So, there's a bit of James POV in this chapter. If you read my story "Late Nights at The Leaky Cauldron", you'll notice I'm prone to switching. I'm sorry if that bothers you! Thank you so much for anyone who reviewed or added this to their favorites/alert. It really means a lot to me! I have the first 3 & a half chapters of this story completely finished, and I plan to stay about 2-3 chapters ahead at all times, so updating shouldn't be hard. (As compared to my other stories, which I'm writing as I go.) PLEASE let me know what you think of this story. I know it's slightly AU, so I'm a bit worried how it will be percieved! :X - Jen
The snow fall was the first thing that caught Lily's eyes. It had been well over six years since Lily had seen snow, since she had left for France. Beauxbatons was located near the south of France, where the weather rarely, if ever, dropped to freezing. Here, as they approached Hogwarts castle, the snow fell in heavy flurries, circling the windows of the Beauxbatons carriage. Lily pressed her nose to the cold glass and stared as it coated the trees and fogged their vision.
"We're going to crash if this doesn't let up!" Ariele complained from the seat beside Lily. If she'd heard, Lily pretended not to. She was too busy imagining making snow angels, like she and Petunia had when they were very little. She imagined having a snowball fight, and making a snow-fort. She couldn't help but smile at these juvenile ideas.
Lily tightened her scarf around her at the meer thought of the cold - she adored it. The winter was comforting to her. It reminded her of home - of playing board games in front of the fireplace, drinking a cup of hot coco that her mother had made. Her Mom was the best at making Hot Coco.
"I can't believe my parents made me go. Something about creating unity in times of hardship." Ariele continued when no one made to protest her innitial discomfort. This was something Ariele was good at - creating a rise out of people.
"Hmm." Colette mused from behind the book she was flipping through. While she was unamused with Arieles bickering, she thought it best to indulge her.
"I could be laying in my cozy room, back at home, listening to my Lovebirds twitter, drinking elf-made hot coco." Ariele sighed loudly.
"We're supposed to be unifying with eachother." Colette said, finally. Lily could practically feel the energy radiate off of Ariele as she stiffined up, preparing to object.
"Why do I have to socialize with Englishmen just to satisfy the world?" Ariele shrugged. "I have much better things to be doing with my time."
"It wont only be the English. Durmstrang will be there too. The three most prominent European schools. Do you not listen?" Lily scoffed.
"You're one to talk!" Laughed Ariele.
"Stop it, the both of you!" Colette dropped her book to her side with a soft thump on the seat. "Ariele, you're not going to have any fun if you have this better-than-thou attitude through the entire experience, and Lily, it wouldn't kill you to be a bit more... agreeable."
"I'll be more agreeable when she stops believing she's better than me." Lily said quietly, concentrating hard on the designs of each snowflake as the touched the window pane, hoping to memorize them before they melted into rain drops.
"I'll stop thinking I'm better than her when I'm not!" Ariele agreed, crossing her arms angrily. Lily rolled her eyes, and Colette shook her head.
"Honestly." She muttererd, and picked up her book again.
"I see the school!" Lily nearly shrieked, forgetting their previous tiff, as two tall towers pulled into view. Despite everything she had said, Ariele leaped across the seat to push her head next to Lilys. Colette was soon near them, and the three girls were fighting to get a view of the enormous castle that was quickly gaining entrance into their vision.
Each tower was capped with white, fluffy snow. It looked like a dream, a snowy, white dream. Like Lily had just stepped foot into a fairytale, and she were a princess. She wondered if her prince charming would come skipping out on a white horse, sword in hand, ready to fight off evil. She knew those kinds of things didn't exist... but magic did, and so did this incredible castle... why couldn't she dream?
"Its gorgeous." Colette breathed, fogging the window in front of her so that she had to use her sleeve to clear her view.
"It's amazing." Lily agreed.
"Wow." Breathed Ariele. Lily couldn't help but smile smugly.
The carriage began to lower, and the girls could make out rows upon rows of students waiting on the snowy lawns for them to arrive. She could see several of them pointing upwards towards where the carriage was.
"They're waiting for us!" Ariele gasped. Her eyes were wide, and Lily could tell her friend felt like a princess.
Finally, with a small thump, the carriage was on the ground. Lily jumped from her seat and ran from the area towards the giant doors, but Madame Maxime grabbed her arm before she could make her way out. Her giant hand wrapped around Lily's bicep.
"You are still a Beauxbatons student, Miss Evans. Behave Like one." She ordered. Lily nodded quickly, and bowed to her headmistress. Behave - a word she was often told. It wasn't even as if she were particularly boisterous, she had just never imagined there to be so many rules to Magic. She didn't sign up to be taught how to be a lady - it just came with the territory of attending Beauxbatons.
She adjusted her hat, and waited for the door men to open the doors.
White, fluffy snow surrounded her, as she followed her Headmistress from the carriage. She wanted to jump from the steps and into the mounds of cold, wet snow, but fear of being sent home made her hesitate. Instead, she skipped gracefully down the carriage steps and followed the path that Madame Maxime was creating with her wand. Her heals nearly sunk into the wet earth, but she walked in a proud and mature fashion - no one was sending Lily Evans home. She turned to grin at Colette, who grabbed her arm, smiling brightly.
"Madommousielles!" Cheered one of the boys as they passed a row of students wearing gold and red scarves. A boy with long black hair grabbed Colettes hand and kissed her fingers. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Beautiful." he winked.
His friend twapped him upside the head with a book, causing Colette and the mysterious boy to drop eye contact. Lily pulled Colette away to cease the boy from seeing her blush the tomato red she was now becoming.
"How bold!" Colette giggled. Lily heard Ariele tisk from behind them, but ignored it, and giggled along with her friend. Is that what English boys were like? The boys at Beauxbatons would never have dared to do something so... brash.
"I want to find Severus!" Lily exclaimed as they hopped into the warmth of the great Hall. She pulled off her scarf, and looked around the room, but only the Drumstrang students were seated, scattered amongst four giant tables. Lily sighed and took a seat at one of them, with Ariele and Colette by her side.
"You can find him later, Lily. They'll be in soon!" Colette assured her, and sure enough, the students began to file into the hall, led by a man with a long, silvery beard, who peered at the students with a small smile.
"Spy that boy?" Colette asked, attempting to take in each face.
"The boy from outside?" Lily asked - doing the same, yet in search of her old friend. Colette nodded. "Don't see him - oh!" A tall bespeckled boy took a seat next to her, with his long haired friend sitting across from them, a round portly boy beside him, and a tall sandy haired boy across from them.
Lily squeezed Colettes hand as she began to blush again. The long haired boy winked.
"Didn't get to properly introduce myself earlier - I'm Sirius." He extended a hand towards Colette, who blushed yet again, and shook.
"Colette, it's a pleasure to meet you." She said politely, just as they'd been trained.
"I assure you, it is." The boy grinned. Lily couldn't help but smirk at his austentatious nature. She knew Ariele would be absolutely appalled.
Lily turned to the boy next to her, the tall, messy haired be-speckled boy. "Hi." She smiled.
"Hullo." He grinned in return, he seemed almost... nervous? "James Potter." He introduced.
"Lily Evans. Do you... er... do you know a boy by the name of Severus Snape?" She asked.
James nearly choked on the gulp of pumpkin juice he was drinking, and Sirius erupted into equal laughter.
"Why on earth are you looking for Snivelus?" Sirius asked. Lily paused. Snivelus? That was an insult! They were insulting her friend!
"Excuse me?" She asked.
"You don't want to be mixing with the wrong sorts, Evans." James warned, his lips in a cocky, sideways smile.
"I think I can tell the wrong sorts for myself, thank you." Lily folded her arms, and turned towards where the Hogwarts headmaster was preparing to make a speech. These were obviously the "wrong sorts" of boys. Severus had been very, very kind to her.
James Potter was never one to be smitten. For the 7 years he was at Hogwarts, he'd seen his fair share, and been with his fair share of females - however, no one ever seemed to take his extreme interest. He got bored easily, and as soon as he did - he was done. There was no persuading him otherwise. Girls were disposable to him.
That was, until he set sights on the red-headed girl with an enourmous spirit in her green eyes, who skipped from the steps of the Beauxbatons carriage.
He had to talk to her, had to get to know her. He felt pulled to her, like there was something she had, and he wanted. Boy did he want it. Her smile, the way she giggled - he hadn't even noticed what she was giggling about - all he noticed were those brilliant, green eyes, and the way the whole world seemed to shine when she laughed.
He had to know her. He had to be with her. He had to feel her. It was disgusting, how infatuated he had become in a matter of seconds that she had been in his life.
"Well that was fun." Sirius laughed, after being reprimanded by McGonagoll.
"Hmm?" Asked James, staring at the spot where he'd seen the auburn haired girl disappear into the castle. How had he lost sight of her? He had to have her back, had to be around her, to know her...
"Whats wrong with you?" Sirius questioned.
"Huh?" muttered James. The students were walking past him, but he was rooted to the spot. Somehow his brain had tricked him into thinking that if he moved, he'd realize it had all been a dream... the auburn haired girl had been a dream.
"Are you coming?" raised Sirius, from a few meters in front of him. James ran a hand through his hair. What was going on? He'd never felt like that before... He brought himself through the snow to follow his friends inside. There he would find the girl...
"French Girls, eh, Prongs?" cheered Sirius as they entered the warmth of the castle.
"Mhmm." James said quietly, his mind otherplaces. He checked each sky blue uniform for the girl... None of them had that red hair, none of them had that aura of pure radiance...
Finally, seated at the very end of the Gryffindor table... there she sat, her eyes darting around the room, seemingly looking for something... James was drawn to her, walking straight towards her as if there were no one else in the room.
He sat down right next to her, but before he could say something - anything to impress her - Sirius was speaking to her friend, and the girls attention was pulled away from James.
He had know idea what they were saying, all he cared about was the way the girls hair fell across her shoulders, the way her eyelashes framed her green orbs the way her -
"Hi." She said, her eyes locking with his. His mouth went dry.
"Hullo." He said, quite proud that he'd managed to get anything out at all. "James Potter."
"Lily Evans." The girl replied, seemingly unaware of the way James heart was beating out of his chest. Lily... what a pretty name...
He needed a drink - his mouth felt as if he were chewing on cotton. He grabbed the nearest goblet and placed his lips to it.
"Do you... er... do you know a boy by the name of Severus Snape?" She asked.
He choked on whatever liquid he had gotten down his throat. Snivelus? What on earth would she be looking for... for him? The pumpkin juice suddenly tasted foul.
"Why on earth are you looking for Snivelus?" Sirius asked. James watched as her green eyes met his, her face turning into a frown.
"Excuse me?" Her eyebrows grew furrowed.
"You don't want to be mixing with the wrong sorts, Evans." James warned with a wink.
"I think I can tell the wrong sorts for myself, thank you." Lily folded her arms, and turned towards Dumbledore.
James felt his heart sink as she turned away - had he said something wrong? She didn't look at him for the rest of the evening - pointedly ignoring his presence. He watched the back of her head and the side of her face, begging her green eyes to turn back to his hazel ones. He hardly ate a thing, his mind wouldn't leave her.
Jen Riddle
10-27-10
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