Why Lily Fell

-By Yo-yo

A/N: I love my first chapter. It builds a rich foundation for the rest of the story. Lily and Petunia's relationship is quite adorable, albeit tense.

A few revisions will be made in the first chapter. I felt uncomfortable straying from facts, so, since this is 6th year, I will change the year to 1976 according to J.K. Rowling's dogma.

I've also found myself confused about a detail used to further Snape's motivation in HP7: In the book/movie, when they were children, Lily and Petunia are similar in age. My question is how is that possible from their later descriptions? Considering Aunts Petunia, Marge and Uncle Vernon, characters we are all quite familiar with, common sense would suggest that Lily (who died at 21) and Tuny's births had to be considerably spaced. Could you imagine Vernon or Petunia being in their early 30s when Harry is 11? It doesn't make sense to me. For the purposes of this story, I will maintain continuity with the original text, but know: I am confussed.

Btw, thank you for those who reviewed, I'm hoping for more responses as the story progresses. I think it's quite compelling and as true to canon as my creativity will allow.

-Yo-yo

Crossing the Border:

"Da, have you seen my socks?"

"Which ones?" he called from her parent's bedroom.

"The long blue ones with separated toes and rainbows near the ribbing."

"Ask your sister."

"Tuny?" she yelled.

A soft roll of cotton bonked her in the head.

"Thanks," she yelled, unrolling them and pulling them on.

"Are you almost ready?" Mum called from downstairs.

"I'm ready," Lily launched out of her bedroom and down the stairs.

Her hair had been pulled into plaits on either side of her head. Tuny had stayed up late to braid them for her.

"You look cute," her mother glanced at her appreciatively.

"Thanks," she smiled slyly, swiping the car keys as her mother surveyed her choice of outfit. She'd paired a pair of dark bell-bottoms with a white button-up, open deeply at the neck. "Can I drive?"

A frown appeared on Ms. Evans's face, "Lily, I don't kn-"

Lily had obtained her driver's license that summer, a source of pride for her father, but a cause of tension for her mother. Like most mothers, it was difficult to surrender that level of responsibility to her offspring, especially with potentially lethal ramifications.

"Let her drive, Susan," Mr. Evans smiled, pulling on his sports jacket and placing a kiss to his wife's sunken cheek.

Lily loved her Da. He was her most favorite person in the world. Aaron Evans hadn't done anything remarkable in his life, he was quiet and survived on pure habit, some would even say that he was the epitome of boring. But those descriptions of her father were what made her love him more. She loved the way her Da was always the same. Every morning, he woke up at six, showered, dressed, took his coffee with the morning paper, and let her Mum brush his hair. By the time it was seven-thirty, he was on his way to work. In all her sixteen years, he'd never changed. When he returned from work in the evening, he carried the same two gifts for his daughters: a Petunia for Tuny and a chocolate for Lily (who had an addiction).

It was his unwavering stability and consistency she admired.

"Ok," Mum drawled, "but we're going to be late, so go out and start the car."

"Oui, Mademoiselle," she grinned, running out the door, getting some use out of her French lessons.

"Tuny, get your bum down here!" Lily could hear her mother call from inside.

As her family clambered into the station wagon, she could see a similar process being executed at the end of the block. Only the family consisted of a mother and her teenage son, and their haste was preformed more smoothly than her family's.

She didn't take too much time contemplating the morose expressions on either of their faces. They had to make a move on it!

She was ecstatic. Today she would be boarding the scarlet, magically powered steam engine back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and she couldn't wait. Sure, her summer at home with her family had been great, but she couldn't wait to use her wand again.

As soon as her feet touched the tiled floors of King's Cross Station, she could feel the familiar surge of magic percolate through her whole being, sending shivers from head to toe, making her fingertips tingle.

Having done it five years in a row, getting onto Platform 9 ¾ was no problem. As soon as they'd set foot on the platform, the familiar squeals of her best friends reminded her that this was indeed her life. In moments, she was engulfed in a pair of long, brown arms. A head of raven curls bobbed around a dark head and a pair of brown eyes, framed by glasses, stood beside the two, waiting her turn with a grin on her face.

"Girlies!" She grinned, pulling away from Sunny to envelop Fly.

"I like your braids," Sunny fingered the ginger plaits.

"All Tuny," she beamed, indicating her sister standing closeby.

"Mr. and Mrs. Evans," Sunny nodded, "How was your holiday?"

"Not as nice as yours, I suspect. Lily showed us the tableau from the south of France. It was beautiful!"

"There was an artist painting on the streets of Monaco, I saw his work and knew Lily would enjoy it."

"If you don't mind, I'm showing it in my shop," she asked, to which Sunny shook her head. Turning to Fly, Susan continued, "Fly, how was your summer with the Potters?"

"Illuminating," she groaned. "Actually we spent the summer playing Quidditch and lounging around."

"As you can tell, Lily's summer wasn't as 'illuminating,' as you put it. She spent her whole summer lamenting the fact that all her friends were having fun without her. It's all she's been talking about."

Lily frowned at the implications of father's joke. Although Aaron's remark wasn't the true account of her summer holidays, she did make sure to keep her parents current on her friends' happenings.

"He's joking with you guys. I had an amazing stay-cation."

"Are you guys excited to be heading back?" Aaron's green eyes twinkled from the girls' infectious mirth.

"Excited! That's an understatement," Fly spoke up, "Sunny here kept trying to get her Mum to believe the Hogwarts Express broke down, beyond repair and we should just Portkey our way to the grounds first thing, yesterday morning."

"Portkey?"

"An object that acts like a teleporter?" Lily offered, mulling her choice of example. Somehow, that example quelled their curiosity, although teleporters didn't exist in either world.

"I did not!" Sunny blushed, pinching Fly playfully in the shoulder before conceding, "Ok, so I did, but she wouldn't listen. Apparently, Skye gave Maman her letter for the year. I was caught."

"Is Mme. Benoire still around?" Susan implored.

"No, Pinkie was being a pest and Mama wasn't feeling very well."

Susan lent a sincere frown. Her connection with Mme. Benoire over raising daughters overcame their inability to empathize on other aspects of their lives. Susan found most Hogwart's parents alienating, sometimes to the point of rudeness, when interacting with Muggles.

"I'll let her know you asked. Maybe you can meet up for tea? I'll arrange it."

"That's sweet, I'd like that."

"Petunia," Fly offered distinction to Lily's older sister, "Have you cut your hair?"

"No more than a trim," she responded, pompously. "I got it styled differently for school. I'm in my final year, now. I decided I needed a new look. Next year, I'll be going off to the ladies' college."

"Well, good for you," Sunny adopted Petunia's haughty demeanor.

Suddenly, three boys crashed into the girls. Two of them could be brothers. They shared jet black hair and tall thin frames. They were both attractive; a characteristic they both embraced as they surreptitiously noted the throng of teenage girls "ignoring" them. The third shared no resemblance to the others, but wasn't in the least unattractive. Although not as tall, his pale skin contrasted sharply with his dark eyes and complemented his honey brown hair. He seemed rumpled and put together at the same time…

These were, in fact, an incomplete assemblage of The Marauders.

"Hey Tiger," Sirius smiled, tugging on Lily's arm, leading her toward a train car, "we've saved you a place in our compartment, c'mon."

"Wait a moment," she halted his pursuit, "Where's Peter?"

"He hasn't arrived yet," Remus shrugged.

Tuny raised a measured brow at the appearance of Remus, which her sister ignored, but James took note of.

"Well, say hi-" She motioned, but was interrupted by her father.

"Moony!" Da grinned, taking Remus's hand in an energetic shake, "How are you? You should come by more often. Call us next time so we can order pizza. I'm appalled that a young man, such as yourself hasn't been weaned on such a life sustaining dish."

"I will," Remus grinned, winking at Lily.

"What's pizza?" the remaining Marauders wondered aloud.

Aaron's non-verbal response was a look akin to the boys having sprouted multiple heads.

"Lily, just invite the whole school over," he sighed. "I'm ashamed of that place, not feeding you guys properly. After all of those contributions we've made!"

"Da, they feed us well enough, it's just that we don't eat pizza-"

"Well, you should! It's how I survived University!" he interjected.

"I put him on an exercise program before the wedding," Susan patted Aaron's belly with an appreciative smile.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Evans," Sirius and James finally chorused in order to avoid reprimand.

"Sirius, James," Susan smiled warmly, "why didn't you accompany Moony to our neighborhood this summer?"

"Mum, I'm sure these ragamuffins were getting into their own brand of mischief," she rolled her eyes at her mother's comment.

"Ragamuffins?" Susan scoffed, "Hardly, I'm sure," then a thoughtful expression knit her brow, "although some of the stories she's told us…"

"What stories?"

"Lily talks about us?" Sirius and James interjected at the same time, further fortifying the fraternal resemblance.

"Really," Lily laughed, "you think I wouldn't tell my parents what havoc you wreak at Hogwarts?"

"They're all lies!" Sirius countered, turning to her parents, who burst into guffaws. "No, really, she's a liar. She will say and do anything to get her way. Like there was this one time when we were learning to fly and she fainted! She actually fainted to get out of it. Swooning like some turn of the century duchess. Can you imagine that? Tiger Lily here, fainted on the grass during one of our first lessons together ever! Just so she wouldn't have to fly."

"You never told us that?" Aaron frowned.

"Da, wasn't I the one the clowns had to stop the Ferris wheel for when I was seven? Wasn't I the one that threw up three times on The Bobs at Bell Vue Zoological Gardens because my eyes were closed? Wasn't it I who threatened you bodily harm if you made me take that hot air balloon ride with you?" She supplemented.

"You do have an irrational fear of height," he nodded.

"C'mon, let's get your things packed away before Sirius rambles on," James interjected, grabbing her trunk from her Da.

The whole group proceeded toward the back of the train. Sirius hung back to continue to discredit Lily's name:

"…and there was the time she and Sunny blew up the Herbology class-"

"Fitting, trying to destroy the Herbology class," Susan cast a glance at Lily's back.

"We did not!" Sunny cried, scandalized, "That was you!"

She slowed her stride so she could begin to pound Sirius, which only incited his spirit. Walking, avoiding Sunny's punches and swinging Noctem's cage precariously, he continued,

"Nun, uh!" Sirius protested, "You could ask Professor Bloom, he saw you!"

"You were the one that kept poking the Exploding Putters." Lily argued, joining Sunny's jabs, "Professor Bloom said not to disturb them, and you, being the masochist that you are, started prodding them with your wand. I had to get special tonic from Madame Pomphrey to remove the Sticking Sloglat and it took three separate washes!"

James and Aaron were heaving Lily's trunk onto the overhead compartment when the sound of the warning whistle altered the platform.

"I guess that means you must be going?" Aaron asked, looking down at his youngest.

"Yea," she sighed, wrapping her arms around him.

With a kiss he released her and she shared a moment with both her mother and Petunia. Blowing kisses, she left them on the platform as the compartment door closed to King's Cross.

"Remember to brush!" she could see her mother mouthing through the glass.

With a slight nod, the train began to move away from the Muggle world.

"What were you doing at her place?" James breathed, for the first time wondering where Remus's allegiance lay.

"Visiting," Remus replied coolly, trying to avoid the uncomfortable conversation.

"Moony," he groaned dangerously.

James was being impetuous. He knew that. But upon discovering Aaron Evan's warm reception and noticing the subtle wink Remus passed Lily, he was feeling threatened.

Everyone knew he was in love with Lily Evans.

And everyone knew Lily had an easy, intimate relationship with Remus. From their first year they were attracted to one another for their mutual fortitude. The outcast and the Muggle held fast in the common room, striving continuously to prove meaningful in the magical world.

Sometimes, James feared their symbiotic attachment would incept something romantic.

"Prongs," Remus sighed, "You should know by now that you have nothing to worry about. Lily is my friend, that's all she will ever be. I'm sorry, but I'm not in love with your girl."

"Then what inspired you to take a trip to Little Whinging?"

Sirius watched from a few feet away, not interfering with the exchange. Conflicted between wanting to defend Remus's freedom to visit a friend and James's fear of competition in Lily's case, he'd rather remain neutral.

"Look, I went to her for relationship advice."

"Relationship?" Sirius perked up, curiosity reanimating him. "Who are you possibly in a relationship with?"

"Someone who'll never know," Remus breathed inaudibly, returning to the compartment, leaving his friends to exchange confused looks.

"So Tiger Lily, how was your holiday?" Sirius entered the compartment.

"Wow, no pleasantries, straight to the nitty gritty?" She scowled, pulling a cardigan over her shoulders.

"Well Fly here hasn't been revealing the contents of your correspondence. Imagine Noctem flying toward the lawn as we're playing Quidditch to deliver a letter to Fly. She dismounts her broom, without a word, and for the rest of the evening she's left us to our own devices! Do you know what happens when we're left to our own devices?"

"They accomplish a warning from the Ministry," Fly rolled her eyes. "It didn't come to anything, though. I'm sure Potter senior had it sorted before the end of the day."

"So what if he had?" James wrapped an arm around Fly's shoulders. "It's your fault that we incurred the violation in the first place!"

"My fault?"

"This story is sounding familiar," Remus groaned aloud, sending a wink to Lily.

"Don't bring me into this!" she whispered between her teeth.

"Bring her into this! What happened?" Sunny betrayed her.

"Lily has been sending Noctem to my window, accusing me of what James is accusing Fly."

"You got a warning?" Sirius jumped from his seat turning to Fly accusingly, "Has that been in her correspondences?"

"You got in trouble with the Ministry?" James asked.

"I violated the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery Act and pissed off my Mum," she acknowledged.

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

"I fell out of a tree."

An eruption of laughter bounced around the compartment, knocking off the walls and collided with itself.

"What?" Sirius chuckled, seeing her look of disdain.

"I fell out of a tree, and was so sore the next morning that I mistakenly exploded my alarm… my Mum grounded me."

"Why were you in a tree in the first place?" Delia asked, sending a sideways glance to Sirius, who was fighting another wave of laughter.

"I was out past curfew, and someone here," she scowled at Lupin again, "happens to be an insomniac. I was late for my French lesson."

"I am sorry, Lily," Remus grinned, "but you where the one that choose the tree-"

"Only because, unlike you, I can't jum- climb up the roof. The tree is easier. I've climbed it a million times."

"Then why'd you fall out?" Sunny managed to control her chortling.

"Because Remus likes to vex me. He shook the limb I was sitting on and caught me off guard. I fell. Petunia had to convince my parents I fell off the bed while having a late night chat with her."

James watched the two interact with one another, and couldn't help feeling jealous. Lily had invited Moony, one of his friends, into her home, and had even stayed out with him past curfew. But he knew if he'd ever stepped on her welcome mat, she'd conjure some protective spell that'd knock him back to the previous Friday.

"So, Tiger Lily," Sirius began, assuming a faraway look, "sparkle in my eye, my world and love of my life… you've invited my friends into your home, but you've forgotten about Prongs and me. You've wounded me!" he cried dramatically, placing his hands over what he supposed was his heart.

"Sirius, I hate to tell you this, but that's not your heart."

Looking down and seeing his hands cupped upon the right side of his chest, Sirius glanced back at Lily with an adorable smile.

"So you're right! I guess I need to rethink that."

"Remus showed up one day during my French lesson, and he just spent the day with me and my family. No invitation necessary, although, I obviously couldn't wait until he left!"

"Hence, her strict adherence to curfew," Remus smirked.

"Shut up, you!" She punched his arm.

"Note to self," Sirius muttered aloud, "bombard Lily with uninvited visits over the holidays."

"We forgot to ask," Fly tapped her shoulder as she was sitting next to her. "Did you ever go on that date with that guy?"

"What guy?" Lily asked.

James ears perked up, wondering who was worthy enough to score a date with Lily.

"That guy, Frenchie?"

"Oh, Adrien?" she wrinkled her nose. "Yea, we went out once."

"Who's Adrien?" He cleared his throat to mask his tone.

"Isn't that your French tutor?" Remus attempted to diffuse the situation.

"Yea, do we have to talk about this?"

"Yea!" the rest of the car said in unison.

"You guys suck!" she groaned, sending pointed glances specifically to Dee and Sunny.

"How was it?" Sunny asked, pushing a stray curl from her forehead, oblivious to the fact that Remus was watching her every move.

"It was ok. We went to see this movie. It's new… The Omen? It was a chilling film about the Antichrist."

She should have known Muggle movies wouldn't distract her friends when Sunny asked,

"Did you snog?"

"Uh, mmmhmmm," she mumbled inaudibly, her cheeks glowing red.

"What was that, I didn't catch that?" asked Sirius, a broad smile on his face as she observed James's reaction.

"Yes."

"How was it?" Sunny egged her on.

"I don't know," she sighed, fidgeting in her seat.

"Good or bad?" Fly asked, noting her discomfort.

"Girls, I'm not discussing this in front of the guys!" she finally exclaimed.

James watched as she turned away from the group and pulled out a paperback, as sure sign that she wanted to be left alone. As she sank further into her seat, she found her place in her book, and as James could tell, she pretended to read.

Even now, as the words on the page swam around the page in a jumbled mess before her eyes, she could feel his eyes on her. His gaze seemed to penetrate her layer of clothing and touch her skin, leaving gooseflesh in its wake.

She'd forgotten how intense his gaze could be, how profound those hazel orbs were behind glasses. In different sentiments, they changed colors, like faceted gems in a glass case. At times, his eyes seemed to shimmer gold, reflecting vividly. Some moments, they were chocolate kissed, swirling with something she'd never understood. And in other moments, his eyes were a dark, unpronounceable color that could best be described as black.

Currently, they were that brilliant shade of hazel, bright as they reached her from afar, leaving pleasant warmth in their wake. They were like fingers, trembling as they stroked her skin, like a virgin, savoring in her softness.

She pushed a flyaway strand of orange hair from her face, a frown marring her visage.

Where was this feeling coming from?

Her body was overheating under his mere gaze. Her skin was actually pimpling beneath the layers of cotton.

Her body was betraying her as her brain reminded her: she was not in love with James Potter.

"We're going to go look for Peter," Sirius said an hour later, pushing his hair from his eyes letting that handsomely bored expression consume his countenance.

"So anyway," Fly turned to her friends, once the boys had sauntered out, "how was the snog?"

A loud sigh fell from her lips before she gave in, "After we snogged, I ran into the house. I still haven't told Mum or Tuny what happened."

"That bad?"

"I didn't know. It wasn't a great date, I just… I saw Sev heading in our direction and I felt cornered. I think I might have snogged Adrien to spite Sev? I felt bad after. Adrien called a few times and I didn't answer." She frowned, looking at Fly.

"Have you spoken to Severus since-?"

"Last term? No-"

"Great!" Sunny smiled, having never been a fan of Lily's friendship with Snape.

Lily rolled her eyes before changing the subject, "So, did you come to a consensus?"

"Yea, Ericsson and I finished," Sunny's smile turned to a frown.

"What?" Fly and Lily gasped.

"There was no point. I mean, with him now working at the Ministry and me, still in Hogwarts… We'd never see one another. Plus, I would have to stop seeing other people, and what's the point in that if I'm not even seeing the one I'm with."

"I'm going to ease the tension by saying, it seems like you're reaching maturity, but I know that you just don't want to stop dating. You're a bit of a slag."

"I'd agree," Fly grinned, not being fooled by her friend's morose façade.

Lily observed Sunny and couldn't help but think she was the most beautiful person she'd ever laid eyes on. Sure she, herself, was pretty, but a common sort of pretty. Her green eyes and red hair were so common the features had become cliché.

But Sunny was different, an exotic beauty that left everyone breathless. From her name, it was obvious that she was French, but that was all you could tell of her ethnicity. Her dark, creamy mocha skin spanned across her long limbs, with a subtle hint of gold, glowing healthily beneath. Her face was heart shaped with lips the color of pink rose petals, cheekbones high and naturally tinted, and a round and narrow nose. Her hair bore ebony curls. But those of her features were common compared to her eyes. Her eyes were the color of the sky on a rainy day. Their grayish-blueness seemed almost mystical as they regarded something with that simple intensity of hers.

Even when he'd first met her, Lily could easily see how Lupin first loved her.

Fly was like Lily: common. Fly was one of those girls that guys spent countless hours trying to decipher if she was pretty or not. She had short, thick, straight brown hair that curled at her nape. Her skin was honey brown, as if perpetually tanned, gently covering her short- well, shorter than Lily- curvaceous body. She wasn't overweight, in fact, she was fairly slim, but she'd been blessed with full breasts, round hips and shapely calves. Her wide, brown eyes were beautiful, but hidden behind her wire rimmed glasses. Her nose was large for her face and sort of beaky.

"Well, I can't get too angry about it now… it was really my decision-" Sunny began.

But the boys barged in, before she could continue, with sated smiles.

"What'd you guys do?" Lily asked, annoyance, bordering on anger flickering in her eyes.

"Why Tiger Lily," Sirius scoffed, the picture of innocence masking his satisfied grin, "why would you believe us to conduct ourselves in anyway un-Christian?"

"Because you're not Christian, in fact, I'm sure you don't know what that means…"

"Hey, there are Christian wizards! We were around back then! In fact, some wizard historians think that prophet fellow might have concealed his identity in order to secure Muggle followers!"

"Don't try to divert the conversation," she remained steadfast. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he smiled.

"Remus?" she turned, her expression hardening.

Remus flushed with guilt, knowing that resisting Lily would be quite painful. But upon gleaning the death glares Prongs and Padfoot were sending, he decided a pounding from the guys might be more painful than a pounding from Lily.

"Nothing, Lils."

"If I find Snape, or any other Slytherin, coming off the train with so much as a forked tongue, I will not hesitate to transfigure you into mice." She informed them.

"Hey, that's not fair," Sirius ejaculated, shooting Lily an incredulous glare.

"And why not? It's called karma-"

"Isn't karma an action of the universe? Isn't it supposed to happen naturally?" Delia asked.

"Fly, you're not helping," she shot her friend a look. "Why are you guys messing with the Slytherin's anyway? We just got on the train. They haven't even given you guys a chance to hate them."

"We weren't messing with Slytherins," James conceded, his hands ruffling his hair.

"Then-"

"Just one particular Slytherin," Sirius grinned.

"Sna-"

"Not your boyfriend," Sirius sneered.

"He's not even a Slytherin, per se," Remus corroborated.

"A first year? You're a perfect!" she gasped.

"My brother, Lily… Regulus."

"Your brother?" Sunny asked.

"Yea, I totally forgot he was starting this year. It wasn't until I saw him in one of the cars that I remembered. He'll probably be a Slytherin, it's the family house."

"You never speak about your brother; I assumed you'd disowned him when you left Grimmauld Place?"

"I've spent the last eleven years of his life tormenting him. Why would I let pesky things like a change of address and staining the family name keep me from my duty?" Sirius replied.

"He's quite predictable, once you think about it," Fly offered Sunny an explanation.

"He's my Mum's favorite, the brat! And since he's my brother, I have every night to hex him until he's unrecognizable. I'm not indiscriminately attacking youth and inexperience; I'm affectionately expressing our mutual disdain concerning our shared blood and fundamental difference."

"I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with this situation, but I'll figure it out." She groaned, "Did you guys find Pete?"

"No," James shook his head. "I sent my owl, Hermes, to his house."

"Hermes?" Sunny asked.

"A new owl. I got him this summer. Mercury died on me."

"He was like thirty million years old." Remus offered.

"I'm sorry if I'd rather my favorite, faithful family owl to some newbie. Anyway, I expect there will be a letter back tomorrow."

"Hermes, messenger to the gods," Delia ruminated aloud. With a start she turned to her friend with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "James, do you fancy yourself a god?"

His face grew warm as the room livened with laughter as they rolled around the cabin in tears.

TBC…

P. A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. All of the research, using both the books and the internet, is maddening, but fun. I hope you like my Marauders. They would be fun friends to have… as Lily called them in the first chapter, intriguing. (Also, I hope the Christian joke came off more lighthearted than offhanded. I meant to be funny, not offend. So, in the words of Puck (Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dream): If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, that you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear…)

With love,

Yo-yo