Authors note: I'm updating chapters as I read through them (14th September 2022). I hope you are enjoying so far - I know I am! As always, I don't own you recognize: that belongs to Queen JK Rowling. Happy reading!

August 1973

Lily had received her letter from Hogwarts, her new set list for the year as well as a permission form to visit Hogsmeade, the magical village that was neighbors with Hogwarts. She had forgotten that third year meant that being in third year meant that she would be able to visit the village; she had only read about it and couldn't wait to visit! On the morning that Mrs Evans was taking her to Diagon Alley, she had bounded down the stairs to ask her parents permission.

"Muuuuuuuuuum! Daaaaaaaaad!" Lily called as she took the stairs two at a time.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP? I'M ON THE PHONE!" Petunia yelled from her room; Lily heard Petunia's door slam, shrugged and skidded into the kitchen where both her parents sat, frozen. They noticed the piece of parchment in Lily's hands and waited for an explanation for the commotion this morning - usually Lily was the quiet daughter.

"I forgot about third year's privilege to visit Hogsmeade Village!" Lily exclaimed, drawing a chair to sit down with them. "Do you think I can go?"

Mrs Evans looked at her husband - he had a mouthful at the moment, but nodded. "I don't see why not, your grades have been good and you deserve to enjoy all the Hogwarts can offer, dear."

"Wicked! Thank you both so much!" Lily said excitedly. "I just need to get you both to sign this form to say I can go."

She grabbed a pen from the kitchen drawer and handed it to her mother to sign the form first; Mrs Evans read the form thoroughly and signed it, she then handed it to her husband to sign. Mr Evans, like his wife, read the form before signing and handed the form back to his daughter. Lily hugged both her parents and folded the form up, but she sat back down at the table with her parents.

"Dad, you should come to Diagon Alley too. You haven't been yet!" Lily said, her mother nodding in agreement. She had been at Hogwarts for two years and her father had always been at work or busy when she went to get her school things, today was the first day that they could go on a weekend.

"But who will stay with Tuney?" He asked. "You know she won't want to go..."

"Tuney is 15 now darling, I think she is old enough to stay at home by herself if she wants to." Mrs Evans said, lifting her tea cup to her lips. "Besides, she will probably want to go and see one of her friends - like she has every other weekend."

"True enough, but I don't really want to leave Tuney alone when we are so far away dear." Mr Evans said. "At least the trains are running this time and we can catch one into London."

"MUM! DAD!" Came Petunia's voice. "Clare has invited me over for the weekend, do you mind?"

Mrs Evans gave her husband a look that said, I told you so. "That's fine dear! We'll give you a lift on the way to the train soon!"

"Well that settles that!" Lily smiled at her father. "Guess this means you have to come now."

Mr Evans nodded. "It certainly does, dear. We will leave shortly."

In Diagon Alley, Lily and her mother showed Mr Evans around; he was intrigued by the Quidditch shop - especially after Lily had given her father the book about Quidditch. They took him to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Flourish and Blotts - where he found a book called "Tales of Beedle the Bard" - and the Apothecary; Mr Evans was enamored by it all. Mr Evans was glad that his youngest daughter wanted him to be a part of her magical life; he was so proud of his daughter, doing her best in everything she did - she understood the opportunity that she had been given.

It was almost winter again before Professor McGonagall asked for their permission slips to visit Hogsmeade; one day in November at the end of her Transfiguration lesson. She had explained the rules of going and given fair warning that the Shrieking Shack was out of bounds and any students caught trying to enter would be banned from going in the future. Lily had found out that Sev would not be going to Hogsmeade as his father had ripped up his permission form when he found it; she had offered to bring him back something each time, but he declined and said he would get there one day.

On the morning that Lily and her friends were going for their first visit to Hogsmeade, it was quite cool. She donned her more fitted jeans, a cream, knitted jumper and her black boots; Lily left her long, dark red hair out and applied some muggle mascara - she had liked how it looked when she experimented in the holidays. The four girls walked down to the Great Hall talking about where they wanted to go and what they were going to do for the rest of the weekend, when Lily remembered what she had packed.

"I know what we can do tonight!" Lily exclaimed. "Why don't we have a muggle slumber party?"

"Uh... Lil, you might have to enlighten us on that one." Marlene smiled. "We may be studying Muggle Studies this year, but I don't think that's come up."

"Well, it's usually when friends sleep at other friends' houses - we already sleep in the same room, I know!" She added quickly, seeing Mary about to interrupt. "But there's usually facials involved - which, I bought my facial treatments from home - make overs, truth or dare and pillow fights."

Alice laughed. "Ok Lil, we'll do your muggle girls night. But you still might have to explain a few things tonight."

After breakfast, the girls walked with the rest of the students heading to Hogsmeade, chatting excitedly.

"Alright, Evans?" came a voice that Lily knew oh-too-well; she ignored him and kept talking with her friends. He tapped her on the shoulder and she stopped, unable to ignore this; she turned around to see 3/4 of the foursome.

"Yes, Potter?"

James ran a hand through his hair, making his already untidy hair, messier. "Want to go to the Three Broomsticks for a drink? I'll make it your best day ever."

"No, thank you." She turned back to her friends.

"Go on, Evans. One date with me is all it will take for you to fall in love with me." James said in his annoying, sing-song voice.

Lily laughed. "Think I'd rather date the Giant Squid."

"Oi! What's the squid got that I don't?" James said.

"The decency to leave me alone?" Lily suggested sweetly and she walked off with her friends, leaving James rooted to the spot with a smirk.

James watched as Lily walked away with her friends, her long, dark auburn hair blowing slightly in the wind. "She's so fiery... And she isn't like the other girls who make a fool of themselves trying to impress me... What would you call that amazing quality? Perfection?"

"Dignity?" Sirius offered, he and Remus doubled over with laughter as James frowned at them both.

"Come on you morons, lets go have a Butterbeer." James said irritably.

James, Sirius and Remus sat down at a booth of their own in the Three Broomsticks to drink their Butterbeer; Peter's mother wouldn't allow him to go to Hogsmeade until his grades picked up. James looked over when Lily walked in with her friends, watching them sit down at a booth and laughing about some joke that Mary had just told them.

"Oi, James. Were you listening at all?" Sirius followed his best friend's gaze. "Oh. You got it bad for Evans don't you?"

James pulled his attention back to his friends. "Do not. Anyway, what were you saying?"

Remus frowned. "I won't allow it."

"Moony here is being a stick in the mud." Sirius said as he sat back in the booth's chair. "As I was saying before Evans turned up and turned your brain to mush-"

"Sod off."

Sirius laughed. "Remember what McGonagall showed us in Transfiguration the other day? How she turned into a cat?"

"Yeah..." James still hadn't caught on properly, it didn't help that he was watching Lily out of the corner of his eye at the bar ordering drinks for their table. "So? She turns into a cat."

Sirius smacked him on the back of his head. "WE could become animagus! It would make Moony's furry little problem a hell of a lot less lonely."

That snapped James to his senses. "That's a great idea! Why don't we go to the bookshop here and see if there's a book about how to do it! I can only imagine that anything like that is in the restricted section in the Library."

Remus shook his head. "I won't allow it, it's against the law to be unregistered AND it's too dangerous. What if you both got stuck as half-human, half-animal hybrids?"

James and Sirius looked at each other before saying together, "Wicked!"

Remus looked at his friends - only they would think that was cool. "It's no fun on those nights, I don't know why you would want to join me."

"Well maybe this will make it fun, Moony." James said. "We're doing this with or without your help."

Remus looked from James to Sirius and sighed. He really had no control over his friends. "Fine. Finish your drinks and we'll head up to the book shop."

It was May 1st, which meant Spring was in full bloom around Hogwarts. There were random flowers in the courtyards, daisies lining the stone path to Hagrid's hut and something very odd going on with the third year Gryffindor boys - well three of them. Remus said he had no idea what was going on, but Lily wasn't sure she believed him; he seemed amused by his friends' antics - especially James and Sirius. It had been almost an entire month and neither boy had spoken a word, instead they had magic pieces of parchment stuck to their chest advising everyone that they were under a vow of silence as a protest; what they were protesting, nobody knew. Anything they needed to say, they magicked onto the parchment - changing it back to the Protest Advisory message once the person had read what they needed.

"Wonder what they're really up to?" Sev had asked Lily as they came from Herbology one day.

Lily shrugged. "Dunno, but it's a nice improvement. The common room is so much quieter."

Sev smiled. He liked it when Lily didn't praise those boys; he wanted her to praise him instead.

By the end of the month, however the boys had started getting Rowdy again - right in time for them to go home.

Authors note: Tried something a little different this time - the POV from James' side of things. As brief as it was, what do you think about including more of his POV as the story goes on?

Let me know! :)