Chapter 2- LAY
"Lily…." A voice sang.
"No." I groaned.
"Okay, but don't come whining to me when you miss your last meal with your favorite French wizards and miss that deathtrap you call an airplane that's taking you back to England." The voice was louder now.
I shot up to see my roommate of three years laughing at me. "Elaine I hate you."
"You know, in these three years you've been here, you've changed a lot, but one thing that never changed is how bad you are at getting up in the….afternoon."
I gasped. "Is it really afternoon?"
"12:13 to be exact. When's your plane again?"
"4:30. We're supposed to meet Marc, Juliette and Jaqueline, and Noel for lunch at 1:00."
"Well then you'd better get a move on, right?" Elaine giggled.
"Elaine there's a reason you went to Beauxbatons, not Hogwarts, your accent is much too thick to pull off English sayings, even if you are fluent." I raced out of my bed to finish packing.
"Making fun of me on our last day as roommates?" She pouted, her long blond hair getting in her face. "I was your first friend in France!" She put her hand over her heart dramatically.
I gave her a hug. "I still love you girl."
She grinned. "Je t'aime trop." I glared at her. "I know, I know, you're terrible with languages."
I dressed comfortably, prepared for a plane ride. Elaine was silent for a while, helping me pack up the last of my belongings. She would magic them to my parent's house, where I was staying until I found a new apartment. "I think that's the last of it," I announced about ten minutes later.
Elaine sighed. "Yeah, that is," She mumbled.
"I'll come and visit, I promise!" I tried to cheer her up.
"Isn't that what you told your English friends? And you've only been home, what, twice, in the last three years, for both of your parent's funerals?" I was silent. "And you wrote every day for about six months, and then it pretty much stopped. Be honest, when was the last time you communicated with your friends from England?"
"I Owled my friends not too long ago, my girlfriends and I are having a sleepover at my parents' place tonight."
"But before that?" Elaine asked skeptically.
"It's been a good year and a half, maybe two years." I admitted sadly. "You know how busy I was with work."
"And what about that boy that you were so in love with at the beginning, and haven't mentioned in at least two and a half years, what happened to him?"
"Well, he became a big fancy Quidditch star, and stopped returning my owls. That one wasn't my fault." I insisted, trying to block him out of my mind. It sure wasn't my fault he was busy all the time with his new life.
"Oh yeah that's right, because once he hadn't returned an owl for something like three months you had that fling with Marc." I flushed. It wasn't something I was proud of, taking advantage of my friend like that. "Face it girl, you have no idea what you're going back into. You're completely different from when I met you."
"Not-not completely different," I started.
"Yes completely different. When we met you were this uptight little schoolgirl just out of your final exam, now, you're a relaxed, carefree French woman."
I shrugged, checking my watch. "Hey, it's time to go." I took one final glance around the apartment that had been my home for the better part of the last three years, silently saying goodbye.
We had agreed to meet down at the café below our apartment building. It was very classy, very French, and had become one of my favorite places over the past few years, styled much like a Muggle coffee shop. My friends were waiting at our regular booth, which was long since too small for us.
Jacqueline and Juliette, the brunette twins, exclaimed in unison "Lily!" and rushed forward to hug me tightly. I laughed and sighed at the same time. After Elaine aided in prying them off me, Marc and Noel came forward for their hugs.
"I can't believe you're finally going back, after all this time." Noel commented sadly.
"Me either, frankly," I admitted. "I left so much behind there, I'm not sure I can just pick up where I left off." As soon as Janelle, our waitress, saw me, she smiled and knew exactly what I wanted. "I'm going to miss you all, you won't be able to help me face my ex-boyfriend."
"You can always owl us and complain," Marc reasoned.
"Since we know you will anyway." Noel added. Janelle brought me butterbeer and foccacia bread.
"Janelle, I'll miss you too." I announced dramatically. Janelle laughed and gave me a hug.
"No more little British girl," She said sadly, pouting.
I laughed. "I'm just a modern French woman going back to her British past, to what she had left behind."
"Will I hear from you soon?" Janelle asked me.
"Of course, you and Noel are getting married! I'll be back in a couple months for the wedding, I'm a bridesmaid, remember?"
She grinned. "Your food's on the house today, Merlin knows you've spent enough at this place."
"Thanks." I smiled. She walked back towards the kitchen. I turned back to Noel. "What did you do?" I asked him, intrigued.
"Nothing." He whined. "Is it so wrong to ask a girl to dress up in a certain outfit for her fiancé?"
"Yes!" Elaine, Juliette, Jaqueline, and I insisted in unison.
I sighed." I'm going to really miss you guys. I almost don't remember my British friends."
"Lily, if you're going on a plane, you'd best be going. It's almost 2, and you know how long those checks take. Marc, being my muggle-born companion, knew when it was time for me to go.
I feigned crying. "Okay, well, bye guys." I gave each of them a hug, and kissed Marc and Noel on the cheek.
"We'll write you, even when you don't write us," Elaine promised, and I stuck my tongue out at her. "Maybe I was wrong about the maturity difference," She commented. I stood up.
"Take care of her, ok?" I whispered to Juliette and Jacqueline. They nodded eagerly. "Noel, no means no, take care of Janelle, this is a stressful time for her. Marc, take care of Noel, Janelle is going to make this a stressful time for him, as well. Remember Noel, your main job as groom is to wear the clothes they lay out for you and do exactly what you're told, if you're a good boy you get to go to Bora Bora with Janelle afterwards." Both Noel and Marc saluted to me. I looked around at my friends, the ones who had taken me from a heartbroken girl to a vibrant young woman. I began to tear up again. "I'd better go before I start crying again."
They all nodded silently. "We'll kidnap you soon, Lily." Jacqueline promised. I smiled.
"I'll miss you." I told all of them, and with all the determination I had in me, I got up from the booth and walked out the door.
I walked down the street carefully, looking all around the magical part of Paris. It truly was beautiful- and it had become my home, especially after my parents died. I walked slowly by the wand shop, the joke shop (which had for so long reminded me of him) and then past the bookstore Elaine owned, where I had met her, and at the edge of the Magical part of the city, I apparated away.
I appeared in the washroom of the airport. I still had two hours before boarding, but I decided to go through checks anyway. I only had one suitcase and a carry-on with me, but somehow it still took an hour before I made it through the stupid checks.
I sat down somewhere relatively near my gate, looking for something to do. "Alice?" I asked, looking at a dark haired girl five seats to my left.
The girl turned. "Lily Evans? Is it really you?" She exclaimed, bouncing over and giving me a hug. "Where have you been?"
"I spent the last three years working in the Department of Mysteries for the French Ministry of Magic. I've only made it home twice since then, for both of my parents' funerals."
"I heard about that," she said. "I'm really sorry."
I smiled sadly. "Yeah, me too. What's new in your life? Did you and Frank finally get married?" I looked towards her left hand.
"Yes," she happily replied. "Last summer."
"Only took him four years after Hogwarts, all the fifth years thought you two would be getting married right out of your seventh year." I joked.
"Tell me about it Lily. So whatever happened with you and James Potter?"
She had to bring up him. "Well, we ended up dating for most of seventh year, and we broke up right after, when I had to move here, and he was starting with the Wimbourne Wasps."
"Oh that reminds me," she began, fishing around in a brown flowered bag I hadn't noticed before. She pulled out a copy of The Daily Prophet. "There's an article about him in here. How much have you heard about what's been going on in England?"
I flushed. "Basically, nothing."
She grinned. "Page three." I quickly flipped to the third page.
What's Next with James Potter?
An exclusive interview by Rita Skeeter
James Harold Potter, 20, most famous for aiding England
In defeating Romania in the Quidditch World Cup last year,
has just become England's youngest retiree. He formally
resigned from his position in a major press conference yesterday,
hinting that the reason being simply because he's already got
a championship ring. He stated "I'm very
happy with the way that England played last year,
and I'm very happy with the way the Wimbourne Wasps
played this year, under my captainship. This is nothing against
either of those teams, and I do not believe I will return to
professional Quidditch." Your Daily Prophet report was able to
get an interview with the dashing young man after the
press conference.
Me- So what are your plans for the rest of this
summer?
JP- (laughs) I may take a trip down to the beach
with Sirius.
Me- Are you referring to Sirius Black, beater for the Tornadoes?
JP- That would be the one. Best friends since we were 8.
Me- And what are your plans for, say, the rest of your life?
JP- I'm not sure yet. But that's the beauty
of this early retirement. I don't know what
I'm doing next week, or next month.
Me- And what about next year, do you have any plans?
JP- (mysteriously ) Now Rita, I can't tell you that. But
I can tell you that I am very excited about them.
Me- So is there a woman in your life now that your
ex-girlfriend, Sarah Fletcher, daughter of Chris Fletcher,
Manager of the Wimbourne Wasps, has gotten married?
JP- (pauses) I'm not sure.
Me- Care to elaborate?
JP- I'm afraid I can't tell you that either. But Rita,
be assured that when I find a woman
I want to marry, I'll never let her go.
Me- Ever the charmer, Mr. Potter, thank you so much
for your time.
JP- Wonderful to meet you, Rita, do call again
sometime, I can introduce you to Sirius.
He loves a good challenge.
Me- (Blushes furiously)
I looked up from the article, "Do you ever see him anymore?"
She nodded. "Occasionally, when he visits the Ministry, we'll chat for a few minutes."
"How is he?"
She pondered the question for a moment. "Good, I think. But I never got the feeling he was truly satisfied with his life. Maybe that's why he's quitting, to figure out what he wants to do to satisfy him."
"Yeah I guess. So are you headed back to be at the Order of the Phoenix meeting tonight?"
"Yes I am! Will you be there?" She asked gleefully.
"Yes! This will be my first one in three years, since right after I turned seventeen." I replied.
We chatted about this and that for a while, and at 4:15 proceeded on to our plane. It wasn't a long flight- and it wasn't very crowded, so I sat with Alice and we talked the whole time, remembering things from Hogwarts. The plane ride ended far too soon, and we arrived at Heathrow. I told Alice goodbye, and quickly apparated to my parents' home in Surrey. My boxes had already arrived, I noted with a sadness. Then I noticed a note on top
Hey Lily! We love you, and we'll miss you! Come visit us soon! – Your French crew
I sighed, not used to being unable to turn around and talk to Elaine from across the apartment. It would take time.
I wandered around the house for a while, not having been there since my parents had passed away. My sister, Petunia, had already moved out and married, before I even finished school, and we had agreed to keep the house until I moved back and could be involved in selling it. At 6:25 I apparated again to the scarlet front door of The Potters. I knocked.
The door swung open. "Lily!" exclaimed Mrs. Potter. "It's great to see you!" She pulled me into a hug.
I laughed. "It's great to see you too, Mrs. Potter."
"You look wonderful, darling. Now the meeting's in the dining room, you remember where that is?"
"Of course Mrs. Potter, it hasn't been that long." I replied. I walked inside. The Potter's mansion was truly amazing. The front hall was almost completely marble, with a beautiful white staircase. It led off to several different rooms, including the living room, the study, and the dining room.
I walked eagerly toward the dining room. "LILY!" I heard voices shout. I was then attacked. My attacker turned out to be Dorcas Meadows, followed quickly by Mary McDonald. "Did you just get back from France?" Dorcas asked.
"About an hour ago," I confessed. They gaped at me.
Dorcas stepped aside as Sirius came through. He lifted me up and swung me around "PETAL!" He shouted.
I chuckled. "Lily? You ok?" He asked. He rotated me so that I could face him. "You never let me call you Petal."
Smiling, I retorted, "Well I guess I grew up. When are you going to?"
He laughed, a deep throaty bellow that made me feel at home. "There's the Petal I know. You look great honey." He then set me down.
Remus was behind him. "Hey Lily," He said, smiling. "Back to this time zone for only an hour and you're already making fun of Sirius again?"
"Of course," I answered, hugging him tightly, "I may be three years older, but I'm still me."
He laughed. "We've missed you Lily."
"I missed you too," I replied, sitting down next to Mary and Sirius. I then looked around the room. Next to Mary was Emmeline Vance, a Ravenclaw a few years older than me, next to her Marlene McKinnon, another Ravenclaw, in my year, next to Marlene was Fabian and Gideon Prewett, who I knew as Molly Weasley's older brothers. There were a few empty chairs next to them. Edgar Bones and Caradoc Dearborn (both Hufflepuffs, at least seven years older than me) were on their other side, next to them, Benjy Fenwick, a Hufflepuff a year above me. Frank and Alice Longbottom were next to Benjy, both in Gryffindor, and both two years older than me. By them was Sturgis Podmore, three years older and also in Gryffindor, then Alastor Moody, (about ten years older than me, in Gryffindor). On his other side was Peter Pettigrew (who looked scared as usual), and next to Peter was….him.
"Well, let's get this party started!" Professor Dumbledore floated in cheerfully, followed by Professor McGonagall, looking prim as ever. "Lily!" He noticed me, smiling brightly. I grinned back at him. "Well if Lily's back, then this is certainly a cause for celebration! There will be desserts at the end!."
"It's good to be back, Professor." I answered. "Three years in France and I still only know just enough French to get by."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Now Ms. Evans, you've been out of Hogwarts for three years, you can call me Albus."
"It just feels wrong, though."
Dumbledore chuckled. "All right, now, as you may have noticed, we're missing a few. Doge and Diddle are both out helping me, I'm not quite sure where Molly and Arthur are…"
Molly chose that moment to rush in, in the process knocking over a few knick knacks from the stand behind the dinner table. "Sorry Albus, we were just walking out the door when Fred and George decided to pitch a fit, so Arthur isn't going to make it today."
Dumbledore nodded. "All right then." Molly hurried to an empty seat. "Now, as you all know, the murder of Auriga Wright was a great shock to us all. Voldemort is moving more quickly than ever, and I fear he may be after immortality…"
I snuck a glance at James as Dumbledore continued on. He was staring down at the table in front of him. As much as I hated to admit it, he looked great. He had cut his shaggy hair short so that it framed his face, while growing stubble on his face. He was dressed in muggle clothes, a tight blue shirt that framed his robust body and jeans that showed off his toned legs. I let out a tiny sigh, and then cursed myself for allowing myself to look. I quickly looked down at myself and was thankful that I had changed out of my flight clothing. I had put on a pair of light blue jeans that showed off my curves, and a green paisley shirt that Elaine had given me, from France. Of course, half of my shirt was covered by my long wavy red hair. I wondered if he had noticed, since my hair had always been kept shoulder-length at Hogwarts.
Snap out of it, Lily. I thought sternly to myself, and focused on Dumbledore. "So, while we are sullen over the fact that Minerva will be away, it will be great to have Mr. Potter working for us."
"I'm pretty excited about it myself, Albus." James called out.
"You should be aware, James, that professors can't pull pranks." Professor McGonagall informed him with a stern glance." James pouted.
"But anyway, I think that's all for tonight! Now, The Potter's house elf Lindy whipped up some desserts for us, so if you'd all like to proceed to the kitchen, you'll be filled with delights." Sirius, James, and Remus were gone instantly, which made Dumble- Albus chuckle.
I rose with Mary and Dorcas. "Lily?" I turned to face Benjy Fenwick. "It's absolutely wonderful to have you back."
"That's so sweet," I remarked. "How are you doing?"
"I'm great, I'm working at the Ministry, you know, not always the most fun job, but its steady." I nodded. "I was just wondering Lily, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me tomorrow night?"
"Absolutely, that sounds great." Take that, James Potter. I heard two small gasps from behind me, where Dorcas and Mary stood.
"I'll pick you up at 7?" He smiled eagerly.
"That's perfect."
"Well great, I'll see you then." He then turned and walked toward the kitchen, and I felt a little satisfied. I turned, ready to greet more people.
"Lily!" Molly yelped. "Trust the one time I'm late to be when you return to us!" She rushed over and hugged me firmly.
I laughed. "How are you?"
"I'm great! Five sons, you know, I stay busy, but I'm honestly great, how about you, how's life?"
"I'm pretty good, you know, no boyfriend, no job, but I just came back from an amazing experience and I'm just happy with that right now."
She smiled warmly. "That's good then." I nodded.
"You know, I'm actually pretty happy to hear that," Du-Albus called, walking towards us. "Ms. Evans, I have a proposition for you."
"Sir?"
"I want you to come be the Charms professor at Hogwarts." I gaped. "Would that be totally ridiculous of me?"
"You-you want me?" I spluttered. "That's only been my dream forever!"
Albus grinned. "So you'll do it!" I could only nod enthusiastically. "Well then I will see you August 31, King's Cross station, Platform 9 and 3/4, at 11 o'clock."
I stood there in shock as he walked towards the kitchen. "Lily, we've got pretty much every junk food available to take to your house for tonight, so would you like to go ahead and go?" Dorcas asked.
I was silent. "I think she's in shock," Mary commented.
"Well then just bring her along." Dorcas whined, impatiently. Mary shrugged, grabbed me, and apparated to my living room.
"That's not fair," I complained.
Mary rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say Lils, we've got major catching up to do."
It appeared all the junk food had been delivered already, as well as three cots with comfortable-looking royal blue sheets and pillows on them. I shrugged, claiming one and sprawling out on it.
"So was France everything you always dreamed of?" Mary questioned, laying on the cot to my left, and summoning a Chocolate Frog.
"And more," I answered happily. "You two would love it. But the best part was the friends I made. You'd love them, they were kind of like the French version of you guys, but different at the same time. Remember how the three of us used to fret over grades and boys and such? That's the mindset I went there with, stressing all the time. My friends there taught me to enjoy life more. "
"I can't believe it's been three years. Three years ago Dorcas and Remus were still dating." Mary commented.
"And now we couldn't be more like brother and sister," Dorcas replied firmly.
"Yeah what happened with that?" I asked Dorcas.
"Just wasn't meant to be, after a couple months we both realized that. It was kind of a bummer though, he such a great guy. What happened with you and James, on that note?"
I closed my eyes. "He broke his promise. He promised me he would wait for me, and he didn't."
"Lily he was miserable for a while. Quite frankly, sometimes he still looks it. You two may have grown up separately, but I don't think he's over you."
"Quite frankly," I retorted, "I don't even really care anymore. I'm so done with James Potter."
"Are you sure about that?" Mary wondered. "You two are working together now, you're going to be in close quarters every single day."
"Oh Merlin, I didn't realize that. That's going to be pretty bad." I grumbled.
"Maybe, I think you'll learn easily enough to deal with it. From what I've seen of French Lily, I like her already." I beamed.
"And what about this date with Benjy Fenwick, how is that going to play into all this?"
"What?" I played innocent. "He's cute, we used to think so."
We bantered back and forth for hours, catching up on each other's lives. I had dreaded coming home so much, and now it felt perfect. I had a job, I had a date. I had a future.