Authors Note: Hey guys, it's been sooo long I know! Too long. i have some more chapters of this, the sequal to Tales of a Broken Heart, ready to post, so I'll post again as soon as I know people are still reading! Haha, thanks so much for everyones reviews of the last chapter of the last one, I'm so excited for this and I hope you all are too!!
Chapter 1
Home Again
Lily walked through the doorway to her house first, followed by herfather, dragging her trunk. "Lily, a little help here?" Grunted her father, heaving at her heavy trunk.
"Oh, sorry daddy! Here, I'll help you!" She cried, leaping to the side and then lifting the back of the trunk.
"What have you got in here anyway, bricks?" He asked, chuckling at his own, highly overused, joke.
"Close daddy, books." Lily told him, and he laughed again. His little girl was home again. Lily had always been her fathers daughter, down to the red hair and green eyes. She did not have to wear glasses, and had been spared the freckles, and her eyes were the same shape as her mothers, but she had his height, and his bone structure, and was skinny like him.
When she was younger, Petunia was always the one confiding in her mother. They always watched movies together, and baked. Lily, on the other hand, played catch with her dad in the yard, and was always the one to go to 'take your daughter to work' day.
They carried her trunk up to her room, the smaller one at the end of the hall. They both colapsed when they had it in the middle of the floor, and Lily found herself wondering how James had been able to lift it down from the overhead compartment himself.
She shook it off and stood up, stretching out a hand to her father to help him to his feet. As he stood, Lily noticed the lines in his face, and how his hair was thinning. He was much older than her memory of him, and it was odly discomforting. They went downstairs to hover in the kitchen, trying to sneek bits of whatever her mother was cooking, but they were shooed away.
"I'm making you a surprise dinner, don't hover. Go find something to do." Lily, not having any idea of what to do, went back up to her room. After having removed the books that she would need for her summer homework, Lily paced the floor, waiting to be called for dinner.
Lily sat down at her desk and took out parchement, ink, and her favorite pink feather quill from her trunk and prepared to write a letter. She did not know who to write to, although in the back of her mind she had an idea of who she most wanted to talk to.
Dear James,
I just arrived home and am sitting in my room waiting for my mother to call me down to the surprise dinner she's cooking for me. I do not know what to do with myself, I've been home for less than an hour, less than half an hour I should think, and already I am bored. Please write me soon, I wait for your letter to deliver me from the endless monotony that is to be my summer.
Lily
Lily now had to wait for someone to write her a letter before she could send this to James. As if one cue, an owl tapped on her window. Lily looked up and imediately recognized James's owl. She leaped up and flew to the window, flinging it wide. She tore the letter from the owls leg and quickly read the letter. James's familiar handwriting was very soothing. She sat down on her bed in order to read the letter.
Dearest Lily,
I hope my letter finds you well. I miss you already. I just arrived home and already my father is fawning over Sirius. I haven't been here for an hour and I am driven to writing to you from the sheer boredom of being away from Hogwarts. Please write soon.
Yours truely,
James
Lily sighed with pleasure and went back to her desk to add to the letter she had written.
Dear James,
Driven to writing me from the sheer boredom of being away from Hogwarts? I do not know if I should take that as a complement. I too, however, am bored to death over here. I've been home not even a half hour and I am driven to my room, as my mother is preparing me a 'special surprise' dinner downstairs. I'm sure he's not fawning any more over Sirius han he is over you, is it possible that you're over reacting? I, not having an owl, cannot write to you unless you write to me first, otherwise you would have recieved the letter I had written you moments before I recieved yours. I wait in boredom and lonliness for your letter.
Lily
Lily tied the letter carefully to James's owls leg and sent him off with her note. She took James's letter and put it under her bed, hidden beneathe a loose floorboard. When she had been younger she had pryed up the floorboard in seach of treasure, and had then used the secret place as a hiding place for diaries and journals that she wrote. Occasionally there had been love letters stored in there, away from the prying eyes of her sister, and once there had been a failed quiz that she was afraid her mother would find if she had left it in her backpack.
"Lily! Come to dinner!" Called Petunia from downstairs, not even bothering to climb upstairs. Lily could hear her mother scolding Petunia for yelling as she crawled out from under the bed and dusted herself off. She went downstais and in to the kitchen. It smelled delicious. Lily sat down at the kitchen table, there was no one there.
"In here Lily." Called her mother from the dining room. They never used the dining room, only on Christmas, Easter, and when her father had an important buisness dinner. Lily went in to the dining room and found the table laden with mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli, sweat peas, parsnips, and roasted chicken, although she would not be partaking in the devoring of the chicken, the rest smelled heavenly.
Vernon Dursley was seated next to Petunia and across from Lily's seat, her parents were at either end of the table, and there was a boy Lily did not know siting next to her empty seat. Lily sat down, comprehension dawning on her slowly. This was why they were using the dining room. This was why they were having a special dinner. They were trying to set her up with this guy. Lily sat down and smiled as graciously as she could, all the while thinking of exactly how she would phrase this to James. He was sure to have a good laugh over this. As would she, once it was over.
Underneathe the table Lily could feel Vernon put his foot on her leg. He did not remove it at once, as someone who had made a mistake would have done. Instead he started moving it up and down her shin. Lily looked at him, surprised that he would dare to behave so in front of her parents and sister. He looked back at her, unabashed, and continued to rub her leg. Lily kicked him under the table, and frowned slightly, willing him to stop. He did not, he continued persistently, up and down.
"Lily, this is Derek. He moved in next door this year, and we wanted you to meet him." Her mother said, gazing at her pointedly.
"How nice to meet you Derek." Lily said sweetly, holding out her hand to him, and trying to ignore Vernon's foot on her leg. They shook hands. Derek was not half bad looking. He had dark hair that reminded her of James's, only his was combed back rather than unruly as James's was. He had dark eyes too, and he never took them off her own as they shook hands.
"Nice to meet you too Lily." He smiled, a dazzlingly white smile. Lily favored him with one of her own as they released their grips and sat normally. Derek poured Lily water, which was very polite, but would have been even more polite if he had asked if she had wanted some first. He started to serve her chicken, but she stopped him. "You don't want any?" He asked, sounding as offended as if he had slaved over a hot stove all day to cook it specially for her.
"Actually, I'm a vegetarian." Lily informed him, ignoring the disapproving glare of her mother. And still Vernon's foot rubbed up and down. She tried crossing it over her other leg, ans she tried kicking him again, she tried turning to the side slightly, but still he persisted. Finally, after five minutes of this never ending massage, Lily started to rub his leg. He made a noise of surprise and stopped rubbing her leg. She then proceded to kick him very hard with her heel. He wimpered out loud and did not put a foot on her again.
"Are you all right Vernon?" Petunia asked worriedly.
"Oh yes dear, I just swallowed something wrong. Nothing to worry about." He told her. Petunia smiled at him and returned to her food.
"So, Derek, where do you go to school?" Lily asked him, trying to cover up the silence that had settled over them all.
"I go to the local public school with your sister." He replied, unhelpfully.
"Oh. What grade are you in?" Lily asked, again trying to start a convorsation.
"I'm a year 11, well, year 12 now schools out. Aren't you too?"
"Yes, yes of course." She replied quickly, noticing her mother quick look of warning. Again silence settled in.
"Well, I'm going to clear these dishes, care to help me Lily?" Her mother said after a few more moments of silence.
"Surely!" Lily said, standing up, eager to get away from the table. She grabbed the dishes and folllowed her mother in to the kitchen.
"What do you think? I think he's a really nice lad. And handsome too!" Her mother said, ambushing her the moment the kitchen door closed.
"Oh, he's alright I suppose. A little too dull." Lily responded, acting as if she did not know perfectly well that her mother was trying to set her up.
"Oh, I don't think so. He seems like a really nice boy." She said again, trying to convince her daughter that he was. "And really handome." She added hopefully.
"Mother, I already have a boyfriend at school." Why had she said that? She did not have a boyfriend. She had no such thing. Now her mother perked up, eager to hear about her daughters boyfriend.
"Really? What's his name?" She asked, a little too interested.
"James Potter." Lily said. Why had she said that? James was not her boyfriend. They were friends, and he was a boy, but that was it.
"That boy? He was the one who hugged you for so long on the platform was he?" Her mother asked, wanting conformation.
"Yes. That's the one." Lily said, now having to go along with her lie.
"Oh, he's handsome." She sqealed like a girl. Well, Derek will be disappointed I'm sure." She sounded regretful.
"You told him you were trying to set us up?" Lily asked, horrified.
"Well of course I did. I told him I had a beautiful daughter and asked if he wanted to come over for dinner. I think he should have figured it out on his own. If not, well then he's too dumb for you anyway." Her mother said.
"You didn't! Mother I cannot believe you. This is dreadful. Don't say anything, and then I'll tell him no if he asks to see me again. That's it. Don't mention James, say nothing. All right mother? Please Please don't embarass me any more." Lily said desparately, putting the dishes on the counter and going back to the table. They made it through desert and coffee without talking much. Lily was right, Derek was rather dull. That or very shy. At the end of the evening Lily walked him to the door.
"Will I see you again?" He asked as Lily knew he must.
"I don't think so, I'm going to be very busy." Lily told him pointedly.
"Oh, with what?" He asked, clearly missing the point.
"Work." She replied shortly, in an effort to freeze him out.
"Oh, well maybe I'll see you around." He said regretfully.
"I doubt it." Lily replied, opening the door for him to show him out. He walked away, and Lily turned and sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom. Only when she had gotten to her room and closed the door firmly did she laugh uproariously. She then sat down and wrote to James about it.
Dear James
It was the funniest thing. My mothers special surprise dinner in my honor was merely an attempt on her part to set me up with some new kid on my street. She cooked all this food, and served it in the dining room. We never use the dining room. And she sat me next to him and across from my sisters boyfriend. The entire meal Vernon, my sisters boyfriend, was rubbing my leg under the table. Do you believe that? I kept shifting around trying to get him to stop, but he wouldn't. When I had finally taken more than I thought humanly possible, I kicked him really hard with my heel. He wimpered out loud. That stopped him sure enough. I told the guy pretty plainly that I was going to be pre occupied all summer and wouldn't get a chance to see him, ever. He was pretty let down, I think my mother led him to believe that he would have a chance with her "beautiful daughter". Hah. What a laugh. Anyway, I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope that your evening was as amusing as mine. I am still laughing over it.
Lily
Lily then lay down on her bed and fell asleep. When her mother came in later to tell her to come down and have tea with Vernon and the rest of the family, Lily was snoaring loudly. Mrs. Evans closed the door as silently as possible and went back downstairs to regretfully inform the others that Lily was indisposed. The next morning Lily rose early, as she was accusomed to doing at Hogwarts, and saw the entire day stretched ahead of her with nothing to occupy the time.
Lily completed two of her essays that morning, and made a start on a chart she had to complete for divination. She also drew up another chart for herbology mapping the ways to take care of a Nadle shrub. She decorated it too. Finding herself bored and unable to concentrate on school work, she made a calendar counting down the days until Hogwarts was to start again. The only other thing written on the calendar was her birthday on the 19 of August. She also drew a little heart in the top corner of James's birthday, which was the 11 of July.
Lily surfaced at around noon, dressed and showered. She grabbed a piece of bread and a yogurt and started to eat. She was not very hungry, but she was bored and there was nothing else to do. That afternoon she started reading a muggle novel, but found it irritating when they did things such as laundry, which could have been done so much more easily by magic.
She went to bed early that night and woke early again the next morning. When she rose she was imedeatly woken by James's owl pecking her arm gently. Lily sat up strait, untying the letter from the owl's leg. She tied her own letter to the owl's leg and sent it off. She read James's note, just a brief scrawl about how he had nothing to say, and yet wanted to write so that she would write back. He declared that Sirius was in fact being doted on shamlessly, and that he himself was not exaggerating. Lily chuckled to herself and put the letter with its fellow underneath the floor board.
She went downstairs and decided to go outside and get a tan. At least that way she would be able to sleep and tan at the same time. When she went down she could hear Petunia with some friends in the back yard.
"I know, that equals the worst thing ever." Declared a girl who Lily knew by sight as Paige. Paige had thick wavy dirty blonde hair that went half way down her back, and hazle eyes. She was very petite and had been Petunia's best friend since they had started school together years ago.
"That's like, totally wrong." Said Patty, another of Petunia's crowd. Patty also had dirty blonde hair, but hers was thin and cropped above her shoulders. She had whispy bangs and strong features. He eyebrows were more than a shade darker than her hair, making it at least look died, whatever she said to the contrary.
"To the max." Paige added.
"Oh, Lily. Hi." Petunia said unenthusiastically as Lily walked outside.
"Hi Lily, good year at school?" Asked Polly civily. Another dirty blonde girl, this one with blue eyes and perfectly pink lips. Lily couldn't help but wonder where she bought her lipstick. She looked like Alice, a less pretty version of Alice with far fewer curves and shorter hair, but Alice all the same.
"Fine, how about you?" Lily replied. She had never really been on good terms with Polly. Not since the third year when she had taken Lily's crayons and smashed them to pieces in front of everyone. She had stamped on them with her perfect little swade shoes, and then cried to the teacher, claiming it had been Lily who had done it.
"Oh excellent. I'm dating Jimmy Parker now, did you hear?" She asked slyly. Jimmy had been an old beau of Lily's. He had always liked her, and Polly knew it. It appeared that she had had to wait a while, even after Lily was oult of the way, to get her grasping little paws on him.
"Are you? Lucky you." Lily replied. Polly mistook her lack of interest as barely concealed jealousy, and smiled in smug delight.
"Yeah, she's dating him. Although he has gotten much uglier since the days when he used to chase you, do you remember Lily?" Asked Patty, always quick to insult Polly, as they had a long standing rivalry. Patty too had been vying for the attentions of Jimmy.
"Oh yes, I had nearly forgotten. Jimmy Parker, I rememebr now. Do you all remember that time when he chased me around the playground trying to kiss me?" Lily said, shooting a triumphant look at Polly.
"That was so funny!" Paige said enthusiastically. "And then you escaped by climbing the monkey bars, because you knew he was scared of heights!" Everyone laughed except Polly, who scowled. She had been foiled at her own game.
"Would you girls like some lemonade?" Asked Mrs. Evans, peeking around the door at the sound of their laughter.
"Here, I'll help Mrs. Evans." Said Paige, always eager to lend a helping hand.
"Thank you dear, would you mind grabbing that tray for me?" She asked, handing Paige the tray with glasses and lemonade pitcher on it.
"Here Paige, let me help you." Offered Lily, taking the tray from Paige and placing it on the table. "So how was your school year Paige?" Lily asked, sitting down again.
"It was fine." She said modestly, pouring the lemonade into glasses.
"Paige's year was more than fine. She was captain of the football team, weren't you Paige?" Patty asked.
"And editor of the paper, right?" Polly asked, glad that the convorsation had turned from her finally.
"Yes, I was." Paige said, passing out the lemonade.
"That's exciting!" Lily said. "I didn't know you wrote Paige."
"Only editorials and things." Paige sad quickly.
"Well that's very exciting." Lily concluded. "And what of you Patty? What did you get up to at school?" Lily asked, turning her attentions elsewhere.
"I was captain of the pep squad, and I organized the dances and school events." Patty declared proudly.
"Well, you lot have had a busy year. You're being awfully quiet Petunia, what did you do?" Lily asked, curious to know where her sister fell amoung all of this.
"I just sort of lazed around doing nothing, that's what you want me to say isn't it?" Petunia snapped angry and defensive.
"What?" Lily asked, looking around for an answer. No one had one.
"What do you mean Petunia, you had a very busy year. Petunia did very well in all of her classes, she got honors in everything." Paige said consolingly, always playing the mother.
"Not science." Petunia replied.
"Well, Mr. Berwick is a nasty, fat, annoying, angry man who grades totally arbitrailly anyway, so don't worry yourself about it." Paige said supportively. Petunia flounced and pouted and glared until everyone was thoroughly miserable. "So, has anyone seen the new Degrassi episode?" Asked Paige in an effort to start convorsation again.
"Oh my god, how amazing was that?" Asked Polly.
"Well I don't want to be friends with a prude princess." Patty mimed.
"Good, because I don't want to be friends with the school slut!" Paige said. "That was quality. I heart Degrassi to the tenth power. Squared."
"It's the best show ever." Patty agreed. Lily now felt completley out of the loop. She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the sky, wishing she were back at Hogwarts now.
And so the weeks passed. Lily would laze the days away and write to James and pass the time. She also wrote to Holly, Caroline, and Janette, but she did not look forward to their letters as much as she did James's, which were full of consolation over her boring summer, and commisoration as he was suffering the same thing. He always managed to make her laugh when she read his letters, and pretty soon the pile under the floor board had grown large, and the summer was not even far gone. On his birthday she wrote hiom a long letter wishing him a happy birthday, and sent him flowers she had picked from her garden, and appologizing that there was nothing better to send. She vowed to get him a real present the first chance she got to go into diagon alley.
Authors Note: I added my sister (the winner of my contest) into the story. People who know her, try to spot her! Oh, and I sort of exaggerated things a little bit, like she doesn't really use all of her little sayings in one conversation...but I needed a way to fit them all in. And Mr. Berwick is fat and annoying and an awful teacher, and he does grade arbitrailly...I don't care what you say. oh, and in case any of you forgot, football means soccer (even though my sister doesn't actually play soccer...) cause this is taking place in England, rememeber?
Okay, review and I'll post soon! Oh, and I have some other stories posted too, if youre bored, check 'em out!
