The Year It All Changed
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is JKR's.
A/N: Please review ^^
3 chapters in two days. You all better appreciate it xD
I'll post the next chapter tomorrow, probably.
I think that I might have called Melody 'Katie' sometimes in the last chapter. Someone mentioned that in a review. I was going to make one of Lily's friends Katie but then I decided on Melody and I had to go through and change them all. I guess I missed some 'Katies'
So if there any confusion, I'm sorry. =)
Also, I don't have a beta so I might have some mistakes. I tried my best to go over it and check it.
-x-
Chapter 3
...Lucius Malfoy.
Lily stared at him in shock as he sneered at her, his eyes narrowing. She hadn't seen him in over four years. She had only been in third year when he had left Hogwarts. He had made those first three years of hers miserable. In a way, he was worse than all the Slytherins that she had to deal with now.
Lily had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice she was standing alone. Malfoy had left. She suddenly shivered, even though it was warm enough to be July. Seeing Lucius again had slightly unnerved her. Another thing also came to her mind. Why was Malfoy talking to Peter? From what she knew, the Slytherins held Peter in high contempt.
Shaking her head, she turned and hurried towards the stairs. Tom was just coming down the stairs. She thanked him again and he bowed deeply. Now if Lily had done that while standing on the stairs, she would have surely fallen. She smiled as she walked to her room. It was the first door to the right on the second landing.
"Where were you?" Melody asked as soon as Lily entered. "Tom came and enlarged the room." She picked up a pillow and threw it at Lily. "It was your idea to finish packing before we did anything fun. And you left us here to do it." Hazel grinned. "Quit complaining Mel. You would have had to do it anyway tomorrow if you didn't do it tonight and that would have meant getting up early. Did you really want to do that?"
Melody shook her head thoughtfully. "You're right. So, Lils, where were you?" Lily shrugged as she tossed the pillow back at Melody who caught it about two inches away from her face. Her Seeker skills did come in handy sometimes. "I met someone downstairs. Peter Pettigrew. I doubt you know him." She had purposefully left out her meeting with Malfoy.
"Pettigrew?" Melody echoed, wrinkling her nose. "That… boy that follows Sirius and the Marauders around?" Lily nodded. Mel snorted. "And you stayed to talk to him? I wouldn't." Hazel laughed. "That's because you don't know how to be polite. Although, I must admit, he reminds me of a rat."
Melody sat up and remarked, "I don't know why they let him tag after them. I mean their group, with the exception of Peter, could be made up of the most handsome and talented wizards at Hogwarts and…" She paused.
"Oh wait. They are the most handsome and talented wizards at Hogwarts." She grinned as she rolled onto her stomach. "So, you spent your whole day with them?" She asked Lily, giving her a mischievous smile.
Lily quickly shook her head. "No, I only met them a few minutes before we headed back. Remus offered to help me with my things, which is why they all came with me. I had a lot to carry." Hazel grinned this time. She wasn't shy at all around her friends. "And you just happened to run into them?" Lily tried to glare at Hazel but failed. Her mouth curved into a smile.
"No, in fact, I ran into Sirius and he spotted James and wanted me to meet him and I obviously didn't want to see him so I left and they ran into me at Flourish and Blotts and I was leaving when Remus asked me if I needed help."
"Why do you go to such lengths to avoid James? You know he's not a bad person. I mean, I work with him every week at Quidditch practices." Melody remarked. Lily snorted. "Oh, sure, you think that. You're interested in Sirius." Melody laughed. "And so what if I am? He happens to be 10 on our cute looking scale. You remember when we made that in 4th year?"
Hazel giggled. "Yeah, I remember. It was in History of Magic and we were bored. We rated every person in our year. And if I remember correctly, Lily gave James a 10, didn't she?" Lily threw the pair of socks she was folding at Hazel. "I was young, I didn't know any better. If I had known what an arrogant jerk he was, I wouldn't even have bothered rating him."
Melody smiled. "Then why are you blushing?" Lily was turning a light shade of red. "Well, I wasn't the one eyeing Remus." Lily said defensively. This time, Hazel blushed. "I wasn't eyeing him." Lily grinned. "I didn't say you were. But since you just admitted it…" She smirked.
"Let's play a game. Hazel, pick. Helping Filch separate rotten beetle eyes from good ones or kiss Peter?" Hazel grimaced. "At least give me a decent choice." Mel grinned. "Come on, pick one." "As if I really have a choice." Hazel grumbled. "Clearly I'd pick helping Filch. My turn. Lily, pick. Kissing James or Severus."
Melody laughed. "Good one. And you have to tell the truth. One second." She retrieved her wand and pointed it at Lily. "Truso noir!" She muttered. "I still remember this spell from when you taught me. Now if you lie, your tongue is going to turn black." Lily groaned. "Do I really need to answer this?"
Hazel smiled. "I had to do it, so do you." Lying down, Lily sighed. "Alright, if I absolutely had to pick, which I never will, I'd pick James. And don't dare tell this to anyone, either of you!" She threatened.
They both laughed. "Alright, we won't." Mel assured her. "Now, my turn." Lily pondered thoughtfully and then asked, "Would you rather go on a date with Sirius or get the Nimbus 1001?" The Nimbus 1001 was the latest broomstick model at Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"That's a no-brainer. I'd go on a date with Sirius. Because my mum already bought me the Nimbus 1001." She grinned.
-x-
"Rise and shine, sweethearts!" Hazel called over to Lily and Melody, grinning. "We have about an hour and a half before the train leaves." Lily yawned as she sat up. "Good morning." Melody however grunted and kept on sleeping. Hazel winked at Lily and said, "Sirius is going to be there. If you want to share a compartment with him, we better get there before the rest of his fan club."
Mel sat up abruptly. "You're right; we're going to be late." The next hour was spent getting ready, making sure everything was packed and placed into the trunks. Melody and Hazel went to check their rooms to see they had everything. With about 45 minutes before the train left, they were getting into the muggle cab that was waiting for them.
It was about 35 minutes later that the girls arrived at King's Cross station. They all entered from the secret way to Platform together, in order to get on the train without being late. Platform 9 and ¾ was bustling with families. Parents were hugging their kids goodbye and there were several owls hooting. Lily looked over the familiar sight and smiled happily. She was going back to Hogwarts.
The girls levitated their trunks and got onto the train, as they had no one to say goodbye to. Lily and her friends headed towards the front of the compartment where the Prefects meeting was going to be held.
The girls were just getting seated when there was a knock on the door and the Prefects entered. The first to come in were the Slytherin Prefects. They were talking animatedly about something. But when they spotted Lily, they stopped and a disdainful expression came over their faces.
The Ravenclaw Prefects and then the Hufflepuff ones followed them. The last to arrive were James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. The Head Boy and girl were last to enter. This year the Head Boy was Frank Longbottom and a girl from Ravenclaw. Frank looked around before saying, "Anyone who isn't a prefect clear out now."
He was looking at the Marauders. Although his words might have sounded offensive, his tone certainly wasn't. James and Sirius grinned cheekily at him before filing out, followed by Peter and finally Melody and Hazel. Lily and Remus received the password to the common room, and their patrol schedule and they stayed to chat a while before leaving themselves.
They both went looking for their mates. As it turned out, they had chosen a compartment quite near that of the Prefects. Peter had fallen asleep and Melody and Hazel stayed as far away from him as possible while being polite. "You know, the Slytherins are excited about something." Sirius remarked. James nodded. "Something happened. Or they're planning something."
Lily was about to tell them about the Slytherin Prefects when the door opened and they heard someone say, "No, Regulus…" Severus Snape came into sight. They saw him the same time he saw them. He immediately stopped what he was saying. "Sorry. Did know the compartment was occupied with mudbloods and blood traitors." He sneered.
James stood up, his hand reaching for his wand. "What did you say?" Severus smirked. He was a medium height, greasy looking, 7th year Slytherin, who looked like he hadn't taken a bath for the past several months. His dark robes were covered with stains and his overly large nose had several large hairs sticking out.
"Oh nothing. I got the compartments mixed up. My friends are in the next compartment. Your brother's there too, Black." Sirius scowled at him. "I don't care where he is." James glared at Snape. "Clear off Snivillus before I make you wish you never boarded the train." Lily rolled her eyes and looked away. "I should have expected this. Some people never change."
-x-
The students of Hogwarts were welcomed back to the castle in pouring rain. Buckets of water rained on them as they hurried from the carriages to the Front Doors of the castle. Lily felt sorry for the poor first years that had to cross the lake as was the tradition to get to the castle. Hazel, Melody and Lily entered the castle together, sopping wet. The Marauders immediately followed them.
Sirius stepped inside and shook his head to free it of the water, much like a dog. "Merlin, it's raining hard out there." He glanced down at the large puddle of water forming beneath their feet. This'll be some mess to clean up," He remarked, grinning. "It's like a welcome back present for Filch." Mel rolled her eyes.
"Let's go. It's freezing cold here." She led the way towards the Great Hall, a steady stream of water following her. Lily and Hazel followed. The Marauders however hung back. Sirius and James had gotten to whispering and were grinning nonstop. If a teacher had spotted then supporting that look, they would have been on their guard at once. That was their 'We're-planning-something-against-the-rules-and-it's-most-likely-to-explode' look.
"There's a seat." James pointed towards Lily and the girls. Remus looked over in that direction. "James, there are no seats there." He frowned. Sirius who had caught on to what James was going to do, grinned. James smiled at Moony and strode purposefully towards where he had pointed. "Excuse me, you're in my seat." He told the boy, sitting right next to Lily. The boy, who had been working his way through enough mashed potatoes to feed an army, looked up.
"I was here first. Go find…" His words died from his lips as he spotted who it was. "Potter. I didn't know it was your seat. Sorry, mate." He stood up, as did the four boys sitting next to him. James grinned. "I knew you'd cooperate." He took a seat and looked towards Lily. "Oi, Evans, missed me?"
Lily had been engrossed in conversation with Mel and Hazel. Hearing the familiar voice she was starting to like, she looked up. "Potter? Why on earth would I miss you? I have better things to do with my time." Hazel laughed. Melody however, leaned forward and grinned. "Yes, Lily doesn't think about you, even though you're a 10 on the cute looking scale." Lily swatted at Mel. "What she means is that she used to like you. Isn't that what you mean?" She glanced threateningly at Melody.
"Oh, yes, I used to like you." She confirmed hastily. By then Sirius and Remus had sat down next to James and were listening curiously. James himself was looking confused. Shaking his head he turned to Padfoot and Moony. "So ready?"
They nodded and the three boys happily indulged themselves in the feast, until it disappeared and was replaced by the desserts. "This is it." James whispered, looking at Sirius and Remus and drawing his wand. No one had even touched any of the desserts when James whispered a spell, pointing his wand in the general area towards the Slytherin Table.
It happened almost at once. Every Slytherin's clothes, including the males' turned shocking pink. It wouldn't have been so appalling though if the Slytherins themselves hadn't turned a dark shade of pink.
The Great Hall rang out with laughter. Even all of the teachers looked amused. And if that wasn't enough, the custard pies exploded, coating the Slytherins in sticky yellow custard. Dumbledore stood up, his eyes crinkled in amusement.
"I must say, pink isn't really in these days. Especially not with yellow. I'd advise you to clean up before we continue the feast." The Great Hall burst out in laughter again. The Slytherins looked livid and ready to kill someone. Soon most of them looked presentable again, thanks to the 'scourgify' spell. Their skins however, were still a shocking pink.
Lily looked at James, an appalled look on her face. "That was you! Oh James, how could you? You should be setting an example for the younger students, not teaching them how to blow up food. You should be ashamed of yourself! And here I was thinking that you might have matured over the summer!"
Glaring at him, she stood up and moved to the far end of the table. She couldn't leave since she had the password needed to enter the common room and she had to wait for everyone to be done. Melody glanced at Sirius, sighed and she and Hazel followed Lily.
Their seats were immediately taken by a group of girls that had been hovering near them for quite a while. One of them immediately draped herself across Sirius while another did the same with James. "How dare she talk to you like that? I thought that was rather funny." The brunette, that was almost lying across James remarked. James nodded, forcing a smile. The truth was, he was starting to fell guilty about it.
After all, the Slytherins hadn't done anything this time. The Marauders had picked a fight with them. He looked over to where Lily and her friends were sitting. Sirius however, seemed to be enjoying himself as he flirted like mad with the girl sitting on his knee.
Lily was shooting murderous looks at James as he turned back and grinned at the girl on his lap and played with her hair. This was exactly why she didn't want to go out with him. James never wanted to commit.
Here he was, practically declaring undying love for her and the next second he had some airhead flirting with him. Really. Lily snorted. She had no idea why, but it annoyed her greatly.
The desserts disappeared in the next couple of minutes, and Dumbledore made his usual speech about the Forbidden Forest, the rising Dark Lord and Filch's ongoing list of forbidden items.
As soon as the Headmaster said goodnight, Lily stood up and said in a clear voice. "All first years over here please. All first years follow me." She smiled as a crowd of tiny kids gathered around her. Remus made his way towards her.
"I'm sixth year Gryffindor Prefect and we," She glanced at Remus, "Are supposed to take you to the Gryffindor common room. From there, the fifth year prefects will show you to your dormitories." She led the crowd towards the doors.
The group started climbing the stairs. Some Ravenclaw students were heading up too and Lily and James, who was walking right behind Lily, had to move closer together so it was possible for them all to pass. Lily got something akin to butterflies in her stomach, as James leaned closer and closer.
The butterflies also kept increasing the more time they spent together, the more accidental touches there were… James looked at Lily and grinned. "Evans, is something wrong? You're staring at me." Lily snapped out of her daze.
"I wasn't staring at you. I was staring behind you." She said lamely. James smiled knowingly. "Yes, of course you were." Lily glared at him. And then there were moments where she really felt like smacking him.
"Potter, I am in no mood to put up with you. I'm tired and I'd like to get some rest. So if you don't mind, you can flirt with me some other time." Realizing what she had said, she quickly shook her head. "I don't really mean that." James shrugged. "Alright, Evans."
Remus walked ahead of Lily and led the first year students to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Fairy Lights." Lily muttered. The Gryffindors stepped inside. Bidding goodnight to everyone Lily, Melody and Hazel went up to bed.
The fifth year prefects dealt with the new students as the Marauders took a seat on one of the sofas. "What were you and Lily talking about?" Sirius asked at once. "She had that look on her face. The look you get when you're staring at her." Remus smiled. From some of the things Lily had wrote to him, Remus thought that she might be stating to like him. She just didn't know it yet.
Or maybe she did.
Maybe that was why she was so touchy when James had asked her what she wrote to Remus about. The Marauders conversed for a few minutes before heading off to bed themselves. Tomorrow was the first day of school.
-x-
A/N: What did you think of this chapter? Review and tell please ^^ I love reviews xDD I'm going to wait until I have 13 reviews until I post the next chapter.