For Mish

Chapter One: Returning

September 1st, 1977

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

-e.e. cummings

I can't believe this is our seventh year already! This year will have to be better than before! If only Potter would behave himself. And maybe deflate that huge ego of his. I'm surprised he even fits into a compartment with that big head of his He is so annoying! Lily thought as she stared out the window of the Hogwarts Express. She looked up as a brown-haired blue-eyed girl sat down on the seat across from her and sighed.

"What did you do to your hair?" Lily asked the girl across form her.

"What you don't like it? I think it makes me look… sophisticated!" Sarah answered, searching for the right word.

The girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes tilted her head to the side. "I guess it does."

"I think it does," Cassidy stood up for Sarah, pushing her blond hair out of her hazel eyes.

"Why do you think it makes you look sophisticated?" Lane asked Sarah.

"Uh…seriously! Like I know!" Sarah said exasperatedly. All I did was try something new… "I'm going to go find Celia. She still has my necklace that she 'borrowed' from me last year. And I want it back," she said as she left.

"Aw, I think we made Sarah mad," Cassidy said.

"Yes, but at least she didn't hit this time," Lily pointed out.

"Oh please Lily. You act like she hits you every five seconds or something. You exaggerate too much," Lane told her.

"I get that from Sarah," Lily replied.

"All your bad qualities you say you got from Sarah!" Lane exclaimed.

"Yeah well. Nothing I can do about that," Lily mumbled.

"So what? You were the perfect child before you met Sarah?" Lane questioned her.

"Totally," Lily joked. Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"AH-HA! I HAVE RESCUED THE MISSING JEWEL OF THE AMONTILADO FROM THE DEEP BLUE OCEAN SEA!" Sarah said happily as she entered their compartment with a necklace in her hand.

"See?" Lily asked Lane raising an eyebrow at her.

"Ah. I see you two have been talking about me again whilst I was gone! Were you talking about my beautiful hair? Or my amazing good looks? Or my charm and wit? Or my smartness-osity? So many things to choose from…" Sarah joked with them, obviously in a better mood than when she left. She sat down across from Lily. "And Lily, I think Potter might be looking for you. I think he knows you're Head Girl," Sarah warned her, knowing how much Lily disliked him.

"So? Big deal," Lily said.

Sarah stared at Lily.

"What Sarah?" Lily asked irritably.

Oh dear. My darling Lily doesn't know that her public enemy number one, James Potter is somehow Head Boy. Should I tell her? Nah, let her find out on her own. Sarah stifled a laugh. "Nothing Lily. Shouldn't you go to your meeting now?" Sarah said with a smile. Lily got up and left for the heads' compartment.

Lane turned to Sarah. "She doesn't know, does she?" Lane asked her. Sarah was laughing too hard to answer her.

"Obviously not," Cassidy said. The compartment door opened and Remus and Sirius sauntered in.

"What do you want?" Sarah asked Sirius.

"Ah, nothing m'lady," he said. Sarah gave him a look.

"I think you're going mad…" Sarah muttered to herself.

"Like you?" Sirius asked. Sarah smacked him on his arm.

"Sarah, don't be so violent," Cassidy scolded.

Sarah smiled sweetly. "I'm just a naturally violent person. There's nothing I can do about that." Sirius rubbed his hand over his arm where Sarah smacked him.

"I wonder how Lily is taking the news…" Lane wondered aloud.

"What news?" Remus asked.

"That James is Head Boy," Lane said.

"She doesn't know?" Sirius asked.

"No way! We'd get our head ripped off!" Sarah said.

"She is going to be-" Lane started.

"-Bloody mad-" Sarah said.

"-that James-"

"- 'the annoying big-headed prat'-"

"-has made-"

"-the all-important-"

"-Head Boy," Lane finished.

The compartment door opened with a very mad looking Lily Evans in the doorway.

"Good timing," Sirius said.

"OUT!" Lily yelled at Sirius and Remus. They quickly slipped out of the compartment, they knew better than to stick around with a furious Lily. She slammed the door shut. "JAMES IS HEAD BOY!"

Sarah had to stifle a laugh. Again.

"We know," Cassidy said.

"You guys KNEW and you didn't TELL ME?"

"Ah, let me think…No!" Sarah said.

"Why!" Lily asked.

"Duh, because we knew this would happen," Lane told her.

Lily sat down and crossed her arms over her chest. "I hate you guys. You're so mean to me," she complained.

"You love us!" Sarah said.

"It won't be that bad. I mean there has to be some reason why Dumbledore picked him as Head Boy. He wouldn't pick him with no reason," Cassidy pointed out. Lily thought about this for a moment.

"True. But why him? Of all people? Seriously…"

"Did someone call?" Sirius said as he stuck his head inside the girls' compartment. "Is it over?" he asked.

"I think so," Sarah answered. His head disappeared only to return with his body, James, and Remus.

"Hey Lily, can I talk to you?" James asked.

Lily looked at him, unsure of his intentions. "Fine," she said reluctantly and followed him out of the compartment.

"He's not going to ask her out again, is he?" Sarah asked.

"I don't think so," Remus answered.

"Really?" Lane said in disbelief.

"Yeah," Sirius said grumpily.

"What's wrong with you?" Sarah asked, sliding closer to him.

"Nothing," he replied.

"Sure," she said and laid her head on his shoulder.

"What's that?" Cassidy asked Lane who was fingering with a silver necklace that she wore around her neck.

"Oh. Alden gave it to me. It's from…Italy. I think. Yeah. He went there during vacation," Lane said.

"Vay-cay!" Sarah said happily.

"Vay-cay?" Remus asked.

"Vay-cay…vacation? Seriously. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, Remus."

Remus rolled his eyes. "What did you do on vacation?" he asked Cassidy.

"Nothing really. Watched my two little brats called brothers and hung out with Lane, Lily, and Sarah the whole summer. That's about it," she answered him.

"With lots of shopping!" Sarah said happily.

"Tons of shopping," Lane agreed.

"And sleepovers," Cassidy added.

"And trouble," Sarah said.

"And the cops," Lane added to the list.

"The cops?" Sirius asked.

"Ah yes. That was a night to remember," Sarah remembering what had taken place that night.

"Well? What happened?" Sirius asked.

"You tell it Sarah," Cassidy said.

"Ok. Well we were having a sleep-over at Cassidy's house that night. So we went shopping. Like in the afternoon at this muggle store. Since you know, we were staying at Cassidy's house. So we were trying on these sunglasses (which were really cool. Didn't you buy some then Lane? I thought so) and everything and I tried a pair on (they looked really cute too). I pushed them onto my hair and left them there (like I always do). I completely forgot about them. We walked around the store some more (and tried on some shoes) and we walked out it when the alarms started buzzing and whining and whatnot!"

"It was so loud and annoying. I still can't believe you did that Sarah," Lane said.

"Yes well. You guys didn't notice them either! (I'm not the most observant person. That's Cass's job,)" she said defensively. "Anyways! These cops came since there were like patrolling or whatever. The one guy was really ugly and old. The other one was younger. And sort of cute…he was like, what? 20? I don't know… He couldn't of have been that old though… "

"Back to the story!" Lane demanded.

"Ok, ok! Sorry," Sarah said sarcastically. "The old guy wanted to arrest me! Can you believe it! Arrest me! I didn't even know they were on my head. Somehow the younger guy persuaded him just to let me off with warning. (Thank Merlin) I don't know how he did it. That old guy was mean…"

"Maybe he helped you because you kept smiling at him every five seconds…" Cassidy pointed out.

"Yeah well. It didn't hurt. Anyways they let me go with a warning. Then later that night we were at Cassidy's house."

"Duh Sarah. Get on with it already or I'll tell it!" Lane said impatiently.

"No respect at all," Sarah muttered. "We were having a great time and we were listening to the radio. (With that song that I now have stuck in my head, thank you very much) I guess it was a little too loud or something because the next thing we know the old cop is standing in the doorway of Cassidy's room with her mum next to him, looking none too pleased. He started yelling his head off about how could we stand such a racket? And her annoying neighbors filed a complaint! And hadn't he seen us before? And on and on. Boy was he annoying! He wouldn't shut up!"

"Like you sometimes?" Cassidy asked.

"Yes! Exactly!" Sarah agreed brightly. "HEY! That's not nice!"

"But you agreed," Lane said.

"Well, Cassidy talked to him and told him how she was sorry and everything and how it would never happen again. I'm not sure quite what you told him, Cass. I was off in the bathroom laughing my head off with Lane."

"I know. You left me all alone to deal with him. And then with my mum afterwards," Cassidy told her.

"What about Lily?" Lane asked.

"She helped a bit. Not so much with my mum. But who could blame her? I swear the whole block heard her screaming at me after the cop left," Cassidy told them. "And it was all Sarah's fault too. She's the one who had it up so loud."

"Nuh-uh! You guys didn't protest!" she argued.

"Oh yea like we could even hear anything over the music! I was going deaf!" Lane said.

"Don't be so daft. You're hearing is fine. No permanent damage was done," Sarah said as she smiled innocently.

"I think I've rubbed off on you," Sirius said, smiling down at Sarah.

"Oh dear sweet Merlin I hope not," Sarah said.

"I think he has. It's shame too. You were so nice before…" Lily teased Sarah as she walked in to the compartment with James following her. Lily gave Sarah a look as she noticed that Sarah had her head on Sirius' shoulder. Sarah quickly removed her head.

"I happen to think that's a good thing!" Sirius said indignantly.

"You would," Lily replied.

"I'm going to go find Alden," Lane said as she stood up and left to go find her boyfriend.

The door opened once more and Lia's head popped in. "Hey guys!" Lia greeted them. "Hey Sarah, could you come here?" Lia asked her. Sarah nodded and walked out, with Sirius watching her leave.

Once the compartment door was shut Lily asked, "Do you like her?" She looked at Sirius.

"Who?" he asked stupidly.

"Sarah," Lily said.

He quickly shook his head. "No."

"Sure," Lily said, not believing him in the least. "That's too bad," she said slowly, "because I think she likes you."

"Really?" Sirius asked casually.

"Yes, Padfoot," James chuckled.

"Hey, where's Peter?" Cassidy asked them as Lane came back.

"I think he's with Ember," Remus said remorsefully.

"Ember? Like in Ember from Slytherin?" Lily asked.

"Yes," James answered her.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I think he fancies her," James told her.

"Ew," Lily replied.

"I know," Sirius said.

"But why Ember?" Lane asked.

"I dunno," Remus said.

Sarah came back into the compartment and made her way back to where she was sitting before, but before she could get there, the train took a turn and she lost her balance, sending her into James' lap. She looked up at him with a smile. "Hey James. How was your summer?" Lily stared at Sarah.

"Great," he replied. Sarah pushed herself off of him and sat down.

"Aw, it's raining," Sarah said.

"I pity the first years. They'll be drenched once the reach the castle," Cassidy said.

"It's one of my cousin's first year. Too bad for her," Lane said.

The compartment door opened once more. "Oh, hey guys!" Danni said. "Have you guys seen Hayley?"

"No," Sarah answered and the rest shook their heads no.

"'Kay thanks," Danni said, continuing her search for Hayley.

"What's your cousin's name?" Lily asked Lane.

"Ali. I left her with Hattie and her friend Melissa for the train ride," Lane answered.

"Melissa Granul?"

"Yeah," Lane answered.

"She lives close to me. And when ever I see her she talks to me, which is ok, but she never shuts up!" James said.

"I know," Lane agreed, "I don't know how Hattie can stand her.

"Ugh, we have to go patrol," Lily said, leading James out of the compartment.

"Do you think this is the year?" Sarah asked the rest of them once the door was shut behind Lily and James.

"The year for what?" Remus asked.

"Lily and James?" Sirius asked her. Sarah nodded. "I hope so. I can't stand another year with James complaining that Lily won't go out with him."

"Maybe it will be. I didn't hear him ask her out once yet," Lane said.

"He seems more….grown-up?" Sarah suggested. "I like it. Maybe you should try to be more like him, Sirius," she teased. Sirius made a face and tried to move away from her, but Sarah quickly grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Should we do something to help them along?" Lane asked.

"No, I think we should let them get together on their own," Cassidy said.

"I think they need a little help," Sirius told them.

"Me too, a little push," Sarah agreed. "Remus?"

"I think we should leave them alone. Until mid-October. If nothing happens by then we should intervene," Remus said.

"I agree," Lane said.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Now would you please review? Do you like this better? (I know it's just the beginning. But do you think it'll be better than the non-revampified version? Lol.)