Be Here Now

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling!

A/N: Hey everybody! Thanks for the three reviews… Was it hard?

Eclare LJ and Percabeeth: Maybe… I am too! I know, I was kind of reluctant to do that, but hey, I've gotta do what I gotta do. Maybe for this chapter you could motivate people to review so I can update faster!

Ally Manuso: We shall see. We shall see. :D

OliWest: How was your holiday? No problem, I'm here to please! :D Thank you, and here it is! Enjoy!

And now, chapter eighteen!

x.o.x.o.x.

"LILY! WAKE UP! WE HAVE TO BE ON THE TRAIN SOON!"

Lily jerks awake, angry. "Alice!"

Alice grins. "Get up, darling Lily."

Lily growls. "Run, Alice dear, run before I come after you with my wand!"

Alice squeaks, but keeps her grin on while she runs away.

Lily, shaking her head, rises from bed, waves her wand lazily, and watches her belongings pack themselves neatly into her trunk. She then showers very quickly, dresses, and lugs her trunk downstairs.

"You are a witch, you know," an amused James says as he observes her struggles.

Lily sticks her tongue out, but pulls out her wand and levitates it to the portrait. She glances at James, who is sprawled across one of the sofas comfortably. "What ungodly hour did you get up at?"

"Lily, it's nearly eleven," James patiently reminds her.

Lily rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Let's go, isn't it time?"

"Nearly. But don't you want breakfast?" James questions.

Lily scoffs. "Aren't you a wizard?" she mocks, twirling her wand and Summoning food from the kitchen passageway. She slathers marmalade on toast and gobbles it up.

"Lily, about Marlene…"

Lily bites on a slice of toast harder than necessary. "What?" she snaps.

"She shouldn't have done that to you."

Lily sighs. "I know that, James. Is Hilary still bringing her?"

James shakes his head. "No, Hilary withdrew her invitation. It's just you three."

Lily nods. "She didn't have to do that. I bet they're all still friends."

James shakes his head again. "Alice and Hilary are immensely loyal to you, more so than to Marlene and they no longer have friendship ties to Marlene McKinnon."

Lily's eyes mist over. "I have the best friends in the world."

"I quite agree," James says very softly.

Lily's questioning eyes land on him. "What was that?"

James shakes his head. "Nothing."

"Okay, if you say so," Lily says slowly, and rises. Before she swings the portrait open, however, she turns slowly on her heel and regards James carefully. "James?"

James raises his hazel eyes to meet Lily's emerald ones. "Yes, Lily?"

Lily stays silent for a minute. "Thank you. Thank you for reminding me of who I am. Thank you for making me realize that he wasn't worth my tears and wallowing. Thank you for being there. It took me a long time to see it, but you are a true friend." And she leaves.

James stares after her, a feeling of warmth and triumph spreading through him. He still loved her dearly, more than anything in the world, and hearing that just made his Christmas.

x.o.x.o.x.

The three Marauders and three young women disembark the Hogwarts Express when it pulls into King's Cross Station.

Immediately, James and Hilary's identical eyes sweep over the platform, searching for their parents. "There!" Hilary cries, pointing, before running over.

"Hilary!" Charles Potter, who looks a lot like his only son, exclaims, sweeping his eldest daughter into a hug.

Natalia Potter, an elegant woman with deep red hair and sparkling hazel eyes, hugs both her children tightly and smiles at them. "Welcome back, darlings."

James stoops down to his seven-year-old sister's height. "Hey, Izzy!"

Isabel smiles at her older brother. "Hi James."

Hilary stands above them, beaming at her sister. "Izzy!"

"Now introduce us to your friends!" Natalia orders in a joking manner. She was never one to order her children about, unless it was in a desperate situation or in a joking way.

James laughs and says, "You know my mates already, Mum."

Natalia laughs along with him. "Of course! Sirius, who spends his whole summer here, and darling Remus!"

Both Marauders grin charmingly and hug Natalia, shake Charles's hand, and engage Isabel in a conversation.

"And you know Alice," Hilary begins, gesturing at Alice. "She's been here before for the Christmas holidays. And this is Lily Evans."

Lily smiles brightly at the Potter parents and steps forward, shaking their hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

Charles waves this off. "Call us Charles and Natalia. Likewise, Lily. James here has been ranting and raving about you for years!"

Lily laughs, eyes twinkling. "What does he say, Charles?"

James groans. "Lily!"

Lily grins innocently at him and copies his movement from before, stooping to Isabel's height. "It's wonderful to meet you, Isabel! Your brother and sister have told me so many great things about you! Are you a great Quidditch player like James?"

Isabel nods shyly. "I love Quidditch!" she declares.

Lily grins. "So you have lots in common with both your sister and brother?"

Isabel nods again, but this time with more confidence. "I like her!" she declares, and everyone laughs.

x.o.x.o.x.

"This is your room, Lily," Hilary says, showing Lily a room just across the hall from her own.

Lily gasps softly. It was a far cry from the alley. It had pale yellow walls, a bed in the middle, matching carpet, a dresser and a closet, and several windows. It was simple but elegant. "Fantastic."

Hilary smiles and turns for the door. "Dinner will be at seven sharp."

Lily nods. "Hilary?"

Hilary pauses.

"Thanks."

x.o.x.o.x.

"What do you plan on doing after Hogwarts, Lily?" Charles asks in interest.

Lily bites her lip. "Well, I would enjoy being an Auror very much. I wish to do a lot to save the world from Voldemort. But I would also love to be a lawyer of some sort."

Charles smiles. "Both are very successful professions. But why a lawyer?"

The others lean forward eagerly. They had spoken of their plans for post-Hogwarts, but Lily had always withdrawn from that conversation.

Lily smiles softly. "My father was a lawyer in the Muggle world."

Natalia leans forward as well. "What do your parents think of your choices?"

Hilary is quick to intervene. "Mum, this is fantastic soup. What is your recipe?"

Natalia glances at her curiously. "Thank you, Hilary, but the house-elves made it."

Alice helps out. "Natalia-"

Lily cuts in while the Marauders look back and forth. "Thank you, girls, but I should tell them."

"Lily-" Hilary protests.

"Tell us what, Lily?" Natalia asks.

"It's fine, Hils." Lily turns to the Potters. "My parents, Andrew and Elizabeth Evans, died when I got home after my third year. They were murdered by Lord Voldemort himself."

"Oh you poor thing," Natalia sympathizes.

Charles shakes his head. "So terrible."

"And ever since then, my home has been an alley." Lily pauses. "That reminds me. Are you all okay with coming with me to see my home tomorrow?"

They all nod quickly.

"Why don't you make it a day out? After all, don't you need outfits for the annual Ministry Christmas Ball?" Natalia suggests.

Lily's jaw drops. "Annual Ministry Christmas Ball?"

"Yes, you each need an escort," Natalia responds.

"Why don't you all go together? James with Lily, Sirius with Hilary, and Remus with Alice?" Charles makes his own suggestion.

Remus hesitates. "I can't. I already asked Dorcas Meadows."

"The Ravenclaw? She's lovely," comments Lily. "When did this happen?"

"Late last month," Sirius answers.

"Moony got himself a girlfriend!" teases James.

"I'm sorry, Alice," Remus apologizes, ignoring his best mates.

Alice waves it off. "No problem, Remus. Could I invite Frank Longbottom, Natalia and Charles?"

"Oh, the Longbottom boy? He's a good man. Of course," Natalia replies.

"So the couples are: James and Lily. Sirius and Hilary. Remus and Dorcas. Frank and Alice. Right?" Charles makes sure.

Lily nods. "Yes."

"Fantastic."

x.o.x.o.x.

The next morning, Lily awakens and lies in bed for a few minutes. What would her friends think of her home? But then she remembers that true friends would not think any different of her. So she rises, showers, dresses, and heads downstairs for breakfast.

"The theme is blue and white, so anything in those colors," Natalia is informing her daughter while serving her younger daughter a plate of bacon and eggs.

"Mummy, please may I go?" Isabel begs.

"No, I'm sorry, Isabel, but this is a day for your brother and sister's friends, okay? I'll take you tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, alright?" Natalia replies, setting a fork in Isabel's hand.

Isabel pouts.

"Mum's right, Izzy. We have all fifteen days to enjoy together before we go back to Hogwarts," James consoles her.

Isabel sticks out her lower lip but nods.

"Good morning, Lily!" Natalia chirps, pointing at the chair next to James.

Lily smiles. "Good morning, everyone."

x.o.x.o.x.

"Okay, we'll have to do Side-Along; just in case anyone gets hurt. Or we could just walk. It isn't too far," Lily says to her friends as they step into the warmth of the outdoors. The Potter grounds (there are a lot of acres) are temperature controlled, so it feels like spring.

"Is it possible for more than two people to Side-Along?" Hilary questions.

"Yes," Remus answers.

"Let's do Apparation, then," James concludes.

Lily sighs. "I think a Portkey is safer."

Sirius nods in assent. "Good idea."

James conjures a dented can and hands it to Lily. "Here you go."

Lily smiles in thanks and withdraws her wand. "Portus," she whispers, waving her wand.

The can glows blue for a minute, and then fades back to gray with no blue surrounding it. "It is due to leave in exactly five seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

They are jerked from the Potter grounds.

x.o.x.o.x.

A/N: POTTERMORE OPENED! Okay, let's just say I am excited! Did any of you get accounts? My username is PurpleStar4926. Again, I want three reviews (total of fifty-one) before I update again! What will the reactions to Lily's home be? Until chapter nineteen…

~TrueLoveIs4ever