Edited for grammatical errors, typos and inconsistencies. If I missed anything, feel free to tell me.
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Chapter Four: Dares and Second Meetings
Late at night when all the world is sleeping,
I stay up and think of you
And I wish on a star that somewhere you are thinking of me too
Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight
Til tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight
An there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
Than here in my room, dreaming about you and me
-"Dreaming of You", Selena
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The soft rustling of leaves and the merry chirping of birds were all that could be heard inside Lily Evans's bedroom. She shifted uncomfortably, the bright sunlight burning in her eyelids. She opened them slowly and let out a groan. She never liked being woken up by the sunlight. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already 8:38am. Her eyes widened in shock and she bolted out of bed, suddenly fully awake. "Damn!" she cursed, running to the bathroom. She took a bath as fast she could and taking the first dress she got her hands on. She hastily dressed up and looked over at her appearance in the mirror. She straightened the mint green dress she wore as she slipped on a pair of black pumps and brushed her red locks. One more glance at the clock informed her that it was already 8:49am, so she decided it will have to do. She sprinted to the dining hall, where she found her two roommates finishing the last morsels of their breakfast.
"Morning, Lily", Juliet greeted, looking up from her cereal. "We tried to wake you up but you swung at us."
"Sorry", Lily said bashfully. "I do that sometimes. I guess I'm not a morning person."
"We were going up to see if you were awake yet", Alessandra told her, taking a sip of milk, "And you did hit Juliet with a large pillow when she tried to wake you up, so I just stayed away."
Lily helped herself to a glass of orange juice, not even bothering to sit down. She watched the two swallow the last mouthfuls of their food as she gulped down her juice as fast as she could. As soon as she was done, Juliet got up. "Come on, we have a couple of minutes left before class begins."
"What do we have first?" Alessandra asked as they left the dining hall.
"What day is today?"
"Wednesday."
"Fashion and Dressmaking, then, if I'm not wrong", Juliet said, taking bigger steps. "Hurry up, this way!"
They turned at a corner and soon found the classroom. The rest of the class was already there, waiting for the teacher. They arrived with just a minute to spare- the teacher arrived only seconds after they took their seats.
"I really don't want to stay here for hours merely discussing what colour looks best with my hair", Alessandra grumbled softly as the teacher wrote her name on the board.
Fashion, it soon became clear to the three, was nothing more than a class where everyone can brag about how they can afford the best clothes and see who has enough sense not to mix orange and purple in an outfit. The teacher was a sharp-looking woman who looked no older than thirty-five. She wore an ensemble of all black, from her crisp jacket to her shoes and her pale blond hair was pulled into a tight bun.
The words "Miss Epulton" was written in block letters on the board, and she turned to them, her brown eyes scrutinizing them.
"Fashion", she said, relishing the word as if she was speaking of a dear friend, "is something young ladies take for granted, and sometimes even ignored. If you want to keep your social reputation intact, you would do well to choose your clothes wisely. Do not give people something to talk about. The humiliation of not choosing something that suits you very well might damage your reputation in more ways than one."
Lily saw Jacqueline smirk from the corner of her eye and wondered what she thought about. When she voiced this out to Juliet, the latter only shrugged.
"I bet she thinks she can oust everyone here when it comes to fashion", Juliet said, contempt lacing her voice. "She's not wrong, in any case. She has great taste in clothes", she admitted grudgingly.
Lily turned her attention back to Miss Epulton, who was still staring all of them down. She would bet her diamond choker that the woman was making criticism in her head about their clothes.
Miss Epulton asked all of them to stand one by one, while she told them why their clothes suit them and why it doesn't.
I guess she knows what she's doing then.
When she got to Jacqueline, she complimented her sleeveless light blue chiffon dress. "Very good, Miss Hughes", she said approvingly, looking thoroughly at the dress. "The colour compliments your hair and eyes well, and the style shows off your silhouette well. Well done!"
Lily noticed Juliet rolling her eyes.
Lily got no complaints, but she was noted for having red hair, and therefore has "fewer colours that would look good on her". Lily honestly couldn't care less; she didn't want to dress up in the colours of the rainbow anyway. But Alessandra got an earful for choosing something "unflattering", which left her mumbling curses under her breath for the next hour or so. The class-or torture as Alessandra called it- ended, much to their relief. It felt like this Finishing School was a place to drain you of your individuality and leave you a stuck up, shallow airhead whose sole purpose in life was to help rich men repopulate their clans.
"I'm so glad that was over!" Alessandra let out a sigh as they got out, followed by Lily and Alessandra, who both were looking amused at her relief. "I thought it would never end!"
"I can't wait to get out of here", Lily said longingly. "I feel myself getting dumber and dumber every minute."
"If only", agreed Juliet, playing with the ends of her brown curls, "I didn't want to be in this place anyway! But no, my parents want me to become a proper lady", she snorted, "As if being in this place could make you a lady!"
"Being a lady requires being snooty and obnoxious, so yes, this place helps", laughed Lily.
The three of them went back to their suite, enjoying two free hours having opted not to take French language lessons, to have some bonding time and to get to know one another better.
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"Madame", a house-elf opened the door to the Potter's London home, welcoming the two ladies in. Azalea Evans looked impressed at the grandeur of the place, looking up at the fine paintings and furniture adorning the halls as the house-elf led them to the garden, where Lady Potter was already sitting. She looked up from her book and smiled warmly when she saw her guests come in.
"Aurelia", she said warmly as Mrs Lupin bounded forward to greet her, giving her a kiss on each cheek.
"Lady Eleanor", said Mrs Lupin, "May I introduce one of my closest friends and associates? This is Azalea Evans."
"Pleased to meet you, Madame Evans", Lady Eleanor said, kissing her on both cheeks as well. "I have heard so many great things about you from Aurelia."
"Likewise, Lady Potter."
"Shall we?" Lady Eleanor gestured towards the table where she was sitting moments ago. A house-elf appeared out of thin air, carrying a tray of tea and crumpets. She set it down at the table before bowing to Lady Potter and disappearing with a crack.
"I hear you have quite the daughter, Madame Evans", said Lady Potter, dropping a cube of sugar in her tea. "All I heard from Aurelia here were her praises."
"Thank you for saying so", Mrs Evans said, doing the same, smiling satisfactorily.
"I assume Aurelia had already told you on why I was asking about your daughter", Lady Potter said, her tone becoming serious, almost business-like, in fact. "My only son, James, he is nearing the age most nobles would already be married or betrothed, and he still isn't thinking about this seriously. My husband and I are already quite old, and we know we would not be around to take care of our son forever. I do not want him to marry a girl who would only be after his money and titles, or one who would bring shame on his name. I would hate to do this, but for his own good, I want to see him married to a girl with a good background and education, one who would be an asset to his name and legacy. As I told you, I have heard many great things about your daughter, certainly from Aurelia, and both Remus and Sirius speak highly of her. They are James's best friends and if they think she is suitable, then I believe James would, too."
Mrs Evans listened intently, nodding once to show that she was still listening. She took a deep, steadying breath and said, "So basically, what you are suggesting is…that my daughter be married to your son, is that correct?"
Mrs Potter nodded silently. "I understand if you wouldn't want to subject your daughter to that, but she's the best option I have right now. I do not want to let James marry someone with a bad attitude either, and most young women are."
"I have the same concerns about Lily", Mrs Evans said, "I understand that you want only the best for your son. I'm sure Lily would agree."
"You are?" Lady Potter said, lightening up at the mention of Lily's approval. "That's wonderful! I would like to meet her, as soon as possible!"
"I'm afraid she's in Finishing School at the moment", Mrs Evans informed her, lifting her teacup to her lips. "But I can send for her, if you'd like."
"No, there would be no need", Mrs Potter laughed softly. "I can wait. Besides, James would be attending to some matters of his own for some time, so there would be no rush."
"Well that's settled then!" Aurelia clapped her hands, looking delighted. "From today on, Miss Lily Evans is betrothed to Lord James Potter!"
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They settled on Lily's room, where they sat eating sweets and talking about their lives.
"My parents were reluctant to let me attend University", Juliet related, taking a bite out of her chocolate, "They just wanted to get me to agree to the conventional life of women nowadays. Get married and have children who would be heirs to fortunes. It's absolutely disgusting, if you ask me. It's like they're saying that all women can do is to marry and produce children. I want to do something useful."
"The mere suggestion of doing something other than reproduction makes them panic as if we shaved our heads and joined the revolution!" Lily said through a mouthful of liquorice. "My sister was in University when she met her whale of a boyfriend. My parents expect me to do the same. Thing is, I'm not Petunia. They just don't get it."
"Ugh. I don't have siblings", Alessandra muttered, "But I do have plenty of cousins who've had rich, respectable marriages, so that's kind of the same thing."
"You can never be too happy", Lily said wisely, "When you have money, you have the chains that come with it. If you're free, you probably would not have much money."
"It's those social climbing parents", Juliet supplied, her hand once again digging through Lily's box of sweets. Lily put her finger on her chin thoughtfully.
"You're right", she said slowly. "If that was me, I would never force my children to marry who they don't love."
"This conversation is getting too sad for me!" complained Alessandra, grasping a fistful of her hair. "Can we talk about something else?"
"What about that handsome man who fancies Lily?" Juliet suggested, wagging her eyebrows suggestively. Lily threw a pillow at her face, a deep crease forming on her forehead.
"No!" she said in a voice that came close to whining. "Anything but that!"
"Come on!" Juliet's eyes widened earnestly, looking as if she was cooking up a romantic fantasy in her head. "He was a looker! You have to be mad to not even think about that!"
"Fine, he was good looking, but he was cocky too!" Lily said defensively, folding her arms across her chest. "The way he acted around me…who does he think he is? I'm not one of his peaches he can coax into dating him by smooth talking and roses!"
"Wow, you learned that much in one conversation?" Juliet remarked sarcastically, while Alessandra snickered behind her.
"Well, it was how he acted!"
"Oh, Lily, stop being such a priss!" Alessandra said, still containing her laughter. "My goodness, aren't you a ray of sunshine today?"
"I could tell he really liked you", Juliet said, unwrapping a small bar of chocolate.
"He doesn't know me."
"Well, give him the chance to!"
Lily turned away. Sure he was charming and good-looking, but that was it. She knew nothing of him, and he certainly came across as cocky.
Before she could think about it further, she heard Juliet sigh. "Fine", she said, raising her arms in surrender. "I could tell you're going to be stubborn about this, so suit yourself."
"Thank you", Lily said crisply, turning her attention to the tree outside her bedroom window. She knew Juliet isn't really going to drop the subject anytime soon, but she was thankful that at least she was not pursuing it now.
A comfortable silence descended on them. Just as Lily stood up to get more candy from her cupboard, angry footsteps caused her to look at the direction of the suite door. She shushed the other two who were giggling madly, as she leaned closer, listening intently. She heard a faint voice drawing closer and could make out some of the words.
"…I hate this!" shrieked the unmistakeable voice of Jacqueline.
"So unfair", said her two cronies in unison. "You should be allowed to do whatever you wanted!"
"Exactly!" screamed Jacqueline. Lily snorted from behind her door.
"By that time Juliet and Alessandra had already tiptoed their way to where she stood, both also leaning into the door, trying to catch what they were saying.
"Well I could always sneak out", Jacqueline said, her voice dropping conspiringly, causing Juliet to let out a loud laugh.
The three of them emerged from their suite, Lily and Alessandra looking irritated and Juliet still laughing.
"You'd sneak out?" Juliet said smugly. "Please! You don't have the guts or the skills to pull it off!"
"As if you can do better!" scoffed Jacqueline, her two cronies nodding enthusiastically.
"Yeah!"
"You're all talk!"
"Are we?" Juliet said in a challenging voice, flicking her brown hair and glaring them down.
"Juliet-" Lily began warningly. She knew what Juliet was going to say.
"Well, if you think you can do better, then I dare you to sneak out tonight."
"Fine!" Juliet accepted proudly.
"What, are you mad?" Lily yelled, looking disbelievingly at her friend.
"Juliet, you should really think about this first."
"Oh, come on!" Juliet said eagerly, ignoring the two who were shaking their heads. "We can pull this off."
"You go!" Alessandra said, looking directly at Juliet. "I have some things to do tonight."
"Lily?" Juliet turned to Lily, her face pleading. Lily would very much love to say no, but the thought of something as reckless and exciting finally dawned on her. It would get them in trouble if they got caught, but as Sirius would say, what's life without a little risk?
"I'm in."
Juliet squealed and turned triumphantly to Jacqueline. "Lily and I are going, then!"
"How will we know that you've actually gone?" Jacqueline demanded, raising a heavily pencilled eyebrow.
"Well, what proof do you want us to bring?"
"There's a rose bush near the park down the block. Pick one, and I will know."
"Fine. But what will we get if we go?"
"How about you become our servant for a week, Miss Hughes?" Lily suggested, smirking in satisfaction at Jacqueline's horrified face.
"What?" she shrieked, looking aghast. "You have to be joking!"
"Well, this is a pretty hard job to do", Lily explained calmly, mentally laughing at the expression on the blonde's face. "We need a pretty good incentive, don't you think?"
"That or you roll in the mud for half an hour, then staying that way for six hours. Pick one", Juliet piped in, looking absolutely delighted at the idea of having Jacqueline ponder over the two options.
"Fine", Jacqueline resigned, but there was fury reflected in her blue eyes. "It's a deal. You sneak out and I will serve you for a week."
"Deal", grinned Juliet. "Excellent. See you later, ladies."
Jacqueline merely nodded haughtily before strutting away, her two cronies flanking her.
"Come on, Lily, let's get ready to sneak out."
Lily hesitated, wondering what they got themselves into, but the excited look on Juliet's face made her push that fleeting feeling that something will go wrong right to the back of her mind.
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All the girls were in the dining hall, quietly eating. Lily pushed her food around her plate, barely eating anything. She looked sideways to Juliet, who was just as quiet; no doubt contemplating on how they can make sure they would be able to escape successfully. There was barely any sound from the room, only that of the tinkling of silverware and china. One of the first lessons in etiquette- never make a sound while dining.
After dinner, they went back to their suite. Alessandra had disappeared to her bedroom to go back to the dress she was beading after she wished them both luck, while both Lily and Juliet began rummaging their closets for something comfortable and easy to move in.
"How about this?" Lily held up a pair of trousers.
"Why do you even have that?" Juliet questioned, raising her eyebrow. "I never thought you would be the type to wear trousers."
"Skirts are so difficult to move in", Lily answered, returning her attention to the closet. "I think trousers give me a little more freedom when it comes to running."
"You don't happen to have another one, would you?"
Lily smiled and procured another pair from her closet. "My dad knows I liked wearing these, so he bought me a few. We kept it from Mother, of course. I used to sneak out of the house a lot and this allows me to climb over the fences."
"This is brilliant!" Juliet said, impressed. "I wish I'd thought of that!"
Lily smiled and tossed her a plain white button-down long sleeved shirt in response.
"Shoes then?" Juliet asked. "We can't wear heels, and that's all I have, other than slippers, of course."
"I have riding boots here", Lily replied. "You're welcome to borrow them."
"You're really prepared, aren't you?"
"It just so happens that sneaking out is a specialty of mine. With a mother like mine, I am more than experienced with this."
"Well I'm glad you're coming then."
"What if she sabotages us?" Lily raised the question plaguing her mind the whole evening.
"Who cares?"
"I don't know why, but I have the idea that she will go sell us out."
"Let her!" Juliet said bravely, but her voice carried a slight tone of fear. "It will just show how much of a coward she is! Besides, it might get us expelled", she added, smiling at her joke.
"That might not be too bad", Lily beamed at the thought- and imagining her mother's reaction if she was ever expelled.
Juliet glanced at the clock. "Okay, like we planned. Cover your outfit with your nightgown then pretend to be asleep. Miss Louise would be checking on us at about ten-thirty, so we can go at around eleven. I know everyone would be asleep by eleven thirty, so we should be safe then."
"Alright then", said Lily, taking the shirt and pants in her arms.
"I'll go now", Juliet said, making her way to the door. "Thanks for lending me your clothes and shoes, Lils."
"No problem. See you later!"
Juliet left and Lily was left to change into her 'sneak-out' clothes. She then headed to her bed and feigned sleep. She read a novel, holding her wand aloft to shed some light. At around ten-forty the main door creaked open and she heard the slight shuffling of shoes. She shoved her book and wand under her pillow and kept still and silent, save for the occasional breathing. She heard the opening of a door, probably Alessandra's, before Miss Louise entered hers. After a minute or so she left, and Lily let out a sigh of relief. After checking on Juliet, Miss Louise left the suite. Lily got up and looked out into the barren streets, dimly lit by streetlights, yet looking dark nonetheless. She figured it was a good night for an adventure- the stars were out and there were almost no one wandering about. She heard a door opening and jumped back to bed, covering her head with the quilt.
Her door opened again and she kept quiet, her heart racing.
Could Miss Louise have returned?
"Lily!"
The sound of Juliet's voice made her sit up and let out the breath she was holding.
"Blimey, I thought you were Miss Louise or something!"
"Sorry", Juliet said sheepishly, brushing strands of hair out of her eyes. "We're in the farthest room so we should be the last she checks. If I'm not wrong, she's bound to go to bed now. Madame is already in bed, so we can leave in about half an hour.
"Alright", Lily said as Juliet propped herself on her bed. She took an elastic from her bedside drawer and tying her hair with it. "We can wait until all they turn the lights off then…" she looked doubtfully at Juliet. "Are we climbing up the wall?"
"Of course we are!" Juliet said, looking at her as if she was crazy. "What do you think we'd do? Unlock the door?"
"I can do that, just don't ask me how", Lily said.
"Alright, but we better be able to lock it again!"
"I said leave it to me!"
"Okay, okay! I'm just saying!" Juliet raised her hand in apparent surrender. They began talking about what ridiculous things they would make Jacqueline do in the week she has to serve them. Some were rather mean, but it was still funny to talk about even if they wouldn't actually do it.
Right on time, the lights died down and the two of them nodded to each other. They carefully took off their nightgowns and slipped on their boots before checking if the coast is clear. Lily stowed her wand in her pocket when Juliet had her back turned, smiling slightly to herself.
They climbed down the tree outside Lily's window, fortunately, without anyone catching them. When they got to the gates, Juliet paused in her steps, staring at the large, heavy looking padlock.
"So, what's your plan? You have a hairpin or something?" she asked Lily, who merely walked past her.
"Turn around", Lily ordered.
"Why?"
"Just do it!" Lily hissed urgently. "Before someone sees us!"
Juliet stepped away. Lily whipped out her wand and pointed it at the lock. Juliet watched, amazed, as Lily held up the padlock and opened the gate.
"I don't know what you did, but you are brilliant!" Juliet said admiringly.
"Hold on, I have to replace the lock!" Lily said, securing the padlock again. Once she was sure it was in place, she looked at Juliet. Without further thoughts, they ran down the block, laughing madly. Lily could feel her heart pounding against her chest, but she didn't care- the adrenaline rush she was experiencing was amazing.
"So where to first?" Juliet asked her as they rounded around a corner.
"I don't know, you agreed to this, you tell me", shrugged Lily. "I just wanted the thrill."
"You know, it isn't safe for young women like yourselves to be out this time of night."
The voice made Lily and Juliet jump and they turned immediately, but instantly dropped their defences when they saw who spoke up. Right in front of them, with his hair messy and his eyes twinkling with the same mischievous glint, was James.
"You gave us quite a fright!" Lily scolded him. "Why'd you do that for?"
"If you weren't doing anything wrong you wouldn't be as startled!" James chuckled, looking from Lily to Juliet. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Sneaking out", Lily answered. "What, are you going to rat us out?"
"Of course not!" James said. "In fact, I commend you for your bravery! Why did you sneak out, anyway?"
"Honestly? We don't know", Lily admitted. "See, we were dared to do this, and we didn't really think about what happens after we got past the gate."
"What about you? What are you doing here this time of night?" Juliet directed the question to James, who just shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.
"Thinking, I suppose."
"Thinking? I didn't really count you as the thoughtful type", Lily said playfully.
"Of course I am!" James said, faux indignation in his face. "I assure you, dear lady, that I am an intellectual being!"
"Alright, If you say so", Juliet said, catching Lily's eye and winking.
"So, would you like me to show you around?" James offered, holding out an arm to Lily, who looked at Juliet inquiringly. Juliet nodded her consent and Lily took James's offered arm.
"Are you ready to tell me your surname now?" he asked her.
"You're not going to pursue me about that are you?" Lily complained, eyeing him warily.
"Of course I am. I must tell you, I am nothing but persistent."
"Oh, well, if you must know, my name is Lily Errol", she said. Juliet opened her mouth to protest, but Lily shot her a look. James saw the exchange and understood. He grinned and said, "Since you were so kind to tell me your surname, I shall tell you mine. It's Pearson."
Lily could tell he was playing along in her little game. "Well, nice to meet you Mr Pearson." They shook hands, and then burst out laughing.
"Lily! We need to get a rose for her highness to see that we actually snuck out!" Juliet remembered.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Let's go then!"
"We should really get it before we get too caught up in whatever we wanted to do", Juliet added, looking over at James suggestively. Lily didn't miss the gesture and glared at her friend, hoping James didn't see.
"Do you want me to escort you, ladies?" he asked, in an obvious effort to be a gentleman.
Lily made to refuse but Juliet beat her to it. "Of course you may!" she gushed. Trust Juliet to see this as a romantic opportunity.
"If you don't think it would bother you", Lily said quickly, nudging Juliet with her elbow. "We really shouldn't impose."
"Nonsense!" he said, grinning idiotically. "You know it's no problem for me!"
"Okay then", Lily said, inwardly rolling her eyes at his enthusiasm. By his expression, it seemed like nothing would please him more than accompany the two of them in their mundane quest. As much as his attitude baffled her, she couldn't help but accept that it was also rather charming.
They walked back to their block, Lily and James walking behind Juliet, who seemed keen to leave them alone.
"So, where do you live?" James asked Lily, in an attempt to start a conversation.
"Madame de Claire's", Lily said, knowing this was not the answer he was looking for.
"I knew that! I meant-" he began, annoyed. But Lily cut him off. "London", she said. "I'm assuming you live here?"
"I do, but sometimes I visit London to see friends of mine", he told her. Lily nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything further.
"You don't like me", he stated it like an accusation, not a question.
Lily looked at him curiously. "What makes you say that?" she said innocently.
"I just got the feeling", he said, shrugging.
"Well", Lily said slowly, looking at her feet, "I don't exactly like you, but it's not like I don't like you. I'm indifferent. I don't really know you enough for me to like or dislike you. You seemed like a complete arse when we met you, the way you were looking at me. And I only screamed at you because you made me fall on my bum."
"Well glad to know you don't hate me then."
"Exactly how shallow do you think I am?" Lily asked rhetorically, arching her eyebrow. Even though she didn't show it, she was strangely intrigued by James.
"You don't seem like the one who would turn her nose at the slightest mention of dirt."
"No, that would be my sister", she laughed. "Any amount of dirt would make her faint!"
"So, any chance of meeting you again?" he said hopefully. Lily flashed him a weak smile.
"Lily, we're here!" Juliet called, saving Lily the trouble of responding. Juliet had run to pick a flower, leaving the two of them alone. Lily wasted no time following her, eager to leave the awkward atmosphere between her and James.
"Well, now that we've got this", Juliet held up the flower in her hand. "What shall we do?"
"Do you really have anything you want to do? We could go back, we have classes early tomorrow morning", Lily said.
"You want to have a drink or something?" James offered. Lily and Juliet looked at each other before Lily answered, "It wouldn't hurt."
A huge grin made its way to James's face as he led the two of them to a nearby cafe.
The cafe, which was called Chateau de Fleur, had a homey feel to it, with wooden floors and brick walls. Round tables were placed in neat rows, with red tablecloths and a vase containing a single rose on top, surrounded by wooden stools. There were only a couple other people seated on the bar, where a kind-looking elderly woman was wiping glasses.
"Hello, Mrs Stevens", James greeted warmly and the woman put down the glass.
"James, my dear!" she said, looking pleased. "What are you doing here at this time of night? It's almost midnight! Your mother isn't home, then, I presume?"
"No, she's attending to some business in London", he told her.
"Well, who are these lovely young ladies?" she inquired, looking at Lily and Juliet, who were smiling from behind James.
"These are Lily and Juliet", he said, pointing to each in turn. "They study at the Finishing School."
"You won't tell Madame we snuck out, would you?" Juliet pleaded hastily, pouting. Mrs Stevens laughed heartily at the request.
"Of course I won't dearies", she said reassuringly. "This is our little secret, isn't it? Don't worry about it."
Juliet looked immensely relieved.
They settled themselves on a table near the bar, right next to an ornamental bonsai plant. They ordered some hot chocolate and pastries, and decided to talk amongst themselves. Juliet got the ball rolling.
"So you live with your parents, James?"
"Yes", he said, turning to look at her. "I'm an only child, so yes, I do live with my parents. But I just finished boarding school, so this is the first time in years I'm spending more than two months at a time at home. What about you?"
"Is this your idea of small talk, Jul?" Lily said, amused. "Asking about people's family lives?"
"Shut up and answer, Lil."
"You know my story!"
"But I don't."
The two friends looked at James, Juliet looking victorious.
"Okay", Lily sighed, "I have an older sister, and we were both raised by our parents."
"I have a younger brother", Juliet said. "He's younger than me, and we were raised by our parents too."
"You said you were in boarding school?" Lily asked, suddenly interested. "Where?"
"In the Scottish Highlands", he told her.
"Hmmm. Interesting", Lily mumbled. "I went to France, but that was where half the girls went."
"Yeah, well the Highlands are great for outdoor activity", James said.
"I suppose it is", Lily agreed absently, peering at the clock. It was only then that their drinks came and they all dug in. Lily felt instant relief as she drank, heat travelled down her throat in a comforting way. She reached for a pastry and her hand brushed James's, which was also reaching for one. She didn't withdraw it, instead she took the pastry, smiling.
"I presume you aren't concerned about your diet then, ladies?" James said, staring at Lily biting into the éclair without hesitation. "Are you kidding? Lily goes through a bag of sweets a week!" Juliet giggled, while Lily shot her a venomous look.
"You really have to tell him that?" Lily complained, giving her friend a reproaching look.
"I don't mind", James said, taking a pastry from the plate, "I might send you sweets from now on."
"Well, if you insist", Lily joked, thinking James wasn't serious. "Just so you know, I hate caramel and toffee."
"Then I'll send you chocolates and roses", he said, making Lily frown. "How awfully cliché of you", she noted.
"Lily, I think we should go back", Juliet said, looking at the clock. It was already past midnight. "Yeah, I think we should", Lily said, getting up.
"You want me to escort you two back?" James said, following them.
"No, thank you. We can manage", Lily said appreciatively. "We really bothered you enough tonight."
"Thank you, Mrs Stevens!" Juliet shouted to the elderly woman, who waved back. "No problem, dearies! Come back soon!"
James led the two out the door and started their way back to their block. They walked together until they reached a turn, where the girls turned right and James turned left.
"Goodnight then", James said as he went the other way. Lily and Juliet waved at him. "That was nice, thank you", Lily said.
"Hope to run into you again!" Juliet said.
"Well, that would be great!" James answered, looking ecstatic. "Anytime you ladies decide to sneak out, you can count on me."
"We might take you up for that offer", Lily said, turning. "Anyway, we'll see you around."
"Does that mean that we're going to see each other again?"
Lily paused thoughtfully. "We'll see."
The two carried on their walk back to the school. They safely made it back to their rooms, of course, Lily magically opening the gates and they climbed up the tree to get to Lily's open window.
"How was that for a night?" Juliet asked Lily breathlessly as they safely entered the room.
Lily didn't reply- the smile on her face was enough of an indication.
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Okay, so I wanted to get that out of the way. I hope you liked that, and of course, reviews would be much appreciated. Is it too much to ask if you can get my review count to forty before my next update? It really does motivate me, and makes me write more! By the way, did anyone who watched the last premiere cried or is it just me? My sister and I stayed up until 3 in the morning to finish it- it was well worth it! And sorry if this chapter is crappy- I've been writing it in the bus early in the morning and in the afternoon on my way to and from school, and in between classes. So yeah, give me some credit!
To answer some of the questions…
Yes, Lily is a half-blood. Her parents are both half-blood and Petunia is a squib. I wanted her to be one because I didn't want her to attend Hogwarts, and also because I wanted her to be at least acceptable in Wizarding Society, because being Muggle-born would just have people turn their noses on her. Also, I didn't make this a "Cinderella" story where Lily isn't rich because I wanted her to become, in principle, the ideal wife for a nobleman. I thought the whole 'prince and the pauper' storyline has been overdone to death- I didn't want to resort to add another cliche to my already infested story. I didn't want her to be nobility, so to compromise, I made her nouveau-riche, which means new money. They are considered by those 'old-money' types to be just as bad as middle-class people, and I thought it would be more fitting than if I say she was a middle-class girl getting engaged to a Lord.
I don't know anything about society and the 1940s, so I had to do a fair amount of research, so if something is amiss, just turn a blind eye. This is AU, anyway.
I don't know about finishing schools, and there's a rather limited pool of information about them, so I had to make up some things and base others on books I have read. So again, ignore, unless it's really off.
Neither of Lily's friends will be staying long in this story, I'm afraid… And neither of them would end up with any Marauders. I don't even know why that came up, but no. I'm still thinking of who to pair Sirius with, though and I would prefer it to be a canonical character. Any suggestions? Remus, of course, would be with Tonks. No complains, please.
Though I said Lily's friends would be likely forgotten after a while- save for mentions or something- but one of them would be coming back. Not a big role, but she would be seen again. Take a nice guess. Oh, and I purposely had their surnames as reference to someone. Any guesses on who and what the connection is? I'll dedicate the next chapter to the person who guesses correctly!
This story is set in 1946, post- WW2 era, for the reviewer who asked me. I stated it clearly in the first chapter, right on top.
Well, that's it. Any more questions, I will address in the next one. Send them in, I love answering them!