First day of school on the train platform. What else can be said? That was it. It was the first day of seventh year. Outside of the train station, Lily was let off by a taxi, stuck in traffic behind a limousine. And while her driver continuously cursed the limousine driver, Lily just sat back and waited. This was it. They were breaking tradition. There would be no walkway to a new year with E.J. And suddenly, her melancholy was way past itself, when the cabbie started to shout obscenities at her.
"Get out of the goddamn cab!" he yelled in a Brooklyn accent. Where the bloody hell was he from?
"Okay." Lily yelled back, throwing the money at him. Then she dragged her crap out of the backseat, and trunk with tremendous struggle. So there she was, by herself, with one gigantic trunk, one medium sized chest, and 4 suitcases going from small to gigantic. And she couldn't wrap her head around getting them up those stairs. And finally, when she'd almost given up and literally said 'to hell with it' one dark haired angel, one sandy haired angel, and one dark haired devil started to pick up her bags immediately after having said hello. And due to her previous frustrations, Lily looked up at James, in this crazy daze and said "Are you an angel?" And that there, was the icebreaking greeting of the century. And when James and the others laughed, that was real. "Should I get a cart?"
"Carts are meant to slow you down." Sirius said, picking up three bags and walking up the stairs like nothing.
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After much strenuous and unnecessary work, the four settled in a train car, and looked around at each other.
"Ooh-ooh- guys, guess what?" Lily said excitedly, as she sat down between James and Remus. And, before anyone answered, they all looked at the situation that they were in. They'd tried their best to keep the tradition together. It was almost just like their first day together, when Sirius and E.J sat next to each other, and when Lily sat between James and Remus. Except now, Sirius was all alone. She was gone.
"What?" Sirius asked with his head pressed against a window. That gesture alone told that he was thinking the exact same thing. He knew that she was gone and that she would never be back. And, he knew that he left it off at a bad point. Trying to make him feel better about that, Lily smiled and told her news.
"I got Head Girl." she said in a sing-song voice.
"Surprise, surprise. Who didn't know that?" Sirius asked in a bored voice. The fact that his voice was dismissive made Lily look at James questioningly. And it was in James's non-response response that Lily knew the extent of their friendship. Sirius had gotten worse. The month before, he was shagging anything with two breasts and a she part. And now, he just didn't give a damn.
"Well- I've got to go." Lily said, standing up. But then she stopped. "Oh- does anyone know who got Head Boy?" Sirius laughed for the first time, making James look at him. And Lily looked to Remus expectantly. "Did you get it?" Remus shook his head with a smile on his face.
"No. But, we should get going to the meeting." he said, as he walked to the door. "See you later, mate."
"I'll see you guys later." Lily said, walking out before Remus. And when she walked out, Remus looked back at James.
"I can predict a rather eventful morning." He said.
"Whatever, Moony." James said, before he looked around. "Hey, have any of you two seen Worm?"
"I haven't seen him since the finish of sixth year. And he hasn't written me back." Then they both looked at Sirius.
"I haven't written him." He said. Then, as if he hadn't been dismissive enough, he looked to the door. "Aren't you two supposed to be leaving?"
"Um… we really should get going." James said, before he started to walk out. "Come on, Moons. And, Sirius, we'll be back soon, okay?" Sirius looked up and raised his hand to a wave. You know which wave I'm talking about. That wave where you hate the person so much that you don't even move your hand. But in this case, Sirius didn't hate them. He hated himself.
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The rest of the day wasn't very eventful. In fact, it was downright boring. The best part of the day was when Lily found out that James was the Head Boy. In the train car sat all of the prefects, and in walked James and Remus. So, Lily looked at James, then Remus, and continued to look between the two, like a cat that was being toyed with. And finally, a bright smile washed over her face, and she jumped into his arms.
"Oh my God. Congratulations." She said, as he hugged her back. Now, this probably wouldn't be a problem if it was just a hug. However, this was that 'eyes closed, hand in hair and around waist, nuzzling neck, past 3 minutes' type of hug. They only pulled back when there was a throat being cleared, and a cough to act as its base. Remus continuously elbowed James in the side, as his coughing stopped, and someone else's throat clearing continued. When Lily finally jumped down, she cleared her throat, then ran her hand through her hair. "Anyway, like I was saying, all summer, what about the plans for the back to school ball?"
And that was the most interesting part of the day. Well, that, and when James and Lily finally saw their Head Dormitory after the feast, and showing the first years to their dorms. When the two were walked through the castle and shown to their room by McGonagall. She walked to and opened a medieval door that led to a narrow staircase. "Quickly. Come along." She said, as she walked up the stairs. The door up the stairs was guarded by a portrait of Lily and James together, before the Gryffindor badge. "The ruling house of bravery." McGonagall said, before the portrait opened to reveal an open door. Whoa. The dorm was perfect. There were deep burgundy walls with gold moldings. There were Gryffindor flags, badges, and pictures everywhere. "I take that this is to your liking."
"Yes, Professor." Lily said, nodding profusely.
"Yes, well… I made sure of it. Two young Gryffindor as heads. That's something to be celebrated." McGonagall said, a small smile on her lips. Then she turned to James. "Have either of you heard from Ms. Potter? About how she's settling in?" Lily and James looked at one another and shook their heads.
"I haven't heard from her in a week." Lily said.
"And I sent her a letter from the train." James said.
"Okay. Thank you. Good night." McGonagall said, before she walked out of the portrait. As soon as she walked out, James and Lily looked at one another, then lounged in the comfortable burgundy and gold chairs.
"This is Gryffindor pride." Lily said, nodding.
"To an extreme." James agreed, before he started to cough. Lily looked at him and pulled her bag around to her front.
"How's your cold?" she asked, continuously looking through her bag. James looked at her and smiled. She'd remembered.
"Oh, it's just a bit annoying. E.J usually healed all of my illnesses. My mom can't use a heal spell to save her life." James said, making Lily look at him weirdly.
"I thought that she was a healer." She said. That statement alone made James stare at her as if she had three heads.
"No." he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "No. Merlin, no. No, no, no. She owns a chain of magical jewelry stores, and a part of the magical diamond district." Lily's eyebrows rose, and her mouth opened.
"Wow." She said. "How?"
"Her mother left it to her." James said. "When she was about fifteen, her parents died and she moved in with my dad and his family. They were best friends." Lily smiled and nodded.
"That seems like how it usually pans out." She said. "My parents were the complete opposite. They hated each other. But, it seemed like this match made in heaven." Lily's voice went all soft and had the smallest hint of hurt and yearning.
"How?" James asked, as he moved closer to her. Lily laughed and sniffled a bit.
"How?" she said, laughing a bit more. "Well, my dad was a football player in high school, and my mum was a cheerleader. They'd been in the same boarding school since they were 5, and they'd even been next door neighbors. They'd known each other all of their lives, and they hated each other. She said that he would tease her about her name all the time."
"What was her name?"
"He called her Delphi. That was always his nickname for her. Delphinium Eucharis Green was her name." Lily said, looking at James and on the verge of laughter.
"So, I'm guessing that she named you and your sister." Lily smiled and shook her head.
"No. Actually, my dad named us." She said, laughing. "He loved her name. He was going to name me Eucharis Calla Lily Evans."
"Why didn't he?"
"She said that she didn't want him to."
"What about your sister?"
"Petunia Hyacinth Evans." James laughed.
"And Lily Amelia Evans."
"Actually, I don't tell anyone this, but it's Lily Amelia Eucharis Evans."
"I like it." James said, nodding slowly. Lily smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.
"I'm slowly starting to like it myself. I used to hate it." Lily said. "I thought that it was too much like my mother's. I hated it. We haven't really gotten along since I was younger." James put his arm around her and looked down at her. There she was curled up in his arms.
"Why not?" he asked. Lily squinted.
"Head cheerleader, voted most popular, most likely to succeed, best eyes, loved by the entire school, and every guy inside. Then I came, the daughter that's supposed to look just like her, who just happens to be overweight." She said. "We didn't start to bond until I started losing weight. And she wanted to shop together, work out together, and get our hair done together. She- she started to take more of an interest in me when I got thinner." Lily sighed and moved closer to him, before she yawned.
"Are you the only one with red hair?"
"No. My mom has red hair."
"Just like yours?"
"No. Her hair is more reddish blonde. It's really light all year around. Mine just gets darker and darker. And sometimes- only in really bad sun does it get light."
"What about Petunia? What color is her hair?" James asked, playing with the mass of red curls on Lily's head. Lily laughed and sniffled a bit.
"She has hair darker than E.J's. But it isn't as nice." She said, before she yawned. "E.J's hair is full of color and it's a rich healthy color. You know, like a nice puddle of chocolate. Or even- and this sounds bad, but lush soil. Petunia has the hair color of dead tree bark." James smiled as she yawned again.
"You're sleepy." James said. "You should go to bed." Lily shook her head.
"No. I wanna stay here with you." She whispered.
"Okay." James teasingly whispered back.
"Promise you won't leave." Lily whispered again, through her yawn.
"I promise." James said softly, running his hand through her hair until she fell asleep. And when she did, he pressed a kiss to her temple, and summonsed a blanket to drape over her.
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When Lily woke up the next morning, it was 6 am, and she was still in James' arms. Gently moving so as not to wake him, she stared down at him. He slept so peacefully that he couldn't be considered anything but beautiful. And it was then that she had much more appreciation for his hair, because of the way it fell over his brow. Before she could catch herself, she leaned in, kissed his cheek, and then brushed his hair off of his brow.
"Gosh, Lily, what are you doing?" she asked herself, after she backed away. In what universe did the nice girls finish first? And in what real life love story has the good girl that wants the guy gotten him? None! So, why did she swear in her heart of hearts that they belonged together?
She waited an hour after she showered, dressed, and groomed, before she woke him. For some reason, she thought that there'd be a difference if he woke up to her looking nice. No such luck. He looked at her exactly the same as he always had.
"Come on, come on." Lily teased. "Get in the shower. Don't turn this into another primping session." James smiled and stood, before he stretched. And when he did, she smiled and watched the show. She watched as he walked away, and smiled cutely when he reached the top of the stairs and turned to her.
"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" he asked, his eyebrow rose teasingly and in mock suspicion.
"I enjoyed the quiet."
"You enjoyed the quiet."
"Yes." Lily said in a mock crisp tone. "You're so loud all the time, so I enjoy the silence when I can."
"Well then." James said, playing along. He spun around and walked up the stairs. And when she watched him walk away, this gigantic involuntary smile overtook. And there was nothing that she could do about it.
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When James hopped down the stairs, he looked gorgeously disheveled.
"Have you never ironed an item of clothing in your life?" Lily asked, after she looked up.
"I don't see the point." James said childishly. He was like a fucking puppy. And when Lily hopped up and beckoned him over, he was like a lazy child. "What?"
"Come here." Lily said, as she stood on the chair. Like a slob, he walked. Like a gorgeous slob. Lazy and tired, and tired and lazy. Standing on the chair like that, Lily could see over his head. No easy feat. Slowly, she ran her wand around his collar, under his arms, on the inside of his shirt, over his back- thoroughly enjoying herself, believe you me. "Okay, I'm done with the shirt." James nodded, put his hands on her waist, and lifted her off of the chair, making airplane sounds as she touched the ground. "Did you really just do that?"
"Leave me alone." James said playfully. Lily rolled her eyes and sat down on the chair.
"Take off your pants." Whoa.
"Wait. What?" Lily groaned and looked at him.
"Take off your pants."
"Why?"
"You have to take them off, because, I can't iron your pants any other way." Lily said, in the 'well duh' sort of voice. I mean, dude, what- did he think she was using that as a way to get in his pants? No. Never.
"Oh." Now, no one can describe the excitement in seeing your dream guy take off his pants. But, I will try. It's not that big of a deal. So, you see his boxers. You were likely to see those anyway. So, he slowly takes them off, as if he knows that you're enjoying the show. So what? When he handed her the pants, Lily avoided bodily contact, eye contact- contact at all costs. "Thanks for this."
"It's no problem. I'd like to think that you'd do this for me."
"I'd try." James said, sitting down. "I can't say that I'd be any good at it." Lily laughed, and started to fold the pants on her legs. She ran her wand over the legs, trying to get a nice Navy S.E.A.L crease in his pant leg.
"Okay, I'm done. My only request is that you wear these pants with dignity. I got you the navy crease, and I'd appreciate it if you looked great as you wear these." Lily said, standing up and handing him his pants.
"I can make no promises." James said, hopping into the pants and almost giving Lily a heart attack.
"Do not mess up my crease." Lily said, walking over and buttoning his shirt. Then with a smile, she stepped back and smiled at her work, before she smoothed the shirt down, touching his chest. Then, she started to tie his tie.
"You're good at this." James said.
"Thank you. I used to do this for my dad. He taught me how to tie a tie, when I was six years old." Lily said. "See, I would tie it for him, every Sunday before we went to…"
"Church?"
"No. No. He would get the entire family dressed up every Sunday to watch the kids play football in the park near my house." Lily said, on the verge of laughter.
"I think that's nice. See, I would do the same for my family and Quidditch."
"Yes, but he actually made it this gigantic event. Suit and tie, dresses- the whole nine yards." Lily said, adjusting his tie behind his robe. "See. Now you look great."
"Do I?"
"Do you ever."
"Are you ready to go down to breakfast?" James asked, turning around to look at her.
"Yes. I've been waiting for you for more than an hour."
"You know, I don't appreciate you throwing things back in my face."
The two walked out of their dorm and through the hallways quietly. It was a very comfortable silence. There were no awkward looks, no awkward 'um's', and no awkward stops.
"This is weird without E.J, isn't it?" Lily said, picking the imaginary lint off of her skirt.
"I don't think it's weird between me and you."
"I never said anything about me and you, James. I said that it's weird."
"Well… I don't think so. I've actually gotten used to just hanging out with you guys this summer. I feel better about it than I thought I would." James said, looking around the hallway.
"So, what's your first class today?"
"I have potions with the Ravenclaws first."
"Damn. E.J was my partner in potions."
"Well, no one's seen Peter anywhere. Maybe you can be partners with Remus."
"Why not you? You don't want to be my partner? Fine. I don't want you anyway." James laughed and shook his head.
"No, it's just that Kay asked me yesterday, when she found out that we had potions together." He said. "I would've- I… um, I wouldn't've told her yes, if I thought that you-… she's a distraction, when I'm trying to work." Lily rolled her eyes in that 'yeah, yeah, yeah' way.
"What about Sirius?" she asked.
"Well, Emily cornered him, when Kay got to me." James said.
"Good. I like Remus better anyway." Lily said childishly, before she started to fix her hair.
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When the two got down to breakfast, wouldn't you know it- Emily was sitting there, eating with Sirius, and Kay was waiting there for James. So, Lily was left with Remus. And don't get us wrong, you can't go wrong with Remus, but Gosh- she would've at least liked the option of being with someone else. When she sat down, she looked at him and smiled.
"Hey, so what's your first class?" she asked.
"I dropped all of the classes that I didn't need. I figured that there was no use in taking so many extra N.E.W.T's, when I'll only really need about 5 of them."
"So, what classes do you have now?" Lily asked with her eyebrows furrowed.
"Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions." Remus said, looking up.
"You know, I thought of that too… but ancient runes and numerology can take you very far." Lily said.
"How are you dealing? How's your first day without E.J?" Remus asked. He understood. He had to. E.J was just important to all of them. And not the typical importance of a regular friend, but she was a part of them. She had something for all of them. She was great to study with, she was great to laugh with, she was great to prank with, she was great to look at, and she was just great to be around. Why the hell would they let her leave? "Oh- the mail's here." It was just as he said that that one gray and chocolate brown owl dropped 5 envelopes down, and sought refuge on Kay's head.
"Good, Gus." Lily said, before the owl flew over and nipped affectionately at her finger. "How is she?" When Gus nodded, Lily smiled and stroked his ear. "See you later, Gus." And with that, Gus flew away. When Lily looked back up, Remus was laughing as he read, Sirius was staring at his letter, and his hands shook as he held it to open it, James was laughing in his, and Peter's was laying untouched in the middle of the eggs. Lily just stared down at her letter, before she practically ripped it open. And there, in that beautifully lazy writing was E.J's words.
Dear Lilsy,
I hate it here! We start three weeks earlier than you guys at Hogwarts, with double the summer load of homework, and we end three weeks later. But, what's good about it is that this is supposed to be a really great school. Then again, I'm one of the few people here that speaks English. So… I don't know, it'd be nice to not have to remember to speak in a way for the people to understand. I guess it's a good thing I was born here then, huh? I mean, if I hadn't had those six years of all Spanish and English, and those visits to my mum with all Spanish, I wouldn't know anything. Oh, but here's something that will make you really happy. The food here is amazing, the drinks here are amazing, the desserts here are amazing, and… it's all fatty. When you see me, I'll weigh twice as much as I do now. Especially because there's no Quidditch team, and there're no boys to run from. So now, I'm remembering that it's horrible here. Hell, hell, hell, hell, hell in paradise. I mean, it's beautiful, don't get me wrong. It really is. But, Merlin, I wish I could be there with you guys. And actual guys. Oh- but, you'll be happy to know that while there are no boys here, there does happen to be a brother school that's a walk away. And… I met someone, sort of. Not really. I'm lying. It's not like we're engaged, but he did ask me to my welcome back ball that's being hosted in our school. He's cute. He's really cute. He's very cute. The problem… he's really, really very hell bent on being a Puerto Rican. And, I'm not completely Puerto Rican- as we can all tell by my last name. But, enough about that- I don't really care about that. I'm okay with it- he wants me, he doesn't, any outcome, I can live with. I want to talk about being Head Girl. I heard you got it. I'm very proud, you little ragamuffin. And while I'm very proud, I'm pissed that you've become a conformist. We were going to lead the revolution together. Anti-Head Girl! Anti-Prefect! Hell yeah! Alright. Enough of that. I haven't slept in a day, so I'm actually rambling. What I wanted to tell you is that I got Head Girl here. And if you're wondering how… well, um, there isn't really a Head Girl, Head Boy, prefect system here- like the constitutional monarchy at our school. Instead, it's an autocracy, with a group of top students as my advisors there to regulate. I'm like a goddamn tsarina ruling tsarist. I love it. Anyway, I was going to say- I'm wondering if you want to come visit me and my mummy for Christmas holiday. You don't have to. Just write back with your answer. Talk to me. And I'm still waiting on that shitty letter about the gum that you stepped in on your way home.
Lurve,
Sadly and sincerely, Lily was desperately happy that E.J wasn't enjoying her new school. And she felt bad about it. She really did. But, the thought that E.J wasn't making new friends and replacing them settled well in Lily's stomach.
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Jaime,
Get me the hell out of here! I blame you for all of this, just so you know. If you hadn't made friends with the people that you made friends with, I wouldn't've become enraptured by your wonderful company, my life wouldn't've ended up in shambles, and I wouldn't've been shipped off here. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate it. But, I have to share a humongous palace-like dorm with 11 other girls. Listen to how wonderfully this works. I'm in the house called 'Valentia'. It's Spanish for bravery. Well, I'm the Head. And, then there is the girl with the highest grades in each grade, and there my advisors. I have girls as young as seven living with me. I'm the only one with my own room, yet I end up housing the three youngest girls, because they get homesick. Anyway- they're all my advisors- it works in this twisted way. I like my roommates. They're very cool. They're nice to study with. And check this- I'm the most interesting person in the school. And, everyone here looks up to me. I never could've gotten this much attention in Hogwarts! And- and… everyone thinks I'm funny. They ask me about my accent, about England, about the states, about Wales- they love me. So, how's everything with your bitch of a girlfriend? Was that too blunt? Oh well. Anyway, stud- how is everything without me? You guys haven't replaced me already, have you? Because that would hurt. Anyway, I expect full length letters about good stuff happening. And I would like it if you sent my owl back immediately. He's my only friend now. You know what? That's not right to say. I actually love my new roommates. They're these really quiet, humble girls that are amazingly beautiful, but so shy. Do you know the type? They're like female versions of Remus. Some of them. About four of them are like that. Not including the younger ones. There there's the one that's in my year. She's the biggest bitch in the world. And… she does speak English. She is again, the biggest bitch in the world. She's rude, she's arrogant, and she's just evil. And she has the other half of the girls just like her. But enough about her. What about you? How are you? Are you good? I hope you are. I really hope so. I love you, James.
Love, love, love (kind of, sort of not- sometimes)
Laughing through her note, James put it back in the envelope and basked in the fact that she hadn't replaced them. Well, he couldn't really be replaced- he was family. But, their close friendship could be tarnished and replaced. And in his heart of hearts, he was completely content knowing that she hadn't found any guy friends that she liked better than them.
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Sirius stared at James reading his letter and looked at the envelope in his hand. Trembling, he opened the envelope, and his face fell.
Sirius,
(The night I left)
Bye.
(Today)
Hi. Bye.
(As I write this)
Goodbye.
He messed up. And he knew it. What could he say to take it back? What could he say to make it better?
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As soon as the letter from E.J dropped in his hand, Remus opened it.
Lupe,
I miss you. I miss you so much. And I have no idea what to say to you but that. I could write it a million times, but… that would take up a lot of time and parchment. About what happened before I left, I don't think we left our friendship off on the best terms. I mean… we snogged twice, for about four minutes each time. And that's according to the assumption that a snog isn't one big long kiss, but the series of long kisses, which is what we had. I'm rambling- I should shut up. Don't think that I'm under the impression that you're in love with me, or even like me. And don't think that I'm in love with you or anything. Oh- or that I didn't enjoy our kisses. Because, I did. I enjoyed them immensely. You're really good at it. But, it was that hot friendship snog. I'm just saying that you're my best friend, and I miss you. I miss you a lot. I mean, a lot, a lot. I have a gigantic dorm that I share with 11 other girls. I'm Head Girl in an autocratic type of school government. I like them. I take care of the younger ones. It's almost like having little sisters. I have little girls as young as seven in my dorms. I'll send you a picture of me and my dorm mates. I already took them, and I'll send it to you as soon as Gus gets back. I'll send you a whole series of pictures. Oh, and just so you don't hear it through the grapevine, I have a date to the welcome back ball. He is adorable, and e speaks no English. I think that it's because of that that he's so amazing. The dance is tomorrow night, and… I have a perfect date, perfect dress, but I'm not sure I want to go. I love you. Very much.
Love, love, love, love love, love, love love love,
P.S. I love you.
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"So, what did she write to you?" Lily asked, on their way to their head dorms. She was still clutching the letter, as she, Remus, Sirius, James, Kay, and Emily walked their way to the head dorms. They didn't have any classes for more than an hour, so there was no point in staying in the Great Hall.
"She wrote about her new roommates." James said.
"Did you hear about the dance?" Lily asked.
"Yeah, and her foreign date." Remus said, making Sirius and James look at him.
"Date?" Sirius said. "She's dating already?"
"Well, you started to date immediately, if memory serves me correct." Lily said, making Sirius glare at her. "I'm just saying."
"Prongs, she's bothering me." Sirius whined.
"She's right, Pads. It's your fault." James said, as Kay hugged his waist.
"You know, I have to study." Lily said, stopping in the middle of their walk. "Slughorn is our potions teacher this year. And, only god knows who'll be our Professor in Defense."
"I'll- you know what? I'll go with you." Remus said, giving Lily permission to grab his hand and drag him to the library.
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When James and the others got to the Head Dorms, it was completely empty- of course, and the blanket from the night before was draped over the couch.
"Oh, James. It's wonderful." Kay said, sitting on the couch.
"Yeah, it's great." James said, looking around.
"Hey, Prongs, what does your room look like?" Sirius asked. Well… that was a good question. What the hell did his room look like?
"I don't know." James said, not really paying attention to the fact that his girlfriend was sitting right there. "We spent the night out here yesterday."
"Excuse me?" Kay asked, looking at James with deadly eyes from the couch. "We? You and Evans spent the night out here? Together?"
"No. She was helping me finish my summer homework. She slept on the couch, and I fell asleep in the chair." James said. Lied, actually. But, let's think about it this way. There was no need for Kay to get angry over nothing. James and Lily were just friends. Lily didn't want anything to do with him, as she always made it clear before. They were just friends now. Friends that got exponentially closer every day. I mean, every day they learned something new or something amazing about the other. Just a few weeks before, when Lily spent the night at his house, James learned that Lily had an amazing fear of sleeping alone. He also learned that she had never slept alone before.
"I'm sorry, gorgeous. Let's go check out your room together." Kay said, kissing James's cheek, and taking his hand.
"Sirius, if Lily comes back and I'm sleeping, tell her to wake me up." James said, walking up the stairs with Kay.
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Why the hell would Lily walk into James's room, un-knocked, unannounced, and unwanted? After that traumatic experience, she started to hyperventilate on the couch, with her head in her hands and her heart under someone's foot. Then she lied down on the couch, and tried to smother herself in a pillow, before she heard a shrill, angry yell of,
"Don't you knock?!" get closer and closer, descending from the stairs.
"I'm sorry!" Lily said through the pillow. "I didn't know you two were in there. Doing that." Then she sat up, and took the pillow from her head, her face completely flushed at the sight of Kay still buttoning her shirt, and James with a face just as embarrassed as hers. "I am so sorry."
"Look, Evans, James and I are serious." Kay said, with her hands on her hips. "And, we get into some very heavy movements from time to time. So, if you feel the need to barge into my boyfriend's room again, without knocking, and without being invited in, don't."
"Kay, she said she was sorry. Just, lay off." James said. "It's good that she came in, it's time for class anyway. And now, we're late to class."
"Yeah, I came here to get you, when I didn't see you in class." Lily said, her cheeks still red.
"Kay, go to class. You don't want to be later." James said.
"I'm very fine where I am now, thank you." Kay said, sitting down next to Lily with her arms folded. It was as if someone was playing 'whack a mole', because as soon as Kay sat down, Lily popped up.
"Um… its okay. I'll leave and talk to Slughorn." Lily said. "Plus, I have to go before all of the good partners are taken. E.J's a hard one to replace. Just- hurry up." Then she left. As soon as she left, Kay looked at James.
"Would you like to tell me what the bloody hell Lily Evans is doing, walking into your room without knocking?!" she yelled.
"I don't recall there being a clause in the entrapment contract, saying that I couldn't have friends!" James yelled. "And you're the horny bird that wanted to work in, a 'quick one' before class! How the bloody hell was she supposed to know that you were practically raping me?! At this point in our relationship, if you're going to act like this, I can't see myself with you."
"What do- what? Are you breaking up with me?" Kay asked with big doe eyes.
"I'm saying that I can't see this working out. Not if you're going to act like this." James said, before he picked up his backpack. Then he opened the door up. "We have to get going." Kay looked at him for a moment, before she picked up her book bag and flew through the door.
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When the two got to the class, there was no one else to be partnered with besides each other. When James looked around for Lily, she was already sitting there with a rather handsome Ravenclaw gentleman by the name of Nathanial Brookes. James casually strolled by their table and teasingly hissed, "Why didn't you wait for me?" making Lily look at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, with her hand to her mouth.
"It's okay." James said, sitting down at the table directly next to them. "So, what are we working on?"
"We're working on calming potions today, Jaime. And I've chosen Buddha's Nectar of Heaven. It is group work today." Lily said, pulling out her potions book. "Alright, Nathanial, we need lilac grind, vanilla orchid leaves, peppermint tea leaves, maple sap, honey, juice of sugar cane, coconut milk, and milk of Cornish pixie, and milk of a Californian cow."
"I'll get that for you, Lil." James said, completely ignoring both of their partners.
"Oh- I'll come with you. You know, I don't know if you can pick the good flowers." Lily teased, hopping up and dragging him to a cabinet marked 'flowers'. "Okay, so calming potions are the most simple to make, because they're not terribly specific. So, you don't have flowers that need to be aged specifically, you just have flowers. And the potion is strong no matter what."
"Okay." James said. "I need your help now." Lily looked at him and groaned playfully.
"With what?" she asked. "Oh, you don't want me to make myself scarce tonight, do you?" James laughed and shook his head.
"No." he said. "Sorry about that, by the way." What the hell did he mean by that? Lily looked away, and pointedly avoided his eyes.
"What?" she asked, as she purposely paid extra attention to the lilacs. When guys like James Potter, who just happens to be your new friend, ask you favors, it's usually the type that you can't stand doing. So, it's usually 'Lily, can you train my pet monkey to play the guitar?' 'Lily, can you help me to pop the pus bumps on my very unattractive friend's back?' What the hell could he want? But, when you're Lily Evans with a friend like James Potter, you'll do almost anything to make him happy. As pathetic as that makes you sound. "What is it?"
"Can you tutor me in Potions? Be my partner?" James asked. Jumping for frigging joy, she was. And, just when she was about to scream yes, she remembered. He has a girlfriend, and you're his pity friend, Lily. So, with the words yes on her lips, she turned around and looked at him.
"Sorry, I can't. Um… N-… Um… he's my partner." Lily said, pushing her hair back away from her face. "Come on, Kay's really smart. I'm sure she's great at potions."
"Yes, but I think we just broke up." James said, making Lily smile. "What, are you happy?"
"What?! No." Lily said in a panic. "I just…" She put on a serene laughing smile. "You have to work with your ex-girlfriend for the rest of the year. Deal with it."
"Yeah, but you'll have to work with Nathanial."
"Does it look like I'm complaining?" Lily bluffed, before she flipped her hair and collected more flowers. "Get some for your potion, too. And… you should pick an extra lilac. Kay may want one to match her uniform."
"Lily, please?"
"How can you expect me to go back on my promise to him, if you wouldn't be my partner when you and Kay were together ten minutes ago?" Lily asked, before she nudged his shoulder. "Come on, Jaime."
"Fine." James pouted.
"Stop pouting." Lily said before she bumped him with her hip and walked back towards their tables.
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When Lily and James were walking out of the potions lab, Kay pushed past Lily and stood in front of James with her hands on her hips.
"I love you." She said, before she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him. When she pulled back, she smiled. "So, we're back together?" James looked over Kay's head to Lily, who was looking at Nathanial, before he nodded.
"Yeah, I guess it does." He said. And then… as if it never happened, Kay wrapped her arms around his waist and led him out of the potions lab.
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If the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, then why do so many guys go for girls that can't prepare anything but a cream rinse? And if the way to a guy's heart was through his stomach, then why did guys go for girls that looked like they ate absolutely nothing? Don't get me wrong, I have no vendetta against any type of girl, but… is thin the most beautiful? These were the thoughts going through Lily's head, as she watched Kay drink water all through breakfast the next morning. 'Should I watch my weight?' Lily thought, before she looked down at her plate. Bangers and crepes with strawberry jam, and a nice glass of carrot juice was a healthy meal. Water was not a healthy meal.
"I'm healthy." Lily said, spreading jam across her crepe, and cutting it to take a bite. And then, she saw Kay brush back the hair off James's brow. And aside from making Lily physically sick, it made her hate herself. Maybe she should lose more weight. But 5'5 and 124 lbs was healthy, wasn't it? And that was where she left off, before she put her crepes away and sipped her carrot juice. And then, by some form of kismet, a beautiful chocolate brown owl flew over them and dropped 3 packages. On the package was that beautiful, lazy handwriting. It said, 'Lilsy'. And instant smile popped on Lily's face as she lifted her package, and saw one for 'Jaime' and one for 'Lupe'. One who didn't smile was Sirius, who looked around as if to say 'where is mine?' When Lily opened her package, she bit her bottom lip and misted up a bit. There, in front of her very eyes was as picture of E.J and her new roommates, laughing and joking around. It was in a huge frame that said 'Friends to the End,' making Lily sniffle a bit. She found other people. She found other friends. But then, when Lily touched the frame a message popped up. It said, 'You're such a loser. I was just kidding.' And then, in front of Lily's eyes formed a picture of all of them, the night that they had had a food fight in the kitchen of the Manor. And then, as Lily fingered the outside of the frame, another picture popped up. This time, it was a picture of Lily and E.J alone. It was taken during the winter time of their first year, then it was split screen, and showed them during the winter time of sixth year. She still cared. "Look." Lily showed James, who was looking at his own picture frame. James looked up and smiled, before he showed her his. His picture of E.J was their first Christmas together, when she was six and he was seven. She wore a beanie that had her name on it, and held a mini broom, while hugging James. And another picture popped up, with E.J wearing a beautiful blue dress- a bit too low cut for James's liking- with her hair curled beautifully, and a good looking Puerto Rican guy with his arms around her. Sirius looked at the picture and then looked down, while Lily and James looked at him sadly. Then, they suddenly both looked expectantly at Remus, who was blushing slightly and chuckling a bit.
"What's it a picture of?" James asked.
"Um…" Remus said, before he cleared his throat. "It's u-"
"Come on, Moons, what is it?" Sirius asked, with Emily's head on his shoulder. "Show it to us already." Remus turned an even more brilliant shade of pink, before he showed them the picture. And that's when Sirius' eyes darkened. A picture of the girl you love and your best friend in the middle of this gorgeous kiss will do that to you. And then, as if the snapshot wasn't enough, it showed E.J with her arms around him, and leaning in for another kiss. And when that picture disappeared, it showed a picture of them all at James's house one Christmas. It was a picture where E.J was hugging both Remus and Sirius- and that got Sirius to thinking. Was it a battle between them two all along?
"Well then." Lily said, before she looked at James. "I'm going to go put this up in our dorms." But as soon as she said that, another flock of owls flew through and dropped down the news from the Daily Prophet. News that's headline read 'The Dark Lord Attacks Again.' And along with that headline came a picture. The same picture that E.J had just sent Lily. Yes, on the cover of the Prophet was a picture of E.J and her roommates, and under that was a caption that read the names of the girls from left to right. The first line of the article read, 'An attack has been made on Aguas Buenas Magical Academy for Girls, leaving 5 corpses and the rest of the girls missing.' As soon as the group read that, they read no more, but looked up at the head table where McGonagall and Dumbledore were looking at them. What did this mean? Was E.J dead?