Lily Evans gazed out of the train's window. If she were paying attention to what was going on beyond the pained glass, she would have seen a throng of students outside, talking and boarding the train. She would have noticed the castle of Hogwarts in the distance and the white, fluffy clouds in the bright blue sky. But she had her mind set on other things.
She was mentally collecting the events that had taken place during her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. She had been appointed the position of Head Girl. She had had a great time hanging out with her friends. She had succeeded exceptionally well in all of her classes. And she had fallen in love...and not just with anyone.
Lily still couldn't quite yet grasp the concept that she had fallen for James Potter, and yet now it seemed as if no disagreements had ever come between them.
It had all started around Christmas. A holiday ball was soon to be held, and James wouldn't leave Lily alone. He kept pestering her to join him as his partner, and only because Lily didn't have a date and desperately wanted him to shut up had she finally accepted his offer.
Lily had thought that they would dance a few times and then it would be over with. Her prediction had been way off. She had surprisingly listened to James while he talked about his childhood back in Godric's Hollow, and had actually been quite interested. And before she knew it, Lily was telling James about her own childhood and how challenging it had been to share it with her impossible older sister.
And that's when Lily saw James Potter in a whole new light. She had realized that he was actually a very good listener and that he'd never interrupt her unless it was necessary. She had also begun to admire his smooth dancing skills and reasoned that he wasn't that bad after all.
After talking and hanging out with their friends for a while, Lily and James had gone outside into the cool night air and had found themselves alone in a garden. They had chatted for about an hour and James had complimented Lily on her outfit. She had worn a sparkling forest green dress and a bracelet, necklace and a pair of earrings to match. She had curled her long, dark red hair and had pulled some of it back into a ponytail with a silver hairclip while the rest had hung casually around her shoulders.
And then it had happened, almost in slow motion. James had made the first move, but Lily had slowly leaned toward him. The next thing they knew, they were entwined in a passionate kiss.
That was when Lily had first felt a powerful burst of compassion for James Potter. In those few lasting seconds, all of the anger and hate that she had held toward him for so many years vanished and she felt brand new. She realized that James had been following her and asking her out over those past years because he truly loved her, not because he had wanted to add her to some list that probably didn't even exist. Lily knew that this was for real, and she gladly accepted the idea. She had fallen head over heels for James Potter, and the scariest part now was that she wasn't ashamed to admit it.
Ever since that single, memorable night Lily and James were barely ever seen without each other. A few weeks later an opportunity had come for the students to spend a Saturday afternoon around Hogsmeade. Lily and James had shared a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, and later James had bought Lily a beautiful silver locket that bestowed both of their first initials: L and J.
Lily smiled to herself now as her hand automatically went to the familiar locket that hung from around her neck. The thought of James made her heart beat faster in happiness, and she sighed contentedly, knowing that he was only a few compartments away. There was no doubt that he was with the Maurauders.
That was another thing about James. Earlier he had promised her that he'd never play another prank on another person again. He wanted to impress her. But Lily had given in and let him play a final prank on Severus Snape. She had even forgotten the importance of her position as Head Girl and had shared some of her own ideas. It had been successful...their Slytherin enemy had been humiliated.
The door of the compartment opened, and Lily jumped having been abruptly pulled back to the present. "Oh, hey there, guys."
"Howdy, Lily!" Faith greeted her. She and Lis sat down in the scarlet seat across from her. "Aren't you glad that you don't have to attend any meetings anymore?"
"Well...I wouldn't mind spending some quality time with James."
Lis gawked at her friend and shook her head. "And to think that you once despised that boy not too long ago...I can't believe how much you've changed this year, Lil."
Lily chuckled. Her friends knew perfectly well of her turned-around relationship with James, though they hadn't really adjusted to it yet.
"Yeah," Faith agreed. "The wedding scene might come true after all!"
"Oh, no, not again..." They all laughed as the train finally began to move. Lily turned to look out the window to see the towers of Hogwarts grow smaller and smaller. A pang of sudden sadness hit her heart as she realized that she would probably never see it again.
Lis seemed to be reading her mind. "Don't worry, Lily. You have the rest of your life ahead of you. More exciting things are going to happen."
"Uh-huh," Faith said with a nod. "We'll always hang out together."
Lily gave a sigh. "I'm just going to miss it, that's all. I don't want to go home to Petunia and her brand new fiancée, but I guess I really have no choice."
"Hey, I never told you guys yet, but I'm going to buy and settle into my own flat this summer," Faith told them. "Don't forget, we're of legal age now, so we can use magic around muggles." She grinned at Lily. "If Petunia and Vernon get too disgusting for you, you can always turn them into a pair of frogs and ride your broom over to my place. That is, if it's okay with your parents."
Lily laughed. "No, I don't think they would mind."
"Good. It's settled. We can all hang out together for the whole summer."
"And you won't have to suffer Petunia and Vernon long," Lis said. "You have James. Next thing you know you'll have your own house together and everything."
"Oh, great," Lily said, pretending to be sarcastically excited. The girls laughed.
Soon the elder witch with the cart of sweets came to their compartment and offered them some treats. Lily, Faith and Lis each put all of the coins they had on the table and in the next minute were enjoying the tasty, unique candies.
Lis opened a box that contained a Chocolate Frog inside. She took out the card. "Let's see...I got Minerva McGonagall. Boy, as if I need to see any more of her."
Faith and Lily laughed, each knowing that Transfiguration was Lis's least favorite class. She had never been good at it and therefore had never enjoyed it.
A while later the girls changed out of their school robes, realizing with heavy hearts that they may never wear them again. Lily was sure not to take off her Head badge. She was too proud of it to let it go so soon.
They sat down and talked for about half an hour or so before Lily stood up. "I think I'm going to go and visit James. I'll be back."
Lis and Faith glanced skeptically at each other before looking back at Lily. They giggled a bit before saying in unison, "Yeah, right!"
"You guys should both know that I would never desert you for a Marauder," Lily defended herself.
"Ah, but would you forget us over James Potter?" Faith returned slyly.
Lily gave a sheepish grin. "Well..."
"Hey!" Lis cried, pretending to act insulted.
"Ha, we've got her!" Faith shouted at the same time.
Lily laughed. "Don't worry. It's not like I'm going to be Head Girl again."
"How can you tell?" Lis challenged teasingly. "You're smart enough to repeat it all over."
"Hmm, only if I can be partnered with James again."
Faith scoffed. "Oh, get out of here already!"
Lily chuckled before sliding open their compartment door. She entered the hall, which was filled with students leaving their own compartments to visit friends. She reached the back of the train where she knew the Marauders always dwelled. She overheard a loud exclamation of "Ooh," and paused in wonder before sliding open the door. "James, I—"
Lily's heart seemed to stop and her voice caught in her throat as her eyes met the shocking scene in front of her. James was leaning over in his seat, snogging a short, blond-haired girl intensely. Their eyes were closed and their lips locked.
Time seemed to have stopped and Lily just stared in horror. She recognized the girl as Yvonne Andersen, a student that had been in Ravenclaw. Lily had talked to her somewhat, though didn't know her well. She was known to be popular.
Lily suddenly felt lightheaded and subconsciously wondered why the feeling hadn't come over her earlier. She gave out a small gasp before she rushed from the doorway and made her way dizzily to the train's back restroom. She leaned over the sink and tried her best to be sick, but nothing would come up. The only things she heard were the clanking sounds of the wheels against the railroad tracks beneath her and the plenty of thoughts that were rushing through her head.
How the heck does James know that girl? When did he start a relationship with her? How could James keep something like this from me...how could he?
Lily felt tears of shock and hate enter her eyes, though she brushed them away impatiently. Soon the cold shock turned to hot fury. Lily splashed her face with the faucet water and exited the small space. By now she was shaking in anger. When she came to the familiar compartment, she thought of entering and giving James a piece of her mind but decided against it. She needed time to herself to think.
"I should have known," Lily muttered to herself. "How could I have been so ignorantly stupid?"
She burst into her own compartment. Lis and Faith looked up.
"Oh, no. I sense a case of deja-vu," Lis muttered warily to Faith, noticing that Lily's hands were formed into tight fists at her sides.
Faith stood up. "Did you run into a Slytherin or did something seriously wretched just happen between you and James?"
Lily was nearly seething as she took her seat by the window. "I don't want to talk about it."
Faith went over to her friend. "Lily, what happened?" she demanded.
The sunny day outside had seemed so bright and happy to Lily before. The bright yellow sun had seemed so welcoming to her as she had boarded the train, but now it only made her feel cold inside. The thought of the beautiful weather mocking her newfound mood only made Lily even angrier.
"I told you, I don't want to discuss it!" she snapped. She raised her legs onto her seat, wrapped her hands around them and rested her chin on her knees. She avoided her best friend's eyes.
"Okay. I didn't want to resort to this, but I'm going to take out my wand and hex you if you don't tell me what's up." Faith was glaring at her, her hands settled defiantly on her hips.
"Fine," Lily muttered. "It won't matter...I'm going to die of despair anyway."
"Okay, Lils...you asked for it."
Lily gave out a yell as electrified jolts seemed to flash through her veins. "Hey!"
"Okay, now can you please tell us what's going on?"
"Oh, fine..." Lily uncurled herself and looked at the scarlet carpeted floor. "Well, I was—"
The compartment door opened yet again and caused the three girls to look up. In entered no one but James Potter himself.
"Why, hello there, ladies!" he greeted them with that all-too familiar grin on his face. "Hello, my beautiful Lily flower...I've missed you."
Lily just stared at him, and she could feel herself turning red in another round of growing anger. Lis was frowning at James in disapproval and Faith was glaring in hate.
James's smile slowly disappeared. "Um...did I come in at the wrong time?"
Lily couldn't take it anymore. She stood up. "How the hell can you just walk in here and say hello as if everything is perfectly normal between us?" she burst out.
James looked taken aback. "Lils, what are you talking about?"
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about!" Lily was nearly yelling now. "Don't you dare try and act stupid with me, Potter! And don't call me 'Lils'!"
James was silent. Lily knew what he was thinking. She hadn't called him 'Potter' since before the Christmas ball. She didn't feel an ounce sorry for him; he deserved it. He looked into her eyes and all he saw was fiery hate. And then it hit him, and he understood. "Lily, I—I can explain—" he started.
"Oh, you don't need to explain anything to me, Potter! I saw you kissing her! And don't you dare deny it, you cheating, lying, scheming piece of worthless dirt!"
Lis and Faith both gasped and stared in fury at James as realization of the situation dawned over them. Faith stood up again and Lis followed her example. They all faced James—three to one, their hands in their cloak pockets in case they needed to retrieve their wands. In truth, he barely stood a chance...at least not without Remus and Sirius backing him up.
Lily nearly ripped off her locket and threw it at James. "It's over between us, Potter. Go and find some other girl to cheat on. Or have you finally completed your list?"
"What are you—Lily, it's not what you—"
"Potter, just shut your big mouth and leave me alone. I never want to see you again. Get out!" Lily slammed the door shut in his face before going back to her seat by the window.
Lis and Faith just looked at her, still standing.
Lily glared back at them. "Stare at me another second and you'll be my next target."
"Okay, okay," Lis said. "We—we'll be right back." She grabbed Faith's wrist and pulled her out into the hall, leaving the angry redhead to brood by herself.
Lily glanced out the window and thoughts began to fill her head again.
Maybe jumping out of this window might cool my senses. If I do jump, maybe I'll just happen to kill myself...at least then I won't have to be stuck with Petunia and Vernon all summer long. Maybe the rest of my life won't have to be so miserable...
Lily got on her knees and opened the window. She hoisted herself up and stuck her head outside. The strong wind that met her face caused her hair to fly out in all directions behind her head, and she had to squint her eyes to see the moving landscape properly. She gazed out to see fields and farms with rolling hills flowing by in the distance. The clouds were sparse and the sky blue. Lily wondered if heaven would similar to anything like she was seeing now. She looked down to see the railroad tracks roaring by beneath her. If she jumped, her life was sure to end.
She took a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing.
"Lily! What in the devil's name are you doing?"
"What the—hey!" Lily felt herself being yanked back down harshly to the seat. Faith had grabbed her ankle just in time. "What'd you do that for?" Lily snapped, brushing her hair out of her face with one hand.
Faith stared at her, dumbfounded. "I just saved you from killing yourself!"
Lily heard a short clicking sound above her head. Lis had just closed and locked the window. Lily's path for escape had been blocked off...at least for now.
"Lily, you need to calm down." Faith had both hands on her best friend's shoulders and was looking at Lily square in the eye. "James Potter is not someone to kill yourself over. I think some rest might clear your head."
"How old do you think I am?" Lily cried angrily. "Five?"
"No, but you're certainly acting like you are. Stop being so damn stubborn."
"You can't tell me what to do," Lily replied obstinately. "You're not my mother."
"Lily, stop it," Lis pleaded. "You're not being yourself."
Lily scoffed, annoyed. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me."
"When you're acting like this there's perfect reason to worry," Faith snapped. "Now you're going to tell us all about it or—"
The compartment door slid open again. Lily groaned in annoyance, slouched in her seat and turned away with her arms folded across her chest, scowling to herself. Why did people have to barge in on her on a time like this?
Lily felt the small compartment tense up even before she heard the familiar drawling voice.
"So, Evans, word on the train is that you and James Potter just broke up. That relationship certainly didn't last very long. How predictable. Potter must have finally gained some common sense in that huge balloon head of his to see that you're not so great after all. Pity. Well, I'm happy at least. Lucius and I have been going steady all year and then some, and I think that we're going to take our relationship up a few steps over the summer. I know that my dear Lucius would never betray me for another girl. James Potter is a bad egg, and I would think that you would have at least more than a bit of sense than to give in to his so-called charm. I didn't think that Head Students were that...gullible, but I guess you could say that I was...how you say 'incorrect'."
"Black, did someone accidentally give you some sort of invitation to our compartment?" Faith flared. "Because I can't remember expecting you in here."
"I try and help out wherever I can," Narcissa sneered in answer.
Lily snorted and felt, rather than saw, Narcissa glare at her.
"Yes," Narcissa continued. "James Potter was an idiot before he ever started going out with you. As soon as I saw you hanging on his arm, I realized that he was really off his rocker."
Red-hot fury was growing inside Lily again, and she turned to face her level enemy. "Shut up, Black," she threatened between gritted teeth, "or I swear you'll greatly regret opening your mouth to me."
"Ha, my only regret would be if I ever chose to date Potter...ew, I shudder at the thought of it. But of course someone would have to put me under some sort of inescapable curse to make me go out with that Quidditch-playing, time-wasting, girlfriend-collecting air head." She sniggered.
Lily felt her cheeks growing hotter and hotter at every adjective Narcissa spit at her to describe James in her own malicious way. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Shut up!" she screamed. Both Lis and Faith were surprised at their best friend's outburst. Lily was on her feet. "Black, you think you may have it all figured out, but the way I see it you're more clueless than a slug. Before this afternoon, James was actually one of the best things that ever happened to me. He made me very happy and I learned to love him a lot. If you refuse to accept what I'm saying and mind your own business then you might as well leave because there's no point in arguing and trying to bring people down. I'd get out of here now if I were you."
Narcissa only gave a "Humph" before turning to exit the compartment.
"Wow, you sure told her, Lils," Faith complimented. "That was cool."
Lis noticed a wave of exhaustion cover her best friend's face. "Lily..."
Lily sighed. "No, it's okay...forget it. I want to be alone."
Faith and Lis stared solemnly after her as she walked to the door, opened it, and left the small space. They didn't follow. They knew that she needed to think it all over. They decided to be patient. Lily had all summer to explain what had happened and they knew that now would be the wrong time to question her.
Faith and Lis sat down and the only person they could talk about for the rest of the train ride home was their heartbroken best friend. Lily would eventually recover from the breakup and Lis and Faith were determined to help cheer her up in any way possible along the way.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I can't believe Mother sent me to pick my sister up," Petunia grumbled.
Vernon looked at her. "Why didn't you refuse?"
"I dunno...I guess I wanted to look like an angel."
"You don't have to try to do that, Love."
Petunia smiled slyly at him. "I know." She frowned as they neared the train station. "I see her."
Indeed, Lily was a few yards in front of them among a crowd of other teenagers with suitcases and bags. She came slowly up to the parked car. Petunia noticed that she dragged her feet and her eyes were red.
Petunia grinned to herself. It felt great to see her sister down in the dumps.
Lily opened the door after packing her suitcase into the trunk and climbed in.
"Your eyes are red," Petunia spoke up. "You've been crying." A perfect greeting.
"So what?" Lily snapped. "Just leave me alone."
"I bet I know what it is," Petunia said loudly, backing up the car and heading out into the country again. She looked at Vernon. "Lily here got a boyfriend not too long ago...around Christmas time. I bet he broke up with her. Typical."
"I'll never break up with you, Petty."
"I know, Verny. I 'wuv' you."
"I 'wuv' you, too."
Petunia looked back to see her sister's reaction. Lily was sitting curled up on the seat, staring ahead dully. Petunia frowned and turned to face Vernon again. She put on her sweetest smile. "How long have we been going out, Verny?"
"Uh...since October? Isn't that a year...?"
"Almost...don't worry, we're going strong. We'll never break up."
"Nope, never."
Petunia looked back ather younger sisteragain. Nothing. Her heart sank. She had always wanted to see her sister in a mood like this, but teasing and picking on her wasn't nearly as fun as usual when Lily didn't get angry and come up with a retort. Heck, taunting Lily right now was like poking a rock with a stick. No fun at all.