Rating:
PG-13
House:
Schnoogle
Ships:
James Potter/Lily Evans
Characters:
James Potter Lily Evans
Genres:
Drama Romance
Era:
1970-1981 (Including Marauders at Hogwarts)
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 07/21/2004
Updated: 06/15/2005
Words: 192,794
Chapters: 25
Hits: 69,299

Prelude to Destiny

AnotherDreamer

Story Summary:
They lived to defy Voldemort. They lived to enact vengeance. They lived in the shadow of better people. They lived to earn the respect of better people. Their story is more than the tragic beginning of the great victory over the Dark Lord. It weaves its way through heartbreaking love, games of magical tag, hours of learning animagi transformations, dates with the wrong sort of boy, and the bonds that death cannot break. This is the story of the people who will star in the footnotes of the great battles of Harry Potter- they who History deems unworthy of great attention and who worked diligently with Destiny to pave the path of the Boy Who Lived.

They are remembered for their Great Acts, for defying Voldemort, for betraying their best friends, for becoming illegal animagi, for loving so strongly that it crossed the barrier of life and death. But their story is more than their endings. It weaves its way through heartbreaking love, games of magical tag, hours of learning illegal spells, dates with the wrong sort of boy, and the bonds that death cannot break. This is the story of the people who will star in the footnotes of the great battles of Harry Potter- they who History deems unworthy of great attention and who worked diligently with Destiny to pave the path of the Boy Who Lived.

Words: 3,690
Hits: 9,261

Lily Evans had planned to get over James Potter. She had promised herself she would. But as she lay on the train for home at the end of her fifth year, all she really wanted to do was forget him.

Words: 4,715
Hits: 3,732
Chapter 02
08/06/2004

Thrice they would defy the Dark Lord, thrice they would survive. On the fourth time, they would fall. But before their Destinies led them to Death and Greatness, they rode the train like the other students, laughed like the other students, and lived like no one else.

Words: 4,763
Hits: 2,876
Chapter 03
08/31/2004

Shopping sucked. Especially when German women with orange eyes and way too many moles grabbed you in a pub. Or when James Potter shows up looking amazing, chatting with your best friend like they're more than distant acquaintances.

Words: 3,945
Hits: 2,543
Chapter 04
09/12/2004

Thrice they would defy the Dark Lord, thrice they would survive. On the fourth time, they would fall. But before their Destinies led them to Death and Greatness, they rode the train like the other students, laughed like the other students, and lived like no one else.

Words: 4,943
Hits: 2,454
Chapter 05
09/24/2004

They lived to defy Voldemort. They lived to enact vengeance. They lived in the shadow of better people. They lived to earn the respect of better people. Their story is more than the tragic beginning of the great victory over the Dark Lord. It weaves its way through heartbreaking love, games of magical tag, hours of learning animagi transformations, dates with the wrong sort of boy, and the bonds that death cannot break. This is the story of the people in the footnotes of the great battles of Harry Potter- they who History deems unworthy of great attention and who worked diligently with Destiny to pave the path of the Boy Who Lived.

Words: 7,065
Hits: 2,385
Chapter 06
10/05/2004

They lived to defy Voldemort. They lived to enact vengeance. They lived in the shadow of better people. They lived to earn the respect of better people. Their story is more than the tragic beginning of the great victory over the Dark Lord. It weaves its way through heartbreaking love, games of magical tag, hours of learning animagi transformations, dates with the wrong sort of boy, and the bonds that death cannot break. This is the story of the people in the footnotes of the great battles of Harry Potter- they who History deems unworthy of great attention and who worked diligently with Destiny to pave the path of the Boy Who Lived.

Words: 5,574
Hits: 2,246
Chapter 07
10/20/2004

They lived to defy Voldemort. They lived to enact vengeance. They lived in the shadow of better people. They lived to earn the respect of better people. Their story is more than the tragic beginning of the great victory over the Dark Lord. It weaves its way through heartbreaking love, games of magical tag, hours of learning animagi transformations, dates with the wrong sort of boy, and the bonds that death cannot break. This is the story of the people in the footnotes of the great battles of Harry Potter- they who History deems unworthy of great attention and who worked diligently with Destiny to pave the path of the Boy Who Lived.

Words: 3,488
Hits: 2,124
Chapter 08
11/09/2004

All heroes were children once, all legends began with a single word. You have heard of Peter Pan and Alexander the Great, you have heard about Troy and Atlantis, but haven't you ever wondered where these stories truly began? This is the beginning of Harry Potter's story- the true beginning, the one that most would rather forget.

Words: 4,596
Hits: 2,170
Chapter 09
11/24/2004

Going to the Ball had been a bad decision from the feet-aching beginning. While Lily did adore her shoes, travelling in a car with no driver to a dark, scary, unfamiliar alley was not exactly what she would have considered a great experience.

Words: 4,507
Hits: 2,218
Chapter 10
12/08/2004

Lily Evans just wanted to leave: leave the hospital, leave Diagon Alley, leave Ollivander's. She just wanted out. So why did everyone else think they knew she needed to stay?

Words: 5,460
Hits: 2,172
Chapter 11
12/14/2004

Finally returning to Hogwarts after such a long time away, Lily just wants everyone to forget the fact that she returned late at all, let alone that she was involved in that stupid ball. Unfortunately running around at night after being told to take it easy isn't exactly what the doctor ordered.

Words: 6,212
Hits: 2,184
Chapter 12
12/31/2004

All heroes were children once, all legends began with a single word. You have heard of Peter Pan and Alexander the Great, you have heard about Troy and Atlantis, but haven't you ever wondered where these stories truly began? This is the beginning of Harry Potter's story- the true beginning, the one that most would rather forget.

Words: 7,207
Hits: 2,167
Chapter 13
01/11/2005

The Inquisition drags on into the late day, making Lily wonder if maybe she ought to make a break for it. How many reporters could there be out there? Twenty? Thirty? Please. Not even a contest. Which is why she remained in the waiting room, wishing desperately for the Ministry to get its act together already.

Words: 6,910
Hits: 2,167
Chapter 14
01/26/2005

Thrice they would defy the Dark Lord, thrice they would survive. The fourth time, they would fall. But before their Destinies led them to Death and Greatness, they rode the train like the other students, laughed like the other students, and lived like no one else.

Words: 8,695
Hits: 2,182
Chapter 15
02/05/2005

Now Lily is patrolling with Remus on the Full Moon and eating Udon with Gertrude the Slytherin in the kichens and everything in the world is changing, changing so quickly that Lily hadn't noticed.

Words: 10,600
Hits: 2,649
Chapter 16
02/18/2005

Lily Evans was convinced that she should dig a large hole, hide in it, and never leave. Why did James have to find out about her crush? Why did he have to avoid her? Why, oh why, did he have to tell Sirius Black about it? Because now she was working with James in Transfiguration and walking with Sirius to the Slytherin common room and desperately wishing for that hole to appear out of nowhere and swallow her up, and Sirius seemed to find the whole thing perfectly amusing as he declared that she was his secret best friend forever. Ack! Where was a shovel when a girl needed one?

Words: 13,591
Hits: 2,397
Chapter 17
03/11/2005

Now, Lily had thought that telling Sirius Black about her crush on James Potter had been bad. She’d been wrong. It was horrible, annoying, and obviously the dumbest thing she had ever done in her life. Now Sirius was waving her over to sit by James even as James himself winced at the idea. Add to that the tedium of prefect meetings and an extravagant game of truth or dare with her prefect partner, and you found Lily Evans having a very stressful couple of month. Oh. And she was organizing Friendship Appreciation Day. That was a bother too.

Words: 11,023
Hits: 2,369
Chapter 18
03/16/2005

Growing up requires a lot of mistakes, mistakes which create the stepping stones that lead to adulthood. Okay, Lily thought, that was a stupid metaphor. Yet it was true nonetheless. For instance, she had to date the wrong boy, kiss the wrong boy, patrol with the right boy (thinking it was the wrong boy), and have a secret dinner in order to realize how truly grown up she was becoming.

Words: 12,314
Hits: 2,507
Chapter 19
03/26/2005

“He's been really distant,” Lily complained.

Words: 10,504
Hits: 2,553
Chapter 20
04/05/2005

Oh no, Lily would not avoid James Potter. No. That would mean he would win. Instead, she would challenge him, correct him in class, throw grapes at his head—oh, no, wait. That was Sirius Black. Yes, she’d throw grapes at the inseparable pair and kill two birds with one stone. Then she would think about dropping a house on them. Or she’ll look at the lily-covered walls and smile a small, hard fought smile.

Words: 7,943
Hits: 2,633
Chapter 21
04/15/2005

Lily, frankly, just wanted to kiss the bloke. She just wanted to forgive him, take him into a broom closet and kiss him senseless. Too bad taht annoying voice in her head (in no obvious way connected to her heart) kept telling her that was a bad idea. Good thing her body hardly ever listened to that voice.

Words: 9,139
Hits: 2,635
Chapter 22
05/04/2005

Sixth year ended as fifth year did not: amongst rivals and unsteady alliances, amongst fighting. It was the beginning of the greatest of Voldemort's accomplishments: the breaking of friendships, the breaking of trust. But it was also the beginning of his great failing: the union of two people who would, through a combination of unbelievable luck and speedy running skills, manage to outwit him together three times. It was the beginning of James and Lily.

Words: 15,468
Hits: 2,992
Chapter 23
06/10/2005

When she ran out of her sister's wedding reception, Lily hadn't thought to tell her parents where she was going or mention to Petunia that she'd be back. Instead, making one of those classically teenage selfish moments, Lily simply left. Now she was dealing with the consequences. Well, that and managing prefect meetings (ew) and drinking campagne with her favorite people in the world.

Words: 11,986
Hits: 2,863

In this final chapter, Lily learns what it means to have a cat, trust a sister, love a brother, dance with a husband, and stand before evil. Lily Evans was strong her whole life. Why did her ending have to be so quck?

Words: 8,456
Hits: 2,814