Story Title: Love of Two generations: The First
Chapter Title: True Love?
Disclaimer: All people and recognizable places belong to and were taken out of J.K. Rowling's amazing mind. Plot and some characters belong to me.
Author: Chewy
Summary: In a world of Witches, Wizards, Trolls, and magnificent Beasts, the tale of four different people unravels to engulf the world in luminosity. Can true love blossom from true hate? Can two opposites come together to form a bond so powerful it could save the world? Only TIME can tell…
Re-publishing Date: July 6, 2005
Author's Note: Welcome to the third re-revised version of this chapter and story. I hope it is much more enjoyable. More character depth to some. This was my first fanfic, and although it has been revised twice before, I'm still not sure about it. I hope you like it still.
Love: v. have a great affection for; wholehearted liking for something.
Let me tell you a tale of true love and reincarnation. A story of love so strong even the most dangerous circumstances could not rupture it. The love of four people, two different yet similar couples. What is love you ask? It cannot simply be affection, no. The true meaning? You shall know in time.
Our story starts almost fifty years ago in the greatest wizarding school in history. Love was growing and a secret prophecy was commencing. The story starts with a young redheaded girl and her studies.
The moon shone through the clouds and the brightness seeped through in a stream of light over the dark, rippling lake. The soft echo of the wind seemed to over take the night, blessing it with the voice of angels. A mysterious castle sat on large hilltop, its greenhouses in line and its turrets breaking through the clouds that covered the sky. A cabin in the distance gave the grounds of Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardy a small glow that filtered through the unshielded windows from the fire inside.
Through a window in one of the tallest towers a brilliant redhead sat in the Gryffindor Common Room bent over books and parchment scattered across the round table. Her face showed an expression of deep thought; her nose inches from the parchment. She frantically wrote; her quill travelled quickly across the page spilling ink over the sheet. That's what Lily Evans did you see, she wrote. Lily wrote for school, for fun and for herself. She was an author of many things. She wrote down everything. Her life.
Lily had thrown her deep red hair into a messy ponytail. Hairs escaped the elastic framing her porcelain skin and her emerald eyes. She bit her lip in annoyance, her eyebrows furrowed as she drew a line through yet another troublesome sentence. Lily glanced to the open textbook to her right, at her watch then back at the page quickly.
It was 6:30pm and everyone had gone to dinner but Lily. She sat in silence, alone. She jumped suddenly hearing small explosion from the sixth year boy's dormitory. Composing herself she shook her head and decided against having a run-in with the four boys she least liked in the world; the 'mischief makers' of Hogwarts.
Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and their leader and most annoying, James Potter. Another group of bigheaded bozo's who thought they ruled the world – or the school at least. Not to mention they picked on poor innocent students in the corridors. Lily had overheard the four calling themselves "The Marauders" once before in their third year, bullocks! Lily was drawn from her thoughts by a loud choking sound, the coughing coming strongly from the boy's staircase.
"I told you we shouldn't have done that inside. Professor McGonagall will have our heads." Remus Lupin appeared waving small puffs of smoke from his tired and dark face. He plopped down into an overstuffed couch letting his light brown hair fall in front of his grey, mystical eyes. His medium sized, lanky body draped over the couch, his handsome face turned towards the stairway. As Lily glanced over at the boy she smiled at the visual. A calm, mellow boy sprawled across the couch, a five o'clock shadow covered his chin and a slightly perturbed expression lined his soft features.
Peter Pettigrew came bounding down the stairs looking very worried by Remus' comment, "What? I don't want to get in trouble again! My mother is already going to ground me for life after what happened last week." He sat his small stout body on the couch beside Remus forcing him to move his legs. His skin became paler and his misty blue eyes squinted and started to water. Lily watched this display, rolling her eyes at the small boy so different from the other three. He pulled his short legs up to meet his large stomach looking in worried curiosity up the stairs, his eyebrows nearly covering his eyes.
"Oh don't worry Moony, Wormtail. It's not that big a mess, we can clean it up. Can't we Prongs?" Sirius Black exclaimed waving the smoke away as he stepped off the staircase shaking his shaggy, shoulder length black hair out of his dark black eyes and tanned face. Lily's left eyebrow rose at the boy's expectations. She highly doubted anyone understood the tall, brawny boy's mind, let alone trusted him with cleaning a mess. Lily always thought that the lack of comprehension was due to its simplicity.
"I quite agree Padfoot, we've made bigger. No need to worry." The six-foot tall, ignorant, self-centred, egotistic prat commented from the staircase falling behind Sirius. His hazel eyes loomed behind his black wire-framed glasses as he sat on the armrest of the couch. His naturally tanned skin glowed in the light from the fire and was covered in dark soot from the "small explosion" in the boy's dormitory. His hair and glasses were caked with a type of orange Jell-O looking substance making its natural unruly state even worse.
Lily glanced up quickly before reverting her gaze. The constant mess of his hair drove Lily crazy every time she saw it and when he ran his hands through it she wanted to rip it out. She became violent when it came to James' hair. She became annoyed when it came to James. Lily had just finished packing up her books and parchment when the four boys finally noticed her.
"Lily darling! How are you this wonderful evening? And why aren't you at dinner like the rest? A growing girls needs her nutrients," exclaimed Sirius leaning an arm onto James' shoulder and looked at Lily expectantly with his eyebrows raised. He pushed his hair again from his face and waited for her reply.
"First of all Mr. Longwinded Black, do not call me darling. Second, I am fine thank-you for asking and lastly I should be asking you the same question. Now if you'll excuse me being in the presence of Potter is making me ill," retorted Lily. She picked up her book, stood and started towards the girl's dorm.
"Sod off Evans you're just angry because I am a sophisticated-,"
"egotistic,"
"fetching gentlemen."
"Not to mention your head is bigger than a beach ball," Lily added as she walked up the staircase with a last smirk. She nudged a student's forgotten textbook out of the stairway on the first landing sending it a small glare before continuing up the staircase.
"Right," James agreed unknowingly. He blinked and paused a moment before comprehending her words. He glared at her retreating form and her mirthfully shaking shoulders. "Well… well… at least I don't look like a carrot on parade!" yelled James. Lily was soon out of their vision allowing James to swear loudly. He strolled over to an overstuffed chair and plonked down into it.
"Who does she think she is? I didn't say a word to her and she's all… toffee-nosed for no reason!" James jumped as the sound of the door to the sixth year girl's dormitory being slammed resonated down the stairs.
"Well James it couldn't help that she despises you and you do nothing but aid in her dislike," commented Remus under his breath.
"Humph, so you're taking her side over mine? I did nothing to provoke that!"
"I said nothing of that nature. I'm just saying that maybe if you were a bit more civil to her instead of asking her out at every chance, you could get along." Remus stood and yawned. He slowly stretched then sat down again setting his feet on the small table in front of him.
"Why would I want to do that?" questioned James. "One of these days she'll agree." He lent back in his own chair and picked up a discarded book from the table and started flipping through it. He peered up at Remus inquisitively.
"Not bloody likely," Sirius blurted out. At the glare James sent him he began to explain. "Honestly, your persistence is even annoying me. If you love her so much, tell her."
"I do not love her. She's cute, yes. But all I see her as, is something I want but can't seem to get. She's got so many flaws anyways, her personality for example. Just not long-time girlfriend material," James sighed.
Remus rolled his eyes, "no one has been long-time girlfriend material to you Prongs."
James glared at Remus. He turned to Sirius, his stomach letting out a large growl. Sirius smiled in slight embarrassment, "Anyone hungry?"
"You guys go ahead down to dinner. I'm not in the mood for food and that desk isn't going to fix itself," ordered James heading up the boy's staircase. "I'm going to go start to clean up that mess." He tripped on the first step but quickly straightened up and continued climbing.
Sirius gave a small chuckle, "hey that rhymes! Mood food, hehehe…" Sirius quietly laughed at his strange joke, closed his eyes and went into his own little world. After a minute or two he started humming. Remus shook his head in wonderment at how his friend could forget about the task at hand so quickly.
"Sirius, you are a weird child. Ready to go to dinner Peter?" asked Remus standing up and dusting off imaginary dirt from his robes. He peered up the staircase after Lily Evans before shaking his head and looking towards his two comrades. Peter nodded and followed him out of the portrait hole tripping over unseen objects.
"Hey, wait for me!" cried Sirius finally regaining his composure and running out of the hole after them. The hole shut with a thump and the Common Room was left in silence, the fire in the hearth continued to burn.
Hate: v. dislike intensely; be unwilling (to do something).
"I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" exclaimed Lily falling onto her bed face down. "He comes in and inconveniences me of all people, me! Ever since first year when he pushed me into the lake it's been the same thing year after year." She paused, looking into her dark red comforter, "and now I'm talking to myself. Great I've gone absolutely bonkers."
Lily stood and walked over to her mirror analyzing her reflection. "I don't look like a carrot do I? I'm not that ugly am I?" She removed the elastic from her hair and ran her hands through it to take the small tangles out. She patted it down along her shoulders and turned back to her reflection. She straightened out her school robes and sighed deeply feeling as if she would want nothing more than to change.
"Of course not dear, you're absolutely gorgeous! He just isn't intelligent enough to see your true beauty, give it time," chimed the mirror. Lily opened her eyes and sighed again. She brushed her hair behind her ears and sat in the desk chair to her right.
"Why should I even care what he thinks? He sees me as another future stroke on the proverbial bedpost. I hate him," she mused. Lily stood and walked over to her bed taking a seat and scrounging through her drawer. She pulled a pale blue book from its place and opened it to the first blank page she could fine. The book looked severely aged; its tattered pages half used and old designs on the front almost gone. She unlocked the silver buckle carefully and took a quill and inkbottle from the drawer that she retrieved the diary from. She dipped the quill in the ink and began to scrawl down her frustrations.
Dear Diary,
I hate James Potter. He is the vilest creature I have ever met – excluding Snape and Malfoy of course. I can't stand him! Luckily with his reputation for detention and trouble making he has no chance at Head boy next year… hopefully. He is so infuriating!
On a higher thought though. Petunia is finally getting married to her boorish fiancé. Which means she's moving out! Yes
Jake and Mark are coming to visit Hogwarts too. If anyone can get James to respect me it will be those two. They are the most known and respected Pranksters Hogwarts has seen. They're even worse than those stupid boys, if you believe that. Well, hopefully they can hold their title. I miss them a lot.
The day has gone by quite slowly and I'm tired so I'm off to an early sleep. Well, good night. I'll write again soon.
Lily EvansLily put her pale blue diary away and changed into her light blue nightshirt. She lied down in her dark four-poster bed and stared at the canopy above her. Pulling the covers over her tired torso she peered out the dark window to her right. It was still very early, but she was tired. The moonlight shone through the window, it's rays hitting the floor as if they were lasers hitting steal. She sighed deeply and rolled over remembering nothing after that as slumber took her.
The sun slowly rose from the East as students started to wake from their short-lived slumber at Hogwarts. A red hue cast over the sky, the clouds layered from stratus to cirrus each type a different colour. It was the first day of lessons at Hogwarts for new and old students and although some students were up and ready for the new day, some were not.
"Marie… Marie…MARIE!"
"I'm up, I'm up," cried Marie Finnigan, her dark brown fair bouncing in its messy bun as she sat up from her sleeping position. She promptly covered her swollen brown eyes with her deeply tanned forearm to shield them from the sun that streamed through the open windows. She shoved her bed covers off and threw her legs over the side preparing to make a run for the loo.
"Why do you have to wake me up so bloody early?" she questioned rubbing her eyes. Her tall figure was draped in light green sleeping robes and her bare feet touched the cold floor as she started to stand from her position on the bed. She stood and stretched her five foot eleven inch body out gradually, cringing as her bones let out a loud echo of bones cracking.
"If I didn't wake you up now you'd probably be late for class knowing your sleeping habits," retorted Lily walking into the toilets. Marie glared at the closed doors and crossed her arms over her chest. She heard the shower start and stood and started getting ready for the long day ahead.
Annoyance: n. an irritation or displeasure.
His eyes shot open at the sudden cold substance running along his chest down to his feet. James Potter gasped at the coldness running down his body as he sat up, shivering as it travelled down his warm back. James wiped the ice water from his face as he sprang from his four-poster bed. The liquid dripped down his forehead and he took deep breaths to calm his heartbeat.
"Sirius! I'll get you for that!" yelled James as he chased Sirius down into the common room, passing piles of clothing in the dormitory. His hair stuck to his forehead and glasses as he ran after Sirius over chairs and through groups of surprised students.
"Honestly James, it was just a little fun. It was Pete's idea!" he exclaimed as he leapt over a couch. He fell forward and hurriedly stood back up and started running again. He apologized quickly to the few students he ran into in the process.
"Like I'd believe that, Peter wouldn't dare," cried James as he pulled his wand from his under short's pocket and performed the leg-locking curse. The members of Gryffindor house that were present watched the exchange with amused expressions, always pleased with the constant entertainment provided by the four boys of sixth year. A gasped went around the common room as the leg-locking curse was performed and Sirius Black stopped dead in his tracks and fell straightforward.
"My, my, my Potter, not very nice to your friends now are we?" came a drawling voice from behind him. The focus of the on-watching students quickly changed to the redhead standing on the girl's staircase. A group of three second years quickly looked away to avoid glares and snarls from the girl; another group of five first years were too entranced.
"Stay out of this Evans, this is none of your business," James snapped. He turned and glared at the girl with the force of a thousand knives. The girl was cute, but she needed to stay out of his way.
"My business or not, that's no way to treat anyone. Now, I suggest you put some robes on now unless of course you want McGonagall to see you in your knickers," replied Lily as she walked past him and out the portrait hole. James looked down and gasped. Before anyone else could see him he was up the stairs and into the sixth year boy's dormitory.
Minutes later he came down the stairs again fully dressed and groomed. He performed the counter-curse on Sirius and helped him up. James made a last comment to his friend, glancing towards his sleeping attire, "never do that again. I'll meet you down in the Great Hall."
Sirius nodded and ran up the stairs, his plaid knickers were the last things seen before he was in his dorm. The few girls still left in the common room blushed as James turned and departed through the portrait hole, a scowl on his face. Lily Evans was going to pay.
Infuriate: v. to make very angry.
The large Great Hall was filled with the quiet laughter of tired students preparing for the day. The students sat at four separate tables chatting and discussing matters with fellow housemates picking at their toast and other breakfast foods as they spoke. The magical ceiling portrayed the outside atmosphere, the few clouds slowly passed over blocking portions of the blue sky from view.
Lily sat at the Gryffindor table talking animatedly to Marie about the first Quidditch match of the season. She looked up as the doors of the hall opened and closed with a thud and James Potter headed straight towards her, a large scowl on his face.
"Evans" he nodded
"Question Potter? Or is your neck convulsing?" she asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She raised a single nicely groomed eyebrow at him and turned back to her food. She rolled her eyes towards Marie and reached for the piece of biscuit sitting on her plate.
James glared at the young girl in front of him, "don't try to tell me how to treat my friends. We were just messing around anyways," he pointed an accusing finger at her. She turned back to him with a bored look on her face.
"If you were just messing around, why is the fact that I spoke to you about it such a bother?" Lily questioned turning again to her breakfast with her hair swinging behind her. With a huff and stomp James glared at the back of her red head and walked to where Remus and Peter were seated.
"And how is Miss Lily Evans this morning Prongs?" asked a tired Remus taking a large a bite of his toast. The jelly leisurely slipped from the end of the bread and back onto the table. Peter started to chuckle softly as Remus glared at the jam on the table.
"Infuriating!" James exclaimed as he sat down beside the two boys and picked up a piece of toast for himself.
"How can anyone stand her? I mean just look at her," he motioned toward the 'infuriating redhead' as she laughed at something Frank Longbottom, a Gryffindor acquaintance had said.
"She has an attitude that knocked curiosity off its feet and killed the cat itself. Not to mention her temper," grumbled James. He wagged his toast in Remus' face as he spoke. The crumbs and fleck of jam fell from the piece of toast, landing on Remus' face and the wooden table.
"Prongs, I look at Lily Evans and I see a gorgeous sixteen-year-old girl who only gets on your nerves because she refuses to give into you. If you wouldn't annoy her so she would wouldn't bother you as much, and perhaps she'd see a decent human being." Remus explained this as he wiped the crumbs from his face with a handkerchief she retrieved from his pocket.
"I don't try to annoy her with my persistence. She just has a very short temper," James explained insisting that it wasn't his fault for the disagreements he had with Lily Evans.
"Especially with you," muttered Peter to himself. James glared and threw his toast at Peter's head. The boy let out an indignant wail as he retrieved the toast from the floor. James looked over at Lily and the others she was speaking with, watching the smile on her face grow with every word.
"So I looked at him and winked to see what he would do and he turned away and I could've sworn his face turned red. I think Jacque Buelle is gay," Frank Longbottom commented as Lily and Marie started to giggle at the prospect of Buelle – a seventh year Slytherin – being a homosexual. "I'm telling you after that he started flirting with me. I almost broke out laughing right there in the corridor," he exclaimed. He reached his arm around his two-year girlfriend Alice giving her a quick peck on the cheek as she giggled.
"Frank, that is hilarious we can use that for our nest prank or tip off Sirius. Or even Jake and Mark," said Marie through fits of giggles as she tried to write the information down on a napkin. "Priceless," she whispered.
A flutter of noise from the magical ceiling interrupted their conversation quickly; the swooping of owls and exclamations of students filled the hall. The students' gazes travelled upwards as a large number of owls fluttered through the openings in the ceiling. Many a student let out a scowl as their droppings and parcels splattered onto their toast. "We've got to find another way," came an annoyed Ravenclaw's reply.
"Owl post!" cheered Lily as owl after owl filled the hall dropping parcels in front of different students. A white tawny owl flew right to Lily and landed on her shoulder, "Hey Diricawl what do you have for me today?"
Lily took the letter from the owl in exchange for some toast and started opening and reading the letter after Diricawl flew off. After she read and reread the letter she started squirming in her seat and then jumped up and down beside the Gryffindor table.
"What is it Lil'?" asked Marie. She took the letter and started to read slowly nodding as she became aware of the situation. A smile spread swiftly over her face as she finished.
"Mark and Jake are coming to visit, tomorrow!" Lily started dancing around between the house tables, punching the air as she went. The students began to watch the young witch as she danced around and on tables and benches in the Great Hall. Her fun was soon squished by the drawl of James Potter.
"What's wrong Evans? Got an itch you can't scratch?" hollered James from down the table. Lily stopped dancing and looked at him as he gave Peter a high five, James looked back at her with a smirk on his face. Lily glanced around at his friends around him, watching Remus Lupin shake his head, setting it into his hand.
Lily gave James a sweet smile before she replied twisting a strand of hair around her index finger, "yes actually, would you mind?" She started to undo her school robes in the middle of the hall and walked towards him swaying her hips. James turned and gave her a shocked look and stood up. As she came beside him she seductively bit her lip and inclined her head to the left. James raised his eyebrows and gave Lily one of his heartbreaking smiles.
James took a step towards her and bent over to whisper in her ear, "what do you say we skip classes today and go 'play' in the back of the library?" The whole hall watched as Lily gave James another sweet smile and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
James' grin widened as Lily's hand started to reach for the collar of her shirt. As it looked like she was going to pull the collar down to give him a peek her smile turned into a riveting glare and she gave James a very rude gesture. She quickly turned and stormed out of the Great hall in a rage leaving a confused and slightly annoyed James Potter behind. He looked to his two friends receiving a shrug from Peter and nothing but a disapproving look from Remus.
"What is his problem? Does he think I'm some sort of call-girl or something?" yelled Lily in the corridor as she made her way towards her first class of the day, her worst class of them all; Transfiguration. She turned the corner quickly, her fists gripped and head spinning with rage.
"The bloody pra-," she was cut off when she ran into a solid object in the middle of the new corridor. She fell to the floor hitting her elbow. Looking up rubbing her now bruised elbow, she peered into the face of one Rubeus Hagrid.
"Why 'ello there Lily. Didn' mean to knock you over," he greeted pulling her up.
"It's alright Hagrid. I wasn't looking where I was going," she explained giving him a weak smile. She dusted herself off and sighed lifting her schoolbooks from the floor.
"Somethin' wrong Lily?" Hagrid questioned, "You're lookin' a bi' down." The large man gave her a questioning gaze and started searching the large pockets of his giant fur overcoat.
"It's just that big pain in the arse James Potter. I can't stand him! I was excited about my brothers visiting and he had to make one of his stupid comments," she replied waving her hands around animatedly.
"Yer brothers are visitin'? Di'n' know tha'".
"Yeah, I got a letter today. But he has to be such a blinkered bugger."
"You don't fancy him very much do you?"
Lily shook her head no.
"Don't worry 'bout him. You'd better be off to class now, don't want to be late now do you?" Hagrid laughed and moved out of her way.
"Bye Hagrid, I'll come down for tea sometime soon," she waved as she continued onto class. When she arrived she was one of the first there. She gazed at the empty blackboard then at the closed door. Lily took her usual seat at the front and waited while the rest of the class filed in, the room getting louder and louder.
"Morning Lily, wonder what the old cat's going to teach us today," Marie greeted, taking her seat beside Lily. "Are you all right?"
Professor McGonagall, a tall dark haired woman entered the class and stood at the front waiting for silence, halting Lily's reply. McGonagall didn't have to wait long before she could start her lesson.
"Today everyone, our lesson is about animagus transformation. Anima-, "she was cut off by gales of laughter from the back. Lily turned around and glared at the two boys who had made the ruckus their dark covering the mirth filled eyes.
"Is there a problem?" asked the Professor giving them a stern look.
"Sorry Professor, Sirius here just said something very interesting about Carrot Head," replied James holding his stomach and looking to Lily. He let out a loud chuckle and looked to Sirius before letting out a guffaw.
"Would you care to share with the whole class?" asked Professor McGonagall. She held her wand out in front of her, eyebrows raised and lips very thin, she glanced at Sirius. He looked back at her and shrugged then looked to James with a questioning expression.
James smiled and looked to McGonagall, "he was just saying that… it you look really close she actually looks like a carrot tree… with her green eyes and everything. Wouldn't you agree professor?"
Lily turned back to around in her seat and stared at the newly drawn symbols on the blackboard in front of her. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. This was the last straw.
"Mr. Black and Mr. Potter, detention and five points from Gryffindor each. How dare you insult a fellow student? I suggest you also learn that carrots do not grow on trees," insisted McGonagall. Lily couldn't stand it any longer she needed to get out. She stood up, grabbed her books and book bag and ran from the classroom.
As Lily ran passed James and McGonagall in a blur of black and red James felt his heart clench. He had never made her cry before - at least to his knowledge - he had never wanted to. His little comments were just a way for Lily to note his existence; he never thought they hurt her. He looked down at his feet for a second and only noticed slightly when Sirius was congratulating him on officially making Lily Evans "crack".
Anger: n. fierce displeasure or extreme annoyance.
Lily sprinted all the way to Gryffindor tower through the portrait hole and into her dorm before collapsing onto her four-poster bed in tears. "I HATE HIM!" she cried into her pillow. She quickly stood and walked from her bed to her mirror. She glared at her reflection; long red hair fell around her tear stained face, her emerald green eyes moved over the reflection - hating it.
Her eyes had always been too big for her face, her hair too red compared to the other redheads in the school. It wasn't orange like Potter and Black had always said, it was darker. She wished she were given blonde or brown hair but she wasn't, she was blessed with red. A dark red that almost looked like a strawberry. She wasn't only a carrot; she was a strawberry too.
She grabbed the scissors from Miranda Plather's dresser and started cutting all of her hair off. She cut and cut until it was five inches from her head. She looked at the mirror again. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy and her face tear stained. This would change everything….
She collapsed onto the floor crying with her head in her hands. Nothing was right anymore and it was his entire fault. She sobbed wishing that it would all end, wishing James Potter would just leave her alone once and for all.
Lily raised her head when a gasp came from the doorway. She looked to see Marie with her hand in front of her mouth in surprise and wiped the tears from her face quickly, beginning to stand.
"Lily…?"