Author's note: Hello everyone! okay so with my first chapter, i added a space between all the lines once i uploaded it, but that was a bit tiresome, and my friend told me there's a way for the reader to space out the story on their own? if you prefer how i did it for the first chapter vs. this chapter let me know. Some actual Lily/James interaction will take place this chapter so thats good! i hope you enjoy, please send me your thoughts, even if it's just a word or two, good or bad. (:
Chapter 2
It was my first morning officially back at school, which meant it was my first Hogwarts run of the semester. One of the many, if not one of the more trivial things, that I love about Hogwarts is the land around it; I so much prefer running here than back home. Somehow I find the natural beauty of the rolling hills, the glossy black lake, the forbidden forest, and Hagrid's hut a more scenic route to run past than the uniform suburban homes and occasional car of my hometown. My friends think I'm totally nuts that I willingly wake up at 5:00 am to go on my hour long run and then go back to our dormitory to shower and be dressed and ready for breakfast, but it works for me. It's not just that I'm trying to stay in shape or something, honestly I've always been on the trim side no matter what I eat, same for both my parents and my sister(even though my sister constantly and unnecessarily watches what she eats) it's just that it helps me clear my head and reflect on my past day, and helps me plan for the next one, its like my little time that I have just for myself.
I was just coming down the path by the lake (my old resting point from last year) when I realized how much I missed Hogwarts. I love home, and I love my parents, but with all the drama I have with Petunia and her stupid new boyfriend Vernon (who I secretly call vermin) I have to say I'm glad to be back at Hogwarts with all my friends and every other comfort that Hogwarts brings me. I was panting a lot, It always takes me a good week or two before I'm used to running up and down these hills, but just when I reached down to splash some of the lake water in my face I heard a noise; a kind of hushed gasping from behind me. I looked around and I was really confused for a moment because nobody that I could see was there, when a thought struck me.
You see, back in second year, I was a nosy little thing. Okay I'm still pretty nosy, but nothings wrong with a healthy curiosity! Anyway, back in second year I was, shockingly, getting annoyed with James potter and his friends. How was it, that they always pulled off stunts that anybody else would get caught for. I knew they came back to Gryffindor tower way after curfew so many times, I just didn't know how they did it without being caught! I had no idea how they pulled so many pranks without getting into trouble. My friends got tired of listening to me ponder their tactics and they used to try to tell me how they got in trouble all the time, but they didn't understand. Sure they got in trouble, but out of all the stuff they pulled they probably only got caught on 20% of what they did. Try as I might to ignore it, I was secretly awed by their talent. One night I decided I would figure out just how they were doing it. I heard them talking in the library about how they were going to go out to do some thing or other that night ,I don't even remember what it was now, and I heard Remus complain about how tired they would be the next morning after getting in that late. I decided I'd wait in the common room that night and I'd hide behind the sofa (I wasn't advanced enough for disillusionment charms at the time) until they came in, and I'd learn their secret. Well I waited for hours and hours, okay it was 2 hours, but it felt like a life time until I finally heard the portrait swing open and I heard their whispering. I was really confused because I couldn't see where they were, until finally I saw something slivery looking get pulled off them and out of thin air they appeared; all 4 of them looking quite pleased with themselves might I add. Pettigrew was giggling quite loudly to Remus about something. "Be quiet will you Wormtail!, at least try to act like you've done this sort of thing before, yeah?" Black hissed at him. "hear prongs take your cloak before some prefect comes sniffing about, wondering what we're doing down here fully dressed" He said to Potter. Potter stuffed the cloak in his bag and once they all went up the stairs to the boy's dormitories, I finally retired to bed myself. Since that night I've known how the 4 of them get around the castle in secret so much, but I've never told anybody, which I'm sure they'd be surprised about. I never told a teacher because honestly, it was none of my business and its not like other kids don't break the rules, so what they have a cool way to do it? My problem with those boys has nothing to do with Jame's Potter's invisibility cloak. It's not that I didn't consider telling my friends about it either, but honestly I was a bit embarrassed that I cared enough to stake them out and figure out what they were doing.
So anyway, as I was looking around me by the lake I realized, it's probably Potter or maybe Black (I bet black is the only one he would let use the cloak without him) under the cloak, and I'd bet my left hand that whoever of the two it was, he was sitting on the rock directly behind me. Now normally I would just pretend I didn't hear anything and walk away, but whoever it was sounded like they were crying. I cant really picture either Potter or Black crying but I had no idea who else it could be, I also don't particularly care for either of them but what kind of person would I be, if I left them alone when they were truly upset. I decided I'd just suck it up and say something. "Potter? Is that you? Or maybe Black I don't know, …" I said quietly into the "empty" air. Nobody answered and I was just starting to feel really stupid, I mean who knows maybe it was some animal that I heard, or maybe I'm just totally crazy, but my inner ramblings were cut short when I heard "No, you were right, it's me" from the direction of the rock. And sure enough I saw the cloak being pulled off and the unmistakable head of messy black hair, that everybody who has ever met Potter knows to associate him with, emerged. Then the rest of his form came into view and sitting before me, holding a silvery grey, invisibility cloak, was a very puzzled, and sad looking James Potter. "How the hell did you know I was here?" he said to me in a very confused, and slightly husky(from crying I suspected) voice. "well you're the only person I know with an invisibility cloak and I thought I heard…something" I was going to say crying but I didn't want to make things awkward. Right lily, cause they're not already. "yeah but how did you know I have an invisibility cloak? I didn't know anybody knew, except Sirius, Remus, and Peter of course." "well…" I started. Damn, lily, why would you start this, how are you going to get out of this one? Bloody hell , I'll just tell the boy the damn truth, I was young what do I care what he thinks of me. " If you want to know the truth I've known since 2nd year; you and your friends are really not as conspicuous as you think you are". A defensive edge was coming into my voice now; I could see the look of shock on his face.
"what? Since 2nd year? And you never told on us? How'd you figure it out? Do you think other people know?...nah someone would have asked us, wait why didn't you say anything? And-" I cut him off there, he sounded like he was going to go on forever. "Well potter, if you must know, I was curious how you and your friends were getting around the castle after ours without getting caught and how you were puling all you're pranks, and before you cut me off, NO it was NOT just so I could get you all into trouble, I was simply curious, so I stayed In the common room one night and I heard you guys coming in, you were actually quite loud, and I saw Black say it was your cloak and hand it to you. I have to say your stunts were a lot less impressive once I realized you guys had an invisibility cloak to help you out." He had this stupid smirk spreading across his face now and I just knew he was about to say something obnoxious, and of course he did not disappoint. "wait, so you're saying you, lily Evans, prefect extraordinaire, thought I, prankster extraordinaire, James potter, was impressive?" ugh. Figures. "careful potter or that head of yours wont fit under that cloak any longer. I said I thought the pranks were impressive, not you, and emphasis on the past tense, I told you, once I found out about the cloak, I didn't even think the pranks were that special any more". He looked slightly put out at that but I've learned from past experience that insults just bounce off of James Potter, or maybe they get caught in his hair, hmm…James talking interrupted that train of thought "still though, I can't believe you never ratted us out!" Ugh how typical. "Really James just because you make fun of me for being a prissy little tattle tale doesn't mean its true. Why should I rat you out? It's not any of my business and some of you're pranks are amusing, when you're not trying to ruin your victims lives".
" wow dramatic much Evans? ""ruin people's lives"" really now. Its just a little bit of fun".
"I wouldn't call what you do to some people, just a little bit of fun"
"okay well that's some people" I knew we both had Snape in mind.
"whatever Potter, I'm not getting into this old argument now. Can we just drop it"
"yeah, yeah, believe it or not Evans, I actually didn't come out hear at 5:30 in the morning to pick a fight with you" Right. Focus Lily, you think he was crying, fighting with him might not be the best tactic to make him feel better. "yea about that, um, are you okay? You sounded, um a little, upset from what I could hear".
"yeah I'm fine. I've been better I guess . Nothing you need to worry about though" ughhh what to do, what to do. I really don't want to waste my morning run and reflection time listening to what ever is bugging James Potter, but then again on the other hand, I did always consider myself to not be completely awful, and I know it will just bug me the rest of the day if I don't ask him what's wrong now. Ugh I can't believe I'm about to have a heart to heart with James Potter. Well here goes… "You know James, if you, uh, wanna talk about it, I'm um, not doing anything. I mean sometimes it's nice to unload on somebody that doesn't really have a biased view of the situation or something, I don't know, I mean or I guess you could just sit here, and um I could just uh, finish my run or something, or..." great now I was rambling. Well he didn't seem to be saying anything, and I really would like to finish my run…"right…so um, ill just …" I began to get up to leave but then he spoke. "actually I just got a letter, that well, my grandfather died". Shit! What do I say to that? "you don't have to say anything, I know that's an awkward thing to answer to, it's just , it sucks you know? I mean I knew he was sick, I visited him in the hospital the whole summer, I knew it was happening, its just weird that it finally happened. It's kind of surreal you know?"
"yeah, I know what you mean. I felt like that when my grandma died" he looked like he was about to say something so I stopped him before he could "it was along time ago, so there's no need to apologize, I'm just telling you I know how it feels. It's really awful, and you keep feeling like you'll see them again, or you'll run to tell them something again, and then you realize they're gone".
"exactly" he said.
"it lasts a while, I'm not gunna lie, well at least it did for me, but it does get better…James" I tripped over his first name a little and he looked up in shock, but I figured this wasn't the kind of conversation for surnames. "time really does make things better, and you'll get to the point where you feel like you can remember them in a happy way"
" I wish I felt like that now" he sounded so heartbroken. I've never seen potter seem so, well, depressed before. I've seen him happy, I've seen him excited, I've seen him in pain, I've even seen him angry, but I've never seen him so unguarded and well, sad. I know it was strange but I kind of missed that little flair in his eyes he usually had, I didn't like seeing Potter so down. "well…why don't you tell me about him? Tell me a really funny memory you have with him, or just something you know about him, something good to remember him by". He thought for a second and then he smiled and said "well, he bought me my first broom, my mom was so pissed." I wanted to keep him talking "really? How did that happen?"
"well my dad was away for work (he's an aurror), and my mom was completely against me flying until I was old enough to go to Hogwarts. She thought it was too dangerous. I was complaining to my grandpa about it and he took me to Diagon Alley and bought me an actual broom stick, not the best model mind you, but I was a kid, I was a boy, and it was a broom, lets just say I was very happy" I started to smile at the expression on his face, I could just imagine, little Potter sneaking behind his mother's back to buy a broomstick with his grandfather. "well we took it home and he started teaching me how to ride it that after noon, when my mother got home she flipped a shit of course, she was so mad, but it was the best day of my life" I felt myself getting sucked into his story, he was so animated when he spoke, using his arms and such, it was kind of amusing. I found myself asking him more questions, and not even to keep him talking, I was genuinely curious, it was quite disturbing. "what did your dad do when he got home?"
"oh my dad got such a kick out of it, he just started laughing, got my mother even crazier too, but he talked her down" He was full out grinning now, I know it was strange but I was sort of proud I was able to make Potter happy again after he had been so down, its probably cause I hate losing, and failing to get potter out of his mood would have been loosing.
"shit we should probably get back, if we don't want to miss breakfast" bloody hell, he was right, and I still had to shower, ugh definitely missing breakfast today, figures James Potter would find some way to ruin my first morning back, although, if I were to be truly honest with myself, it really wasn't such a bad morning, I almost had…dare I say it…fun? Strange. Hopefully my current loss of sanity would be temporary because I was clearly delusional if I was choosing quality time with potter over Hogwarts bacon and eggs.
"yeah, well we're both heading towards the great hall then? " he awkwardly said as he got up and stuffed his cloak back into his bag. I think I've had enough potter for one morning, one conversation and I was already starting to find him funny? No it was time to part ways. "um actually I have to go back to the dormitory to shower and stuff anyway so I, guess ill see you in class?" he looked kind of let down at that for a moment but I think I must have imagined it because a second later his usual smirk (albeit a bit more melancholy than usual) was back "haha sure Evans, see you in class, try not to miss me to much, I can't afford to spend every morning with just you, the other kids will get jealous" he winked at me as he said it too. The audacity of this boy, honestly! I just wasted MY morning run/reflection time, listening to HIS problems, and here he is acting like he had to pencil me in his oh so busy schedule or something. And this Lily, is what you get for being nice to James Potter. Just when I was starting to think his head had deflated just a tiny bit from last year, he goes and proves me wrong. Well at least he's consistent. I could feel the scowl on my face, and it only intensified when he started laughing at my expression.
"you're so easy Evans. For what its worth though I think its pretty cool you never ratted us out, even to the other kids. Major props Red." Ugh so we're back to the ever, clever nicknames fueled by my hair, really he was ingenious. I guess for him that was a complement though so I attempted a smile. I think it probably looked more like a grimace. He started chuckling again as he headed up back to the castle. I turned around to take a different route back, that was closer to Gryffindor Tower, when he called me again "oh yea, and thanks for listening, before, you know, about my grandpa?" he sounded kind of embarrassed and if there's one thing he shouldn't be embarrassed about its wanting to talk about his dead grandfather, I figured I could at least end with him on a civil note. "yea don't mention it" I think I gave him a real smile this time. "Right….well thanks, …Lily" he sort of smiled when he said it like he was testing it out, and I have to say it was kind of a shock to my system. We turned and walked back then, and I don't know what he was thinking about but I kept replaying the way he said my name over and over again in my head. Hmm I wasn't so sure how I felt about him using my first name, but I guess it's only fair, considering I called him James. I'd have to think more about that one. I realized with a bit of a shock that my feet had just carried me back to the common room as I walked through the door, still pondering the entire encounter, when it occurred to me. That was the first actual conversation that I'd had with James Potter after going to school with him for 6 years. I mean sure we've bickered, and he's hit on me loads of times, and made fun of me just as often, but I realized I had this idea about who he was in my mind this whole time without ever really having spoken to him, and now that I have, I didn't know what to think. It was all very strange, it's probably because I didn't eat breakfast this morning. The lack of protein is making me loopy. I was still considering potter though even as I made my way back down stairs after my shower. Strange.
