The Notebook

Lily and James were sitting outside watching the sunset. It was warm July night and Harry had been put to sleep hours ago and they were enjoying the rare peace and quiet. Lily turned to James, "Hey do you remember how we fell in love."

"It was in our seventh year, I think."

"You think?"

"Okay I know."

"You think Harry would want to know?"

"What kid doesn't want to know how their parents fell in love and got married."

"I'm serious," Lily protested, "I think we should write it down for when he comes of age."

"If you want to, personally I think that we should just tell him in person."

"What if we aren't alive?"

"Fine, we can write it down." James conceded. Lily walked into the house and grabbed a brown leather notebook and started to write.

.
Sixteen years later a tired Remus Lupin handed Harry his birthday present. "Your parents wanted to give this to you when you came of age."

"Thank you" Harry said, his voice to choked up to say much more. He looked down at his present. It was a simple leather notebook. He opened it up to read this first sentence; Harry, I want you to know that your dad and I love you. Harry stopped reading. They were tears streaming down his face. Remus put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll leave you alone to read that." he said. He turned to walk away. "Thank you Remus." he said. Harry turned back to the burrow. He walked up to Ron's bedroom and locked the door. He started to read.

Harry, I want you to know that your dad and I love you. If your reading this it means that I am no longer alive to tell you that. The story you are about to read is the story of how we fell in love. It is a story full of joy but also full of tragedy. It is the one of the things I want you to know about us. If you know nothing else about us know this story. It all started on the first day of our seventh year;

"You made Headgirl," squealed Jen. She was the girly-girl of the trio. She had long blond hair and startling grey eyes. Her favourite thing to do was gossip about guys. She was also a pureblood.

Katy on the other hand was the outdoorsy type and Muggle born. She was one of the Chasers for the Gryffindor team. Her brown hair had been cut to her chin and up till last year her matching brown eyes had been hidden by glasses. Over the summer of sixth-year she had gotten contacts. "What, you thought someone else was going to get it?" Katy commented to Jen.

"Oh, sorry Lil. I knew you were going to get it. The question is which guy got it." Jen said.

"Don't know. The letter didn't say." answered Lily. "I think it might be Amos Diggory. I hate his attitude but you have to admit he is pretty smart."

"Yeah, but both Potter and Remus scored better then him in the OWL's." Jen pointed out, "And they are both ranked above him, just under you for best in class."

"Dumbledore wouldn't give the badge to those two idiots. I mean honestly they wouldn't give out a single detention or take points away except for Slytherin's, of course." Lily fretted. "He wouldn't, would he?"

"Chill Lily. I'm sure she was just kidding. Right Jen." Katy reassured while glaring at Jen.

"Yeah Lily. I was just kidding." Jen added. "We better grab a compartment." She said trying to change the subject. She grabbed her trunk and headed for the door. Katy followed after her.

"You guys go ahead." Lily called after them. "I have to go to the Heads compartment." Katy and Jen continued walking without missing a beat. They were used to this since it had happened since their fifth year when she had gotten her prefect badge. Katy had grabbed Lily's trunk and was bringing to the compartment for her. Lily got on the train just as it was starting to move. She entered the Head's compartment and sat down. She looked around and noticed how different and better it was then the prefects' compartments. Regular compartments didn't stand a chance against it. On the far side stood a snack bar. It was only about a foot high but when Lily opened it there was every type of magical candy she knew of. There were even a few that she had never heard of such as the chocolate marbles, which when she opened they started moving themselves into a games of marbles, and pepper chocolate, which she foolishly tried and immediately spit out.

The seats of the compartment were silk and when Lily sat down it melded to her shape. Lily leaned back to wait for the Headboy. Five minutes later she was beginning to wonder where he was. Ten minutes later she was annoyed. Fifteen minutes later she had reached her limit. She was fuming. She was going to kill whoever the Headboy was. She stood up to go over to the prefects' compartment. She opened the door and was surprised by what she saw.

James Potter was walking down the corridor like he owned the place. "What are you doing here?" Lily snarled. Potter did not bring out the best in her. She looked at him with a look of disgust on her face. That was until she saw the badge on his robes. The look of disgust instantly morphed into a look of shock. "I'm Headboy." James said unnecessarily. "I'll assume that your Headgirl." Lily nodded, to shocked to speak. "Well shall we?" James asked walking into the prefects compartment. Lily followed behind him contemplating whether or not Dumbledore had lost his mind over summer break.

Lily walked into the compartment and looked at all of the prefects. She started to explain the rules which had been explained in her letter. James just sat there the entire time. He had never actually gotten around to reading his letter. Finally the meeting ended. Lily assigned shifts of patrolling the corridors and then walked out the compartment. She escaped without talking any further to Potter and headed back to the regular compartments to find her friends. She finally found them and they were sitting with the Marauders! At first Lily didn't believe it. After the initial shock set in Lily waited for an explanation. Jen was only to happy to volunteer one.

"There weren't any other compartments open so Sirius offered to let us sit here." Jen actually looked happy at this. She turned to Sirius and smiled. Lily felt someone tapping her on the shoulder. She turned around. Standing behind her were Potter and Remus. Remus was the one who had tapped her on the shoulder.

"Uh, Lily can I get into the compartment."

"Sorry." Lily walked into the compartment and sat down next to Katy. Jen was sitting on across from her next to Sirius. That left a seat open on the other side of Lily. James was only to happy to fill the vacant spot. "So what did you do this summer?" James asked Lily. Lily promptly ignored him and turned to Katy.

"Did you hear about the attacks this summer?"

"Yeah." Katy responded. "It looks like Voldermort is on the rise." Three people in the compartment flinched at the sound of his name. Unlike Lily and Katy they were not Muggle born so they grew up in fear of his name. And unlike Sirius and James they feared him. Lily pretended not to notice the flinches and continued on her conversation with Katy. Five minutes later James attempted to enter the conversation again.

"What classes are you taking this year Lily?" he asked in an attempt to be polite.

Lily snapped. "Why do you care?" she asked in return. If looks could kill, I'm sure that James would no longer exist.

"Fine. Just trying to be nice. Since, you know, we have to work together for the rest of the summer." James turned around and started talking to Remus. Inside he was seething. He had tried being just the tiny bit polite and she had gotten angry. He got the feeling that no matter what he did, he would never be good enough for Lily Evans.

When the train ride finally ended Lily was the first one out of the compartment. She jumped up and grabbed her trunk. After the first five minutes James hadn't attempted to talk to her again. That was fine with her. On the other hand Jen had spent the entire time talking to Sirius and Katy seemed pretty chummy with Remus. Maybe she would be seeing more of him whether she wanted to or not.

Katy, Jen, and Lily grabbed one carriage while the Marauders headed off to another. Lily sat down and turned to Jen. "Okay spill. What's happening between you and Sirius."

"I have no idea what you talking about," Jen denied.

"So you mean you and Sirius did not spend that entire trip laughing and talking."

"Nothing is happening between us." Jen kept denying. "We were just talking about our summers."

"Uh huh." Katy said sceptically.

"Well, what about you and Remus were talking just as much as Sirius and I." Jen said trying to change the subject unsuccessfully.

"So you admit the two of you were talking." Katy said in a ha-ha voice.

"Okay new subject." Jen said holding up her hands. The subject quickly changed to their new classes.

Meanwhile the Marauders were talking about the girls in their carriage.

"Lily totally blew me off. I was just trying to be nice and she blew me off." James was currently the one griping.

"Well she had a good reason to Prongs. About six years of good reasons to." Remus said, trying and failing to comfort him.

"But I changed." James argued.

"Women are all insane Prongs," offered Sirius. "They're much better when they're not talking." For that comment Sirius was whacked by both Remus and James. Peter just sat there staring at them.

"But Lily is different. She's special." James continued.

"I just know that we're perfect for each other. I just have to get her to see that." James faltered realizing that all of the other Marauders had been reciting that last bit with him. They had been on the receiving end of this speech for about three years now. They could recite at least three speeches in their sleep each.

"Hey look. The castle." Peter pointed out.

"I'm home." James said under his breath.

In the other carriage Katy had just pointed out the castle.

"Only one more year till I'm done." Jen said.

"I'm home." Lily said under her breath.

James and Lily paused from writing down their story. In the background they heard Harry crying. "I'll get him." offered James. "You can keep writing." "Thanks James." Lily turned back to the notebook and picked up her quill.

There was a knock at the door and Harry dropped the notebook with surprise. "Lunch." Mrs. Weasly announced.

"Okay. I'll be right there." Harry cautiously put a bookmark on the page where he had stopped. He carefully put the book down on his bed. He got up and walked out the door.