Chapter 2: Ben
Lily woke up to a glaring sun burning her eyes. She was still a bit sore from the day before but felt better. Lily sat up in bed and smiled.
"Hogwarts" she muttered to herself. Lily was finally a seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and best of all all of her hard work landed her the position of Head Girl. Lily got out of bed and headed to the bath room. Fifteen minutes later she got out and magically dried her hair, lily was officially legal in the Wizarding world which enables her to use magic outside of school. Lily packed all of her things and headed down stairs to wait for Ben.
Ben was Lily's oldest friend they had first met at a muggle school in France at the age of eight. They both moved back to England due to their parents' jobs. Ben's father was a Pure-blooded wizard who attended Durmstrang and his mother was a muggle-born which from France who attended Bauxbaton school of Witchcraft. Ben was a seventh year at Durmstrang while Lily went to Hogwarts. Ben and Lily both became spies for the British government, MI-5 at the age of 15. Their jobs had to remain secrets for it would mean death for anyone who knew.
The door bell rang and lily answered the door.
"Ben . . . Oh my gosh! What happened?" Ben was sporting a huge black ring around his eye.
"Oh last night in Copenhagen I got in to a fight with a guardsman at Monroe's house. I'm fine."
"Here let me heal that for you..." lily now withdrawing her wand cast the healing charm
" Epeski"
"Thanks, ready, here let me get that for you." Ben bent over and grabbed lily's trunk and took it outside.
"Here hold my hand we'll apparate." Lily subddenly felt a rush of wind swirl around her. She felt a little dizzy but soon landed on solid ground out side platform 9 3/4.
"Here we are shall I walk you in?"
"Sure, when does you ship leave for Durmstrang?"
"At 2:00" Ben and Lily both passed through the platform.
"Oye! Prongs over here!" The tall dashingly handsome Sirius Black called for him mate across the plat form.
"Hey! Padfoot!" James ran toward his best mate and greeted him.
"How have you been I didn't see much of you this summer?"
"Yeah I just moved out of number 12 and got an apartment near Diagon Alley"
"Wicked!"
"Where is Moony and Wormtail? James now looking around asked. He then stopped and caught sight of the girl of his dreams, Lily Evans.
"Well I'll see you soon Lils. I'll miss you." Ben said now hugging his best friend tightly.
"I'll miss you to Ben, but we'll see each other at . . . "lily paused for a large group of people passed them by.
"At the "bank"
"Yeah the bank." Ben Leaned in and gave lily a kiss on the cheek.
"Who is that? " James thought to himself.
"Hey Prongs who are you looking . . . "
"Oh Lily, wait who is that with her?" Remus said now joining the group with Peter
"I don't know . . . "James said in disbelief
"Did Lily have a boyfriend?" James thought to himself.
"No . . . "
Lily then leaned in to kiss Ben on the cheek.
"I'll see you later I need to get on the train for head duties, Ben now hugging her once more looked up to see all of the marauders looking at them
"Lily we have an audience" he whispered in to her ear.
"What?" Lily turned around to also see the marauders looking.
At that moment James and the rest turned away and focused their attention to lily's friends whom were greeting them.
"Does lily have a boy friend Alicia?" James asked immediately.
"Um actually we were about to ask you guys if you have seen her."
"She's over there." Sirius said pointing to the spot where lily and Ben were standing, but they were gone, they turned around to find lily boarding the train.
"We were worried we haven't heard from her all summer we wrote her but received nothing back, nothing." Emily said in a worried tone.
"Well we should get on the train and se what's up with her." Remus suggested. All of them boarded the train and found lily in the back in one of the compartments. She was walking out on her way to the Heads meeting.
"Lily! Hey where have you been we haven't heard from you since last year?" Emily exclaimed.
"Oh sorry I was out of the country, for school." Lily lied.
"I'm actually on my way to a heads meeting . . ."
"Oh my gosh your head girl congratulations!"
"Hey so is James." Sirius pointed out with a grin on his face.
"Ah Yeah" James now looking at his badge.
"Oh great we should go meet the prefects." Lily began to walk towards the train with James and every one else behind.
"Great? I thought she hated me, maybe this year will be different." James thought to himself.
After the heads meeting James and lily headed back to their compartment to find everyone else sitting and talking.
"Hey how was it?" Peter asked as Lily and James entered.
"Fine."
They all started chatting while Lily pulled out her magical history book to read.
"Lily why are you reading we have on 14 more hours till we have to?" Emily now looking at her best mate with a surprising yet joking look said.
"Oh I just want a head start."
"Well you can start by telling us who that guy was you were talking to on the platform." Every one turned to lily in anticipation to see who he was.
"Oh . . . um that was Ben, he's an old mate of mine. We had school together in France this summer."
"France?" Peter interjected. Lily turned to him.
"Yes France I studied abroad there. My muggle school is base there but I go to its location school in London."
"I didn't know you went to muggle school lily."
"Yeah I do. Ben also is a wizard but he goes to Durmstrang in Bulgaria."
"He does. But I thought he goes to your school in London?" Sirius now a bit confused asked.
"He does. He lives here with his mum but travels to Bulgaria every year for school and takes online courses like me at Brighton, well Brighton for Boys and I go to Brighton for girls. His father also lives here but they are divorced."
"Then how did he wind up at Durmstrang if his parents are here?"
"Oh his father went to Durmstrang and his mother went to Bauxbaton in France."
"So are two together?" Emily asked before lily could have a chance at changing topics.
"Uh . . . Me and Ben? No."
"Thank god!" James thought to himself, a grin came upon his face which lily didn't seem to notice.
"Me and Ben go way back he's like a brother to me, it would be too awkward."
"What are you studying in France Lily" Remus asked now trying to change topics.
"Oh well I'm at University now, I just started. And I'm studying basic requirements right now but I'm planning on majoring in Business and minoring in Art History."
"What about being an arauror?" Alicia exclaimed
"I thought that is what you wanted to do after Hogwarts."
"Well yes, but you know how I feel about going to university."
"Are you going back to the muggle world after Hogwarts"
"I'm not sure, most likely I'll stay in both."
"Ow" Lily's book slid of of her knee and hit her foot hard. She bent down to grab the book.
"Lily! Your wrist what happened?" Remus said now loking at lily pick the book up. Lily look down at her wrist which was showing from her robe sleeve. On her wrist her black and blue bruises and little scrapes from the other night, she could remember how the man had tied them up on the chair.
"Oh um nothing just a bruise that's all I'm fine."
"Where did you get it from?" James asked looking concerned.
"No where . . . "Lily lied
everyone looked at her in a disbelieving look.
"I'll be right back I'm going to buy a chocolate frog from the trolley." With that lily left the compartment, quickly."
"Crap that was close" she thought to herself."
"So who in here believed that load of shit?" Sirius said still looking at the door from where Lily had just left.
"What are you talking about she said it was nothing . . . "Emily exclaimed.
"Don't tell me you believed that. No one gets a bruise like that from nothing."
"I'll go check on her." James said, he got up and left. He found her buying a chocolate frog.
"Hey Lily are you alright?"
"Yeah fine . . . ."
"Well I meant about your wrist . . . what happened?"
Lily looked up in to James's eyes and just noticed how nice they were to look at.
"Uh Lily . . .?"
"Yeah um it nothing , don't worry I'm going to get it healed by Madam Pomfrey."
"I don't really want to talk about it."
"are you sure . . .?"
"Yeah" Lily and James headed back to the compartment to get dressed before they pulled into Hogsmead.