Summary: When a class assignment pairs two students who have never seen eye to eye together for two weeks during the summer, sparks are bound to fly, along with tempers, tears and clothing? JPLE. Rating may change.
A.N.: J.K.Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Brothers, they all own Harry Potter. I own nothing. I can barely afford gas for my car let alone try to copyright a story for a fanfic site. And if you, Mrs. Rowling would just put out a new Harry Potter book each week we uber-fans wouldn't have to take matters into our own hands and hope to Merlin you don't sue us for plagiarism.
This isn't my first fic just the first one I've had the nerve to post, most of the time they are just a very weird catharsis. I appreciate your opinions so please review and tell me what you think! Will update often. Rating will most likely change later just to be on the safe side.
Muggle It
Ch. 1 The Last Assignment
There wasn't one student who wasn't thrilled for it to be the end of term. Well….that wasn't exactly true.
The red head sitting in the front of her charms classroom was, to say the least, not thrilled at the prospect of spending two months in the same house as her sister. Sure she loved her parents dearly, as she did her sister. She loved her sister. She just didn't like her very much.
At least at Hogwarts she had her friends, her teachers and her beloved classes. At home all she would have was her owl, Ingrid.
"Psst! Evans! Psst!"
On the bright side she wouldn't have to deal with James Potter and his friends. Next to them Petunia was a right pleasure.
"Evans!"
"What!" She turned around to glare at him. Flitwick was lecturing and the last thing she needed as to loose points because he though the middle of class was a perfect opportunity to ask her out, again.
The boy with messy black hair and mischievous hazel eyes just grinned at her. "I was wondering if I could borrow your notes after class?"
"For what class?"
"This one."
"But your in this class James."
"Yeah but Padfoot here made me play hangman for the first part."
"Well that's your problem then."
She turned pointedly back to her own parchment and picked up her quill, peeved that she had missed what Professor Flitwick had said on blemish charms. Behind her she could hear snickering.
"Remember when Wormtail tried that one?" James's friend asked.
"Might have worked if you had told him the right incantation."
"Where would the fun be in that?"
"Well, his whole face wouldn't have swollen up like one giant pimple then burst all over my best robes for one."
"Exactly, like I said where would the fun have been in that"
"Do you have something to add to this discussion Mr. Black? Or can I assume you and Mr. Potter are only comparing your successful administrations of this charm? The very tiny teacher interjected.
The class burst into laughter as both boys went slight red. The smile on the redheads face was to the point of almost being painful.
"If your quite finished would you mind terribly if I continued on with the review, your examination is, after all next week."
"Sorry Sir." They both chanted. James looked over to the boy on the other side of him, who was trying his hardest not to chuckle as he stared down at his parchment.
"Shut up Moony." This only made her and the other boy laugh harder.
"Evans…come on Evans."
"No." She said simply as she was followed down the hall.
"What if I said pretty please?"
"She would probably think your more of a fairy than she already does." A boy slightly taller than James with long black hair hanging in his eyes handsomely said, as he draped his arm over her shoulder and grinned.
"Come on Lily. Be a pal and give us your notes. I swear I won't let Prongsie here wrinkle them up by sleeping with them under his pillow again."
Lily shot a look at James who went crimson, letting her know that the idiot next to her might not have been joking. A disturbing idea.
She picked up his hand gingerly and promptly removed it from her shoulder. "Sorry Sirius, you and uh…Prongsie, are just going to have to harasses some other girl for them."
"But we enjoy harassing you, and in a week we will all be out of school and will not have the distinct pleasure of seeing the look of annoyance and disgust that swims across your pretty little face at the very sight of us, for nearly two long months." Sirius whined.
Lily sighed happily. "Two months with out you lot. It almost makes going home worth it."
"Oh well, there's always next year. Come on Moony, Divination awaits."
The two sauntered off towards the Divination tower, one of which was thinking much too highly of himself, leaving them alone. Something Lily was now painfully aware of as he looked at her funny.
"What, you're not looking forward to going home?"
The joking was gone from his voices he seemed vaguely…concerned? Lily hugged her books as they walked in the direction of their muggle studies class.
"I don't get on well with my sister."
"I didn't know you had a sister. I've seen you at the train station and it's always just your parents…I figured you were an only child."
"Nope. Older sister. Petunia."
James let out a small snort of laughter. "Sorry."
"No it's quite alright. My mum is fond of gardening…I supposed I got luckier than she did."
"Lily's pretty. It fits you." He smiled at her, "Why doesn't she ever see you off?"
Blushing slightly from his first comment, she felt her breath catch slightly as she replied. "Oh, doesn't like magic mostly, or me. We've never gotten along very well, then I came here and things have just gotten worse."
She was no longer blushing over his comment, merely the fact she had just shared a rather personal detail with him. "Not that you care." She recovered with stiffly.
James seemed a little startled at her sudden coolness to him. "Well, at least you have a sister. I'm an only child."
"And you're complaining?"
"I always wanted siblings."
"Huh. I figured you would be the type who likes all the attention on yourself."
Lily regretted it the moment she said it. He was being unusually nice and trying to have a conversation that didn't involve him threatening to hang someone by their ankles if she didn't go out with him.
"Sorry."
"Itsfine." He said it so quickly she knew he was slight hurt…Why did she care? It was James Potter. She had spent a good part of the last two and a half years hurting his feelings. Maybe because this time she hadn't actually been trying to.
"No, it was rude. I'm sorry."
"You could go out with me to make up for it?" He grinned at her.
And there was the James Potter she knew and loathed.
"I'd rather be Severus Snape's hair brush."
James just chuckled. "Come on Evans. We all know Snivelus doesn't own a hairbrush. Let alone use one. What do you say? You hurt my feelings back there. I'm fragile right now. Rejection might send me over the edge."
"As long as it's over the edge of the Astronomy Tower, I'll be perfectly fine with telling you no."
"That was cold Evans."
"Well that's life Potter."
They walked into Muggle Studies both smiling a little. She quickly departed his side and made her way to her desk on the other side of the room.
As she sat down a girl with short blond hair just raised her eyebrows at her. "You and Mr. Potter looked quite friendly back their, did he finally break down and hit you with a love potion?"
"Just telling him to jump off the Astronomy Tower."
"Ah. Business as usual them."
"And don't forget to put extra emphasis on studying currency rates. I guarantee that they will show up on your exam." The Professor finished dryly.
Students were already beginning to pack up there things. James was snickering about something with his short, nervous looking friend as Lily set down her quill.
"With that, I would like to tell you about an exciting opportunity being offered to NEWT Muggle Studies students, that being you. This is an extra credit assignment along with a very rare learning experience. This summer, Hogwarts students, such as yourselves are given the chance to stay in a muggle home and experience their culture first hand! With your NEWT exams next spring I cannot stress how much this could benefit you. Muggles who have ties to the Wizarding world, such as liaisons, Squibs and wizards living in non-magical households, will work as host families. Two students will go to each family so as not to be too overwhelmed by the change. For two weeks you will live as Muggles!
He looked around excitedly, only so see a room of blank faces staring back at him.
"Then you'll write a short essay on the experience and for participating your grade this term and next will be raised one grade level upon receiving the essay. Thought the help it will give you on your NEWT's is reward enough in itself. Can I see the hands of all who might be interested?"
Lily's hand shot into the air along with a few, much more intrigued classmates. The blond looked at her questioningly. "Lily, you already live in a non-magic household."
"Yes, in a non-magical household where Petunia planning her wedding to that great ugly brute Vernon. I'd stay in Azkaban if it would get me away from her crying because she has to have Daisies instead of Sunflowers."
James leaned over to his nervous friend and scoffed. "Right. Finally allowed to use magic outside of school and they want us to live like Muggles. Fat chance eh Wormtail?"
"Yeah. Fat chance." He paroted.
James looked around at all the people with their hands in the air. His eyes fell on Lily's raised arm and before he knew what he was doing his own shot into the air.
"And Mr. Potter makes ten! Lovely! An even number."
Lily's head flew around to see him with his hand in the air. "Great."
"Oh don't worry. It just means he won't be able to pester you with owls all summer. Remember last year?"
How could she forget? She spent half the summer trying to convince her mum to let her buy black out curtains so at least they couldn't find the house at night.
"Besides. It's probably going to be girls with girls, boys with boys."
"So raise your hand so we can go somewhere together." Lily implored.
"Sorry Lily, I'm going to France with my parents and my brothers hot dorm mate. I'd let you take your holiday to Azkaban before I missed that."
"Thanks."
Lily sat in her favorite corner of the commons with her nose in a book. She was now half way through her exams and Transfiguration always gave her a bit of trouble.
She leapt out of her seat as the book was snatched out of her hands. She looked up and saw those annoying hazel eyes staring down at her. "Don't bother with this one, its rubbish."
"Give me my book back."
"No, really," He flopped down arrogantly in the chair across from her. "I'm doing you a favor. The whole chapter on Animagus is a load of crap. If you want to do a little extra reading on the subject I have a couple in my room that might be helpful."
"Thanks, but no thanks."
"Really, I wouldn't mind, or I can just bring them with me and you can borrow them over the summer."
"Excuse me."
"Oh, you haven't heard, well no you wouldn't, hiding back here. Professor Gale just posted housemates for the little class project."
"Oh no."
"Ohhh yes." He was grinning like a complete madman. She looked past him and saw his three stupid friends laughing their stupid heads off by the fire as they watched.
"Your joking right, this is a joke."
"When have I ever joked with you?" He asked innocently, as his big dumb grin kept getting even bigger and dumber by the minute. He was loving this.
"Why are you doing this? You have a good grade, you don't need any help."
"Neither do you and your muggleborn too boot. I just want to expand my mind and learn to appreciate these people for the inventive and amusing folks that they are. You, my dear Evans just want to get away from your sister."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously at him and he seemed to know he might have crossed a line.
"Either way, Gale put us at the same house so I just though I would let you know. He has all the information posted on his office door if you want to check it out."
He scuffed his shoe nervously as her eyes had yet to stop glaring at him. "Uh…here's your book back. But…really don't listen to anything he says about Animagus, he's way off and McGonagall is a bit touchy about how you describe the transformation process. Which is on the exam, supposedly, which you know. So…yeah. uh, Transfiguring the Untransfigurable by Amelia Animalis is a good one. They have it in the library. Yeah. Bye." He stammered lamely.
He stood up, looking embarrassed and rather flustered and hurried back over to the idiots and sunk so low into an armchair all she could see was the very top of his messy hair.
Was James Potter feeling guilty about a rude comment? Next she was going to see Sirius and Severus skipping down to the Quidditch pitch holding hands and singing the Hogwarts song together.
When she did finally get the nerve to make her way to Professor Gales office door she saw that James had not in fact been lying. They were staying in the same house for two weeks. She remembered telling Lavinia she would rather stay at Azkaban than be with Petunia. She just couldn't decide which was worse: Azkaban or James. Sulking she made her way to her last exam, Transfiguring the Untransfigurable hidden under her arm.
So, tell me what you think. I have it pretty much planned out, it doesn't fit exactly with J.K. Rowlings time line, but it's close, with obvious creative licence. I'm trying to keep the characters as close to how she potrays them, I hope I'm doing them some justice. Thanks for reading!