A/N:
Thanks for clicking on my story!
I abandoned this story a while ago but I re-edited because I want to pick it up again. I hope you like it. Anything you recognise in this story is the fantastic work of J.K Rowling’s, which I sadly do not own.
Enjoy!
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April 1977,
I was sitting in my kitchen, reading a paragraph from Quintessence: A Quest for about the fifth time. I didn’t even know why I was waiting for my sister to arrive home; she’d probably just ignore me and stalk up to her room.
Petunia had home last year to do a typing course in London. But she, like me, was subjected to spending Easter with our parents. Our annoying, family-time-is-important parents.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents. It’s just that instead of letting me stay and study at Hogwarts during the Easter break like any normal sixth-year, they pretty much forced me to come home for the Easter holidays. I’m sorry, but going home in Easter is only cool in like, first year.
Anyway, what was really annoying is that it was nearly eight o’clock: the roast was cooked, the vegies steamed, the bread baked, and no one was even home yet. Unlike me, Petunia only had to come home for one night, whereas I’d been at home for the whole 2 weeks.
Mum and Dad were hardly ever home because they left around five in the morning and wouldn’t come home until sundown. That was part of their job description though. They’re gardeners, and had thus named my sister and me after their favourite flowers. I mean that was sweet and all, but having a name that is a flower kind of screams “MY PARENTS ARE STONED HIPPIES WHO EAT LENTIL PATTIES”. But that’s just what I think.
I heard someone unlocking the door and slumped over to it, opening it and sighing as Petunia bustled in.
“Hey,” I said as she closed her umbrella. She cleared her throat irritably in response and proceeded up the stairs.
Rolling my eyes, I saw a car parked out the front of my house. The car was nothing special: faded green and old, and inside sat quite a podgy fellow with an enormous moustache. He seemed to be communicating with our house … Wait; he was probably talking to Petunia, whose bedroom window faced the front of the house. At last, he seemed to blow a kiss to her (ergh.) and he drove off.
My parents’ trailer pulled up just as the green car turned the corner and out hopped Mum and Dad, looking tired and dirty as usual.
Mum’s red hair was pulled up in the usual messy bun and Dad’s bald patch shone in the middle of his grey hair. Despite the grey (and lack of) hair of my dad, I actually look a lot like him. We have the same green eyes and the same oval, rosy face. I got my petite figure and the red hair from my mum. Petunia’s got Dad’s light hair and lanky figure, and Mum’s long face and her pale blue eyes.
Petunia always said I had the better mix of our parent’s genes, but when she found out that I was a witch… She never said anything to me.
“Smells good, Lil” Dad said appreciatively.
“Thanks Dad,” I called back, while hastily setting the table.
“Lily dear, is Petunia home yet?” Mum asked, testing the roast.
“Yes Mum, I’m here.” Petunia answered, smiling a rather pained smile while descending the stairs.
“Oh, good! Wonderful to see you, darling! My, my you’ve gotten so thin!” Mum exclaimed whilst hugging Petunia.
Dad, who was reading the back of Quintessence: A Quest looked up and beamed at his eldest daughter, and went over to hug her as well.
Dinner started off as a quiet affair; the chinks of knives and forks told me that I had made de-frosted a good dinner.
“So Petunia, how’s the course going?” Dad asked,
“It’s going alright, I guess.” She replied, playing with her food, obviously bored.
“Ah, good, good.”
Petunia looked up at Mum and Dad’s interested and caring expressions and she softened a bit.
“I did some job hunting before and well…”
Mum and Dad were nodding encouragingly at her.
“.. I got the job!”
The response from my parents was like an eruption. I smiled as they flung their arms around Petunia.
“Your first job, I can’t believe it!” Dad chortled, kissing Petunia’s head.
Mum beckoned her hand toward me to join the group hug.
“Come on Lily, you must be proud of Tuney!”
Petunia and I both winced at the sound of the nickname I had endearingly given her so many years ago. I put my arm around Dad and squeezed, and then got up to get some water.
When everyone was seated again, my parents asked Petunia question after question after question.
How did you get the job? When did you get the job? How do you get to and from work? What bus do you catch? Where do you sit on the bus? Would you describe the bus seats as furry or woolly? BLAH. BLAH. BLAH.
I had tuned out of the babbling conversation, until they finally got on the topic of how she travelled home, and I (innocent little me) hadn’t’ said anything for a while, so I decided it was my time to chime in.
“One of my friends dropped me home,” Petunia was saying.
“Was it your boyfriend?” I asked curiously.
Then Petunia stared at me, eyes narrowed in anger.
“Why,” she hissed, standing up. “Do you always ruin things?”
“What? – I just asked if he was your boyfriend!” I replied, scandalised.
“I was going to tell Mum and Dad that myself! – But no, Lily just needs to take the spotlight all the bloody time!”
“Language, Petunia – sit down and finish what you’re eating.” Mum chided.
“She’s just – she’s just urghh! She’s so annoying and weird!” Petunia cried, still standing up. “Why do always take her side?”
“Petunia, you’re nineteen years old. Act like it.” Dad advised. Then he turned to me.
“Think before you speak, darling. Petunia obviously wanted to tell us about the lucky man herself.”
Dad was trying desperately to lighten the mood.
“So, what’s he like?” he asked, looking up at Petunia, smiling. I tried to smile wearily at her too, but my mouth was too tight, eyebrows raised artificially. My older sister just made an angry noise and strode irritably out of the room.
Dad sighed in a way that clearly meant ‘typical’.
After dinner, Mum went upstairs to talk to Petunia. Dad and I were watching television.
“You excited about going back to Hogwarts tomorrow?” He asked.
“Yeah, But I have so much work to finish, Dad.” I whined, running my hands through my hair, “Next year I‘m staying back at Hogwarts in Easter. I had to opt out of prefect duties and I desperately need the library. Okay?”
“I need the library” Dad whinged, mocking me. “You need to go have fun; right now’s the best time of your life, Lil.”
Dad has his ‘YOLO’ moments. I rolled my eyes. Everyone is always telling me to have fun. It’s so patronizing. Sometimes I want to scream “I’M HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE, SO EVERYBODY SHOULD JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE.”
“Marlene says that too.” I replied calmly.
“Well, she’s right. Say hello to her and Gen for me tomorrow.”
I nodded sleepily and got up.
“Oh yeah, and say hello to that James Potter and his friend Sirius.”
I turned around so fast that my neck cricked. Dad had an amused expression on his face.
“Where – Why – How do you know those two?” Those two idiots, I thought. If they were harassing my dad…
“They’re quite a funny pair of boys, I met them on the train platform at Christmas.”
“Yeah, and?”
“Well, apparently you and James are – what do you kids call it? – going out.”
I snorted, but it barely hid my flustered state – how could I have not noticed Potter and Black talking to my own Father?
“He wishes we were going out. He’s vile.” I announced, looking for Quintessence: A Quest .
“Well, he seems quite keen on you, Lil.”
“I know,” I said uncomfortably. It was one thing to talk about Potter with my friends Marlene and Gen, but with my dad – awkwaaaaaard.
Dad opened his mouth to speak again but I cut him off.
“Dad, he’s really annoying and I’m never going to go out with him. Ever.”
Dad put his hands up in defence and went back into the kitchen.
I shuffled upstairs and put the last of my things in my trunk. I was feeling happy to be going back to Hogwarts and was relishing in the fact that all the books at the Hogwarts library could be in my reach.
Mum came in later to say goodnight and goodbye as she would already be at work when I left tomorrow and gave me the whole ‘Petunia didn’t mean it’ speech.
She also told me that Petunia and her boyfriend (So he was her boyfriend! All I needed before was a simple answer Tuney dearest.) were dropping me to King’s Cross tomorrow.
Brilliant.
***
It was nearing midnight but the Gryffindor common room was still really loud and crowded. Marlene and I were sitting at the table near the window, trying to finish - okay no, start our potions essays.
Mar threw her quill down with a look of disgust.
“Gen, I give up! There’s no way we’re going to finish this without Lily. Plus - it’s Friday night; we should be doing something fun!”
“I know,” I sighed, closing my book. “What do you want to do?”
We both simultaneously looked over to the middle of the common room. It was definitely the loudest part of the common and where the most fun was being had. Obviously, in the midst of it were the Marauders, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. The game they were playing seemed to have started with Potter throwing a quaffle at Black. Then it turned into some kind of quaffle war with a million duplicate quaffles and half of Gryffindor house.
If Lily had been here she would have shouted her lungs out at Potter. But she wasn’t, so Marlene grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the riot. I pulled back – I did not want to go over there.
“Marlene, no! I don’t want to go – you go!” I argued.
“No, come on Gen – it’ll be fun! We know everyone!” She exclaimed. No Mar, I thought to myself, you know everyone.
Marlene was definitely the social, out-going one of our little trio. She’s quite popular because she’s the little sister of Elizabeth McKinnon, who was practically the best student at Hogwarts. Marlene knew all the Marauders, because she’s James Potter’s next door neighbour. Knowing those four boys automatically makes you cool. Plus, she’s quite the talker; knows all the gossip of the magical world and knows pretty much everyone in it. She was gorgeous as well, with tall, with browny-blonde straight hair and hazel eyes.
Those hazel eyes were giving me their best puppy-dog look but I shrugged hopelessly. Mar shook her head at me, and went to join the quaffle throng. I wished Lily was here.
Lily had been my first ever friend at Hogwarts, and even though at the beginning she used to hang out with Severus Snape, I like to think I had always been her best girlfriend (No homo, guys settle down…). She, like Marlene, too is exceptionally stunning: with long wavy red hair, green eyes and a petite figure. She’s popular as well, and has many random friends spotted all over Hogwarts; a reflection of her contagious friendliness and her wittiness.
I’m the nobody, really. First of all, I look like a twelve year old. I’m incredibly short and I’ve got HUMUNGOUS blue eyes, that aren’t in the slightest mysterious or sexy. They make me look like I’m always shocked or completely out of it. Like, when I squint, my eyes go to normal size. Now, pair those eyes with frequently rosy cheeks. Ugh, I know. And the cherry on top is my blonde afro: the uncontrollable corkscrew-curly blonde hair, which falls down to my waist.
With schoolwork, even though I have Lily to help me, I’m easily one of the most behind in class. When paired for skills work I’m often paired with Peter Pettigrew - and that’s saying something.
In my opinion, I don’t think I should be in Gryffindor – Gryffindors are supposed to be bold and brave. I’m just the shy one who stands in the corner. And I was doing right then while Marlene was getting swallowed into the Quidditch dodge-ball crowd
So I stood near the window like a loner, watching the big fight when my eyes (as usual) found Sirius Black. I had given up on him years ago, but a small soft spot still existed. He was extremely handsome, and his tough, arrogant persona was everything I wasn’t. I gave up on him in fourth year, but, two years on, I still daydream of him throwing stones at my window …
Ahem, anyway - I never told Lily or Marlene about liking Sirius Black. See, liking Sirius Black or James Potter stereotyped you as a certain type of airy-fairy girly-girl, and if I had told my friends about liking Black, they’d probably laugh their arses off.
Just as I was thinking about what I would say if I ever did tell them, Black raised his head to check the clock which I was standing under. I stood there motionless for a moment, and then started pretending to look for something in my bag. I didn’t want him to think I was standing there gormless, just gormlessly staring at him. What is a gorm, anyway? And why do I always look like I had lost my gorms? GORMS. GOOOORM. GORM. GORMLESS. The word was spinning around my head as I looked for nothing in my bag.
The word gormless was so funny. I was about to start laughing as I looked up, because surely, Sirius Black would have turned his attention elsewhere.
But when I looked up, his eyes met mine.
He jerked his head toward the throng. He wants me to join in, I thought happily, my heart fluttering. HE WANTS MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
I was so, so tempted to just drop my bag and run into the crowd. He jerked his head again in that ‘come on!’ way.
But my dignity held me back; I am extremely uncoordinated with a quaffle, and even more so in front of him. So instead, I smiled and shook my head. Sirius shrugged and then turned around just in time to dodge a ball Remus threw at him.
After standing there happily for a couple more seconds, the usual uncomfortableness of being a loner kicked in and I walked up to the girl’s dormitories.
I changed into my pyjamas and then sat in front of the mirror and untangled my thick hair from the braid I had put it in. I fluffed it out a bit and tilted my head at different angles. It didn’t look that bad… not bad at all really … in fact if I just –
“Checking ourselves out, are we?” Marlene chuckled, as she walked in.
I paused, momentarily embarrassed.
“Yeah,” I sighed, getting up from the dresser and climbing onto my bed.
“Well, I think you look … ravishing.” Mar said lamely, batting her eyelashes at me and my faded elephant pyjamas.
“Oh, shut it.” I scoffed, “Where are you going?”
Marlene was changing near her bed, but not into her pyjamas.
She turned toward me with a flourish and gestured to the lacy black shirt she thrown on.
"Just going for a walk with Bertie Higgs.”
“Oh, I see. Just a walk?” I smirked, my voice buzzing with sarcasm. As if Marlene would ‘just go for a walk’ with the hottest seventh-year in Gryffindor.
She turned to me with doubtful eyes.
“Should I go though, Gen? I mean, it’s so soon after I broke up with Gerald, would it be slack of me to start dating one of his best friends?”
Ah, typical Marlene drama.
It was pretty slack of her to do that to her ex. And it would probably result in more Marlene drama.
But it was that drama and chatter that made her so fun to be around.
I jerked my head toward the dormitory door in a "Just go.” sort of way. Marlene quivered excitedly and bounced towards the exit, thanking me gleefully.
She left the dormitory, leaving me to think about how happy some people get after seeing a head-jerk.
Firstly, I apologise for the awkward spaces between paragraphs .. I must think of a spell that can counteract that happening.
But, how was it?
Just remember, if you hated it, my first version of this chapter was MUCH worse.
You may have liked it or read it and gone ‘meh’, but I would really appreciate a review!
A few thoughts of yours are more valuable to me than all the Felix Felicis in the world.
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