Chapter Thirty Two: "I might as well make the best of things."

The next time I actually had to look at Potter was when we boarded the train. He just had sit with his little friends. Who, by the way, sat with us.

"Evans? Hello? Earth to Evans!" Potter waved his hand infront of my face and I ignored it. I counted to ten under my breath and watched as Cassie and Bella exchanged knowing glances. I shut my eyes and curled my legs under me, after kicking off my butterfly sandals. My floaty knee-length skirt rose to my thighs and I grinned inwardly.

I rested my head against the window pane and pretended to be asleep. The conversation level rose slowly and I ignored my friends' pointed glares.

"Let's play Snap. Exploding, of course." That was Sirius' voice.

"Can we make it more exciting?" I'm sure that was Cassie, but I couldn't be positive.

"Yeah!" That was definitely Belle.

"Like how?" The little guy that hangs around with the Marauders asked stupidly.

"Like… forfeits!" I could hear Potter's inane grin.

"Dares!" Remus chuckled.

They played their first game and surprisingly, the first out was Potter.

"Okay, James. You must… kiss Lily without her noticing!" Cassie squealed uncharacteristically.

I heard Potter move towards me and lean over me. As he closed in, my eyes opened lazily.

"You should really make sure Lily can't hear when you talk about her." I smirked as Potter almost fell over himself.

"Bella wonders why Lily is referring to herself in third person."

"Cassie wonders why Lily won't just shut up and let one of the hotties of Hogwarts snog her!"

"Well, Lily doesn't exactly like Mr Potter, so she will not shut up and let him snog her." I replied simply, uncurling and standing. I stretched and my strap top exposed my toned stomach. "Lily also wonders why Cassie won't leave Lily alone with her own love life and stop trying to play matchmaker."

"Cassie likes playing the matchmaker." Cass grinned.

"Can you stop talking like that please?" The little guy shrieked.

We three girls turned to him and said in perfect unison, "But its fun!"

He shuddered in response.

The train puffed to a slow stop and we surged towards the doors. I hung back and stroked Jinx's inky-black fur. Soon, only Potter and I were left in the compartment.

I realised and grabbed my things. I slid past him and exited the train. I stood on the platform and did a quick scan. Only my mum, no Petunia. Thank God for small mercies. My mum is kind of like an older version of me, but with more wrinkles. She is smaller than me too.

She was talking to a tiny woman with a shock of neatly combed black hair and a tall, muscular man with chocolate brown eyes and little glasses.

Potter pushed past me and galloped towards the adults talking to my mother and was immediately enveloped by the small woman.

"Lily!" My mum smiled as I dropped my bags at her feet and hugged her.

"Don't get the wonderful company of Petunia? How terrible." I snickered.

"Now Lily." Mum reprimanded gently.

"Now Mum." I mimicked.

Our smiles were identical. I picked up my bags, along with Jinx's cage, and was about to walk away, when Potter caught my arm.

"Um, Lily?"

"Uhuh." I responded offhandedly.

"Would you mind if I owled you over the summer?" He looked so nervous, like a child before its angry mother.

"No. It'll be welcome. I mean, I live with Petunia!" I smiled wanly and clucked disapprovingly as my mum carried on talking to Potter's parents.

"Lily! Come here!" She chirped.

I glared and moved over.

"So, you're the girl my James is head over heels for, eh?" The other woman was immediately sizing me up.

Potter was beet red.

"Not a bad choice son. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and pretty with it. I'm Harry Potter, James' dad." He stuck out his hand, which I tentatively shook.

"Lily."

"I'm Sarah-Anne. Pleasure." Potter's mum (I think) shook my hand too.

I smiled warmly at them both and slipped an arm through Mum's. It was our little code. I squeezed four times if I wanted to stay and three if I needed to get away.

"Well, it's been wonderful meeting you both, but we must be going. Dinner won't cook itself!" Mum laughed and we walked away quickly. I grabbed my bags and piled them into our little car. It was an emerald green, that's all I know.

On the way home, Mum casually turned to me and said in a very mothering, calming voice; "You know that James boy?"

"Unfortunately." I replied shortly.

"Well, as his parents are going away for the last two weeks of summer, James and his friend who lives with them, Steven is it?, are going to stay with us." She smiled.

"Mum, it's Sirius and how could you??? Anyway, we only have one spare room." I added triumphantly.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Petunia is staying with Vernon for the whole summer!" She had won and she knew it.

"This is gonna be one long summer." I sighed despondently. Mum just smiled infuriatingly. "I might as well make the best of things."

Sorry it took so long!

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