fall asleep again quickly so she decided to go down to the Common Room and sit in the firelight. It was more comforting than the lightning flashes outside the window. She lifted her dressing robe from the end of her four-poster and quietly slipped it on and made her way down the staircase.

She scanned the barely lit room searching for any late dwellers. There were no visible students at first glance and compared to other nights that she had come down for midnights unwind, it was quite presentable. Luckily, embers still blazed in the fire grate and the room was still quite warm.

Lily took a seat on the couch in front of the fire and was immediately transfixed by the spouting of flames from coals every few seconds. She smiled; it was wonderful to be able to sit there without a care in the world. Her smile disappeared as she started to think again of the dream, of the man, of the feeling… of the eyes right before waking….

The creaking of the stairs tore her from her thoughts and she quickly turned to spot the last person she wished to see at that moment, James Potter.

"Couldn't sleep either I suppose?" James questioned taking a seat beside her on the plush couch. James looked at Lily, her hair slightly mussed and her blue sleeping robes hugging her body made her look like an imperfect angel. He smiled and let out a low laugh before staring in the embers.

"I couldn't, but I was just about to go try again." James's head snapped up just as she finished her words. Lily stood and managed to turn before James' hand reached out and caught her arm. She sighed deeply and turned back towards him annoyed, "May I help you?"

"Before you go, could we just, talk?" Please?" he asked giving her a puppy dog expression. Lily bit her lip and stared down at the now empty spot on the couch. She decided to sit with him for a few moments, reluctantly of course.

"What about?" she asked as she plopped down into the seat beside him and pulling her arm from his grasp.

"Well you could start by answering a question for me. Like, why you won't give me a chance?" he inquired lifting an eyebrow.

Lily looked at him her eyes trying peering into his soul, trying to find an answer herself. She looked him up and down examining him thoroughly. His hair was an awful mess, his white t-shirt wasn't straight and his red and blue tartan pyjama pants sat loosely on him. Lily looked into his dark hazel eyes and her brow furrowed; something was different.

She shook off the feeling and said the first thing that came to mind, "because I don't want to."

"'Because you don't want to'?" James questioned incredulously, "That's not a very good excuse in my opinion."

"Well, who said I wanted your opinion?" Lily snapped glaring at him. James held up his hands in surrender then with a change in heart took one of her hands in his and looked deep into her emerald green eyes. "What?" she asked pulling her hand from his and peering at him sceptically.

"Why?"

She gave him a look of shock and replied the only way she could think of.

"Because I won't let myself forgive you. I shouldn't have to give you a chance… I don't know." She looked down quickly biting her lip. He had confused her now and she didn't like it. She let out a growl of defeat and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"No need to act like a three-year-old now Evans. But, when you think up a real excuse, let me know will you?" he asked raising his eyebrows and standing. He leaned down after crossing behind the couch and kissed her right cheek then headed up the boy's staircase.

"Good-night Lily Evans" he called behind him, letting his footsteps slowly leave the room behind him.

Lily sat in the darkness of the Common Room as the last embers burned. She sat there angry at the affect that he had on her in the few minutes they had spoken. She felt like throwing something at the wall but instead took a deep breath and sat back counting to ten.

Finally she reached to touch her freckled cheek. The skin was still warm from the touch of James Potter's lips. She chuckled lightly to herself and bit her lip with the tiniest evidence of a smile, laughing in spite of herself.

She stood whispering into the night before going to bed, "Good-night James Potter."

Laugh: v. make inarticulate sounds with the voice expressing amusement, merriment, or scorn.