Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the songs featured.
Not Another Very Potter Musical
Chapter Two
Sixteen Going On Seventeen
"Going to the beach again?" Petunia leaned against the doorframe of Lily's room and watched her sister pull on a pair of sporty shorts over her bikini and stuff a towel and a book in her brown leather tote bag.
Lily stuck her sunglasses, white with purple glass, in her hair which was up in its usual, bouncy ponytail "And so what if I am?"
"Maybe I could come with." The suggestion came with a shrug of Petunia's shoulders, carelessly, almost tripping off her tongue, as if she didn't really care either way. But she did. They had been in England for two weeks and while Lily had apparently made all sorts of new friends down at that blasted beach she had been stuck at home with nothing to do but help unpack or clean.
Once Lily had found her other plateau sandal she wriggled out from under her bed "No way, José."
Lily was kind of happy Petunia turned on her heel and left in a huff instead of asking why, because she wouldn't be able to tell her the real reason. At home she hadn't been too specific about whom her new friends at the beach were. Really it was just one friend. A boy. Named James.
He had walked by her house the first night with his other friend and the next day Lily had randomly bumped into him at the nearby beach. This time he had been alone, like her, and she hadn't been lying in the sun for long before he came over to ask her one question or another about her book. Having been raised by Muggle parents Lily enjoyed Muggle literature and not for the first time she was reading Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Not knowing what had possessed her she ended up nearly acting out the plot until she noticed James trying to hold a grin back.
"It's stupid." she'd said, but not really meant it. It was actually her favorite book. She expected him to agree with her, but instead he shook his head "No, it sounds really interesting. Maybe I can borrow it when you're done with it."
That day Lily had promised to be home by lunch since her father had unpacked the grill, but before she left James had gently grasped her wrist and asked if she'd be back the next day. She'd promised and every day since they'd met at the beach.
Butterflies were fluttering about in her stomach at the thought of his defined body and cute black hair he kept ruffling up. He wasn't bothered by seeming cool or full of himself like the boys she was used to at Beauxbatons.
Today he was here before her, his beach towel spread out in their usual spot a little down the beach, away from prying eyes.
"Que pasa?" he greeted her and she responded in French "Rien."
He propped himself up on his side while she unpacked her towel and undressed "Do you take French in school?"
Lily was too busy hoping he'd notice how well her green bikini matched her emerald eyes to think before she spoke "No, I go to school in France." At his surprised look she quickly added "Boarding school, that is."
She couldn't very well tell him about Beauxbatons or Hogwarts so instead she described Petunia's school, but filled it with people and professors she'd known.
James laughed in all the right places and asked all the right questions "I go to boarding school as well."
She hadn't meant to, but Lily knew she looked disappointed and distractedly chewed on her nail when James asked what was wrong "It's just nice to have a friend here is all. It's sad we'll only have this summer." She might've had sparkling emerald eyes, but right now his hazel ones were much more captivating "We should make the best of it. Want to go out to dinner tonight?"
Lily was certain she would always remember every little detail of this. The cool sand running through her fingers, an almost turquoise ocean, that little pain from a starting sunburn that almost felt good in this moment "Yes, I'd love to."
After suggesting a seafood restaurant and a time James lay with his head on Lily's knees and asked her to read from Pride And Prejudice. It annoyed her that she nearly dropped the book every time she tried holding it with one hand. She would've loved to run her fingers through those unruly black locks instead of the sand.
Leaving a little earlier than usual so they both had time to get ready, Lily practically slammed the door behind her "Mom? MOM!" she shouted, getting sand everywhere and dripping saltwater from her hair.
"She's out grocery shopping with Petunia, honey." Harry came out from the kitchen with a beer in one hand a whisk in the other. He was clearly prepping himself and a marinade for another barbecue and Lily was annoyed she would have to ask his permission instead of her mother's.
"Daddy, can I go out to dinner with some new friends?" she blinked slowly and chewed her lip, trying to remember all of the tricks that usually worked on him.
"But I'm making steaks!" he waved the whisk a little and took a sip of his beer as if to emphasize his point in case she didn't believe him.
"Daddy, please."
"Isn't it going to be a bit late before you get there? You're only sixteen."
"Soon seventeen!" Lily stubbornly pointed out "And I'm actually not leaving for a couple of hours. But I'm just going into town, eating some seafood, and I'll come straight back."
"A couple of hours! I don't even know who you're going with." Harry, as well as his wife, was a laid-back man and father, but his daughters were everything to him and it could take some time to work him over.
"Yes you do, remember Marlene McKinnon? I always played with her when we lived here. It's her and her friends; you let me go to the beach with them." Lily had to tell a little white lie, but didn't feel too guilty about it.
"The beach is ten minutes from here and you're only there in the daytime. Is this all about some boy?" Harry was prepared to let her go now, Marlene had been a good kid and he trusted Lily, but he couldn't resist yanking her chain a little.
Lily's cheeks flushed as red as her hair "No, don't say stuff like that."
When Harry could no longer keep his grin back Lily knew he'd let her go and she flung her arms around him "Thank you Daddy, you're the best!"
"Until you need something else, right?"
"We're home!" Donna and Petunia came in, heavily burdened with brown paper bags stuffed to the brink. Lily grabbed one, Harry another and the entire family shuffled into the kitchen where Harry had left the radio on and the counter was a mess.
"Before I forget Lily, Marlene called and asked for you. She'd really like to see you. You used to be such good friends and it might be nice to know someone at school." Donna said as she was putting some cartons of milk into the fridge.
Harry sent Lily a knowing look and she discreetly put her forefinger over her mouth to signal to him not to say anything "Lily already talked to Marlene, they're going out for a dinner later. I said it was alright."
Donna smiled "Splendid."
Petunia wasn't as pleased "What am I supposed to do then? Everybody I knew doesn't live here anymore and all of my friends are in Paris."
"Maybe you could go with them, Sweetie." Donna suggested, but again Harry quickly saved Lily "No, no, I can't have all of my girls leaving me. And we'll certainly not let this marinade go to waste." He offered a spoon to Petunia, but she waved it away while Donna short flirty eyes at her husband "It might've been romantic to be alone."
"It can still be." He pulled her in for a kiss and they continued until Petunia exclaimed "Gross!" and stormed off to her room. Lily also left, too happy to be grossed out. Now to find the right dress.
Lily arrived at the restaurant about ten minutes late. She had asked James to meet her there instead of picking her up by her house even though they lived close by, so her mother and Petunia wouldn't be suspicious.
She had picked out a colorful, paisley patterned dress with a brown leather belt in the waist to match her shoes and bag and was happy she hadn't dressed fancier than that. It was a cozy, little restaurant. They got a table on the terrace outside that faced a little square in the town surrounded by other restaurants and bars.
"You look beautiful." James complimented her before he pulled out her chair and Lily nearly swooned into her seat. She hadn't even dared to dream she ever meet a guy this romantic, at least not her own age.
Age soon became a factor when the waiter offered them wine with their food, Lily wanted to try a glass, but James narrowed his eyes and asked her how old she was "Seventeen." she reluctantly said and even that was a lie.
James ordered sodas for them both and took her hand across the table "Are you really seventeen?" he good naturedly teased her.
"I'm actually just sixteen." Lily said, not wanting to lie to James "But people treat me like such a baby when they find out, and I'm almost seventeen."
You wait, little girl, on an empty stage,
For fate to turn the light on,
Your life, little girl, is an empty page,
That men will want to write on
"Only sixteen, huh? Then you are practically a baby. It's a good thing you have an older man here to help and protect you." James said it all with smiles in his eyes, not wanting to offend Lily.
To write on
Lily didn't have time to get offended, she nervously considered if James could be older than she had thought "How old are you?"
"Seventeen." he laughed when he saw her displeased expression, clearly she didn't like him thinking he was superior because of a tiny age difference.
You are sixteen going on seventeen,
Baby it's time to think,
Better beware, be canny and careful,
Baby, you're on the brink
You are sixteen going on seventeen,
Fellows will fall in line,
Eager young lads and rogues and cads,
Will offer you food and wine,
The waiter came back with their sodas and food and Lily's eyes shone with hunger even though she was a little overwhelmed by the amount. They had both ordered Mixed Seafood Platters, Lily on a suggestion from James, and she didn't know whether to start with lobster, scallops or the calamari with garlic dressing.
When she reached out for a calamari, James stopped her "Are you sure you want to risk the bad breath." Lily thought she might know what promise lay in that warning and just slightly pushed the dressing away.
Totally unprepared are you,
To face a world of men,
Timid and shy and scared are you,
Of things beyond your ken,
You need someone older and wiser,
Telling you what to do,
I am seventeen going on eighteen,
I'll take care of you,
When they were done eating and James had taken care of the bill, Lily had sucked in her breath when she heard the amount and immediately knew the ten pounds her father had given her wouldn't be enough, he invited her to one of the bars nearby.
"A cola and a dance maybe?"
Lily nodded eagerly, all the new feelings James had inspired within her made her crave more of him, his company and everything he was offering to her. Inside the bar they stuck with sodas and while they waited for the bartender to get their drinks, older men leered at Lily and made comments to each other.
Being a bit sheltered in her school environment, where she only had to fend off young boys, Lily didn't quite know how to handle it. James dealt with it by pulling her away to another spot and telling her to ignore them. Love makes us blind, but especially first romances and Lily didn't see anything but James.
I am sixteen going on seventeen,
I know that I'm naïve,
Fellows I meet may tell me I'm sweet,
And willingly I believe,
I am sixteen going on seventeen,
Innocent as a rose,
Bachelor dandies, drinkers of brandies,
What do I know of those?
When a song came on that both of them liked they swirled out on the floor in a dance that left both of them breathless. She had no trouble letting James lead her around, even though her dates at school balls had always complained about her taking the lead.
Totally unprepared am I,
To face a world of men,
Timid and shy and scared am I,
Of things beyond my ken,
I need someone older and wiser,
Telling me what to do,
You are seventeen going on eighteen,
I'll depend on you,
It was past her curfew when James walked Lily to her house. There was only a light on in Petunia's room. They hadn't spoken much on the way home, just held hands and occasionally made a comment on the good food or something they passed by.
When they stood in front of her house Lily knew what was coming and she welcomed it when James dipped his head to let his lips meet hers. Lily had kissed boys before, but it had never felt anything like this. Little fireworks set off inside her and by the way James kept grasping her tighter and not breaking their kiss she guessed he felt the same.
Eventually they needed air and James had to go home so they said goodbye, but not before making plans for the next day.
Most of the summer they spend in each other's company, deliriously happy and in love. So when James left for an extended weekend trip with his family, Lily was inconsolable at first. But suddenly having time to herself and other things she started remembering her old self before she started feeling like she was only one half of her and James.
She exploited the time to finally see Marlene who she so far had only spoken to on the phone or used as an excuse when she was out late with James.
"Lily, it's so cool that you're back here." Marlene hugged Lily tightly and the two girls hurried to Lily's room where they put on an Abba record and clutched their ice-tea glasses.
In Lily's childhood they'd lived in the same town, only another end and Marlene and Lily had been the best of friends. They always expected to go to Hogwarts together until the Evans family moved away. In the beginning Marlene and Lily had written each other, but that soon died out and they enjoyed discovering the people they were now.
"So who is this guy that has taken up all of your time?" Marlene asked, biting her straw.
Lily gushed about James, explaining some things in excruciating detail while leaving out others because it was something she felt she should keep between James and herself. Marlene nodded distractedly, thinking this guy sounded a little boring.
When Lily got to a story about sneaking out one night Marlene's interest perked up "So did you guys …?"
"What? No! Marlene, honestly. Although …"
Honey honey, how he thrills me, ah-hah honey honey,
Honey honey, nearly kills me, ah-hah honey honey,
I've heard about him before, I wanted to know some more,
And now I know what they mean, he's a love-machine,
Oh, he makes me dizzy!
Marlene quickly cut through Lily's romantic illusions "Look if you feel dizzy, it's not a guy, it's just because you're shoes are too tall. This is how he should make you feel …" she leaned in and whispered in Lily's ears in case her parents were home from work.
Honey honey let me feel it, ah-hah honey honey,
Honey honey don't conceal it, ah-hah honey honey,
The way that you kiss goodnight,
They way that you hold me tight,
I feel like I wanna sing,
When you do your thing!
Lily blushed at Marlene's words, but they did pique her interest and poke at that little bit of bad girl streak that was hidden somewhere inside her. She told Marlene about the one time James and she had gone skinny dipping and the rest of the day the two girls exchanged secrets and giggled, their whispered words masked by the Abba record.
Honey honey touch me baby, ah-hah honey honey,
Honey honey hold me baby, ah-hah honey honey,
You look like a movie star,
But I know just who you are,
And, honey, to say the least, you're dog-gone beast!
When James and his family got back from their weekend trip he was surprised to find out that he had actually missed Lily a bit. On that first day at the beach it had been easy to figure out what sort of type she liked and it actually hadn't been that difficult for him to pretend to be that guy. He mostly just acted opposite what he would normally do.
She was leaving for boarding school at the end of the summer and he was going to Hogwarts so he couldn't see much harm in fooling her, they both got what they wanted and no one would get hurt. Well, James didn't get exactly what he wanted; Lily was a bit old fashioned on that.
But unlike some of the girls at school he could actually talk to her and Sirius was too exhausted from his job to figure out that James was lying when he sometimes exaggerated what actually went on at the beach.
Summer was coming to an end though and he would have to break up with Lily soon. Remus and Peter were coming back from their vacations and all four Marauders had already planned to meet on the last day before the mandatory trip to Diagon Alley and general hustle and bustle before school starts at an old junkyard that used to be a paradise for them when they were younger and would play there all day long.
After unpacking James went over to Lily's house and threw some pebbles at her window. As soon as she saw him her face lit up in a smile and he started feeling a little guilty, but reminded himself she always knew it would end with the summer.
She came outside in her pajamas, seemingly unaware that they made her look younger and that her hair was a ruffled mess "I missed you." she whispered, pulling him in for a hug.
He briefly kissed her forehead "Missed you too." he said, looking for those words he'd used before when breaking up with girls "Listen Lil', summer's ending pretty soon and I've got plans with some friends so I think this is it for us."
"Already?" she asked and James could hear the tears threatening to spill. He pulled her closer "Yeah, I think so. We both knew that, right?"
Lily nodded and they only exchanged some ordinary pleasantries before parting again. James felt a little rotten, he knew he'd be his old self tomorrow with the Marauders, but Lily's shoulders shook in a tell-tale way even before she was inside the house.
And boy did Lily cry. Immediately after James' unexpected and abrupt break-up she rushed to her mother and hid her head in the crook of her neck, enjoying her perfume that smelled of familiarity and comfort.
"Mom, it's so horrible." Lily cried and Donna stroked her hair, rocking her back and forth "I know, baby."
You are sixteen going on seventeen,
Waiting for life to start,
Somebody kind who touches your mind,
Will suddenly touch your heart,
"How could I be so stupid? I knew he was going away for boarding school. But he just seemed so cold when he ended it." Lily complained, gasping for air because she wasn't really done crying yet.
When that happens, after it happens,
Nothing is quite the same,
Somehow I know I'll jump up and go,
If ever he calls my name,
"You're not stupid, baby. It's brave to love. It just takes time to find the right one to love." Donna whispered, her heart breaking for her daughter.
Gone are your old ideas of life,
The old ideas grow dim,
Lo and behold you're someone's wife,
And you belong to him,
You may think this kind of adventure,
Never may come to you,
Darling sixteen going on seventeen,
Wait a year …
Lily looked up at her mother with puffy eyes and a running nose "It just takes time?"
I'll wait a year …
"Just time." Donna assured her.
Just wait a year, or two,
Other than a little light and a characteristic sweet smell in the air, nothing much revealed James, Sirius, Remus and Peter hanging out at the junkyard that night. Sirius was so ecstatic that he was finally done with his job that he'd spent some of his hard earned money on a bit of marijuana.
They were passing the joint between them, Sirius and James breathing in deep, Peter coughing and looking green and Remus abstaining completely. He had tried some with James and Sirius last summer and didn't like how it had made him feel out of control and later nauseous.
"It's good stuff." Sirius promised, although he wouldn't really know. It was only the third time he tried some and he was actually getting a bit tired of it already.
"Remember when we played Aurors and Death Eaters here? And when we accidentally locked Sirius inside that old Muggle fridge thing?" James giggled uncontrollably. One could think it was because of the joint, but all four of the Marauders were laughing, even Sirius.
"Yes, you laugh, but I've been scared of tight, confined spaces ever since." Sirius insisted.
"Now, that's just not true." Remus piped in and since he rarely sunk to their level James and Sirius hollered loudly. Peter asked them to be quiet "We'll wake people." he whispered.
Sirius booed "Who cares? They must be used to that by now."
Take it back to the place where you know it all began,
We can be anything we wanna be,
You can tell by the noise that the boys are back again,
Together makin' history,
This is our town, and I'm telling you all,
The boys are back,
Gonna do it again,
Gonna wake up the neighborhood!
The boys are back, the boys are back,
Climbin' up the walls, anytime we want,
The word is out, the boys are back,
"We also played Super Wizard, remember?" Sirius took of his long sleeved shirt and tied it around his neck pretending it was a cape. It almost turned to a sport for them to remember their childhood games.
Keep dealing with the right, when we fight, every single time, undefeated!
Here in our house, yeah,
We can rock, we can shock, when we like,
Tonight we're going all out, I think it's time to show how to be a superhero,
This is our town and I'm telling you all,
The boys are back,
Gonna do it again,
Gonna wake up the neighborhood!
The boys are back, the boys are back,
Climbin' up the walls, anytime we want,
The word is out, the boys are back,
"Gryffindors vs Slytherins!" Peter remembered and Remus and James high-fived "Slytherin always lost."
"To be fair they were people's old teddy bears."
"So?" Sirius asked "Not much difference between that and actual Slytherins." Once again they all laughed and hollered, feeling more high on their youth than anything else.
Here to change the world,
To solve a mystery, fight the battle, save the girl, no one can stop us now,
We're the ones who make the rules,
The boys are back!
No need to worry 'cause,
The boys are back!
They didn't leave the junkyard until several people living nearby had opened their windows and shouted for them to 'Shut up and go home' and threatened to call the police. Peter and Remus used the floo at the Potters' to get home and Sirius and James stumbled upstairs, barely managing to say goodnight to each other without bursting into another giggle fit.
A/N: The songs used in this chapter are: Sixteen Going On Seventeen from The Sound of Music, Honey Honey from Mamma Mia, Sixteen Going On Seventeen Reprise from The Sound of Music and The Boys Are Back from High School Musical 3. Some of the songs have been altered a bit to better fit with the story. Lily might seem a bit too easy influenced by James, but generally in musicals exaggeration is appreciated. I've also tried to respect that this story takes place in the 70's. Please review.