From The Beginning Till The End

~ Chapter 21: Two months later ~

"JAMESIE-POOOO!!! WHERE ARE YOU???" Sirius yelled the moment he stepped into Potter Manor from the humongous doorway. Sirius and Stefanie had just Flooed home an hour ago from their grandparents' countryside home in Switzerland.

"SIRIEE-SSYYY!!!" James called out the moment he heard Sirius's voice in the hallway. He dashed out of his room and ran towards the voice. The guys came together and gave each other a big bear hug.

"James, it's really great to see you after seeing no one but Sirius for two months!" Stefanie exclaimed, giving James a warm hug after he and Sirius disentangled themselves. Finally I get to see a human. Sirius is a monster!

"Well, I'm dying of boredom here. The three of us have never been separated for that long ever since you guys moved over," James said, returning the brotherly hug. Me and Stefanie? It's impossible. She's like a younger sister. I can't imagine her as my wife.

"AHEM!!!"

"BELLLLAAAA!!!"

"STEEFFFIIII!!!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" The two girls dashed towards each other, forgetting all about their trunks and guys and embraced each other warmly. The two girls started jumping and hugging, shrieking excitedly. No words were needed, especially since they can read each other's mind. But in this case no mind-reading was needed to know that they had missed each other very much. The guys ignored the crazy girls and drifted into a small chat.

"Jamesie, it's so nice to see you!" Arabella reached over and gave James a hug when she finally disengaged from Stefanie's hug. It has been so long.

"Wonderful to see you too, Bell!" Finally. The day has come.

"My dearest Bella, I miss you so much! By the way, only I can call James Jamesie!" Sirius exclaimed and gave Arabella a bear hug. I can't believe I missed Bell. That sounded so impossible. Hmm... I can feel her chest. Heehee. I'm the luckiest guy on earth.

"I miss you guys too!"

"LILLLEEE!!!" Arabella broke away from Sirius's hug and ran towards the sooty Lily who had just walked out from the Potter's fireplace. We're together again.

"Bell! I miss you so so so much!" Lily burst into happy tears and she hugged Arabella tightly. I finally get to see my friends again. I really miss them so much. More than I can ever imagine. I wonder what I will be without them.

"Oh Lils, I miss you so so so much!" Stefanie said smiling as she hugged Lily tightly. The three of us. Once again. Life is wonderful.

"Stef! You can't imagine how happy I'm now!" Lily had tears in her eyes already. The three girls hugged together for a few moments. Bell. Stef. My best friends in the whole world. I'm so lucky!

"Oh flower! And what's with the 'so so so much'?" Sirius grinned at Lily and gave her a brotherly hug. Hmm... Lils is not as developed as Bell. But at least I can still feel something.

"Oh Sirius!" Lily gave her good friend a hug, but did not bother explaining the girly stuff to him. How much I missed Bell and Stef is totally beyond explanation. He certainly has grown taller since the last time I hugged him. That's fast.

"Lils, I miss you so much!" James said as he gave Lily a big and tight hug. I like hugging Lily. That's strange. Well, I can feel her chest. Oh, I can't believe my luck. Heehee.

"I miss you too, James!" Lily returned his bear hug equally tightly. I missed James so much. More than Sirius and Remus. I think I'm developing a crush on him. This is so wrong. He's my good friend. This is going to be so awkward.

"Where's Remus?" Stefanie asked as the group finally finished hugging one another. I wonder what's keeping him. I actually can't wait to see him. Don't tell me I had fallen for him! Oh great.

"He was the one who told us not to be late," Sirius said, imitating Remus's voice. His voice had started to break and sounded a little off-pitch. The imitated voice sounded far from Remus's. It's not the full moon tonight. I'm sure of that.

"Of course you can't be late. You're staying next door," Lily said jokingly as she wiped her teary eyes. They're so lucky to be staying so close to James. How I wish I could stay in Godric's Hollow too. But it's a wizarding neighborhood.

"Speaking of the devil," James remarked, smiling at the person standing at the fireplace. All here. Finally. Lily ran towards Remus and gave him a sisterly hug. Remus was a little shocked at the outburst but was happy nevertheless.

"Remus, I missed you!" Lily gushed and hugged him. I wish Remus was my brother. We just had this brother-sister bond there. I've it with Sirius too. But James. It felt different.

"What devil? I miss you too, Lils," Remus said gently as he gave Lily a brotherly hug. Hmmmm... She certainly have gotten more developed from the last time I hugged her.

"REMMY!" The others dashed towards Remus to hug him.

"Wooahh!" Remus got pushed backwards from his ecstatic friends. I'm so glad I have friends like them.

"OH REMUS! I missed you!" Stefanie said as she hugged Remus. I miss you. In fact I think I might even like you. But I can't possibly tell you that.

"I miss you lots too!" Remus whispered to her ear. Hmm... Stef's chest is definitely the most developed. I'm the luckiest guy on earth. Remus was feeling a little dreamy and lingered the hug a little longer than he had expected.

"Okay, enough of hugging. Let's go and get some food," James instructed and led the group towards the ballroom-sized dining hall. The girls were chatting excitedly over how much they missed each other. In actual fact, the last time they owled each other was only the day before. They just had too much to say to one another.

"WOW!" Lily was amazed at the sight. There was a table full of food, which looked like it was meant for a banquet instead for just the six of them. They sat around the table and started eating ravenously. The house-elves kept bringing more food once a plate was cleared. The poor house-elves definitely had a busy evening.

The growing thirteen-year-olds helped themselves with multiple servings and stuffed their faces with all sorts of food. There was a wide range of pastas and pizzas.

"I can't make it already," Stefanie groaned. She was the first to stop eating after her Hawaiian pizza and went to sit by one of the six large couches, which was arranged in a circular manner around the fireplace.

"I'm full as well," Remus said when he cleared his plate of beef lasagna and went to join Stefanie at the fireplace. I feel like spending some time with Stef. Really missed her lots.

"I'm filled," Lily said when she finished her creamy chicken linguine and she walked over to join Stefanie and Remus five minutes later. One of the most sumptuous meals I ever had.

"Me too!" Arabella left the dining table after her third slice of supreme pizza and headed towards the couches. I'll puke if I continue to eat with Sirius and James.

"This is what you call a filling lunch," James said as the two guys walked over to join the rest fifteen minutes later. The two guys had a very satisfied look on them.

"Well, only to you two maybe," Lily muttered jokingly who was too full to move from her couch. James's expression looks cute. Oh great. I better don't think of it that way. This is ridiculous.

"Our stomachs are bottomless pits, you see," Sirius said mischievously, and gave a loud burp to maximize the effect. This is a great feeling. I can't do this in front of Grandma. She'll scream. Haha.

"Eeeewwww," the girls chorused and looked at Sirius in total disgust at his loud blenching sound, which they found totally nauseating.

Then the six of them just sat by the fireplace and talked about their summer holidays. All of them were too full, too lazy and too tired to move.

Suddenly, there was a roar at the fireplace. The six of them jumped and headed behind their couches. Out came...

"FION!" Lily, Arabella and Stefanie shouted and dashed to give her a hug. The girls treated Fion as the type of older sister they never had, and Fion treated the girls as the younger sisters she never had.

"Hey girls, it's so wonderful to see you again after so long," Fion said and hugged the girls in a sisterly fashion.

"Hey Siriee and Remmy, long time no see! And you too, Jamesie!" Fion grinned; she had always managed to make the guys kept quiet at least for a short while.

"Oh my lovely lady, you have grown prettier since the last time I saw you." Sirius walked up to Fion, kissed her hand and gave a bow.

"Oh my hero, I hardly recognize you as the little boy I had last seen two months ago."

"I'm not a little boy anymore, my lady." All of them broke into laughter, including Fion and Sirius.

"I'll leave you guys here; gotta head back to my room." Fion smiled as she sashayed up the circular steps in the grand hall of Potter Manor in her office wear.

"Let's head back to my room to continue. Who knows who might come up next?" James suggested and led the group to his room, which by now all of them knows where is it.

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"I can't believe the last two weeks just flew by!" Lily said in an amazed voice while the three girls lied down together on a king-sized four-poster bed. I sure wouldn't mind spending all my summers like this. But I also know good times never last long so I must cherish every moment we're together.

"Well, you had so much fun with James, that's why," Arabella said mischievously and she giggled. Should I read her mind? Although I'm pretty sure it's mainly about James.

"No, I don't. I had fun with you two," Lily argued stubbornly. What? James! I had fun when the six of us are together!

"Haha, don't deny, Lils. That was so obvious. Since the hug two weeks ago especially," Stefanie said as she started yawning. I wonder what the guys are doing now. I wonder what is Remus doing now.

Stef, let's check out what Lils thinking about.

Great idea, Bell.

I'm not thinking of anyone or anything now in case you two invade my privacy by popping up in my thoughts again.

How did you now we'll pop by?

We have been good friends for three years, my dear Arabella. And you two are having the 'Let's-pop-by-Lily's-thoughts' look on your faces, just for your information.

Okay okay, time to sleep.

Arabella turned towards the right edge of the bed, Stefanie turned towards the left edge of the bed, leaving the middle portion all to Lily. She stared at the ceiling and started thinking about school and summer holidays and... inevitably James.

When there were no more voices from Stefanie, Lily assumed that both of them had dozed off. After some time, Lily fell into a deep sleep drifting into a dream involving James. Once again.

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