Seventeen Forever

With a loud bang, the white wooden door to Lily Evans' room slammed against the pale blue wall, announcing an arrival, or an intruder, if you looked at it that way. The soft pitter patter of two pairs of feet tripped and slid across the mahogany wood flooring until they lightly stepped onto a worn, off white rug. As they tiptoed stealthily towards the large queen sized bed, the owners of the feet giggled quietly while they continued to stalk forward to what they considered was their prey. Miniature sock encased feet stopped at the end of the bed and the room fell silent, except for the soft sounds of sleeping that escaped the open mouth of the teenager before them. With all the agility of a hunting panther, the tiny figures leapt and-

"Up! Up, up, up, up, up!" the high pitched squeals of two small, eerily identical girls demanded, bouncing up and down on the startled body beneath them.

"Holy shi-!" Lily slurred, catching herself before she finished her sentence. Little fists beat at her blanket covered body mercilessly and she burrowed deeper into the downy shelter of her pillows, moaning and protesting weakly. It was early, far too early for any sane person to be awake, she decided, as sleep continued to cloud her mind.

The two monsters atop her had other ideas in mind, apparently.

"Up, up! Time to go!" a squeaky voice trilled into her ear as its owner poked and prodded Lily's limp and unresponsive body.

"Time for Hoggywarts!" the other, equally high-pitched voice agreed, giggling with excitement.

Resistance, unfortunately, seemed useless. Heaving a great sigh, Lily lurched into a semi-vertical position, jostling her early morning visitors. The bright, late summer sun that streamed through her large bay windows pierced her eyes and she threw an arm across her face, moaning unhappily. Squinting, she ran a pale, freckled hand through her deep auburn hair that, at the moment, more closely resembled a haystack than her natural, gently curling waves.

"What time is it?" she yawned, leaning her head against the wooden headboard behind her.

Little bodies scrambled up into her lap and, opening one bleary, celery green eye, Lily was greeted with the sight of two, round faces eagerly looking up at her, framed by brown shiny curls. The two little girls in her lap were wriggling in excitement like puppies and were just as adorable as their counterparts. Lily never could wrap her mind around the concept that her mother could produce these little angels and then bear something as satanic as her older sister, Petunia.

The subject of her thought peered into Lily's sun filled room. Her pointy, pinched face, enclosed by mousy brown curls, twisted into a condescending smirk at the sight of her sister. Even though she was determined not to, Lily felt herself flush under her sister's cold stare anyway.

"Can we help you?" Lily asked, curling a protective arm around her younger twin sisters.

"Mother wants you downstairs. You're leaving soon, apparently," she sneered, stalking off down the hall before Lily could answer.

As her sister's footsteps faded, Lily slowly counted to ten in her head to control her temper. Very, very slowly.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled weakly at her sisters and said, "Well, Violet, Rose, wanna help me pack?"

Of course, Lily had already packed the majority of her clothes and school books; she just had to pack a few, last minute items. It would entertain her sisters for a bit, giving Lily a chance to wash up and change for the long day ahead of her. The little girls quickly leaped from the bed and whirled around the room like separate little tornados, grabbing things they deemed necessary for a year at a school of magic. Lily had to laugh; half of the things they grabbed she would have no use for whatsoever. Her toiletries in hand, she walked down the hall to the bathroom to shower and blow-dry her hair into semi-obedience. After the steamy, albeit short, shower had de-stressed the preschool jitters in her stomach, she quickly styled her hair and applied her mascara, swiped pale, shimmery eye shadow across her lids and added a tint of blush to her cheeks. She smiled as she put her makeup away in an organized fashion, ever the Type A personality, knowing that even when she came of legal age, sometimes magic just couldn't compare to doing things the Muggle way. Sentimental as she was prone to be, the thought made her grin even more.

With her toothbrush stuck in her mouth, she brushed her teeth as she walked back to her room to check on her younger siblings. Shocked that her room hadn't been totally destroyed, she located the twins on the window seat next to her desk, reverently looking through Hogwarts, A History, packing forgotten. At six years old, they could read, but they were more interested in the vivid, moving pictures that adorned the pages of the tome. Lily grinned through her minty, toothpaste covered mouth and didn't disturb them as she searched her closet for something to wear. She decided on a yellow crew neck sweater, a white tank top underneath the sweater, her favorite slightly ragged, buttery soft jeans and her trusty, worn out flips flops. Casual, yet not totally sloppy, she decided as she carried her selection back to the bathroom to change. Popping a pair of pearl studs into her ears and shimmying a few pairs of pearl bracelets down her wrist, she looked herself over in the mirror. A slightly nervous and excited looking young woman looked back at her. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a low, loose ponytail that draped down to slightly below her shoulders and her outfit seemed neat and casual. Lily smiled at her reflection and raced back to her room, wondering what her best friend was doing at that moment.

*~*~*

"Oh, shit!" Maguire Burgess wailed as she tumbled down the winding, white carpeted stairs that led to the ground floor, the kitchen being her destination that morning. She, unlike, Lily, made no effort to restrain her curse. Landing in a jumbled heap at the bottom of the stairs, grumbling and muttering to herself, she glared at the treacherous stairs for a moment before continuing into the empty kitchen.

Looking around, a hint of sadness dimming her usually bright eyes, she sighed and grabbed a bowl out of one of the cabinets, beginning to get herself some breakfast. The most she could manage without incapacitating herself was toasting some bread and slicing up some fruit. Halfway through carefully and meticulously cutting a banana, a small, childlike figure appeared by her side; a house elf. So quickly she barely registered the movement, the knife had been grabbed out of her hand and the little servant had finished slicing the fruit, all in rapid succession. Staring in awe as the elf flew through the kitchen, popping two slices of bread into the toaster, dicing more fruit and setting a place for her mistress, the little elf finally looked up as she felt Maguire staring.

"Please, Miss, Kiki will finish this! You needs to sit! Big day today!" the head elf exclaimed in a no-nonsense soprano, wide, blue eyes smiling.

Kiki always seemed a little less neurotic than the other elves employed to the Burgess family. She had been serving the Burgesses since before Maguire or her twenty four-year-old brother, Nathan, had been born. Her tiny, lithe body always seemed at odds with her commanding, domineering spirit.

"Jesus, Kiki, what would I do without you?" Maguire wondered aloud, seating herself at the island that was centered over the creamy marble floor of the large, gourmet kitchen.

"I knows not, Miss, but surely nothing good would happens!" Kiki retorted with an indulgent smile.

Maguire's laugh echoed throughout the empty house, signifying once again how alone she was. Thanking Kiki when she placed the warm, browned toast, big bowl of glistening fruit and cup of icy orange juice in front of her, she sighed dejectedly and was alone once again.

"Stupid society...stupid appearances...stupid parents," she muttered, stabbing pieces of fruit with each accusation. Realizing that murdering fruit would get her no where, she popped a blueberry in her mouth and chewed slowly, staring out the large, floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the acres of land her family's mansion resided on.

Parents off partying it up with the Wizarding world's high and mighty for weeks at a time; older, married brother living hours away; only house elves to keep her company, not that they were, anyway...what was a nearly adult teen witch to do during the long, depressing months of summer away from her friends? Sure, lying out on the rolling, soft hills of the back lawn and working on her tan was fun, but you could only tan so much. Just as spending long, uninterrupted hours, lazing about in the Olympic sized pool, could only be so entertaining for so long. She had devoured every book in the family library multiple times, ridden her thoroughbred Palomino, Aphrodite, for hours on end through the trails surrounding the house and she had even taught herself some new spells; underage magic in pureblood families was no cause of alarm for the Ministry- would they come after the most powerful families in the country over something so trivial?

Still, by the end of July, she had begun descending into boredom, which quickly turned into loneliness. Letters from Lily Evans, her best friend, and Anna Giacomba, the Veela student at Hogwarts she and Lily had befriended their first year, were the highlight of her week. Even frequent trips to Diagon Alley for shopping sprees, one of her favorite things to do, had begun to depress her when she saw mother-daughter duos or groups of giggling teen girls having fun together.

She sighed again as she climbed the stairs to her room to get ready. A mother...a father. That's what she missed; her family, her parents. She smiled a little, picturing them in her head; her tall, debonair father with his sharp, minty smell and dark, twinkling eyes that always seemed to be smiling on whoever's presence he was gracing; the slender, graceful brunette goddess of a mother with her classic beauty, fun-loving ways and the musical, infectious laugh that her daughter had inherited; that's what she wanted. The familiar, yet unfamiliar, figures she saw four, maybe five if she was lucky, times a year: Christmas/New Year season, her birthday, Nathan's birthday and the yearly, exclusively rich pureblood Ball of Summer that had come and gone so many weeks ago.

Rummaging through her airy, walk-in closet, she wondered if her parents ever really imagined how much she missed them. They must know to some degree that they weren't the atypical perfect, wonderful, guiding parental figures one dreamt about. They did the best they could, of course, but the lure of the glamorous, glittering world of the Wizarding social scene was their own personal drug. The attraction was too strong, drawing them back to the parties, balls, and soirees like an addict to his heroin if they'd been denying themselves for too long. An addiction unlike any other for it seemed so harmless, yet so deadly at the same time.

Selecting a crisp, white Oxford button down, a fitted navy blue tank top and a jean skirt, she slipped each article of clothing on mechanically. Her thick, lustrous brown locks that now contained a more dominant blonde hue thanks to endless hours of tanning, hung straight and sleek to the middle of her back, showcasing the diamond studs winking in her ears. Leaning in close to the mirror of her vanity, she expertly drew a line of black kohl around her exotic green-amber-gold eyes and whipped the mascara wand through her already thick, black lashes. A touch of shimmering pale gold powder highlighted her brows and defined cheekbones. Maguire dragged a shiny, slightly pink gloss across her plump Cupid's bow lips and checked her teeth quickly even though she'd already brushed them. She glanced at herself in the mirror: tall, slim, brown hair, weird eyes...yup, that's me, she thought ruefully to herself.

Grabbing her two steamer trunks, packed full of clothes, books, school supplies, some toiletries and God knew what else, and her large tote bag stuffed with makeup, wand and more books, she dragged them down the traitor stairs before heading back up to her room to slip on her flip flops, shrug on a destroyed jean jacket over her unbuttoned Oxford and to take one last look around her room. It felt kind of final, she realized, as she looked around her room at her enormous, satiny bed, desk overlooking the backyard, her closet, dressers, vanity and bookshelves. She was going off for her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. Would she ever be coming back here, she suddenly wondered. Tiny, sharp pricks stung her eyes and she angrily, but carefully so as not to ruin her makeup, wiped her unexpectedly tear filled eyes. She would not cry. Not now, not when she had made it through the whole summer without shedding a single tear. Gently picking up her owl Hera's cage, she flipped the lights off, shut the door to her room and walked down the stairs slowly, brooding moodily. As her flip flop clad foot hit the last step, the sudden realization that she had no way to get to King's Crossings interrupted her moping.

"Oh, damn it," she muttered, plans furiously racing through her mind and she considered her options.

James Potter, contrasting as one of her closest friends and yet her other best friend Lily's mortal enemy and unwelcome suitor, would have already left; it was 10 o'clock after all and his mother, Keira, would not have allowed James to risk missing the eleven o'clock train and had probably been out the door with hours to spare. She couldn't Floo; the network was down, today of all days, couldn't Apparate; too young, stupid October birthday...

A loud honk knocked her out of her frenzied planning and she raced to the windows on either side of the giant door in the entrance hall and peeked out. A sleek, black and very pretty, in her humble, feminine opinion, car idled in the circular driveway of the house which was kept for appearances for any Muggles in the area. Staring in confusion at the car, Maguire watched as the dark, tinted passenger side window slowly descended and a familiar, male face, leaning over from the driver's seat, grinned at her.

"Nathan!" she cried, throwing open the door and running down the stone stairs to greet the no longer mysterious driver. He leaped out of the car and swung his only and little sister around in a fierce hug, making her shriek with laughter, something she hadn't done in a long time. At 6'1", Nathan Burgess stood a good six inches taller than his 5'8" sister. His thick, shaggy brown hair and green-amber eyes immediately identified him as Maguire's brother.

"Hey you," he replied to her enthusiastic greeting.

"What's up? Why'd you come home?" she asked, confused by her brother's appearance. He lived more than fifty miles away with his young wife, Rebecca. It would have taken him at least a few hours to get here, since it seemed he arrived without using magic.

"I, uh...thought you'd need a ride," he confessed, the sympathy in his voice giving him away. "I know Mom and Dad are away and I just thought...well, let's just say it's happened to me before," he finished with a sad, knowing grin.

"Oh wow, Nate, thanks," she whispered, a hard lump forming in her throat at her brother's kindness.

"Whoa, hey, no sappy waterworks, please!" Nathan begged, a happier smile forming on his lips, "I'm just doing my job as your big bro!"

"Oh God, you did not just say 'bro'," Maguire accused, tears dissolving at her brother's teasing. They walked up the stairs together, bantering, to gather her luggage and drive, for the last time, to King's Crossings to catch the Hogwarts Express.

*~*~*

Synchronized snores erupted from both sides of the backseat of the car that Keira Potter was cautiously driving, causing her to visibly jump, even though the snoring had been going on for the better part of an hour.

"Honestly," she grumbled to herself, brushing a strand of silver hair out of her sharp, blue-grey eyes, "you'd think they'd never gotten an hour's sleep in their lives!" A loud snort punctuated her remarks and she looked heavenward, shaking her head.

Pulling into the parking lot of King's Crossings, Mrs. Potter allowed herself a pat on the back for her quick thinking that morning when the Floo network had stopped working and they'd had to resort to the ancient, powder blue Chevy that had definitely seen better days.

Another snore resonated throughout the parked car, emitted from the tousled dark haired boy whose face was plastered to the side of the car window. Across from him, in a similarly dozing position, was a bespectacled boy with equally dark, but shorter, hair who was slumped into the side of the car, mouth gaping open. Silently stepping out of the car, Keira Potter opened each side door without warning and with loud thumps, crashes and shocked exclamations, Sirius Black and James Potter respectively tumbled to the ground.

"What the hell?" a sleepy Sirius mumbled, face plastered to the cement of the parking lot, kneeling forward in a rather unflattering position. James blearily shook his head once and continued snoring.

"Ugh, you two..." Keira muttered, shaking her own head in disgust. "What ever did you do last night? You must have stayed up all night to be this tired!"

Sirius moaned drowsily from his less than dignified position on the ground, remembering the hazy events of the night...or was it morning? James merely snorted in his sleepy daze. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard approaching the trio.

"Now there's a sight for sore eyes," a familiar, lilting voice called a few steps behind Potters & Co. Sirius glanced up dazedly at the shadow now cast over him and yawned, but caught himself when he realized who it was.

"Ma-Maguire!" he stuttered loudly, picking himself off the ground hurriedly.

"The one and only," she drawled, as she leaned against the side of the blue car and removed her aviators to gaze at the boy she had known since practically birth, their friendship resulting out of the hundreds of pureblood parties they had been forced to attend. As she smiled up at the familiar face of Sirius Black, a strange feeling coursed through her, but she ignored it, somewhat.

That was weird, she thought, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks as she watched Sirius scramble up from the ground and fix his beloved hair.

Sirius raked his eyes up and down her body and grinned, making her turn even pinker.

"Looking good, babe! Nice tan," he complimented, grinning and leaning against the car, arms crossed over his chest.

"Not so bad yourself, Mr. Black," she replied with a laugh, taking in the lean, muscular frame clothed in a white pullover sweatshirt, dark jeans and leather flip flops.

"I try," he laughed easily with a wink.

"Hey," Nathan said, as he joined the group, tugging Maguire's trunks behind him. "You hitting on my sister, Black?"

"What? Me? And Maggie? What're you on, Nate?" Sirius asked jokingly of his old friend. Maguire rolled her eyes and made a gagging sound.

"Please, Nate, you're such a protective little git. God, I feel sick. Sirius and I are partners in crime, only. End of story," she retorted, crossing her arms across her chest. Sirius' dark eyes followed her movement and stayed there a little too long. He looked away quickly when he saw Nathan watching him closely.

"Just looking out for my baby sister," he grinned, looking around and smiling in greeting when he met Mrs. Potter's gaze. "You good? Or do you want some help getting these on the train?"

"Oh, Nate, you've done enough," Maguire sighed, sounding grateful as she exchanged a look with her brother that Sirius didn't quite understand. "Go home to Bex, really, I'll be fine," she assured, using her sister-in-law's nickname.

"All right, if you're sure," he said a little hesitantly and Maguire nodded encouragingly.

"Don't worry, Nate," Sirius said, flexing his muscles with a laugh, "I'll help her."

"Oh, now I'm really reassured," Nathan laughed and clapped Sirius on the back. He turned and swept his sister into a brief, strong hug and mussed her hair, saying, "Have fun this year, Mags. Study, do well and don't do anything stupid or whatever."

"Why does everyone assume I'm going to do something stupid?" she grumbled at the retreating figure of her brother, fixing her hair.

"Because you always do!" he called back with a laugh.

As he turned to walk back to his black Mercedes, he stopped and looked down, confused.

"Uh...is James here okay?" he asked, nudging the still dozing James with his foot. Keira, rolling her eyes, leaned into the Chevy and slammed on the horn, which blared through the morning air. James immediately jumped up and looked around wildly, his glasses hanging from one ear.

"Classy, Potter," another voice called from behind the group. James literally choked at the sight of Lily Evans walking up, pushing a cart piled high with her trunk and bags. Two little girls followed her, looking around in what could only be described as awe. A tall, man with graying, reddish tinged hair whose green eyes were framed by owlish glasses and a dark haired, shorter woman brought up the rear.

"Lily!" Maguire squealed in excitement and ran to hug her best friend. The two witches embraced and, looking down, Maguire hugged the little girls saying, "Hey cuties! Wow, you guys are so big!" Violet and Rose tittered happily, already familiar with Lily's lively friend.

Smiling in greeting at Lily's parents, Maguire asked, "You've got the whole family, but where's-?"

"Tunie's in the car!" one of the little ones sang, clutching Maguire's tanned leg and grinning. Maguire raised an eyebrow with her famous wicked grin.

"'Tunie'?"

"Derived from 'Tuna', the root word of 'Petunia'," Lily answered with a laugh. "They had to drag her out of the house, since it's my last year and they wanted the whole family to see me off. She's sulking in the car."

Maguire laughed and turned back to Sirius, giving Lily some privacy to say goodbye to her parents.

Mr. Evans scooped his daughter up into a bear hug and murmured, "Good luck, honey. Have fun and don't forget to study hard, this is a big year for you. Love you, baby."

"Oh darling, be careful, have fun, study...oh dear, I'm going to miss you!" her mother cried, holding her daughter tightly and kissing her on the forehead. Lily hugged her back and kissed both of her parents. Bending down to her sisters' height, she wrapped an arm around each of them and planted a kiss on their cheeks.

"I'll see you at Christmas, Vi and Rosie. If Tunie's mean, let me know, 'kay? I'll bring her home something special for the holidays," she promised with a wink, trying to ignoring their trembling lower lips.

She detangled herself from their grasp and straightened up. Getting a grip on her cart and emotions, she waved goodbye to her parents and began pushing her cart into the station, walking the little distance from the parking lot to the wall that would take her to the real station, where the Hogwarts Express awaited. Maguire followed her, dragging her heavy trunks behind her.

"James, Sirius. Over here," Keira commanded, pointing to the space in front of her. Once they were assembled, more or less awake, Keira looked up at the two teenagers towering at least two feet above her and began saying, "Now, since this is your last year, I'm expecting mature and responsible men to arrive at Hogwarts, not childish, ill-mannered boys. So help you, if I get one, one single report of some prank gone wrong-"

"Madam," Sirius drawled, bowing theatrically, "your words wound me to the core."

"Sirius..." she warned ominously, as James also interrupted.

"Can we hurry this up, Mum? We, uh, need to get a good compartment," he said, craning his neck to keep his fast disappearing lady love in sight.

Keira sighed and wrapped up her speech, advising, "Fine. Be good, study hard and don't do anything stupid."

Cockily, Sirius saluted, clicking his heels together and bent down for a goodbye peck from his mother figure.

"You goof," she muttered to her adopted son and patted him on the back tenderly.

"Thanks for everything, Keira. Especially this summer," Sirius murmured before he pulled out of the hug and stepped back to allow James to hug his mother goodbye.

"Bye Mum, love you," James said, bending down to the height of his petite mother for a hug and a kiss.

"I love you, James. Now you two, go help those girls. Maguire looked like she needed some help with those bags," she said knowingly.

"Oh crap! I said I'd help her! Bye Keira, see you soon!" Sirius called over his shoulder, as he raced off with his own bags to find Maguire.

"So eager to help," Keira whispered, winking at her son who shuddered.

"Oh, ew, Mum, no. Ugh, I'm feeling nauseous now. Lovely. Maguire and Sirius? I can't see it."

"Oh well, you never know...now go after that Lily girl you're obsessed with and I'll see you soon, darling."

"Mum! I am not obsessed!" James moaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"All right, whatever you say, dear. Go on, now, don't miss the train! Good luck!" Keira called to the already retreating figure of her son as he went to go join his friends.

*~*~*

"Hey, 'scuse me. Sorry. Move it, git!" Sirius yelled as he pushed through the crowds gathered around the brick red Hogwarts Express. Reaching Maguire's side, he said, "Hey, sorry about that. Let me get the trunks for you."

"I'm not completely helpless, you know, Sirius," Maguire retorted with a grin.

"Sure you're not," he shot back with a grin of his own as he picked up her trunk, staggering under it theatrically.

"I'm not! I had to fend for myself for three-" she started to protest, but then stopped herself, biting her lip in consternation. Stupid, she thought, you're never supposed to mention what happens at home.

"What're you talking about?" Sirius sputtered, turning around to look her in the eyes. "Three what? Months? Alone? Where the hell were your parents?"

"Nothing. Never mind," she muttered, inspecting the ground as the pink in her cheeks was no longer fully due to the blush she'd applied earlier.

"This isn't 'nothing'. They were gone, weren't they?" he asked in a colder tone than before. She glanced up sharply and then looked away.

"Yes, okay? They left for the summer, to party and do whatever else they always do when they're gone. I was fine. I am fine," she said in a controlled monotone.

"You were alone all summer, in that huge house with only house elves? Anything could've happened to you! Why didn't you write? James and I would've gotten you!" he demanded, forgetting about the trunks and bags.

"I'm fine," she insisted through clenched teeth, "I survived. Let's just get the trunks on the train, okay?" she asked, her tone pleading.

Sirius started to say something but she shook her head, ending the conversation. A strained smile was painted on her face, but no joy reached her eyes. He sighed and heaved the trunks into the corridor, one by one, thinking about what he'd just heard. As the last trunk hit the floor of the corridor, he turned, offering a hand to Maguire. Looking up at him, she placed her small, delicate hand in his larger one, and the look in her eyes was plainly begging him to not say anything to anyone else. Sirius took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and nodded stiffly.

Maguire breathed out quietly, a sound of relief, and she whispered "Thank you."

Behind them, Lily was arguing with James to let go of her trunks, claiming she was perfectly capable of getting them herself. Maguire shook her head ruefully, all thoughts of abandonment gone and thought, The boy never learns, does he? She giggled and turned around to find a compartment and almost smacked into-

"Remus!" she shrieked in delight, hugging her other Marauder friend tightly. Remus Lupin chuckled quietly and returned the hug. Pulling back from the hug, Maguire looked him up and down critically.

"Do I pass the test?" he joked in his quiet voice, his honey colored eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiled.

"You look good. Tired, but good," she answered, a hint of concern in her otherwise sunny voice.

Another wane smile spread across Remus' worn face and he said, "I've been better. You look great, as usual."

"Remmy, you're too sweet," she teased, a smile lighting up her features once again as she leaned in to give him another fierce hug.

Glancing over Maguire's shoulder, Remus noticed Sirius with the trunks and said quickly, "You guys need a compartment? I saved one for all of us. That is," he said shyly, "if you don't mind sharing with us?"

"Me? Mind? Of course not! I can't answer for Lily, but I'm sure she'll be tickled," she answered with a laugh. "Point me in the right direction and I'll go make sure no one steals it."

As she sauntered down the hall, hair tossing with each step, Sirius dragged the trunks forward and muttered, "I didn't get a greeting like that."

"Did you want to?" Remus asked inquisitively, glancing at his friend before turning his gaze back to the figure walking down the corridor.

"What? No! No. I-never mind. She's like...my sister. No, of course not, "Sirius backtracked quickly, his eyes following the girl down the hallway. Remus studied his friend's face critically until Sirius glared at him and smacked him across the head playfully.

"Shut it, Moony, and help me get these bags."

"Whatever you say, Padfoot," he responded fondly, "whatever you say."

~*~*~

"So help me God, leave me alone, Potter!" Lily shrieked for what must have been the hundredth time that day, let alone within the first hour of the journey.

She was curled into a corner of the compartment, simultaneously reading a book and talking to the others in the compartment. The fact that James Potter had chosen to boldly and rather stupidly sit next to her was forgotten for the most part, until he threw his arm around her shoulder in what he thought was a casual manner. Lily immediately stiffened and turned to glare at him.

"Get. Off. Me," she growled through clenched teeth.

The noisy compartment's conversation fell quiet. Little Peter Pettigrew, looking awkward and out of place among the 7^th years, whimpered in fear at the sound of Lily's tone.

"Oh c'mon, Evans, why do you hate me so much? There's so much to love about me!" James complained, curling his arm tighter around her shoulder.

"Well, the fact that your body is touching mine is definitely a problem," she quipped. "It also doesn't help matters that you're a stuck up, arrogant, egotistical prick who likes to hurt people physically and emotionally for a laugh."

Silence followed this outburst until Sirius murmured, "Ooh, harsh," which earned him a slap on the arm and Maguire hissing, "Jesus, Sirius, shut up!" Lily continued on her tirade, though.

"I'm so glad that I'm Head Girl this year because for once, you're not going to get away with anything. You're going to have to answer to your actions just like everyone else, Potter. You'll help me, right, Remus? I mean," she conceded, "I know you guys are really good friends, but being friends shouldn't allow for any leniency, like the last few years. You will help, right?" she asked, staring intently at him.

"Um, Lily, I really don't know how to say this-" he began, looking around for support, but Lily interrupted him with a groan.

"Oh, Remus! If you won't help me enforce the rules, I'll have to do it all by myself!"

Everyone else in the compartment looked at each other guiltily, knowing something Lily did not.

"Lily, I think, maybe-" Anna Giacomba, the quiet Veela friend of Lily's and Maguire's, started to say but was cut off by Sirius.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Lily, but Moony isn't Head Boy," he said, a wolfish grin spreading across his face.

"What are you talking about? He has to be; I mean, look at him. He just screams Head Boy. You are Head Boy, aren't you, Remus?" Lily asked as the first seeds of doubt were planted in her head.

"Sorry, Lily, but I'm not," Remus apologized, cringing at the reaction he was expecting to burst forth. Anna, Remus' girlfriend, gripped his hand reassuringly.

Lily looked around the compartment, staring at one nervous and guilty face at a time. Her heart began to thump quickly and the seeds of doubt bloomed into full blown fear. She laughed nervously.

"Well, it can't be that bad. I mean, all of the Prefects last year were perfectly nice, except for the Slytherins, of course. It's not a Slytherin, is it? Come on, guys, who is it?"

"Lily, maybe now isn't the best time-" Maguire began just as Sirius said at the same time, "Sorry to disappoint you again, but he wasn't a Slytherin or a Prefect last year." Sirius' widening grin indicated how much he was enjoying himself.

"But that's impossible. You have to be a Prefect to be a Head. Seriously guys, you're starting to scare me!" Lily's voice took on a slightly hysterical tone and rose an octave, cracking on the last word.

She looked around the room again and noticed how tense and quiet Potter had gotten. He'd even removed his arm without the threat of physical violence and was sitting farther away from her, staring out the window. He ran his hand nervously through his already messy hair, which had always infuriated her. Peeking at her out of the corner of his eye, he cringed when he met her gaze. Her green eyes narrowed to tiny slits as she realized what everyone else already knew.

"You didn't," she hissed, her accusation sounding lethal.

"Um..." James stuttered, running his hand through his hair again. That simple, absolutely infuriating gesture set her off. Lily jumped up from her seat, throwing down the book, hands on her hips.

"You didn't! Oh my God, I can't believe you. What the fuck-why? Why, why, why?" she shrieked, stomping around the compartment, raging. "Is this some sick joke? Are you seriously that much of a stalker? Why would you do this to me? Why do you continue to ruin my life?!"

"I didn't do anything!" James shouted, as he stood facing her, palms out. "I had no idea...I mean, I didn't-I wasn't-I didn't do anything!" he shouted again, looking around for some backup.

"Lily, Lils, calm down, deep breathing, come on, do it with me," Maguire chanted, trying to pacify her friend. Lily swayed slightly where she stood.

"Oh God, I can't deal with this...I-I don't even feel that well right now," she whimpered, glaring at James even as the room tilted.

"Lily, sit down. Just take a seat and calm down," Anna said nervously as Lily swayed noticeably this time.

"I...I..." she whispered before the room tilted again, her eyes rolled back and she fell to the floor of the compartment, unconscious.