2. Muggle Studies

“Meanwhile; at Lily Evans’s Table.”

Lily eyes the familiar jet-black hair before turning to Mary Macdonald.

“What’s he doing here?”

Mary shrugs, a coy smile on her lips as she peeks over at the Marauders table. “Are you so vain, Lils?”

She bristles, straightens in her chair, and turns from Mary instead to the front of the room. “Not at all.” Her voice strains and she peeks a glance towards the boys. “Obviously, it’s not because of me.”

"Three Sickles say he's doing this to get Lily Evans' attention."

Lily ignores Sirius’s voice and Mary’s snigger. “I need a tissue.”

She hurries past their table.

78. Author’s Choice

“Breaking Down”

“James…” Her voice is barely a whisper, a mere hush of air and she looks away from him. When did she even begin to care? “I told you. No.”

She doesn’t look at his face, for fear this time, she’ll break and this will be the time her no will be a yes. Never before has rejecting him been so difficult and the significance is not lost on her.

He opens his mouth to say something but she shakes her head and turns away. It doesn’t stop his voice, though.

“Why don’t you just give me a chance? I’ve changed.”

25. Sorting Hat

“I’m So Sorry, Severus.”

She squeezes her eyes tight while sitting upon the stool, ignoring the eyes of too-many-to-count students. All she can think of is Slytherin, and how great Severus said it is. Powerful even, and he said he just knew she’d be a strong witch.

The Sorting Hat, however, does not agree. In the back of her mind, Lily is alarmed. A disembodied voice is speaking at her from within a hat!

“Gryffindor!” the hat announces, and Lily’s heart drops. She meets Sev’s eyes, offers a sad smile.

When Sirius Black offers the seat next to him, she turns up her nose.

60. Joke

"To Mister Fabian Prewett;
I Swoon in Your General Direction"

“Lily! My heart! Where hast thou been all day?”

Lily turns at the voice of Fabian, a wide smile already settled upon her face. She reaches across the distance towards the Ravenclaw, her expression of pining.

“Oh Fabian, my love! How can I bear the separation? I count the hours ‘til we meet again!”

She swoons at him and he laughs, his arm outstretched, not meeting her fingers.

“We shall meet again, in charms this afternoon, m’lady!”

“Until then, love!” Lily waves an invisible hanky as Fabian heads towards class.

Nearby, James Potter glares at Fabian’s retreating back.

36. Muggle

“P.S: I Tried to Ask Dumbledore;
I Won’t Give Up Yet.”

Dear Tuney,

I wish you’d write back; this is the third letter I’ve sent you this week. I miss you so much. Hogwarts is so big and weird and amazing. Don’t you miss me, too? I’m te same as I’ve always been. I’m still your sister, Lily and I still love you. My House has a couple really annoying boys. You’d hate them, Tuney, they’re awful. But one is really nice. Kind of shy. Did you read that Sev and I are in different Houses?

I miss you so much, Petunia. Please write back.

Love you forever,
Your sister Lily

70. Teem

“YOU ARE LIKE ONE MILLION
MOONS AND I AM A TINY SPECK
OF DIRT IN YOUR ORBIT”

Three things about James Potter Lily would confess to no one – not Mary, not Bliss, not Remus, and especially not Severus:

He was quite attractive, though this was spoiled by his appalling personality.

If he wasn’t such an arrogant, immature, cocky, show-off, bullying toe-rag, she’d have considered dating him.

His attention completely flattered her.

She hides a smile as she turns away from Potter, pretending she doesn’t find his foolish compliment charming at all.

Mary, however, is not blind, and teems with the sort of giddy taunting glee only a best friend can teem with.

Lily ignores this, as well.

45. Torch

“The Key Word Is:
Electronics.”

“Shhh, Mary!”

Both girls stifle giggles and freeze, listening to the brief echoes of their stumbling. They clutch each other in the dark, waiting.

“The coast is clear,” Lily whispers into the dark.

Slowly, they take a few more steps through the dungeon corridor. Something wet drips in the distance, but they can barely see what’s right in front of them. Fingers tightly woven between each other’s, they move slowly, Lily trailing her fingers along the damn stone walls.

“Wish we had a torch,” muttered Mary.

Silently, Lily agreed; shame Sev told her muggle devices wouldn’t work while in Hogwarts.

94. Allergic

“Allergy Season;
It Never Goes Away”

Lily does not enjoy the first week of Hogwarts.

Black is a cocky jerk. Potter is an annoying prat. The girls aren’t bad.

But Lily really misses Petunia.

Why wasn’t she sorted Slytherin? Why wasn’t Severus sorted Gryffindor? Never before has she felt so alone, despite so many people around. It would be so much easier if Sev was just around more.

“Hey, Evans. Where’s Snivelly at?” asks Potter.

Lily rolls her eyes. “Shut up, Potter. I’m allergic to you.” To emphasize her point, she shoves him so he stumbles backwards into the nearby couch. “Don’t talk to me again.”

89. Past

“A Quest; Of Truth and Friendship”

Tuney would tell Mummy if she knew, which is why Lily doesn’t tell her sister where she’s going. Still, she wishes she had; the area is dilapidated and she’s scared.

Nonetheless, she purposefully makes her way through Spinner’s End, well aware Mummy will be furious if she finds out. However, she has to.

She needs to know if he was lying.

After some searching, she finds and follows the river Tuney mentioned.

In the shade of some trees lays the familiar boy with the hooked nose and dark hair.

“Snape?”

He sits up slowly, a careful smile on his face.

3. Transfiguration

“For Such an Impressive Mentor”

“Happy Birthday,” Lily whispers to the empty room.

Upon Professor Slughorn’s desk, she places a bowl and fills it with water. From a locket worn around her neck, she removes a lily petal, carefully smoothes it before she sets it atop the water. Another spell, whispered into the dark, and she smiles.

Later, when Slughorn enters his office, he sits down and inspects the bowl before him. To his surprise, the petal sinks in the dish, just before it transform from white petal into a sleek, white fish. Touching the card next to the dish, he smiles.

“Thank-you, Lily Evans.”

73. Warn

“I’m Not Ready to Choose
Between the Two of You;
I Can’t Help Who I Care For”

“I am warning you, Potter.”

Her voice is as cold as the anger creasing her face. Fingers curl into fists at her sides and a subtle shaking is visible.

“Stop messing with Severus. I mean it.”

Potter’s features twist – one moment hurt, the next moment confused. “I thought you weren’t friends with him. He called you... he said…”

“It doesn’t matter.” She advances one step towards him, only inches away from him, green eyes livid. “Just leave him be. If you’ll do one thing for him, just leave him be.”

“Why do you care about him?” he asks, voice too-soft.

35. Pureblood

“How’d The Muggles Get So Tiny Anyway?
How’d They Get Inside the Box?!”

“Lily! Hurrycomequickhurry!”

Panicked, Lily runs through the apartment. She stumbles into the living room and her gaze lands on James, whom is on his knees, face and palm pressed to the television screen.

“Hurry! Do something! There’s tiny muggles… trapped! Horrible! Tiny muggles trapped in the box! Do something, save them!”

Through uproarious laughter, Lily tells him, “They’re just images.”

“Just… just…” he sputters, thunderstruck. “These are your people, you monster!”

Still laughing, she turns off the television. “See? Images. They’re not really in there!”

“Noooooo!” James roars, arms thrown up. “They’ll be trapped forever now!”

Lily can’t stop laughing.

26. Quill

"A Brush; A Flush"

“No!” Furiously, Lily digs through her bag, which is far from neat. Her rushed morning found all her homework thrown in to her bag in a haphazard manner, and now, she cannot find her quill.

Ink well, check. Parchment, check. Favorite yellow feathered quill? Missing.

“Psst! Lily!”

She meets James’s hazel eyes before she notices his outstretched arm, the quill he extends towards her. It’s not her favorite yellow one, but it’ll do.

“Thank-you,” she whispers, and when she takes the quill, their fingers brush, and a shiver crawls up her arm.

Hastily, she looks away and hides a smile.

95. Snowball

“All’s Fair in Love and Snow”

The snowball crushes against her face, cold and wet. She shrieks, surprised, and freezes to swat snow from her face with one mitten-donned hand. Even before she sees him, she knows it’s James; his laughter gives him away.

“What’s wrong, Lilyflower?” he asks and swoops his lanky form upon her, circling her with long arms.

“James Potter!” she attempts to lecture but instead giggles as he nuzzles her and teeters off-balance.

Another spray of snow hits her, this time ricocheting off James. The already unsteady boy pulls her with as he topples down and Mary Macdonald laughs in proud delight.

84. Angry

“Even in the Face of Danger”

Anger trembles in her temples and her fingers.

“Who did this? Mary, who did this?” she demands of the girl in the hospital bed.

Mary attempts to smile for Lily, which makes her swollen, bloodied, and bruised face appear worse. A surge rushes through lily and a thin sheet of tear springs forth. Poor Mary looks so fragile and broken, yet she still smiles for her friend.

“You can’t hurt Mulciber, Lils – he’ll do the same to you. And you’re not the violent one, remember?”

Saying nothing, Lily envelopes Mary and allows her tears liberation. Of course, Mary clings back.

57. Gape

“It’s Sleep Deprivation
– Honest!”

He’s not wearing a shirt.

Again.

Accidentally, Lily tips over her ink well with her quill. She cries out and pushes back from the table as inky black spills across her half-completed History of Magic and patches of pink color her cheeks. How dare he?! Wander around and show off the effect of his quidditch career.

The heat in her cheeks is far from the embarrassment, but she’s willing to pretend it is.

Mary isn’t convinced, though, and nudges her wearing a grin. “Saw Potter, did you?”

“Shut up, Mars,” the redhead hisses as she tries to clean the mess.

61. Kiss

“It’s Nothing Like the Way She Dreamt It’d Be;
She’d Never Trade it for Anything Else.”

Grass tickles her bare ankles and his elbow bumps hers as he shifts beside her. Noise falls to the background; cheery noises of laughter and happy chatter.

His elbow is bony and warm from where the sun has kissed it. A flurry stirs in her stomach, a flutter of nerves and hope and fear.

“Hey, Lily?” his question hangs in the air and when she squints to see him, his face hovers over hers.

Without further warning, Fabian brings his mouth against hers in a tentative kiss. Mouths smile and giddiness explodes.

“Hey,” she coos back, and they try again.

8. Potions

“The Potions Master and His Apprentice”

Why everyone complains about Potions, Lily cannot fathom. The class fast became a favorite of the first year. Next to her, Severus meticulously cuts a couple rats tails into even pieces. She stirs the potion – two times clockwise, three counter-clockwise, and then two more clockwise.

Someone nearby utters the dreaded, “Uh-oh,”; when Lily turns to look, Nigel’s potion is not butter yellow, but a hissing orange.

“Added the tails too soon,” says Sev, tone matching his smug expression. He peers at the cauldron shared with Lily before nodding. “Now.”

Lily drops the pieces in, and the liquid turns pearly purple.

59. Ignore

“The Imaginary Friend of Nightmares”

“Hey, Evans!”

Just pretend he’s not there.

“Your hair looks good today, Evans.”

Ugh, I can just hear the cocky smile in his voice.

“We should go to Hogsmeade this weekend, what d’ya say, Evans?”

He must be dreaming. Hah!

“Evans? Hey. Hey? Can you hear me?”

He is beside you. Hurry! Speed up, walk faster.

“C’mon. Just a trip. One trip. A date. I’ll buy. How’s that?”

Oh! There’s Mary, thank Merlin! Her timing is impeccable.

“Mary! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Don’t look. Don’t look at the hurt expression, just hurry to Mary.

19. Wand

“Much Less Mess to Clean Up After This Time”

“Now, try this one.”

The old man, Ollivander, hands her a box. Carefully, she removes the wand.

“10 ¼, that one. Willow, nice and swishy. Good at charms. Go on, give it a go.”

This one feels different – unlike the first eight. Warm. It doesn’t blast apart any stacks of boxes this time, either. She draws in a breath, which hitches, before she draws it in the air. To her shock, and delight, the wand emits a trail of sparks in the air.

Her mother gasps and claps rapidly while he father beams with pride.

Their daughter is a witch.

91. Future

“The Past is the Past at This Point”

She wonders who’s arriving. Right away, she knows it’s not Tuney, for the waiting area is the Hogwarts entry way. A fleeting hope – and fear – wonders if it’s Harry, but James isn’t with her and right away she rules this out. The war drops so many off it’s hard to keep up anymore.

Not long before, Remus and Tonks showed up.

Her heart twists in anticipation, and her fingers knead each other. This is the worst part – the waiting, the wondering. Guilt plagues her for hope.

And then a familiar figure walks through the door.

“Severus Snape,” breathes the red-head.

38. Patronus

“Practice – and Happiness – Make Perfect”

“You’ve got to think of something happier,” Lily explains, pulling a thoughtful face. She tips her head at Sev, and studies him. “What’re you thinking about? The happier the memory, the stronger it’ll be.”

Sev is clearly bothered; he doesn’t like not being good at something and agitation is on his face.

Looking away from Lily, his face relaxes and something akin to vulnerability crosses it. “I’ve got a new one.” His voice is soft.

A few moments pass, and when he smiles, he sounds happy as he yells, “EXPECTO PATRONUM!”

Lily squeals; a silvery wisp spills from his wand.

46. Dungeon

“Silence is Golden”

Prefect or not, the Slytherin dungeon still makes her nervous. Lily fully understands her presence is disliked and a current of fear in the back of her mind always wonders if they’ll ever do anything about it. After the attack on Mary MacDonald, she can’t help but feel nervous when she patrols.

The sixth year does not say this outside, but she wonders if Remus Lupin beside her knows. If she’s transparent enough to wear it all on her sleeve, he politely says nothing about it.

This is the number one reason he’s her favorite whim whom to do rounds.

71. Untie

“Got You Right Where I Wanted”

One would think, after all these years in Hogwarts, he’d be able to undo a tie without knotting it.

Lily supposes this is because he preferred his tie around his forehead all those years.

Her sigh is heavy with amusement and she motions him towards her.

“The more you fuss with it, the worse the knot gets,” she tells James as nimble fingers deftly work the knot. It’s pulled tight and hard to finagle, but she finally feels it give and fall apart.

“You could have used magic,” James points out.

She bites her lip and ignores her flushed cheeks.