Not as Easy as That

Lily Evans was a studious Muggleborn Gryffindor Fifth-Year. She had wavy dark red-auburn hair and emerald green eyes. She wasn't top of her year (that was Gilthoniel Griffith), but she was bright, and did well in most of her classes. She was brilliant at Charms, fine at Transfiguration, and pretty good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. But she was abysmal at Herbology and Potions. She wasn't popular and had few friends, but she cherished them. In fact, she was one of the Inter-House Crew. The Inter-House Crew was almost as famous as the Marauders, if for entirely different reasons.

James Potter was a mischievous pureblood Gryffindor Sixth-Year. He had unruly black hair and brown eyes the color of toffee. He did well in school, considering that he hardly ever tried, and was top or near top in most of his classes. He was fine at Charms, brilliant at Transfiguration, and very good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. He actually did well in Herbology and would do well in Potions, if he weren't always exploding his potions on purpose. He was popular, and a Quidditch player, and a member of the infamous Marauders, famed for their prank-pulling, among other things (like the "delectability of their members", according to other Gryffindor girls).

The two did not hate each other. They were not best friends, and they were not going out. In fact, they barely knew each other. They knew that the other was a fellow Gryffindor, did well in class, and hung out with fairly questionable people. (James couldn't understand why anyone's only friends would be a Ravenclaw, a Hufflepuff, and a Slytherin, while Lily couldn't understand how he and his friends could pull so many infernal pranks without getting expelled.) Actually, you couldn't say they barely knew each other. Lily and James were both prefects, and Lily held James in contempt (though he was a Year older than her), while James believed Lily was a stuffy know-it-all. They never bothered to get to know each other, and thus, didn't know each other very well.

The day D&D Club began did not start out as a very surprising day. It was a Monday morning. Lily began her day in the Great Hall at breakfast. She disposed of yet another letter from her secret admirer with a quick "Incendio." Meanwhile, she glared balefully at Sirius Black. She was almost completely certain that it was he who had been sending her the letters as a joke. After all, who else would say that she had "eyes as green as a fresh pickled toad". James began his day with a good-morning kiss with his on-again, off-again girlfriend of the week, Katiana. He was busy shoving his tongue down her throat when the owls arrived. He then performed the miraculous feat of opening the letter from his father and reading it while still snogging Katiana. All this was in the usual ritual of a day in James's and Lily's life.

And then something a bit unusual happened.

The entire school hushed when Headmaster Dumbledore stood up. "I would just like to make an announcement that our dear Professor Rainwater has started a new D&D Club (Dueling and Debating Club, for those of you who don't know) and all of those Fifth Year and higher are welcome to join."

But very little people didn't already know about it. Professor Rainwater, the current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had been talking about her idea for a very long time. She was so disappointed that Hogwarts didn't have one, and had for, the past three years, been badgering Headmaster Dumbledore for one, although he protested that "they simply had no need for one currently." It sounded like Professor Rainwater had finally got her club.

And then, at that precise moment, two very different people made two very important decisions. Melanie Griffith, Ravenclaw genius, decided to join the D&D Club. She also decided to drag her friends along with her. And her friends included Slytherin Blaise Emerith, Hufflepuff Nina Gemine, and Gryffindor Lily Evans. At the same time, Remus Lupin decided to dare James Potter to go to the D&D Club.

And that was the beginning. Of what? Of a wonderful friendship? Of a beautiful relationship? Of a deep grudge? Or of something more complicated? Something understandable only to one who does not live life, but rather stands to one side and watches it pass by. Something woven in the Tapestry of the Fates that would create ripple effects throughout the entire Tapestry. Something that would affect everyone and anyone.

To be continued ...