Raspberry Sugar Quills
By Josie G. Evans
Summary: If you think this is a love story, so it is, but it is about so much more, a tortured sole in need of love and friends, of closed eyes and laughs. This is the life of Lily Gabrielle Evans, the girl afraid to grow up, afraid of living, but what is living when your not on the edge once in a while?
You've got to dance like no one's watching, and love like it's never going to hurt. Unknown (words to live by)
IMPORTANT: this chapter contains some of Arabella's thoughts, there in italics.
PART ONE
The beginning
ch.8- the beginning to a bad day:
"Lily. LILY! Wake up Goddam it!
"Don't use the lords name in vain." I said turning over on my side, ignoring the protest of the person next to me.
"I ain't, now get out of bed!" she said jumping on my bed, making my soft comfortable mattress think it was ocean of waves rather than a straight, non-moving object.
What's the point of getting out of bed when you know what's going to happen? What's the point of learning if the teachers don't teach you the importance in life? Why don't they teach you about heartbreak and how to over come misery? Live life to the fullest is one of my favourite mados but how can you live life to the fullest being stuck in a classroom listening to someone who is supposedly superior to you, talk about boring useless subjects and things you'll never use in your whole damned life? Live life to the fullest. I would like to travel the world, to see the great pyramids of Egypt up close. To go up the many stairs of the Eiffel Tower, to visit Buckingham palace, to see and experience different cultures. To learn while experiencing. To do good to the earth and help all future beings of this sometimes beautiful planet. To take time and appreciate the melodic birds song in the morning and enjoy the trees, sun, clouds, even the insects and creations of God that we were meant to rule over, but in the end, were all equals. All a living thing trying to cooperate with life and it's difficulties, but with difficulties come rewards, or so I'm told. Instead I'm stuck in this crappy town, as far as I'm concerned I might not have left my hometown, no one is aware of where this school is situated. I remember when I was younger, my first year, when I had the coincidental inconvenience of meating James Potter. I remember looking out the window of the train in the hallway, thinking of how free I finally was as I looked at the passing scenery changing. Now I realised that I most likely never left what I so wanted to leave behind.
"LILY! Were gonna be late!" whined Arabella.
"Since when do you care about being late?" I asked knowing the answer.
"Arm guy!" she yelled excitedly. Am I the only mature person left in this whole damned school? Well actually I shouldn't talk, I can be as mature as a five year old.
"Of course, Sirius Black would have something to do with this. Isn't he going out with that seventh year?"
"No, he's dating that 21 year old Rosemerta. You know that bartender at Three Broomsticks?" she said her face mingled with sadness and furry. Love what an unnecessary thing, all it does is stab you in the back while you sleep. I've given up on love, I realised my prince charming isn't gonna come knocking anytime soon, who needs love anyway, I'm a pretty independent person, I've been doing pretty well all by myself for the past couple of years.
"The heart has it's own set of rules, so you can't reason with it, the heart does and gets what it wants." I said matter of factually, quoting someone or something I read a long time ago.
"Whatever, your too deep for me."
Hopelessly in love is what she claims, she got a chance with him and blew it away. Was she afraid of commitment (just as he is)? Honestly they're made for each other. She has many secrets and although she's open with most of them, a part of her still remains a mystery. You can never get to fully know someone. As soon as you think you've got them all figured out, they do something to doubt you know very much. I mean, I talk a lot and I admit it, in a way I'm even proud of it, but when I talk to much she'll tell me to shut up, but when I don't she immediately thinks there's something wrong and practically orders me to talk. 'I haven't heard you all day, talk! What wrong? Your tongue finally brake?'
"Now stop changing the subject and get out of bed!" Arabella yelled, "besides you've got that stupid essay given to us last Tuesday and it's due this morning, which if I might remind you, is due today!" That girl, biggest procrastinator ever. Somehow she always finishes what she has to do, on time. I heard somewhere that procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday, and of course Lily isn't the biggest fan of change.
Might as well give in, she know's she's right. "Right, I'm up." I called from under the blankets I had used to smother her constant stream of nagging.
"So what do we have this morning?"
"Double Transfiguration and then History of boredom." Answered Beila.
"Right, got breakfast yet?"
"Ya and I brought you back an apple."
"Ex-ci-ment." I said my mouth full of said apple. "I'm hitting the showers, I hope Lydia left warm water this time." Lily added, referring to me of our annoying room mate know to use up all of the warm water in Gryffindor tower. "There's always heating charms!" I yelled back. "Now hurry, we all know you can be in the shower for over an hour yourself, class starts in twenty minutes, so you've got ten minutes to get ready, that's a three minute shower. I'm counting!" I finished, funny how I have no memory, except for useless things, like the colour of someone's tie and agenda's.
10 minutes later:
"Honestly Lily, your hair looks fine, you don't have to dry it, it'll dry it's self." protested Beila.
"Oh alright!" gave in Lily. The two girls walked down the staircase leading to the girls dormitories and into the common room.
"New style Lily?" asked Remus with a slight chuckle.
"Yes, haven't you heard? Looking like you just came out of the great lake, is the newest fashion. Some people are really getting into it: growing squid tentacles and using sea weed as belts and jewellery." answered Lily.
"She's joking right?" asked a puzzled Remus.
"Of course she is, that girl has to much imagination for her own good." answered Beila.
"Ya well you can hardly ever tell when she's sarcastic unless she really wants to show it."
"Would you guys stop talking about me as if I weren't here? I'm standing right between you two wankers." Lily interrupted, aggravation in her voice, as she opened the door to their Transfiguration classroom. "Oh shit! I didn't finish that essay!"
"Now she remembers." whispered Beila into Remus's ear, "Weren't you listening to me this morning?"
"No, not really." she answered sheepishly.
"Really feeling the love. Well you've got five minutes."
"Great! Remus! Can I borrow your pen? The one that writes down what you say?"
"My recorder? Oh alright! But be carful." he said unable to withstand her large puppy dog eyes.
"Thanks you're the best!"
"Were would that girl be without us?" questioned Arabella.
"Probably in the middle of some desert." joked Remus, all the while laughing at Lily's exasperated expression.
"Transfiguration is magic which changes one object into another. It is possible to change inanimate objects into animate ones and vice versa." she read aloud from her Transfiguration book and watched in amazement as the pen scribbled furiously onto the parchment, writing down every word. After all these years the simplest of things still amazed her, she had experienced and borrowed this pen often and yet she still got excited at the site of it. "Some Transfiguration spells alter..."
"Hey! Little red riding hood! Still haven't done your homework? It still amazes me how you get away with everything and get good grades just sitting around on your fat lazy arse doing nothing all day. You are aware Minnie will be arriving any minute now, don't you?" he asked. He actually seemed to want to hold a polite conversation, even though he had managed to slip in a couple of insults. It still surprised Lily, something wasn't right, he must be up to something, well I certainly won't be the but of an other of his ridiculous pranks. "Go away Potter." she said trough gritted teeth, not wanting to cause an other scene, god only know's that's probably what he wants.
"What? Aren't I allowed to converse with a fellow carrot head such as yourself? Are you to good for me? It was only a simple question, besides did you ever stop to think that maybe I was watching out for that fat but of yours Evans?"
Yep! Definitely something up. "...a part of something, such as changing a person's ears from normal into rabbit ears." she said, choosing to ignore him. "Circe, a Witch who lived in the Greek island of Aeaea, was famous for turning lost sailors into pigs."
"Ok listen Tiger Lily, I was wondering if you'd finished that charms essay. The one that's due for today?"
"Yes, and what's it to you?"
"Well since you're the only one in this classroom that happens to take charms with me and since I can't find anyone else who's easy, I was wondering if you'd..."
"Like hell am I tutoring you!" she said cutting him off.
"God no, don't flatter your self Evans, five minutes with you is enough to send anyone to St-Mongos. Actually I was wondering if I could copy it." he said, his voice more a statement than question. "Oh why not, I'll let you copy all of my homework, infact from now on, I'm your new nerd, I'll even write it for you."
"Great, now that's settled..."
"Like hell you cocky self absorbed bastard, you seriously thought I was sincere?"
"Well ya, and since there isn't anyone smart around I'll just have to bug off you."
"Listen Potter, I know your lazy and one of the biggest prats in the world and your used to getting everything served to you on a golden platter but it doesn't work for me, so DO IT YOURSELF! That said, I bid you goodbye you egoistical, womanizing, man whore." she said mockingly bowing.
"Can you be anymore insulting red?"
"Yes, and if you don't stop calling me all these idiotic names devoted and inspired by my hair, I'll knock your lights out." she said a large smile playing on her lips. Oh how he wanted to wipe it off, he couldn't let her know she'd gotten to him. "Speaking of bright lights, where's your sidekick? The brightest star in the sky?"
"He's..."
"Right here." said Sirius, seeming to appear out of no where. "And who you calling sidekick Lils? I'm the El Capitano! The meat in the burger, the snitch from a quidditch match, the ink for a quill, the..."
"Ya we get the point Oh queer one!" yelled Remus bowing down from his seat across the room.
"Oh captain, my captain!" joined in Peter.
"I bid you good afternoon my captain." said Lily bowing her head in Sirius's direction as she grabbed her ink, books and parchment as she headed to a free table at the back of the class. Funny how she and Sirius had often gotten along.
"Good morning class! I take it you've all finished your essays? Please come and place them on my desk up front. Now the end of the year is here and for all you fifth years that means O.W.L's. There next week, for you forgetful ones." she said looking in Peter's way as he quickly wrote down on a large roll of parchment. "This year we've learned about switching spells, you've also should have mastered how to transfigure a mouse into a snuffbox, remember: extra points for how pretty the snuffbox is, points off if it still has whiskers Ms. Figg. We've also transformed a teapot into a tortoise and not into snapping poisonous turtles named 'teddy #2'." she said looking in Sirius's direction as everyone remembered quite vividly the incident, none of them where likely to forget soon. 'Teddy' had bad enough, but to have a 'teddy #2' roaming the school was an other thing.
"Vanishing spells, we've worked on invertebrates, snails Mr. Jones." she added at the confused look of one of her pupils. "The Inaimatus Conjurus spell is an other. Now I would like to remind you all that I require an 'E' on the O.W.L's for everyone interested in going to my N.E.W.T's class next year."
"Wonder why James was actually trying to have a conversation with you." said Arabella.
"So do I." replied Lily, just then a loud explosion came from Lily's backpack and a Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks came sprouting out spelling out: Lily Evans heart Filius Flitwick.
Sure it was very immature and definitely not one of their best, but it did give Lily two weeks detention scrubbing every Hogwart students nightmare: the trophies, from the trophy room.
The End of Chapter eight
A/N: I know crappy ending, but I'm about to drop dead from fatigue and wanted to type this for you wonderful readers. What's gonna happen next? Will teddy come back and terrorize the school as it takes it's revenge upon Sirius for flushing him down the toilet so many years ago? By the way I wrote a story about teddy, I should post it, I've had many questions about teddy and the story answers them all. Like I've said sorry for the major delay, read dedication for further information.
About this chapter: The reason for James talking to Lily? It actually brings two things the second one should be in the next chapter. Now to clarify things. The preface (description of every character) says there in the beginning of their summer vacations and yet this chapter talks about O.W.L's which is during the end of their fifth year. I plan I going to the end of their fifth year (the next two chapters or so) and then bring you to the old summer blues (one to two chapters) and then the beginning of their 6th year and that ladies and maybe hopefully gentleman, is where the action starts, as well as major conflicts, love problems... Now I'll shut up or I'll devolve the whole story before I even have the chance to type it. LOL!
Kudos
'Night everyone, don't let the bugs bite
Josie G. Evans©