Lily Evans was bored. She hated summer vacations in general but this was turning to be the worst one ever. Sure, she loved her parents and they were trilled to have her home. But this summer Petunia had been more insufferable than ever. Jealous and envy of her younger sister's magical skills, she was doing everything to make Lily's holiday a living hell.
So Lily tried to spend as much time as possible locked inside her room waiting for Mary's letters and for her exam results. But Mary was on a cruise with her parents and didn't have time to write that often. Poor Lily had reread all her favourite muggle novels and even started to keep a journal just to have her mind occupied. Not that she had anything to write about, since nothing was actually happening… After three weeks she had to admit the truth: she missed Severus. Every summer by now they spent hanging out together, talking about Hogwarts and the wizarding world. And now, after the ruin of their friendship, she not only felt alone, she almost felt as if magic wasn't real. It was positively driving her crazy!
Lily stretched out on her bed, wondering whether to take a nap or to go for another lonely walk in the neighborhood. Merlin, she was so bored!
And then an owl came through the open window. A beautiful barn owl, carrying a large envelope with the mark of Hogwarts. It dropped the letter on the floor and flew out without wasting any time.
Lily picked the envelope from the ground. She could feel her heart beating faster than usual. Something told her that this letter contained her OWL results. She barely managed to open the envelope as her hands were trembling. "Calm down, Evans", she spat at herself. "You've only failed DADA and Runes, it can't be too bad". Then she unfolded the sheet of parchment and scanned it. She read it one, two, three times. And only then a careful small started to curve on her lips.
She read the letter for the forth times. Yes, there was no mistake.
Charms – O
Transfiguration – O
Potions – O
Herbology – O
DADA – E
Astronomy – O
History of Magic – O
Ancient Runes – E
Arithmancy – O
She couldn't have done any better! Yes, Defense against the Dark Arts wasn't her strength, since she was best at studying theory and using her organized, highly logical mind. And DADA needed more hot temper and improvisation. James Potter and Sirius Black for example were both naturals in it… As for Ancient Runes, it was her very last exam and she had been exhausted. But overall, she had done excellent! She couldn't wait to go back to school and see the faces of those creepy prejudiced Slytherins who – she was positive about it – had barely passed. Lily smiled at the letter. It surely had made her day.
But it wasn't the only letter she would receive today!
Utterly amazed, the girl watched as a large horned owl came into her room and landed gracefully on the bed right beside her. Lily took the letter from it and gently stroked the bird's neck. It was something familiar about it. The owl pecked her finger in unmistakable sign of affection, before flying away.
Lily looked at the envelope. It only said "Lily Evans". She didn't recognize the handwriting – bold, sharp letters with reverse slope but it intrigued her. She eagerly took the letter out of the envelope. It was pretty long, written in the same snappy style.
Dear Lily,
Don't freak out! It's me. I guess you'd never expect me to write to you. But this summer has been very boring and I couldn't think of anything better to do. I haven't seen Sirius for ages – those creepy parents of him just won't let him stay with my family for the rest of the vacation. Guess they just like making his life miserable of something. Remus is dealing with some health issues again and Peter is… well, Peter. So I have practically nothing to do except practicing quidditch. I even tried reading some muggle stuff which turned out to be much better than I've ever expected. Have you come across something by Alexandre Dumas? "The Count of Monte Cristo" was totally awesome. Although if I was that Edmon Dantes dude, I'd just Avada Kedavra all the bad guys. OK, just kidding!
Anyway, there is something I want to discuss with you. These are my OWL results. Done pretty well, don't you think so? Not that I boast or something. However, I'd appreciate if you tell me your results and which NEWT classes you plan to take. I'm thinking DADA, Transfigurations, Charms, Herbology, Care of Magical creatures and Runes. Not sure whether to take Astronomy though, so I could use an advise.
Charms – O
Transfiguration – O
Potions – A
Herbology – O
DADA – O
Astronomy – O
History of Magic – D
Care of Magical Creatures – O
Ancient Runes – E
Don't laugh about History of Magic. Actually I had a bet with Sirius whether I'd dare to fail on purpose. I wrote on my parchment "The worst class ever" about one thousand times. And then started counting how many pages you'd write. They were 167 right? Who cares about that dull subject anyway? As for Potions, it has never been my thing. Thank God for Remus and his notes, otherwise I'd never pass at all. You have always been the queen of Potions, haven't you, Miss Evans? I quess old Slughorn would be relieved to get rid of me. Remember last term when Adrian Nott's cauldron "accidentally" exploded and he ended covered in small nasty green tentacles? Well, that was me. But it was Siruis' fault – another bet… you don't want to know the details, trust me!
OK, that's enough for now. I hope I didn't make you mad and you won't hex me into oblivion for writing to you. However, I'd be really happy if you write back. Just don't send Howlers – Sirius sends one per week just for the pure pleasure of getting on my nerves. If you don't bother to write, then have a very happy summer and I'll see you on sept. 1st.
Take care,
James
Lily smoothed the parchment and smiled. A letter from James Potter! If that wasn't a shock… After their argument more than a month ago he had given up constantly asking her out. Actually he had stopped talking to her at all, even noticing her presence. In some ways it was a relief, for James Potter had a real talent in making her mad. But sometimes she felt guilty for saying it was his fault that she was no longer friends with Severus. And the contents of the letter were even more surprising. She never expected him to show any interest in muggle literature. Lily had read "The Count of Monte Cristo", of course she had! It was even one of her favorites. And what to say about his OWL results? Positively, he had done great. Six O-s – one less than hers. He even surpassed her at DADA! But it was not a big surprise, since he was the best in their year. More important, she totally kicked his arse in Potions! Lily giggled at the thought of him and Sirius betting about failing History of Magic on purpose. It definitely sounded like them! And the girl couldn't help but feel flattered that he expressed interest in her grades. After all, they were close competitors for the top position in class and it felt good that James was finally admitting it. James Potter sounded – and it was the exact word – matured.
Lily remembered her decision to try and be nicer to him. Maybe writing back was the first step. Maybe this long boring summer would be the perfect time to get to know him better. She took a sheet of parchment, wondering for a second how to start. Then smiled softly while writing:
"Dear James…"
So, after almost eight months I updated this! First I planned a story with several chapters, but it didn's seem to provoke any interest, so I abandoned it. But today I was soooo bored (almost as poor Lily) and decided to give it a second chance. If I get at least one review, I'll update it sooner or later. If not - then I guess the story really sucks and I'd better concentrate on something else.
Please, one tiny little review? *puppy eyes*
xoxo, silmarien