Disclaimer: I am a broke university student and therefore not J.K.R. and so I can only lay credit for a few of the characters like Brenna, Sophie, Allan, Arden and Aubrey.
Author's Note: Okay so no reviews as of yet. Hopefully I will get some feedback on this one because I am not sure how I feel about how the story is working. I might do some serious revisions. Hope anyone who reads this enjoys! Thanks!
xo Conrad
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Chapter One
It was a bright July morning when Lily awoke to shrill sounds of a heated argument taking place below her bedroom. She yawned and swung her legs over to get out of bed. It was only when her feet touched down that she realized what she was hearing.
"What do you mean your sacrifices? Dining with the cabinet at a hundred quid a plate doesn't sound too sacrificial to me Jim! What about my sacrifices?" Lily heard her mother shout.
"Oh sod off Miriam, I am so tired of hearing the same bloody complaints from you. I'm going to the Winchester."
A door slammed downstairs and Lily tiptoed out of her room to the bathroom down the hall. Petunia was in there already, dressed and straining her long neck, applying mascara to her eyelashes. She stepped back to admire the effect.
"Welcome home then Lily dearest."
"What's going on? Mum and dad never row." Lily furrowed her eyebrows, ignoring Petunia's greeting as she picked up her toothbrush and began to squeeze toothpaste onto it.
"A lot you miss when you're at that nasty school of yours, wouldn't you say? Well some of us haven't been so lucky to escape for months at a time Lily, you'll just have to get used to it. I'm off to Vernon's so I can't drive you today. You'll have to ask mum." Petunia sneered as she strode out of the bathroom, horse face held high.
The already tumultuous morning had made Lily forget entirely that today she was supposed to be going to visit one of her best mates for the week, something she had been looking forward to since arriving home.
Brenna Prewett was one of Lily's best friends at Hogwarts, even if Lily found it difficult not to feel a little envious of Brenna sometimes. Though, this also proved true for a number of girls at Hogwarts, not just Lily. Brenna Prewett had a natural charisma that seemed to draw people to her, namely boys. Lily envied her petite frame and average height in comparison to her own slightly awkward self. Lily also wondered how Brenna's dark hair never seemed unruly or knotty like her own dark red locks and how Brenna never stumbled or said the wrong thing. Though this was partially because Brenna was from an old wealthy wizarding family and knew nearly everything there was to know about the wizarding world. Even Lily's other best mate from school, Sophie Asher, was a half blood witch and knew plenty. Meaning they were perfectly safe from making the mistake of comparing Quidditch to volleyball in from of the entire house team, a mistake Lily had yet to live down, even if it was made six years ago.
It certainly did not seem six years since Lily had first met them upon boarding the Hogwarts Express their first year. Her mother and father were standing alongside Lily at King's Cross station looking around rather anxiously for platform nine and three quarters. They had been peering around for nearly half an hour when Lily spotted a few students with trunks like hers chatting about near platform nine. One of the students, a girl about Lily's age with dark waves falling over her shoulders hurried over to where Lily was standing. Lily noticed her choice in clothes was a little odd but was grateful when the girl arrived.
"Hello there, are you looking for the platform then? Nine and three quarters?" she inquired.
"Well, yes actually. I haven't even been to Hogwarts before."
"You're muggleborn aren't you? I thought so the way you were gawking about. It's my first time too but my cousin Molly went two years ago and she said it was brilliant" the girl gushed, her blue eyes widening.
"Muggle? What do you mean?"
"You didn't know you were a witch until you got your letter right? A muggle is someone without magical powers." taking Lily's nod for a yes, she continued, "My mum and dad are witch and wizard though. My whole family is in fact. Oh I'm Brenna by the way, Brenna Prewett." Brenna offered her hand to Lily.
"I'm Lily Evans" she said shaking Brenna's hand.
"Well come on then, you and you parents can come meet my family, my cousin and one of my cousins' friends are here too with his parents so you can meet them too." Brenna smiled.
Lily and Brenna traipsed back over to where Brenna's parents were standing, Lily's parents close behind them. As the adults introduced themselves, Brenna took Lily to meet her cousin and his friend.
"Sirius, James- I'd like you to meet my new friend Lily Evans, she's even muggleborn. Isn't that neato?" Brenna proclaimed.
Lily looked toward the two boys Brenna had gestured to. They were both rather tall but one had shaggy dark hair and Brenna's blue eyes and the other had wild jet black hair and warm hazel eyes.
"And Lily, this is my cousin Sirius," Brenna said gesturing to the shaggy haired boy, "and his best friend James" she said pointing to the other boy.
"So you're muggleborn? Do you have televiserision? That'd be wicked!" exclaimed Sirius excitedly.
"Your hair looks like you got electrocuted." James observed.
Lily felt slightly crestfallen for a moment. Was this what Hogwarts was going to be like?
"Well…well that's a bit rich coming from someone whose hair stands on end. Besides, my hair is only like this because of – of the humidity." Lily shot back.
Sirius and Brenna chuckled but James looked confused, as though he had no idea why Lily had responded the way she did. Brenna grinned at Lily.
"Don't worry Lily, James can be a prat sometimes, you just have to give it right back to him."
"Lily! Lily dear, we'd better get you onto the platform- we have to go pick up Petunia at her riding lesson. Come on dear" Mrs. Evans interrupted.
Brenna walked with Lily to the barrier to platform nine and three quarters to instruct them on how to get through before returning to her family.
"Hopefully I will be able to find you on the train! Try to save a seat for me will you?" Brenna called after Lily as she and her parents went through the barrier.
Lily gasped when she saw the enormous scarlet steam engine. Students and parents were everywhere, many rushing about in long cloaks and robes. Hands were dragging her trunk away before she could stop them.
"Oy! That's my trunk!"
"Well you want it on the train, don't you Miss?" one of the men grunted.
"Oh well, yes – I mean, sorry"
Lily turned to her parents to say goodbye. There were hugs and things like 'I'll miss you!" exchanged before Lily boarded the train, waving to her parents as she heard the whistle and the train began to pull out of the station.
As Lily was one of the last to actually board the train she was finding it quite hard to find a compartment that wasn't full. Nearing the end of the train, Lily was beginning to worry that she would have to sit outside in the hallways by herself. Finally, the second last compartment of the train only had three people in it and plenty of room. Judging by the looks of those inside, they were first years as well. Lily's heart skipped a beat as she had swung the compartment door open.
"Sorry to bother you all but this is the only empty compartment I've found and well I-"
"No need to say anymore. Have a seat, why don't you?" answered the friendly boy sitting closest to the window. Lily stood in the door for a minute awestruck. Why, he had to be the most handsome boy she'd ever seen. She quickly closed her mouth and took a seat beside an ashen haired boy, across from the friendly boy and the girl beside him.
"So you are a first year too then?" the friendly boy had said, noticing the lack of house colours on Lily's robes. "What's your name then? I'm Allan, Allan Irving. This is Arden Gudrun" he said gesturing to the girl next to him. The boy sitting next to Lily then spoke up.
"And I'm Remus Lupin"
"Oh well, I'm Lily. Lily Evans and well thanks for letting me share you compartment."
The foursome spent the next half hour chatting and laughing. Lily couldn't believe her luck, school hadn't even really begun yet and she already had some new friends. She even discovered that Allan was a muggle born too and that his parents were both college professors. They had just launched into an interesting discussion on The Beatles when the compartment door swung open.
"There you are Lily! I was looking all over the train for you! Would you lot mind if we joined you? It seems like everywhere else is absolutely packed!"
It was Brenna, Lily peered behind her to see who was with her. It was Sirius and that awful boy who had insulted her on the platform but there was also a pretty girl with them as well.
Allan was the first to reply and welcomed them as kindly as he had Lily. The newcomers began to take their seats. Sirius and Brenna sat on one side of the car and James sat down quickly beside Lily, the new girl on his other side. Introductions were made between the new arrivals and Allan, Remus and Arden. After what seemed like an hour long conversation between James and Remus on how they were mates years ago- the girl on James' other side spoke up.
"Oh I've been so rude. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Aubrey Brigham. You can call me Bree if you like, all my friends who already go to Hogwarts do. Well our friends at Hogwarts really, isn't that right Jamesie?' she gushed turning to James.
"Jamesie? That's one I haven't heard, why didn't you tell me you like to be called that? Eh, Jamesie?" Sirius smirked and James opened his mouth to protest.
"Oh really, it's just a little name. I mean James and I have known each other for an absolute eternity!" Aubrey giggled.
"I don't care if we'd know each other forever, I still won't answer to Jamesie…it's revolting. But really Evans, that seat must be staticky because it's not humid in here and your hair is still wild" James had called, drawing attention of the compartment away from himself and towards Lily.
Lily touched her hair self consciously remembering her first experience on the Hogwarts Express and the first time she had met all of them. She was staring absent mindedly out the window of her family's station wagon on her way to Brenna's with her mother. Miriam Evans looked over at her daughter curiously, wondering why on earth her usually chatty daughter was so pensive and quiet.
"A penny for your thoughts, dear?"
"Oh, it's nothing Mum. It's just hard to believe that this is going to be my last year at school, that's all. It doesn't feel that long ago that I had just begun."
"Oh my dear well, it won't be long before you graduate and get a job and get married…speaking of that, have you met any interesting boys lately love?"
"Oh really Mum, of course not. I don't know why you're always on me about that. Just because Petunia has a boyfriend now, doesn't mean I ought to. Besides, would you really fancy having another Vernon Dursley around?"
"Well no, really I wouldn't but those boys you always say hello to at King's Cross seem nice enough. Like that handsome one with the glasses, what's his name? He's always so polite and you know, he is nice and tall too. You know how rare that is my dear, at five foot ten you aren't really a little thing so it will be hard to find a bloke tall enough for you."
"An awkward clumsy five foot ten. Besides James Potter is not polite, he's an absolutely conceited big headed prat."
Honestly, Lily thought, she must think she is bloody Mrs. Bennett, always on me to find a 'nice, tall young man' like that. Though admittedly Lily did often fancy herself much like her favourite literary heroine, Elizabeth Bennett from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In a way you could say that James was like Mister Darcy, minus of course the redeeming characters. Rich and proud was an honest way to sum up James, in Lily's opinion.
Lily refocused as she realized they had arrived at what must be Brenna's house. Lily was quite excited as she had never been to stay with Brenna before but what they were in front of could hardly be called a house, a mansion or estate maybe but certainly not a house. Lily gaped as they pulled up the long drive way to the stone building with its many balconies and windows, wide open to the summer breeze. The front door burst open as the station wagon pulled up and Brenna was running down the front steps to greet them. Lily grinned but faltered when she saw two figures following not far behind in the front doorway, eyes narrowing as she realized who they were. The two tall figures were of course those of the infamous Gryffindor duo, Sirius Black the person she'd least like to spend her holiday with, James Potter