Author's Brief Opening Note; Thanks Cam and Josh.
Chapter One
Behavioral Changes
Lily opened her eyes and, groaning loudly groggily hit the snooze button on her alarm clock. She had been having a good dream! She tried to remember what exactly it was about. AH! That wasn't a good dream! Why was she dreaming about Potter? Why had she woken up thinking it had been a good dream?
Now slightly more disturbed by her sub-conscience she stood up and walked over to her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear that day. Her last ever first day of the school year. There wasn't much left in there due to the fact that she had packed for the year already. Lily sighed and pulled out her jeans and one of her few remaining tops. After pulling them on, along with a pair of boots, she hurried downstairs to grab a quick breakfast before heading off to Kings Cross.
James woke up to the horrid ring of his alarm clock, rubbing his eyes he slowly sat up. He looked around his room and saw that Sirius was still fast asleep. James grinned, this could be fun. He walked over to his friend, who was half hanging off his bed in the strangest tangle of arms and legs James had ever seen. A swish of his wand and a large bucket of icy water was dangling over his tangled best friend. James was shaking with silent laughter as he backed away, close to the door, magically tipped the bucket on Sirius and ran for it.
Crash! Thud! Bang! "JAMES POTTER!" roared Sirius, dripping wet and laughing his head off, running after his fleeing best mate.
Lily sighed as she looked around platform 9 ¾, she simply loved the Wizarding world, and still after seven years found it hard to believe all of this was concealed in the middle of London.
"Lily!" Lily turned just in time to be crash tackled by her best friend Lys, her other close friend Alice walked up in a much more sensible manner, giving Lily a gentler hug than Lys.
"Hey guys! Shall we go find a compartment?" suggested Lily, gesturing towards the gleaming red steam engine beside them.
"Sure!" Lys and Alice headed onto the train with Lily a pace or two behind them. Before Lily could board the train however, James put himself between her and the doorway.
"Potter." She said curtly, James was undeterred however.
"Hello Lily." he said in a pleasant voice, Lily looked up in surprise at his use of her first name. James took this opportunity to give her a swift kiss on the lips, before disappearing onto the train. Lily, in a state of shock, followed him on board. She was not sure weather she enjoyed that or weather she should be extremely angry. She found the compartment that Lys and Alice had chosen, and noticed that there was another girl in there whom she had never seen before.
"There you are Lily," commented Alice, "this is Ella by the way; she just transferred here from Beauxbatons Academy."
"Hi, pleasure to meet you."
The girls had been talking and getting to know Ella better, discovering that she was actually Australian, but her father's work had moved them to France, and now to England. Lily looked at her watch and suddenly jumped up, much to the surprise of everyone.
"I have to go!" she was rushing round frantically trying to pull her robes on over her jeans and top, "I have to go find out who head boy is! And then run a prefects meeting!"
"WOAH!" cried Alice as Lily was about to run out, "When were you thinking of telling us you are head girl!"
"Now." Said Lily, bolting out the door.
Lily rushed up to the front of the train, towards the Heads' compartment. She stopped at the door, pausing, she had no idea who the Head Boy was, though she was fairly certain it would be Remus Lupin. At least, she thought, it definitely wont be –
"Potter! This compartment is for the Head Boy, Head Girl and prefects only." Lily said hotly.
"And," replied James in a calm voice, "as I am Head Boy I would be allowed in here, would I not?" Lily was speechless, her mouth opening and closing as she thought for something to say. James considered telling her she was doing a remarkable goldfish impersonation, but thought better of it.
"Dumbledore's gone mental." she muttered to herself.
"That's what mum said." laughed James, interrupting her continued muttering about the headmaster's insanity. Lily looked up at him, he was being so….pleasant. He had spoken to her twice today now, without asking her out or uttering the phrase 'alright Evans?'. Had he changed?
No, she told herself, that would be too good to be true.
James was looking at her rather intently, and Lily snapped back to reality, realizing that she had been staring at him. She looked away, blushing. Since when do I blush around Potter?
"Lily," James started to say something, when Remus walked in, followed by Lys, so that's who the new 7th year prefect is this year, thought Lily. Lily rushed over to Lys, and James looked annoyed as he walked over and stood with Remus.
The prefects' meeting went well, and, much to Lily's surprise James was well behaved and helpful. This left her pondering his behaviour and her dream from earlier that morning, for the rest of the train ride.
"What's up?" enquired Alice, noticing that Lily had been very subdued for some time now.
"Hmmm? Oh nothing" she said turning away from the window she had been staring at, her eyes out of focus as the countryside flashed past. She looked around the compartment they had snapped up earlier and saw Lys and Ella playing a very animated game of Exploding Snap. She looked back and found Alice still looking at her quizzically. Lily sighed.
"Its James," she began, and Alice perked up noticeably, moving closer to her friend, "he's……different…like, you know how last year, at the end of term he asked me out 45 times a day for a week. And when I still refused he turned my hair green"
""To match your eyes", I remember" said Alice.
"Well," continued Lily, "today he's been different, not so immature, I almost miss the old him, and he…he…he…" Alice raised an eyebrow "he kissed me." Alice, who had been leaning close to Lily, fell off her seat with shock.
"And you didn't kill him?" she joked, getting up.
"I think I actually enjoyed it." Muttered Lily so quietly she thought Alice wouldn't hear which of course she did. Before Alice could question her further however, there were two high pitched screams as Lys' and Ella's game of snap exploded, singing Ella's long red hair and blackening Lys' face. The four girls laughed and laughed, until the train rounded a corner and Hogwarts came into view.
"Home sweet home." Said Lily, meaning every word.
Lily, Alice and Lys found a seat at the Gryffindor table, as Ella was yet to be sorted they saved one for her, all crossing their fingers, hoping she would be in Gryffindor. Lily sat opposite Lys and Alice, and who should waltz in and sit next to them, but the three most sought after boys in Hogwarts history. Remus sat down next to Lys, who, Lily noticed suddenly seemed to get slightly nervous, and Sirius sat down two seats along from Lily, leaving a spot between them for James. James sat down, smiled slightly at Lily and then looked up to the head table.
Lily followed his gaze as McGonagall walked in with the long line of first years, and Ella. She slowly tuned out through the long list of names, and for some reason found herself looking at James, who was sitting closer to the head table than she was. She hadn't seen much of him today, but what she had seen confused her. He had not asked her out, not been immature and she has seen him walk straight past Snape, doing nothing in retaliation to the horrid remarks thrown his way.
This was very un-James-like behaviour. She found herself wishing he would turn back to his old self, turn round and kiss her.
'NO, no, no, no, no! I did NOT just think that! I don't want him to kiss me! I don't!' she tried to convince herself. Denial, said a little voice inside her head.
James felt someone looking at him and turned around, green eyes met hazel and the world around the two of them seemed to pause for a moment, until Lily looked away, blushing deep red. She looked up with interest as she heard the name 'Ella Penman' called out by McGonagall. All the girls looked at eachother, fingers crossed under the table.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the sorting hat shouted, after a long pause. The girls cheered loudly, joined by, Lily noticed, most of the older male population of Gryffindor, the seventh year boys in other houses looking slightly sour.
Dumbledore clapped once and food appeared over the five tables. Sirius practically leaped on the food, seeming to shovel it onto his plate and into his mouth simultaneously. Ella looked at him, completely dumbfounded.
"You'll choke if you don't slow down." She stated frankly. Sirius just shrugged his mouth too full to reply. After about 30 seconds however it was empty.
"So your name's Ella?" he enquired.
"Yep."
"Ella will you go out with me." Sirius asked, as if it was perfectly normal to ask out someone you've known for under a minute.
"No." said Ella simply, continuing on eating. Sirius nearly did choke, he had never, NEVER, never been turned down before. James and Remus broke out in laughter at the look on his face, the girls joining in. the plates cleared and Dumbledore stood up.
"Now that we are all fed and watered, off to bed with you all! Your classes await you in the morning" the students groaned at this prospect and a huge din arose at several hundred chairs were pushed back, "if I could see the heads please." Dumbledore added over the din.
Author's Actual, End-of-Chapter Note: I'M BAAAAAACK! Ok, so it's only like what, two months after I said I'd repost. Well you all know the drill; I don't own Harry Potter, though I wouldn't mind owning the Marauders (minus Peter of course). Review pleeeeeeaaaaasssssssse! I was blackmailed into reposting by my coughfriendscough they are so mean to me wipes away tears. But seriously, thanks Josh and Cam, there would be no chapter without you (although I would have done my Maths homework). R.E.V.I.E.W. I wont update until I have 10 reviews (and that's a minimum people, you don't have to stop at ten!)
