Familiar Stranger

Familiar Stranger

Chapter One - Of Running Away and Sharing Beds.

0x-

She felt trapped. Constricted in a world where her image ruled her life. Held hostage by paparazzi and her agent. Things used to be so simple; she used to act because she loved it, used to smile because it felt natural and used to have days where she was allowed to roll out of bed, throw on whatever she was wearing yesterday and traipse down to the shop.

When she had been young fame had seemed everything. Everything. It had been her dreams, hopes, wishes and ambitions. To be in the lime light, to no longer be an anonymous face in the crowd but to be the one everyone knew. What a fool she had been. Fame and fortune had not been the way to go. It was a shame really, her grades from Beauxbatons had been rather outstanding, she was indeed a clever witch, but no, she had done exactly as her mother had told her and had made Acting her life rather than a hobby.

And now, here she stood, lipstick glued to her pouting lips, make up layered upon her naturally beautiful face and breathing in uncomfortably due to the fact her dress was a size too small, but it was apparently the fashion so, she must adorn it. What a Lucky Girl she felt. A flute of sparkling Bollinger champagne was pushed into her hand abruptly and no sooner had the waiter arrived he had disappeared - that was what they were instructed to do - be invisible to all the celebrities on the ‘A list’ and not bother them for autographs or pictures.

Lily slipped a fake smile around her lips as a fellow thespian passed her, raising his glass jovially at her. Raising her own glass to her lips the liquid lapped gently at her tongue as she gracefully drank, it tasted strong and bitter - it was tainted with money and high expense.

Behind her she could hear the sound of drunk Actor’s wives cackling loudly, hear them gossiping over what had been in the paper that day and who they could tell of the people they had seen here this night. Her fellow actresses, although seemed nice enough, were turning their noses up at each behind one another’s back, that was another problem living in this type of society; you could befriend no one for fear of them stabbing you in the back.

All anyone needed in here was a bit of hearsay about you and if their career started to slip then they would suddenly let that piece of information be found out by the press and before you could say ‘Cut’ your livelihood was also in danger. These people were vengeful and determined - if they were going down they were taking as many with them as they could. Though, Lily was almost begging someone to let slip a false piece of gossip about her, anything would do - a scandal is just what her career needed. A fake stay in rehab perhaps, or a sordid past and no longer would the agencies be wanting her to star in lead roles. She could leave the industry through default. She yearned to escape, to leave this world behind - to go back to Diagon Alley and Hogsmede.

Suddenly impulse hit her. Throwing her glass to the ground she tore from the building, leaving her coat, bag and many gaping A-list people behind her. Tearing down the steps, tripping to the floor at the bottom of them, her scarlet hair flopping in front of her face, her shoes breaking; many reporters began snapping their cameras wildly. Blinding lights and yells of ‘Evans’, ‘Lily!’ and ‘Not to your taste, Miss Evans?!’

Behind her she could hear the footsteps and desperate calls of her managers and assistants, but she would not turn back. Kicking off her spindly heeled shoes she continued to make her getaway. Not stopping. Not caring. The cold of the night did not affect her but allowed her to continue running, the goose pimples forming on her arms were not registered consciously by her. Stopping a at row of Taxis she wrenched open the door and threw herself into the back seat bodily. Finally able to breathe. She shut her eyes; she had always been known for her rash unpredictable actions and this was just like the sixteen year old Lily that had bunked off at dances to go and fly on a Thestral’s back.

Just as she took in a good amount of oxygen the Taxi driver turned to her and smiled, “Lily? Lily Evans?! By gawd! You wouldn’t just si -” Lily did not allow the man to finish his sentence before she had bolted from the car. Delving her hand into her dress she found her long pale fingers gripping around her wand, not thinking twice about consequences of Muggles seeing her she thrust her right arm out, still grasping her narrow strip of wood and urging The Knight Bus to hurry it’s self along. The first piece of magic she’d done in years.

BANG.

A large, triple-decker bus appeared in front of her, it’s purple paintwork gleaming in the streetlamp’s dim glow. Not allowing the old conductor to wheeze himself off of the bus in order to give a long winded speech, she barged past him. The driver turned to her, his eyes sparkling with recognition, however he seemed wise enough not to mention the obvious - that she was running away from something. Her hair was now tousled and hanging about her face, her smoky eye makeup slightly smudged making her green eyes look large and accentuated. Leaning back against the window of the bus, she breathlessly muttered the word, ‘drive.’

Nervously Lily looked about and to her horror every bed on this floor was taken. “Ah, yeah, sorry about that, Missy,” smiled the Conductor - Lily glanced at his gold pin on the front of his deep plum-coloured uniform, it read Eric Pottle.

“Are there no others on different floors?”

Eric shook his head wistfully, “Sorry ‘bout that, I daresay you look like you need a lie down too. I’ll wake Mr Potter up ‘ere, I’m sure he’ll let you perch…they’re all Aurors you see, Miss, ‘cept James-y there, ‘e’s no longer an Auror.”

Lily nodded and merely accepted the man’s patronising tone, she was in no mood to disagree on how he spoke to the female of the species. “Okay. Wake up Mr Potter and ask him for me.” she agreed, her tone slightly superior - after all she had been pampered for the majority of her life and, until only recently, was held in very high regard by everyone she met, she knew she’d have to break the habit of talking to people like they were only there to perform her bidding.

0x-

Eric Pottle smiled at the pretty young redhead and ambled his way to the back of the bus, weaving between the sleeping Aurors, some of them snoring, others with their head firmly under the blankets while others clutched at their wands even in slumber - poised and ready to wake and attack their enemies. Lily guessed they were all on their way home after a hard day at the Ministry - The Ministry…Lily had never fancied working there - sure a Auror would have been fascinating, but if Lily had not made it as an actress she knew Healing would have been her calling, she’d have made a damn good healer and probably worked for St. Mungos.

Approaching Potter’s bed silently Eric poked at the mass of blankets.

“Um wha?” spoke a voice groggily, a handsome tousled face appeared from beneath the plush purple quilt and looked about quickly, as though scrutinizing the entire situation. When he saw no Death Eaters were attacking he looked at the man who’d roused him. “We in Hogsmede already?”

“No, Mr Potter, only we have a little problem…”

“And that would be?” the black haired man urged the conductor to continue.

“Well, we have a lady aboard, and if you ask me, Sir” he lowered his voice considerably, not that Lily would have heard anyway as she was sorting out with the driver some money to be taken directly from her Gringott’s accounts as she had nothing with her - apart from her wand - to pay him with. “she’s in need of a little TLC. Poor thing looked like she was running away from something or other…”

“Pottle, spit it out - why is this my problem?”

“Well, I can imagine you are the only one on this here bus that I trust to allow her to share a bed with.”

“What?” questioned Potter, his eyebrows shooting into his head - he went through women like no one’s business and everyone knew it, so why was he trusted with this women.

“Well, there are no other beds and to be honest I don’t trust any of your colleges with her - a delicate little slip she is.”

“Ex-colleges.” he corrected.

“Yes sir…ex-colleges”

After a moment of silence he spoke again, “Alright, you twisted my arm.” smiled Potter, “I’ll take her.”

0x-

Lily had been led down and introduced to ‘Mr Potter’ however he had quickly informed her to call him ‘James’, she had smiled and nodded while sitting upon the end of his bed, her legs curled underneath her. She was studying James, he had tanned whether-worn skin, callused hands, large sparkling hazel eyes and incredibly messy black hair - he wasn’t a pretty boy, far from it, but he was handsome, very much so actually…but in a rugged, un-kept way, his hair long and a small bit of stubble about his chin gave him a cheeky character.

After Eric had provided her with a steaming mug of hot-chocolate he ambled his way back to the other end of the bus. Silence elapsed over the bus and Lily was now staring out of the dark window and seeing nothing but the odd blur of street lamps and every now and again feeling the bus go over a bump or take a corner particularly hard.

“You’re familiar.” James said suddenly, analysing her face. She blushed a little under his probing stare but looked resolutely back into his gaze.

“How so?”

“You did well for yourself in the Muggle world, no?”

Lily sighed, would she ever escape it? Pasting on a bright and false smile she shook his hand while saying in a feigned happy voice, that was a few decibels higher than her usual tone “Hi, Lily Evans is the name, Muggle Actress, thoroughly sick of being recognised.”

He smiled at her sarcasm tainted words. “Indeed.” he replied but had no chance to say anything further as the Knight Bus stopped out side the Leaky Cauldron with more force than was necessary and catapulted Lily headfirst into James, her drink coating them both in warm hot chocolate, but James wrapped a strong arm about her waist stopping her from rolling onto the floor. She stared up into his eyes, her dark red hair falling about her face.

“Sorry about that, James.”

He smirked at the feel of her slender body wedged between his arm and his chest, however he was bought into reality as she placed her hand on his chest and stood herself up, almost the entire bus had emptied and she sat herself upon the recently vacated bed beside James’. Sighing she leant back onto the pillows then looked down at her stained dress.

The light gold material ruined. “Ah crap. If Danny could see me now.” she spoke allowed.

James bristled, “Your boyfriend?”

She laughed, a charming loud laugh, full of life, “No, he’s my dress fitter, and I suspect he would prefer your company to mine,” she placed a finger to her lips to tell James not to shout it about - after all if you were that way inclined, it was the seventies and you wouldn’t have been accepted. He smirked however and visibly relaxed again.

“Well what would he do if could see you now?”

“First, scream at me for ruining the shoes he gave me” she held up the spindly heels that strap was hanging off of one and the heel had snapped on the other, “secondly, scream at me for leaving the Premiere.” she motioned around herself, at the bus to show him she was quite obviously not at the Premiere for a new movie “and thirdly scream at me for pouring Hot Chocolate all over myself…ah well, never did like this dress anyway.”

James looked at her bemused, most witches he knew would have killed to be donning the clothes Lily was currently wearing - minus the drink stains of course - “why? Not expensive enough for you?”

“Oh no, ten thousand pounds on a dress is pretty reasonable.” she remarked as though she were merely commenting on the décor, “I just prefer my jeans.”

James smiled. “So, Lily, where are you staying?”

“Hmm, I figured at crash at The Three Broomsticks”

“Er…Evans, they don’t do bedrooms at The Three Broomsticks anymore, you have been out of touch with us a while haven’t you.”

Lily bowed her head and a blush appeared upon her cheeks. “Now, I am, as they say - in the shit.”

James observed her hunched profile in the silence - she was pretty, no doubt about it, yet he couldn’t help but think without her hair tied up in the intricate style and without the large amount of make-up on her face she would be stunning. A sudden image of her pale skin against his tanned complexion fleeted into his mind - her dark red curls sprawled across his white linen bed clothes. The bus stopped.

“’Ere you go, Mr Potter.” called Eric.

James stood and gathered his things. Lily looked up to him, about to speak her thanks and good bye when he took her by the top of the arm, “come along, Evans, you’re staying with me.” Smiling at him she allowed herself to be led towards the end of the bus with James.

Author’s Note:

Mmkay. This is AU Lily/James and is based on a Chanel advert starring Nicole Kidman, it isn’t really following the plot of said advert but it was heavily inspired by =]

Cat or Placid_Destruction is my beta reader - and she’s loverly.

Review? I’ll…heart you forever.

Tasha x

Familiar Stranger

Chapter Two - Of Flaws and True Beauty

James’s house was fairly small - it consisted of two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living area, which led into the kitchen. It was modest and homely. In fact Lily was shocked by how welcoming it seemed, not quite the bachelor pad she’d expected. He poked his wand into the fire and roaring flames sprang up. Grinning cheekily at Lily, he motioned for her to sit in the chair by the hearth; however, Lily was quite sick of obeying other people’s suggestions and having to sit all prim and proper with a ramrod straight back, so the petite redhead slumped to the floor and stuck her legs out in front of her, wriggling her toes happily against the fluffy white, sheepskin rug.

“Thanks for this, James. It means a lot…I think I’d have probably given in and gone back to my apartment just to be discovered by my manager again.”

“No problem,” smirked James. Helping pretty, young females was his specialty. Leaving the kitchen, holding two mugs of steaming coffee, James sat opposite Lily. “So, Ms. Evans, why is it you’re running away?”

Lily turned her jade eyes from his chiselled face and stared into the orange flames, watching as they licked at the blackened brickwork. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

He nodded, accepting her answer.

“And you, James? What do you do?”

Drinking deeply, he sighed and leaned back into the squashy, fat, cushions behind him, “I used to be an Auror.”

“Oh…awesome.” smiled Lily, “Wait…used to be?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he mirrored her, and she laughed slightly. He too grinned…both were strangers and yet seemed so comfortable in each other’s presence.

She studied his face as his hazel eyes fixated upon the flames lapping at each other - playing some sort of game that resembled ‘Tag’ she supposed. One would catch the other and no sooner had it gotten away than the flame would scoop it back up again. He wore glasses usually - either that or he needed to. She could tell by the amount he squinted, that and the fact there were a few lines already beneath his eyes, showing that he often didn’t wear the needed spectacles …she wondered why, he was handsome and could surely pull off anything - so why not just wear his glasses? She mentally shrugged. Lily would not push the matter…it was not of any consequence to her. Tomorrow, no doubt, she would walk out of this house and never make eye contact with James Potter again. That was life.

“James?”

“Mmm.” He slowly raised his dark eyes to her face, seeming slightly confused and lethargic - it was obvious he was in no hurry to do anything.

“Can I, erm, I mean, may I use your bathroom? Please? I really need to get out of this dress and cleanse my face of makeup and my hair of gunk.”

His stomach shook with a deep throaty laugh. “Go for it.” He pointed behind him carelessly, indicating where his bathroom was. “There’s towels in the cupboard by the sink and a spare toothbrush in the cabinet above the sink.”

“Cheers.”

0x-

When she turned the lights on, the bathroom illuminated and her eyes were slightly shocked as everything about her was so brilliantly white that she had to blink a few times to gain her sight back - white tiles, white porcelain, white mats, white cupboards…silver taps - slightly out of place but just as immaculate as everything else in the room. Yanking her dress off of her slim form, she allowed it to flow to the ground where it lay in a heap, looking like a pool of molten gold - the silk catching the light like water in the sun‘s rays.

Standing in only her white lacy underwear, Lily leaned over the bath and twisted the taps so that hot and cold water began to cascade into the tub. After poking about in the cabinets, she found some vanilla scented bubble baths and dropped a couple of blobs into the water, watching as they disappeared into thick snow-coloured bubbles. Leaving the bath to run itself, Lily stood in front of the mirror, observing herself. Good Godric, she did look a mess. Her hair was falling out here and there, the kohl around her eyes was smudged worse than ever, and due to the white of her negligee, her skin looked stark and too pale, her smatterings of freckles more prominent than ever.

Glaring at her own reflection, Lily began to unpin her hair, grimacing as she tried to run her fingers through it. Thanks to hair spray, the wind and the Knight Bus’s unsafe driving, her mop of scarlet locks was tangled and course. Finally, when all the hair grips were disentangled from her head, Lily turned off the running water and slipped out of the last offending items on her body. She then slid into the bath and did not stop until her entire head was submerged beneath the sweetly scented water. It felt so good. All her makeup slipped off of her visage and her hair fell naturally around her shoulders. She felt ordinary again - more human than a dressed up dolly.

0x-

It was odd, James thought as he rubbed his hand against the stubble on his chin. He knew nothing about the woman he was currently harbouring in his bathroom, and he had no idea, really, why she was running away from her life…or, in fact, why she’d run away from her magical life, too. It was obvious that she was a talented and intelligent woman - feisty and confident - so why did Ms. Evans always seem to be running? This was all presumption on James’s part of course, but maybe she hadn’t ran away from the Wizarding world…and maybe she just needed a break from her fame…though she did seem to be doing things with a bit of an urgency. Still, it was not his place to pry.

She was an attractive woman - beautiful in fact - but of course she’d have to be to survive in her industry for so long - once you got ugly the spotlight seemed to no longer shine on you. James knew this…one disability and suddenly the Head Auror position was swept from beneath his feet quicker than you could say ‘Voldemort’ - or rather - ‘You-Know-Who’. He cursed his weak eyesight silently.

Suddenly losing his tiredness, James stood and meandered into the kitchen where he hunted out a bottle of Firewhiskey and slammed it down on the surface of the table. Not bothering with a glass, he yanked the cork out of the bottleneck and slugged down a fair amount. It burned his throat and made his eyes water slightly and, much to his chagrin, caused his eyesight to blur further. The slamming of the bathroom door made him jump in surprise. Lily, wrapped in a thick, fluffy towel, greeted his eyes. She padded into the living room and did a slight double take when she realised he wasn’t by the fire, but soon her emerald eyes clashed with the vision of James hunching over the sideboard in the kitchen, bottle in one hand the other giving her a sort of half wave which she returned with a sort of half smile.

Walking into the kitchen she slid in front of James, sandwiching herself between him and the sideboard. Lily’s long slender fingers enclosed around the bottle and plucked it gently from James’s grasp. He thought she was about to put it away before insisting he shouldn’t be drinking quite so much, but she lifted it to her dark pink lips and downed a good amount.

“Damn. I forgot how strong this shit is,” she breathed. Her whiskey scented breath played about his face. His eyes caught hers.

The heat in the room intensified. Oxygen suddenly seemed scarce as Lily began to take deep shallow breaths, her chest heaving and straining against the edge of the towel.

“Lily,” whispered James, his hands snaking their way around the back of her torso. “I know we haven’t known each other long, and I really…and you don’t…know much about…”

His ramblings were cut off by her desperate lips clashing against his equally thirsty ones. His lips were warm, slightly chapped by the wind and tasted of whiskey and hot chocolate - or was she just imagining the chocolate remains on his lips…simply because she knew that they’d both drank a mug of it earlier. This train of thought suddenly struck Lily as being pointless, and she found her hands driving up his chest, around his neck and roping themselves into James’s messy locks. The bottle fell to the floor…smashed, but neither heard, neither cared…all that mattered was that they were both enveloped in a stranger’s embrace. It wasn’t Ex-Auror and Tired Actress or Heavy Drinker and Self Loather. It was Lily and James…two people fusing together at the lips.

The kisses became harder, more frantic and passionate; nibbles of the lips came into play, as did the feeling of hands roaming the outlines of one another’s bodies.

“My room.” murmured James, taking Lily’s hand in his calloused, tanned one and leading her into his chamber.

The room was fairly large in comparison to the rest of the house. There were a few odd socks strewn on the floor, but that was the only untidiness that appeared in the entire bedroom. The walls were a dark red, complimented with a golden border - Gryffindor. On a cork board was pinned various photos of a younger, happier James surrounded by different girls and a few males, all wearing their school uniforms and propping themselves up against broomsticks or swimming in a lake or various other frivolous activities Lily would have loved to have partaken in.

She was thrown onto the bed playfully, landing with a slight thump. She laughed - the sound was charming and light - the towel fell from around her, discarded and James stopped his de-clothing to watch her. She was enchanting, her soft, pale, skin glowing slightly in the luminous moonlight gambling in from the window behind the bed. Her hair was long and damp, sprawling about the duvet and looking deliciously erotic as it clashed with his cream sheets. Her eyes were large and alight with laughter and yet hazy with seduction, so green it was entrancing beyond belief. Was this really the woman he’d met mere hours ago with her makeup smudged and swathed in a dress worth more than his entire wardrobe? No, on the Knight bus he’d awoken to Lillian Evans - Muggle Actress…now this, this was just Lily.

She watched as he surveyed her, her cheeks burning under his observation, but still she would not turn her head and bashfully hide, nor would she yank his arm and distract him in order to stop his analysis. She would let him look, let him drink her in. It had been years since she’d felt this beautiful. Odd that, she mused. She was constantly told her looks were stunning, that her figure was to die for, and that her grace rivalled that of a Nymph’s, and yet, as she lay there on his linen sheets, her hair moist, her face devoid of makeup and her body revealed, dowsed in muted light, she felt perfect. Her insecurity washed away. His dependence on alcohol fluttered out of the window. At that moment there was no superficial happiness, no feigned contentment - both were flawless to each other.

He crawled over her, his eyes not breaking contact with hers, his rough, darkly tanned skin causing friction against her milky form. Finally his face reached hers, noses touching gently, and their lips moulded together. It was so wrong. Lily had not been able to do this since leaving school, no move she made was ever not caught on camera…and here she was being devoured by this man…this stranger.

0x-

It was beautiful. Flawless. Both moved to the rhythm of lust and slaked their need for one another. It was like melting ice, thawing their needs, soft and cool -- purifying. Extinguishing the flames of their defects, obliterating the fire that fuels their imperfections -- leaving just them. Their souls, bare and naked, exposed for the other to ridicule and scorn, but trusting that they wouldn’t. She felt his lips kiss every fading freckle and his hands caress her every scar.

This man cared not that she wasn’t enveloped in makeup and did not flinch at the fact she was a renowned actress. He was simply there, worshipping her every contour and tracing each part of her intricate design - captivated by her porcelain-like skin and forgetting himself - intoxicated by her scent. James, allowing his mind to become blissfully blank, let himself forget his mistakes, forget his past, forget - as so many people had pounded into him - that he wasn’t good enough. This night he was more than good enough, this night he was James, this night he was saviour and sinner, this night he was as perfect as she.

0x-

Author’s Note: Mmkay. There we go. Second installment.

And thank you for the lovely reviews.

Tasha x

Familiar Stranger

Chapter Three - Of Endings, New Beginnings and Familiar Strangers

That morning, when James Potter awoke, he found he was alone in his bed, his house silent as normal…but that wasn’t supposed to be normal…not this morning. This morning Lily Evans was supposed to be lounging beside him, perhaps still sleeping, perhaps reading yesterday’s Prophet to herself…he was not supposed to be staring at an empty space of crinkled sheets that smelt of her mingled with his shampoo.

He sat up and automatically slipped his glasses on his face, for the first time since he’d acquired them not glaring distastefully at the lens he relied too much upon. She had made him feel whole, and suddenly there seemed nothing to be ashamed of…suddenly it was okay to have a weakness; a flaw. He left the bedroom pulling on his dressing gown as he did so, the shards of the Whiskey bottle had been cleared away and a note resided on the surface. The surface which she’d sat upon and first tasted her lips. First seen her. Smelt her. Known her.

I return to my world, knowing it is acceptable for me not to be perfect.

Lily x

He hadn’t known much about her, he couldn’t tell you her favourite colour, or music, or food…but he knew her, because although she’d been a stranger she’d been just like him. Hiding the imperfections, slipping behind a smile or a drink. Finding solace in things that only distracted from the problem, never ridding them of it.

0x-

Lily sat in her Agent’s office being congratulated on bring in another half a million.

“…we needed a bit of scandal with you,” he smiled, “yes, you’re a brilliant actress but you’re always in the papers for positive reasons…a little bit more mystery with you is good. It’ll help re-catch that feeling people had about you in the beginning - related to no one famous, from a Boarding school - in France, no less - beautiful…yes, yes this is definitely good.”

Lily found herself simply nodding and agreeing, picking at the cuff of the baggy men’s shirt she was wearing. It reminded her of him and that bought comfort, it was what was helping her thinking straight and concentrating on her plan. It was time she returned to her world. Her true world and embraced, once and for all, what she really was.

“Lily!”

“Hmm…?”

“This is Madame Jolis. She is to take you to and fit you for your dress at the BAFTAs.”

Lily’s emerald eyes flickered up to a tall, pin-thin, woman. Her hair was glossy and straight, a long ebony fringe almost obstructing her dusky brown eyes. She wore a pair of incredibly tight black jeans, a bright red Lycra top that could have substituted for a second skin, finished with a black neck scarf tied in a cute knot around her throat; she looked every inch celebrity and for once, for some reason unknown to her, Lily didn’t feel inadequate as she sat there in old faded jeans and an over-large shirt. Even though she looked a mere shadow of the woman before her; she no longer felt ashamed for not being perfection personified.

0x-

James sat in a café in Diagon Alley opposite a very tall, skinny man, decked in extravagant dark red and gold robes, his beard was long and turning white from the rich grey it had been for many years; he was having brunch with Albus Dumbledore.

“Now, James, I know you are no longer with the Auror force…”

“Please, Albus, there’s no need to rub salt in the wound.”

“But dear boy, salt in a wound helps to dry it out, helps it to heal...even if it does sting like a Bludger.”

James smiled, there was no getting around it - the old man was wise…and by the little twinkle in his blue eyes, he knew it. The raven haired man took a swig of his coffee, savouring the heat of the smooth liquid on his tongue before swallowing and thinking how hard it would be giving up his evening Fire Whiskey’s…but it had to be done. He wasn’t damaged goods, he was a damn good Wizard, he was intelligent…he had what it took to be a key Order member, according to Dumbledore…whatever The Order was. . .

0x-

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

“Miss Evans - where’d you go?”

“Any explanations, Lily?”

“Yo, Evans, what was with the disappearing act?”

“Lily, you look stunning! Whose dress are you wearing this evening - Dolce?”

Click. Click. Click. Click.

“Lily! Lily! Can I just have a word --”

“An autograph, Miss Evans!”

Click. Click. Click.

“How’d you feel about being up for Best Actress, again?”

“D’you think you stand a chance this year, Miss Evans?”

“Lily - you gonna run again?”

Click. Click.

She could hear the reporters yelling, hear the screams of the crowds and flash of many camera’s shone in her eyes but she no longer felt blinded. She kept on walking down the red carpet, her Mother attached to her left arm and her Agent to her right. She was clothed in a black backless dress, it was a halter neck garment, the chest covered in vertical lines of onyx, around her thin waist was a thick waspie belt, held together with drawstring black lace, the skirt was long and fairly tight, allowing you to see the outline of her figure perfectly…it trailed down the carpet behind her at least twelve inches. Her hair was straight underneath and puffed up at the crown of her head, her eyes were surrounded by dramatic kohl and her lips were a shiny cherry-red.

She was smiling, not a fake, pleasant smile, just beaming; for tonight she felt whole…felt that she was doing what was right…something no one could take from her; James had lit a fire within her that wasn’t to be easily doused.

“Over here, Miss Evans! Is it true you’ve been given the role of --”

“Lily! Just a few words…”

0x-

James sat in his home, Sirius - his best friend - beside him both of them having just left Dumbledore’s company, both new members of the Order of the Phoenix - both ready and willing to fight the rising Dark Forces that were being led by, one, Voldemort. A pizza lay between them and another on the table, it was waiting for the other two members of their friendship group to arrive; Remus Lupin, werewolf and Healer for the Order and Peter Pettigrew, the least impressive corner of their square but necessary to them all the same, he too was a member of the Order.

Pop! Pop! Signified the entrance of the two said men who took their places opposite James and began to tuck into their food.

“I bought us bottle!” grinned Peter, producing a large glass vessel containing amber liquid. He popped off the cork, “Leaky Cauldron’s best, to celebrate Padfoot and Prongs finally seeing sense and joining the Order.”

He took a swig and passed the bottle to Remus who immediately shook his head and saw that the bottle was given to Sirius who too took a long draft - his eyes watering from the stinging - and handed it to James.

The black-haired man stared down at what was in his hand, the orange-y brown liquid swished and gurgled, it was tempting him - ‘just take a sip’… ‘one wouldn’t hurt. . .’

“Er, Prongs?” Sirius’ voice cut through his musings, James looked up to see his friend holding a gold taffeta dress, “something you’re not telling us about.”

“It’s…Lily’s”

“Lily?”

“Yeah…long story.”

“We got a long night ahead then.” smirked Peter.

And as James resolutely put the bottle on the table, his throat devoid of the sting of Whiskey, he began to tell his friends…from the beginning, starting with the fact he’d become slightly alcohol dependant after loosing his job.

0x-

Melinda Lucchini with her radiant smile and shimmering olive skin stood behind the podium, her red ball gown glittering beautifully, her back poised and her cheekbones high. Her long slender, bejewelled fingers, opened up the gold envelope and to the audience at large she announced the result.

“And the award for Best Actress goes to. . .Lillian Evans, for her leading role in --”

Lily’s Mother beamed proudly and clapped ferociously loud along with the rest of the crowd. Lily set down her water, beaming, and stood, making her way down the long flight of stairs towards the gold bedecked stage. Before long she was beside the Italian beauty and holding the golden award in her hands.

“Well, this, this really is a shock. And I’d like to thank you all, it means so very much to me. . .but it has given me the perfect way to end something; I’m retiring.”

A gasp echoed throughout the room then -- silence.

“. . .I’m really sorry, Mum, I know this is something you wanted for me, and for a while I deluded myself I wanted it too. . .but acting has lost it’s fun - I don’t want to wear masks and have to look perfect all the time. . .I want a chance to find out who I really am, and that’s not something I can do in this situation. And so I want to thank all of you who pushed me up to the top, but I’m going to bow out gracefully, going leave this world before I’m thrust out of it and land - pardon my language - but land on my arse . . .and so, tonight is the last you’ll see of Lily Evans in the spotlight, the last you’ll read of me in the papers and the last time I have to be who you made me; I loved it for a while, but now I’m finding the view from my pedestal dull and lifeless. . .Goodnight.”

And with the parting words she kissed Melinda on the cheek and walked back up to her seat, many people standing and clapping her as she did so, her Mother looking furious and her agent looking as though Christmas were just cancelled. But for once she didn’t care she’d disappointed anyone, for finally, at the age of twenty-four she knew what she wanted. . .and by Merlin, she was going to get it.

0x-

The Order meeting had been in session twenty minutes when a knock at the door signified a late member, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all stopped their debates, as did the remainder of those in the room, Dumbledore smiled and said mildly “Do come in.”

A woman wearing emerald green silk robes entered, her dark ruby, loosely curled, hair falling out of the large bejewelled clip she wore, swinging in front of her only-just-visible brilliant green eyes, her skin was pale and she was smattered with a few beige freckles. . .

“Ah this is our new member; Lily Evans. . .”

James caught her gaze and both shared a smile, for they needed no introduction, they were already Familiar Strangers.

End___

Author’s Note: Done!

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Tasha x