A Long Time to Wait

Chapter 1

Lily's POV

Something jabs me hard in the side repetitively.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

What the? No, bugger off.

Poke poke poke poke poke.

I'm trying to sleep! What the hell is poking me?!

I roll over with a moan, hoping it will stop.

The insistent poking continues.

"Lilykins! Guess what time it is?"

"Too early." I groan, hiding under my quilt.

She jabs me again.

"FINE I'LL GET UP! Honestly!" I exclaim, almost rolling out of bed as my legs refuse to wake up.

"About time Lily! We're gonna have to miss breakfast!"

I look up to see the source of the voice. The girl I see, her beautiful dark sea-blue eyes shining down at me. She has gorgeous black straight hair, not a strand out of place. It's collar-bone length. It's Hestia Jones, my best friend, my room-mate and my super-annoying alarm clock.

"What?! Damn it Hestia, I'm starving! Where's Marlene?" I whisper scathingly, before realising everyone who was asleep has already left.

"She's eating breakfast! Come on, get dressed! Your stuff's already in the bathroom!" She shouted behind me, but I was already rushing through the bathroom door. Oh, I'm so gonna fail 6th year, considering I'm such a groggy demon every morning. I look like death, whereas Hestia is beautiful no matter the time of day. Tall, but not towering, slender, but not stick-like. Marlene is boys' dream. She's only a little taller than Hest, though and a head taller than me. She has bright light blue eyes which probably break boys' hearts on a daily basis. Her hair is lower-back-long, light blonde and wavy.

I look in the mirror. I know I could be worse -don't get me wrong- but I'm so short in comparison, so average. From my boobs to my body type, I'm nothing special. Even my most distinctive features; my emerald-green eyes, though bright and beautiful, not exactly unique. My dark red hair, flowing un-evenly to my mid-back, my fly away hair pointing in different directions isn't exactly a bonus either.

I sigh. I have no time for make-up or a shower if I want to eat; which I definitely do, according to my grumbling stomach. I chuck my Gryffindor uniform on quickly and race through the Common Room and down the stairs.

"Have fun today!" Cries the Fat Lady, amused as I race away from the Common Room. What could she mean by that? Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

I have to patrol with Potter. Today. Tonight.

"Honestly, what was Remus thinking?!" I mutter to myself, walking into the Great Hall. Remus had probably non-existent 'homework' to do. I think it's a set-up for Potter to talk to me, as usual. He probably bribed him too, somehow, perhaps with chocolate.

"Thinking about what?" A sweet voice said behind me. I turn to face her.

"Marly! Thanks to you I have to scoff my breakfast! You know what I'm like in the mornings." I say, exasperated.

"Sorry Lily, but I was soooooooooooooooooooooo hungry!" She sighs sympathetically, rubbing her belly with a little mocking frown.

"Whatever, you left me. Just know I hate you." I forgive mockingly.

"Hey! At least I waited for you! Anyway, I've got a lesson that's further than yours, so I have to go." She glances over my shoulder, before smirking subtly.

"Oh, I suppose you can eat with Potter," She implies, wiggling her eyebrows "later!" she says and runs off, before I can bite her head off. I turn around and sure enough he who sits at the Gryffindor table is indeed the bane of my existence.

"Mornin' Evans." He starts chirpily, with his casual half-smile. He's annoyingly bubbly in the morning, completely the epitome of a morning person, which I obviously am not. I despise this amount of enthusiasm at this ungodly hour.

I groan. The Great Hall is empty apart from us, mostly everyone already at their classes. I know just know wherever I sit he'll sit with me. I could maybe leav- nope, my stomach vocally protested against that idea.

"Got a grumbler there, don't you Evans?" He chuckles.

"Yes." I mumble, attempting to avoid small talk.

"Would you like to go wit-"

"Merlin, you've said, what, nine words before asking me out? What is wrong with you? Why can't you just grow up? This" I gestured between us "is never going to happen. I wouldn't be with someone this immature." I speak venomously, the morning-demon awakening.

Potter looks stunned. I think he's having a mental battle with himself, and I'm too damn tired for this. I scuttle away before remembering I'm absolutely starving, but I can stand it more than Potter. Besides, I don't have enough dignity to walk back in after storming out. I pace through the corridors of the ancient building, counting through everything I have to do today when I hear "Oi, Evans! Wait up!"

"What now, Potter?" I shout, but not too loudly. I don't want to upset Slughorn, we're almost at his classroom.

I notice something white in his hands as he sprints down the hall. What on Earth? He jogs until he gets to a talking distance. "Evans just" Puff. "-hear me" Puff. "-out okay?"

"Jeez Potter, take a deeeeeep breath. Did you sprint across the entire castle or something?" I say, slightly amused. It's also nice to see the Quidditch extraordinaire out of breath.

"Something like that." He smiles and hands me the white thing he was holding earlier. "I didn't want this to get cold. It's a grilled cheese sandwich; I knew you felt you'd loose your dignity to come back considering your dramatic exit." An uncommon occurrence takes place; I smile at him. I take a bite after a look of gratitude and in return he pulls a full-face smile- and not a Potter smirk kind- before continuing. "Evans I'm sorry, but you have to understand why I constantly ask you out. Anyway, we're late for Potions, but you need to eat that first."

"Uh, thanks Pot-" He frowns subtly. Oh, gosh. Fine, conscience. I suppose he was nice.

"-James." Impossibly, his smile is even bigger when he is about to open the Potions door.

"Oh and Lily," He looks to see if I'm okay with him calling me by my first name. I cock an eyebrow. He gives a small smile and says "never is a long time to wait." Then he walks into the class before me.

'Never is a long time to wait'. Those seven words had gone through my mind all day. What does he mean? Is he giving up, or is he saying he never will? That he wants to be fri-

"MISS EVANS!" McGonagall shrilled out. My head snaps up.

"Can you please perform the spell?" She smiles knowingly. Oh, no. I wasn't paying attention. I quickly scan the classroom for help. Hestia and Marly give me a look of "good luck, we weren't paying attention either!" and my eyes land on the Marauders.

"Avis! Avis!" Remus mouths. Oh thank Merlin he pays attention.

"Certainly Professor. Avis!" Conjured birds burst from the tip of my wand. The multi-coloured birds of blue and red chirp as they circle above our heads. They were beautiful, and really cute and tiny.

"Well done Miss Evans, for performing the spell so well," Yes! I'd actually practiced that one. I've never been good at transfiguration. However, that wasn't the end "it is lucky for you, however, that Mr Lupin pays attention!" Awwww. Damn, my games up.

"Detention at 5 pm tomorrow! Class dismissed." Detention? Shoot. Of course one of my few detentions is caused by Potter somehow.

We walk out of class and I can't help but chuckle at Potter's face, still in a trance of happiness. I walk past the talking Marauders to the Gryffindor tower.

James' POV

"Are you okay, Prongs? What's up?" Sirius asked James as he watched Lily's hair bounce up the stairs. He answered Sirius so simply, yet so full of meaning.

"She called me James."

Author note! Hi! OMG I just made this be read on google translate. I don't think I have ever laughed so much. Especially at sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hahaha

R&R! PLEASE! Chapter four almost finished BTW! Probs tmrw (24/11/13)

-Seeker