Chapter 3 – Making amends

Walking inside Lily could see the largest ballroom she had ever seen, with a brightly coloured mural laced with gold of what looked like Greek gods floating across the ceiling, some were sitting on fluffy white clouds looking down at the floor below, while, others were happily floating around the mural. Over on the far side of the ballroom was a marble statue of Pegasus, next to the grand marble staircase. To Lily's other side there was a grand marble fireplace with an ordimental gold jar sitting on the mantle, which made the whole room in Lily's mind complete. It was the nicest thing Lily had seen and it seemed that James had noticed her admiring it as he smiled standing next to her.

"You get used to it after a while." Lily looked up at James with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Trust me when you spend four hours in here a time talking to people that are pretty boring to talk to, and having them tell you how nice it is, it kind of wears of on you." James explained as Lily's expression changed back to an 'o I see' expression "come on lets go to the kitchen and get some chocolate cake that I know you love so much." James said this as he grabbed her hand and led her across the ballroom and into a large kitchen, which had cream walls, and pine wooded cupboards around the walls. At the far end there was a dining table that could easily seat about twelve people. Running around the kitchen was a little house elf, which looked like it was wearing a bright yellow pillowcase and cooking what smelt a lot like chicken soup.

"Take a seat I'll bring it right over." James told Lily as he started rummaging around in the fridge before pulling out two large slices of chocolate cake and two bottles of orange juice and walked over to the table to join Lily.

"Just a little bit of cake then?" Lily said looking at the slice big enough for two that was now in front of her. James laughed as he passed over a fork and a bottle of orange juice before he began to eat his way through his slice of cake that was just as big.

"So, how would you like the guided tour of the garden?" James asked Lily as she sat there poking the last bit of her cake with her fork.

"Sure I can try and walk some of that cake off…I don't think I have eaten that much cake before in my life." Lily laughed as she put her fork down and stood up to make her way to the door where James was now standing and waiting for her.

Walking through the back door Lily could see the garden was just as big as the house and needing a guided tour was quite literal. The garden was split into many section, at the far bottom Lily could see a small Quidditch pitch, to her left was a pool glittering in the sun light and had a bright yellow slide which when into the glittering water. To her right looked beautiful full of summer flowers and roses in a large circle with a small opening. Inside the opening were a large wooden garden table and ten wooden chairs around the table. Right in front of lily was trees and sweet smelling flowers at the base of each of the trees, but you could just see a swing at the far end to her left if she looked closely. Never had Lily seen a garden that looked this perfect and inviting as this one did right now.

"James it beautiful." Lily breathed after she had finished taking in the sites around her. James stood there and smiled with a mysterious glint in his eyes. Lily had noticed this and was getting ready to run as she looked from James to the swimming pool then back to James.

"James don't you even think ab…" But before lily could finish the sentence James had jumped forward to grab Lily who had already anticipated what he was going to do and was now currently running as fast as she could away from James through the trees laughing. Looking over her shoulder Lily could see James was only a couple of meters behind her. 'Damn his Quidditch training' Lily thought just before James caught up and grabbed lily around the waist and then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder jogging over the pool, which was proving a little difficult with lily kicking and wiggling trying to free herself from James's grasp.

"James put me down!" Lily was half screaming half trying to hold in a laugh

"Will you stop wiggling like that? And I'll put you down in a minute" James told Lily still who was now wriggling more as James approached the pool.

"No James I mean down on the ground." Lily stated now turning her head and seeing the pool in front of them. James however decided to ignore Lily's last sentence as he carefully he lifted lily off his shoulder with ease then dropped her straight into the warm water.

"JAMES YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT." Lily shouted as she came back to the surface of the water wiping her now wet hair out of her eyes. James just stood there laughing standing on the edge of the pool. While James was laughing he didn't notice lily swim over to where he was standing and then next thing he knew Lily had grabbed his and leg and he was now flying through the air before James landed with a splash in the pool next to a smug looking lily.

"Oh this is war" James splattered when he came back to the surface and started to swim towards lily who was already let out a squeal and started swimming in the opposite direction, before turning suddenly round taking James off guard and dunking him in the water then laughing at the shocked look on his face.

"Oh that's it." James swam over to where Lily was starting to get out of the pool and grabbed her legs making her go flying back into the pool with a screech. This kept going on for about an hour before both of them were worn out and red in the face from laughing at each other so much, so they both decided to get out and walk towards the house.

"You James I have no change of clothes?" Lily said this matter of factly hoping that it would cause him to feel a little guilty for throwing her in the pool.

"That's not a problem you can borrow one of my t-shirts and I'm sure you'll fit into a pair of my shorts if we roll the bottoms about a meter." James laughed before setting of into a run when he saw lily coming after him with her hand ready to hit him. Lily chased him back through the kitchen across the ballroom and up the marble staircase along a couple of corridors before he stopped in front of a door, where lily took her opportunity to hit him.

"Owch." James was looking at the spot on his arm where Lily had just hit him.

"I'm not that short you know!" Lily exclaimed "But where are we exactly?" Lily asked as an after thought looking up and down the long corridor.

"Welcome to my room" James opened the door to show a room decorated in red and gold with a large double bed against the wall on the left and a large wardrobe opposite it. In front of lily was a set of large bay windows and a desk, which looked out onto the garden. The room in lily's opinion was lovely until you looked at the floor and the only patch of carpet visible was where a little pathway had been made through the books, socks, clothes, parchment and quills littering the floor. Looking at the mess lily raised an eyebrow at James who looked a little sheepish at the mess of his room.

"Its not that bad…just not had a lot of time to tidy up." James ended lamely before walking in the room towards the wardrobe and pulling out a green t-shirt and a pair of black shorts, which he threw towards lily who was now cautionary walking into the room trying to avoid everything, scattered across the room.

"If you go through that door over there it will take you to the bathroom where you can get changed." James pointed to a door, which had escaped lily notice, as it was the same red as the walls. James mean while was already rummaging back through the wardrobe and pulled himself out a black top and a pair of kaki coloured long shorts just as lily came back out from the bathroom.

"Told you the shorts wouldn't be too long." Lily said this then poked out her tongue at James, in fact the clothes that Lily were now wearing didn't look bad on her at all the shorts came down to her knees and the t-shirt was a little baggy, but lily had tucked it in to the shorts to stop it from being too long.

"Well I'm impressed. Oh and very mature with the poking out of the tongue." James laughed before he himself walked into the bathroom to get changed and when he came back out did a twirl around the room, which made lily laugh.

"Oh very nice James." lily smiled before walking out of the room and following James back down the corridors and made their way back to the kitchen.

"How about a glass of home made house elf lemonade, and then go out and sit in the garden?" James asked lily "no where near the pool." He added as an after thought Lily just nodded her head and was looking back around the kitchen noticing the plates, which they left on the table a few hours earlier had disappeared and the kitchen was looking spotless once again.

James walked over to where Lily was standing holding the two glasses of lemonade and led the way out of the door down past the trees and over to where the swing seat was that lily had seen earlier. Sitting down James handed Lily her glass of lemonade as she sat taking the seat next to James as he started to move the swing backwards and forwards while they sat in silence.

"It's weird isn't, I mean who would have thought that I would be sitting in your garden with you." Lily said this as she turned and faced James. "I mean it's just I never thought that you would be the person I would ever lean on when I needed support, or to be a friend when I needed one." Lily was saying this now looking down at her glass of lemonade.

"Lily to be honest I don't blame you, I have never shown you that I would be there if you needed me. Pulling pranks on you, arguing with you, taking every opportunity to mock you. Lets face it, it probably wasn't the best way to go around it." James was now looking into his glass of lemonade while lily looked over taking in the features on his face. His hazel eyes had none of the mysterious glint and there was no playful smile on his face, instead his eyes looked sorrowful and the smile had gone. In all James was looking truthfully sorry and a little guilty.

"I'm so sorry Lily." He said this as he looked up at her and into her emerald coloured eyes.

"James in truth I was a little bit horrible to you too. I mean some of the things I've said to you in the past ' I shall rather date the giant squid then ever date you' and that 'you are an egotistic jerk who can think of nobody but himself and cares for no one other then those that will bow down at your feet.' But James I was wrong. You have turned out to be the total opposite of those things."

"How about we have a fresh start?" James said this as he held out his hand and Lily smiled putting out her own hand to meet James's.

"Hello there I'm James Potter who may you be?" James asked with a large charming smile on his face. Lily let out a laugh before giving a reply.

"I'm Lily Evans nice to meet you." Then Lily did something that shocked both of them she lent over and hugged James before sitting back to where she was before looking forwards and looking at the effect that the setting sun was having on the garden. The sun was bright orange and looking down towards the Quidditch pitch lily could see the glow, which it was emitting onto the grass making it change colour slightly.

"I better be getting home, it's starting to get late. Plus I dare say my Nan will be getting ready to force feed me mash potatoes." Lily laughed as she got up from the swing and James followed Lily's example and got up walking with her back up to the house.

When they entered the kitchen there was a woman who Lily assumed was Mrs Potter as she had the same hazel eyes as James and light brown hair, which was put up with a clip at the back of her head, wearing a black wizards cloak.

"Ah there you are James was wondering where you had got to." Mrs Potter was looking at James as he walked over to the sink putting the two glasses into it. "And you must be Lily, we have heard a lot about you." Mrs Potter smiled while out of the corner of her eyes Lily saw James give his mum a look that clearly said 'I can't believe you just said that.'

"Yes I am Mrs Potter nice to finally meet you." Lily said politely.

"Oh tish tosh none of this Mrs Potter lark makes me feel old. Call me Moria." Moria was smiling lily.

"Ok Moria… well I have got to go home my Nan will be wanting to know where I am but it was nice to meet you." Lily said this to Moria.

"Well come around again your always welcome dear." Moria said this as Lily walked over to the door where James was waiting for her.

"I'm gonna walk Lily home be back in a bit." James Yelled to his mum as he opened the front door for Lily then followed her out.

"You don't have to walk me home, I only live down the hill."

"Miss Evans it will be my pleasure to walk you home." James bent down into a bow and offered his arm for Lily to take. Lily smiled and took the arm that James was holding out.

"You know it's a lot nicer walking down the hill then up…next time I think you should just give me a piggy back up the hill." Lily looked over at James fluttering her eyelashes, while James let out a laugh.

"You'll get used to it, but if it's too hard for little lilikins here I'll give you a piggy back." As James said this he pinched Lily's left check and imitating the sound of an old lady, which made Lily laugh. James defiantly wasn't as bad as she though he was.

All too soon Lily and James were walking up the path to her Nan's front door.

"Well thanks James I have had a wonderful day."

"It was no problem and if you want someone to talk to or to eat chocolate cake with night or day send me and owl and I'll come right on over." James laughed.

"Well I'll consider that when I'm feeling hungry but can't be bothered to go to the fridge. Good night James." Lily smiled at James as he was now starting to turn laughing.

"Night Lily." James waved as he started walking along the street back to his house.

Lily walked in the house and found her Nan standing over the old cooker that she refused to replace making mashed potatoes.

"Ah there you are. Was starting to get worried hadn't seen you all day." Pat looked over at Lily.

"Sorry I was round James's, next time I'll leave you note when I'm going to be out all day." Lily said to her Nan feeling guilty that she never thought to leave a note in the first place.

"Well what's done is done set the table will you love dinners going to be ready in a minute." Lily walked over the large mahogany cabinet that was behind the little mahogany table and got out the plate and cutlery ready for dinner.

After dinner Lily felt the tiredness from a day's running around start to catch up on her so rather then sitting down in front of the telly watching family fortunes with her Nan Lily made her way up to her bed room, got changed into a pair of green PJ's with monkeys on them before sitting down at her desk and writing a long deserved letter to Isabel.

'Hey Issy,

I'm sorry I haven't written or replied to your last letter it's been hard to tell you what has happened over the past week and a bit. You see my mum, dad and I were in a really bad car crash for some reason I was fine but well my dad didn't make it and mum is still in the hospital. Dad's funerals in two days time I can't believe that this had happened. Petunia was being her usual self though, blaming the whole thing on me, but for some reason this time her words don't bother me. I guess you just get too used to it after a while.

You wont believe whom I have become friends with though. The one and only James Potter, his not as bad as he is in school and his been here when I needed a shoulder to lean on, but I will fill you in with all of that gossip on the Hogwarts Express.

I hope that you are having a lovely time in Australia, remember to bring me back a kola. Speak to you soon.

Love

Lily xxx'

After finishing the letter and reading it over Lily rolled it up and called over her white owl Borrise and tied the letter onto his leg, while telling him where to deliver the letter, Borrise affectingly pecked lily on the finger before flying out of the window into the dusk on his mission to deliver the letter.

After watching Borrise flying off into the distance Lily let out a sigh and dragged herself over to her bed and laid down, but instead of feeling sleepy the only thing Lily could think about was James. She knew that he had spent that day keeping her occupied so that she wouldn't have the time to think about her parents or the up coming funeral, but the truth was Lily liked spending time with James. He made everything seem fun, and the way he always wore a smile in what ever he was doing. But there was still something in the back of Lily's mind that made her feel uneasy, what if he changed back to the old James when they got back to Hogwarts, but this was a risk that Lily was going to have to take if she wanted a summer with company rather then a summer of solitude and loneliness.

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Well here's Chapter 3 up, hope you like fours nearly finished so hopefully have it up next week. Please Review.

Lorna