A/N: Hey it's North*Star again! This is a L/J in case you couldn't tell by the title. I'm going to try to make this as original as I can for a L/J fic. The problem is that you only have about twenty or so years to deal with before they die and I am not starting with when they were born. You also know that they become Anamagi, Lily and James fall in love, their friends were Remus, Peter, and Sirius (plus others sometimes). Once you add these and everything else known about them, it gets really difficult. Reviews are welcome!
Disclaimer: MWPP, Lily, and everyone else you recognize belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Everything that you don't recognize belongs to me and the thing that takes up space between my ears.
Lily Evans slowly walked through the dark hallway, praying silently that the caretaker wouldn't be watching. She could hear the sounds of her footsteps bouncing off of the walls of the corridor and into the looming shadows ahead. She peered into the silent, empty classrooms, usually so full of life but now sullen. She may never see them again for all she knew. Lily continued on until she reached Dumbledore's office, and stopped. This was her last chance to change her mind. After this, there was no going back.
"Thank you for everything Professor Dumbledore. I will never forget what you have done for me." Lily whispered. She spent a long time just standing in front of his office. What had gotten her into this anyways? Dumbledore couldn't help her anymore. She didn't know whether to go back to the common room, or to go on. She closed her eyes, drew her breath, and turned in the direction of the front door.
"Lily! Lily Evans, hurry up right now or you will be late for your first day of school!" Lily awoke that morning to a pillow being thrown in her face. She reluctantly opened her eyes and stared blearily at Petunia, who was inches from her face. "I'll tell mum if you don't get up."
"I'm going Petunia. Just calm down already!" Lily sat up in bed, a huge smile on her face.
"I don't know why you are smiling. Any normal person wouldn't be happy to be going to school. But you aren't a normal person, you're just a freak."
"Get over it, you won't see me until next summer anyways." Lily added.
"That won't bother me in the slightest." Petunia left the room and walked down the stairs. Lily jumped out of bed and started to get herself ready. She couldn't wait to be off to school and have Petunia out of her hair until next summer. Lily knew that Petunia acted the way she did because she was jealous of Lily's powers. She slipped on some jeans and a nice blouse thinking about her new school year all of the while. She dragged the trunk out from under her bed, piling it with books, quills, parchment, her uniform, money, and her wand placed carefully on top. She clicked her trunk shut and raced down the stairs. Her parents were waiting for her in the kitchen. Lily quickly grabbed breakfast and dragged her trunk into the car.
Before Lily knew it, the car skidded to a stop outside of Kings Cross station. She opened the car door and stared at the commotion going on at the station. She pulled her trunk to the ticket window and received her boarding pass.
This was going to be quite an adventure for an eleven-year-old. It was a bright and sunny day, perfect for the start of her new journey. All around her were people dressed in strange clothing pulling trunks just as she was. People were bustling here and there, pushing past one another in quite a hurry. Staring down at her ticket, she realized that it said Platform 9¾ which couldn't possibly be correct. She wandered over to platforms nine and ten to see a crowd of people waiting. A dark-haired girl who couldn't be much older than Lily herself ran at the barrier between the two platforms and disappeared.
"Wow that just proves the witches are freaks." Petunia remarked after seeing the girl run straight through the wall.
"You didn't have to come, Petunia." Lily shouted at her sister. Sisters were supposed to be inseparable; to have a special bond. That wasn't the case for Lily and Petunia.
"I didn't want to." Mr. and Mrs. Evans silenced the bickering girls immediately before they caused a scene.
"Lily, why don't you just follow that other little girl?" Mrs. Evans suggested. "We'll come right behind you."
Lily nodded in agreement, shut her eyes tightly, and ran pushing her cart in front of her through the barrier. She passed right through the wall without feeling anything. Suddenly there was a crash and Lily ran into something solid.
"Ouch, please watch what you are doing." It was the dark-haired girl from before. Lily had run right into her.
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I closed my eyes because I was so afraid of going through the wall."
"Me too, my name is Nichole Sanders, are you a first year too?"
"Yes, pleasure to meet you. I'm Lily Evans. How did you know how to get through the wall?"
"My older brother goes here too. We'd better hurry and get onto the train before it leaves without us."
Lily's family had emerged though the wall at this point. She hugged and kissed them goodbye and boarded the bright red steam train, the Hogwarts Express. Lily and Nichole pulled their luggage into a compartment and took their seats, talking nervously about their new school year. Just then there was a knock at their compartment door and a brown-haired boy the same age as them opened the door to their compartment.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked politely, the girls agreed. The boy had an exhausted and worried look about him. He introduced himself to them as Remus Lupin.
Just then, the train whistle blew and the wheels started to turn. Lily heard footsteps rushing down the hallway of the train. The door was slammed open and another boy rushed in.
"Hey James, I told you we wouldn't be late." The boy yelled to someone outside the compartment as he pushed his luggage inside.
"Aren't you going to ask whether you can come in?" Lily questioned.
"Nope, you're just stuck with us." The boy proclaimed, pushing a strand of black hair out of his face.
"Besides, the other compartments are full," said the boy called James who had just entered the compartment as well.
"Thank you for gracing us with your presence." Lily said dryly.
"Your welcome, allow me to introduce myself." James announced sitting down next to Remus right across from Lily. Lily noticed his rather untidy black hair and bright grey eyes. He wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses that didn't suit him well.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes you do. I'm James Potter." He said. "And that's Sirius Black."
"I'm Lily Evans and this is Nichole Sanders and Remus Lupin. So I'm guessing your first years too."
"Yep and Sirius and me are going to be in Gryffindor house when we get to Hogwarts."
"It could always be Slytherin for both of you!" Nichole exclaimed. "Hey look, it's the sweets cart."
Just then, a kind faced old woman wheeled a cart of wizard candy right outside of their compartment. They picked up various packages of candy and pumpkin juice. The other four went into a long conversation about Quidditch, which Lily felt totally left out of since the other four were from wizarding families.
"Someday I want to be a Chaser for the Gryffindor team." James sighed.
"I want to be a beater for the house team." Sirius announced to all of them. "How about you Remus?"
"Quidditch isn't really for me." Remus replied. "But when you miss the bludger one of these days Sirius, and it hits you in the head, causing you to go insane, don't come crying to me."
"There wouldn't be much difference Remus." James added. "He is already insane.
"Thanks so much James. And when you are pelted in the head by a bludger that I hit at you, you'll know why." Sirius remarked.
"Go ahead Sirius." Lily said amusedly. "That would be rather entertaining."
"And it would be more entertaining if she would mind her own business." James added.
"But that would be no fun James." Lily commented.
"Ten points for Lily." Sirius shouted. "That's payback for your insane comment, James."
"Shut up Siri." James said good-humouredly.
"Hey Lily, what do you think about Quidditch?" Nichole asked her.
"I don't even know what Quidditch is to be perfectly honest." Lily turned pink with embarrassment. She started fumbling with the chocolate frog box.
James noticed that Lily wasn't from a wizarding family immediately. "Here try this bean Lily." He held out his hand, holding a dark purple bean. Lily accepted willingly. Unfortunately, none of them decided to warn her about the Bertie Botts' every flavor beans. Sirius snickered. She popped the bean into her mouth, and then spat it out across the compartment.
"What flavor was that Lily?" Sirius wondered trying to keep himself from laughing.
"I think it was James," she said sarcastically. "Actually it was liver but close enough."
Nichole consulted her watch. "Oh boy, they have known each other a whole three hours and they are already bickering."
"Do we have to spend the rest of our school years with them?" Remus complained.
"Unless you don't pass and have to stay eight years in the class behind us Lily." James retorted.
Lily splashed the container of pumpkin juice she was holding on James' face. "And you'd be staying with me!" She screamed. Her face turned the same color as her hair.
"Aw, you have upset sweet little Lily." Remus said jokingly.
"'Sweet little Lily?' Since when do lilies have thorns on them?" James retorted. "You have quite a temper."
"I do not have a temper! If you have a problem you could always leave James." Lily explained, glaring daggers at him.
"You leave!" James demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"I was here first!"
"I don't care!"
"You're so stubborn!-"
"What is all of the commotion about?" Another young girl about their age poked her head into the door of the compartment. She had long brown hair swept back into braid which fell to her waist. In her hand was a thick book with a scarlet cover. "I would appreciate it if you would keep it down so that I could read."
"Might as well just come in if you want to, there is no way that the two of them are not going to calm down." Nichole explained.
"If you're sure that's alright." She stepped into the compartment and sat down on the end of one of the seats. She quietly continued to read her book, pulling her knees into her chest. It probably would have been quieter had she stayed in the other compartment, but that wasn't Lily's problem to deal with.
"What are you reading?" Remus asked, trying to suppress the Lily and James verbal smack-down.
"Transfiguration textbook, I'm trying to get ahead." She said simply and concisely, burying her nose back into the book. They took the hint that she didn't want to be bothered with questions, and she soon disappeared into the background of the Hogwarts Express.
Still neither James nor Lily had left the compartment. "Sirius, could you please tell James that I am no longer speaking to him." Lily said looking absently at her new wizard's card.
"Lily is no longer speaking to you, James." Sirius said reluctantly
"Sirius, tell Lily that I don't care." Sirius delivered the message again. "And that I hope she enjoys Hogwarts because she won't ever graduate."
"Sirius, tell James to stop with the stupid comments and that I don't care."
"Sirius, tell Lily to stop stepping on my foot if she doesn't care."
"I think she can hear you James." Sirius complained.
"Sirius, tell him I am not going to stop stepping on his foot until he stops being so stubborn."
"How am I being stubborn?" he asked. Sirius was relieved that he was no longer needed.
The whistle of the Hogwarts Express blew and they began to slow down. The six first years realized it was almost time to go and rushed out of the compartment to get changed into their robes. James blocked the doorway so that Lily couldn't get out. Lily elbowed him in the ribs causing James to move his hands from the doorframe, and bolted down the hall of the train.
Within minutes, the six students lugged their baggage onto to Hogsmede station outside the train. Students aimlessly chatted, waiting for transport to the school. A very large man greeted them at the station calling "firs' years follow me." The group of young students silently obeyed as the large man led them to the lake. A line of boats floated at the lakes edge. Nichole and Lily picked a nice sturdy boat and sat down. They stared in awe at the castle before them. It was tall and majestic, outlined against the dark sky by bright shining stars. At the large man's command, the boats took off and sailed silently towards the Hogwarts castle. Lily smiled imaging her new school and all of the new things she would learn to do.
A shocked voice came from the person sitting across from her. "Remus? Is that you?" Her momentary daydream was broken when she noticed the outlines of two other people on their boat.
"Yes of course it's me. Who were you expecting?"
"I thought I got on the boat with Sirius!" The figure exclaimed. "Sirius where are you?!"
"Hey James I'm over here." Sirius called from a boat just behind them. Lily glowered aggravatingly at James. "You know that Lily is over there giving you death glares, right?"
"Oh great. Just the person that I wanted to be stuck on a boat with." Before James could say another word, he found himself flying through the air and landing into the freezing lake. "Thank you, I really needed to wash off that sticky pumpkin juice you threw at me." Choking and coughing, he swam back to the boat and pulled himself in, purposefully spitting water on Lily in the process.
"I wasn't in the mood for a bath!" Lily yelled, looking down at her soaked school uniform.
They were momentarily sidetracked when the boats pulled into a small mossy cove. The boats stopped at the opposite bank and Lily and James jumped out of their boat immediately. Lily walked over to Nichole for safety. The large front doors of the castle opened revealing the most amazing sight Lily had ever seen. Through the massive doors was a wide stone corridor. A large spiralling staircase twirled up as far as she could see to the very top of the castle. Lily was even more shocked to see that it the staircases moved periodically. She continued to follow the crowd until they reached a second set of massive doors. A middle aged-witch met them at these doors. She had a pointed hat jauntily placed upon her dark hair, which had been tied back into a tight bun.
She briefly explained that they were going to enter the Great Hall and be sorted. Lily nervously wondered what it met to be sorted, and how the sorting ceremony is going to take place.
"My brother said that you have to perform a simple spell to be sorted." Nichole said nervously. "I don't know how to cast a spell."
"Neither do I." said the quiet girl who was reading the Transfiguration book. They could here similar conversation buzzing around the entrance, all to the effect of what students would have to do to be sorted. Suddenly, the large doors burst open, and Professor McGonagall, as she was called, led them in a line into the front of the Great Hall. Lily stared up at the enchanted ceiling, captivated by its twinkling stars. Professor McGonagall brought a stool and an old tattered hat to the front of the room. The hat, to their great surprise, burst into a song about the four houses of Hogwarts. Everyone clapped and cheered when it had finished. McGonagall took a long scroll out of her robes and unfurled it. She quietly cleared her throat. Lily knew that this scroll was the names of all of the new students of Hogwarts.
"Carolyn Aubrey." Professor McGonagall called. A pale, frightened girl with curly blonde pigtails walked up to the front of the hall. McGonagall placed the hat on her head. After a few seconds, hat loudly shouted "Hufflepuff" to the entire hall. One of the tables sat up and cheered loudly to welcome their new member.
"So that's all we have to do?" Lily whispered to the shy girl. She just nodded her head in agreement.
"Philip Austin" Lily waited in anticipation for her turn. How would this old hat know where to put her? "Ravenclaw!" shouted the hat.
"Bellatrix Black" McGonagall shouted. A dark-haired and heavy lidded girl strode to the front of the room and smugly waited for the hat to be placed on her head. "Slytherin!" the hat shouted seconds after impact with her hair. She got up and proudly strode to her table.
"Figures." Sirius muttered.
"Is she related to you Sirius?" Lily questioned.
"Cousin. Piece of work isn't she?" He said dryly.
"See, there is a possibility of you being in Slytherin still." Nichole said knowingly.
"Sirius Black" McGonagall called. Lily was curious to see where he would end up. He walked up to the hat relaxed and confident. No sooner had the hat been placed on his head, it announced "Gryffindor!" Bursts of cheers came from the Gryffindor table, and Sirius took a seat with his new housemates. Lily could have sworn he said "we'll see where you end up Nichole".
"Charles Crabbe" Professor McGonagall called. A sneering, sniveling student walked up, and the hat was placed on his head. "Slytherin!" the hat proclaimed triumphantly.
The list seemed to go on forever. "Amos Diggory" "Hufflepuff!"
"Holly Delacroix" McGonagall called. Reluctantly, the quiet girl walked up the stairs and sat down on the stool. She closed her eyes tightly as the hat was placed on her head. The hat obviously was having a difficult time placing her. "Probably because she is too quiet," said a gangly greasy haired boy next to her. Lily felt the urge to slap him, but she didn't know why. "Gryffindor!" it yelled. The table burst into applause again. Many of the first years were confused.
"Aren't Gryffindors supposed to be brave?" the same tall boy drawled. Lily began to grow nervous; her turn must be soon –
"Lily Evans," McGonagall called out. Lily slowly stepped out of line and walked to the front of the hall. She sat onto the stool, gripping the legs tightly until her knuckles turned white. How could Sirius be so composed? She only saw the anticipating faces of the other students for a moment before the hat slipped over her eyes, leaving her in darkness.
"So what do we have here?" the hat questioned. It twisted and contorted upon her head. "I see a very sharp mind, a brave heart, a quick tongue, where should I put you?" It continued to think. Lily sat there for what seemed like hours to her, which equated to only about a minute. "Well, let's make it Gryffindor!" it yelled to the entire hall. Lily happily jumped off the stool and raced over to her table taking a seat next to Holly.
"Lily, fancy meeting you!" Sirius grinned. She found she couldn't help from smiling.
"Kelly Fawcett." "Ravenclaw!" The hat shouted from somewhere in the distance. Then there was a set of twins, "Katy Galvan" "Hufflepuff!" and "Stacey Galvan" "Ravenclaw!"
She stared at her plate for awhile, entirely uninterested in the sorting. A few minutes later, Remus joined them sitting next to Lily.
Then somewhere in there Lucius Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin and Carter McKenzie was sorted into Hufflepuff. The next several students went by like a blur to Lily. She came back to her senses when Sirius accidentally knocked over his goblet.
"Peter Pettigrew" A short stocky boy with a mop of blonde hair walked to the hat. He was placed into Gryffindor and took a seat by Sirius.
"James Potter" McGonagall called, looking shocked to see that he was soaked. He didn't look nearly as confident as Sirius had. In fact, he looked as if he was going to be sick. Lily watched intently, wondering what the hat would do with the likes of him. After a short pause it shouted "Gryffindor!"
James walked over to the table and sat by Peter. "There is no escaping you, is there Evans?" He said, a smile playing on his lips.
"Just shut up Potter." Lily answered, reaching across the table to punch him.
"Nichole Sanders" Lily smiled for her friend, knowing how nervous she must feel. Nichole waved from the front of the room as the hat was placed on her head. "Gryffindor!" Nichole ran back to the table and gave Lily a hug before taking her seat.
"Severus Snape" It was that stupid greasy haired kid with the rude comments. Lily wasn't at all surprised that he was sorted into Slytherin. He went to join his unsmiling group at the far table.
The last name on the list was "Gwen White" "Gryffindor!" Shortly after the ceremony ended, Dumbledore got up to say his opening words for the new term.
"Welcome students to a new term at Hogwarts. I hope the new students already feel at home with their houses. I have a few words to say for the start of our new year. Those words are l hope you have a great year, and dig in!" At this point the feast magically appeared on the table before them. Lily picked up her plate, looking for some type of hole that the food must have come out of. Then she poked at the food, just to make sure it wasn't a mirage.
"Evans, eat your food, don't play with it!" James called down the table. She frowned at him and flicked an olive at his head. Then she crammed the food into her mouth.
That night Lily sat up in her bed, unable to fall asleep after the day's excitement. "Nichole, are you still awake?" Lily whispered loudly.
"No thanks to you." Nichole said groggily. "Get some sleep; it's our first day of classes tomorrow." But Lily couldn't sleep. The minutes were ticking by way too slowly. She rolled off the bed and walked into the Gryffindor common room. She sat down on the sill and gazed out the window, waiting for the sun to come up.
"Nice PJ's Evans." James said flatly.
"Why are you here?" Lily asked disapprovingly. How long had he been sitting there?
"It's my house too." He said. There was a long awkward silence. "Nervous?"
"You bet." She stared out the window some more. "I'm not talking to you remember?"
"Fine, if you want to be that way." He got up and walked back up the stairs.
Fine she muttered to herself. Just fine by me. She looked at the clock in the room. It was four thirty. She leaned back against the window. Just three and one half hours she kept telling herself, and then off to class. Some reason James popped into her mind. She already hated him, despite the fact that she had known him less that twenty-four hours. Was he trying to be nice to her? Just stop being stupid Lily. She dozed into a dream-less sleep, still sitting on the windowsill.
A/N: whew! That was a very long chapter. What will Lily do to James next? Coming up: pranks, screaming matches, new classes, and more of that strange story, oh yeah, and plot somewhere along the way! Well please read and review to tell me what you think! Bertie Botts beans for the people who review! (oh and they are NOT liver/James – there are many more interesting flavors out there!)
~North*Star