Harry Potter 1. Lily's Big Night Out

The Diary of Lily  
  
Disclaimer: Anything you recognise is not mine.  
  
AUGUST  
  
Dear Diary, Hi. My name is Lily Evans. I'm your average ten-year-old, but with a difference. I have 'problems'. That's what the doctors say anyhow. I just let them think that I'm mentally subnormal. Because no one understands. Not even the psychiatrist.  
  
Yes. I see a shrink. Never worked though.  
  
I suppose you want to know exactly why I'm considered abnormal? The truth is, I have powers. Special powers. Yesterday I broke my favourite necklace, a diamond lily. I suppose it was my fault, but who hasn't balanced necklaces on their nose at some stage? Well the chain snapped and as soon as I picked it up off the ground it was whole again. I suppose I could pass that off as a trick of the light, but it wasn't the only time I think I used magic. Last week I read the Cub leader's mind. Yes, I do Cubs. And it's NOT just for boys! Well anyway, I found out that the leader has a major crush on one of the Scout leaders. This was so funny that I'm dying to share it with someone, but I can't. They'll ask how I know.  
  
I think I'm a witch. Maybe I'm just a freak, but I'm SOMETHING out of the ordinary. And as soon as I figure out how, I'm going to make it so you, diary, have a mind of your own, and can conceal my entries and give me advice. How would you like that?  
  
Anyway, I have a few other things you might like to know about me before I go. I have a home, but at night I go out. I live like a kid on the streets. It's not that hard for me at least, I can defend myself with magic and I always know I have food at home. I also have a gang.  
  
James, Sirius and Remus are just like me: kids with a difference. Except Remus is extra different. He's a werewolf. That's how we know that magic exists. None of us know how he got to be a werewolf; he doesn't like to talk about it.  
  
But I bet you're dying to know how we all met.  
  
Well, I always wanted an escape from my life. A chance to go out and practice magic without freaking anyone. The perfect place was this park near my house. No one goes there after midnight, I found out. Sure, you could hear the crazy teenagers in their crazy cars, but they never came into the park. So every light night, when the moon was big enough to see by, I went out. Remus was there, and we became friends. The park wasn't big enough for both of us though, so we found another place. James and Sirius used had found it too, and we all became friends with the same problems.  
  
[Lily looked up from her diary and smiled. She remembered sneaking out. ]  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Lily pushed her curtains aside gently and peered out onto the street. All was deserted. She smiled, then opened her window, letting the cool night air brush her face. As she stared up at the moon, a niggling thought caused her to frown.  
  
Nobody would know if she went outside tonight.  
  
But she couldn't, who knows what dangers there were on the streets! No, they were deserted. Please! Her mind begged. Lily looked around cautiously, and slowly began to climb out her window. She crept along the garden path, keeping to the shadows. Within seconds she was on the street, then in a few minutes she had reached the park.  
  
Lily sighed, she was not used to being outside at night. Making her way to the swing, she sat down and began to talk to the moon about her troubles.  
  
"No one understands. They'd kill me if they knew I wasn't in bed, and they'd ask why. But they wouldn't be able to comprehend it. Just like they can't even stop to ask, to consider the possibility that magic exists and I am a-" "Witch, the word you're looking for?" A friendly voice asked, but Lily jumped a mile. "Um, freak was what I was going to say." Lily commented to the air, trying to sound humorous and brave. A figure, about her size, came out of a bush. "Ok. Well, do you have magic? And who are you?" The stranger asked. "What is this, twenty questions?" Lily asked angrily, then her tone softened as she replied, "I think I have magic. My name's Lily. I'm ten." "Ok then Lily. I'm Remus. I'm ten too!" The boy grinned, and then came to sit next to her. For the next hour or so, they exchanged details and spells, but they could hear the drunken teenagers heading towards them to practice motor ballet with the playground. "Let's go, before they see us!" Remus cried, and he and Lily took off. "I know a cave!" Lily called, and dragged Remus to the shelter of the cave.  
  
They stumbled in blindly, not even checking to see that the cave was deserted. "Phew, that was close!" Remus grinned, then flopped on the ground and began to laugh. Lily soon copied. Suddenly a voice rang out. "Who are you and what are you doing in OUR cave?" Lily and Remus stopped laughing abruptly. "We're Lily and Remus, and we were running away from some crazy teenagers." Lily said bravely. "We're not trying to hurt you or anything, we're sorry to intrude." Remus supplied. Two boys peered around a fold in the rock. "It's ok, they're only our age." One commented to his friend. They came around the rock. "You gave us a fright." One of the boys accused. "Sorry" Remus and Lily chorused. One of the boys smiled. "I'm Sirius and this is James. What were you doing in the park anyhow?" So the four children sat down and began to recite their life stories. Within minutes, they found they had a lot in common, and spent the rest of the night exchanging spells.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
[Lily wiped a tear from her eye. How could she ever forget that moment, one of the most important in her life? Beaming, she turned back to the diary.]  
  
So by day, we pretend not to know each other, but by night, we are the best of friends. We also figured out how to help Remus with his lycanthropy. We all have to become an animal, according to those mythological books any normal person has read. Because it says Remus is only dangerous to humans. So that's something else we're working on.  
  
But it's my birthday this month, so with all the preparations to introduce the gang to my family (finally!), I'm going to be far too busy. Thank God I'm not having one of those awful class parties. It wouldn't work anyway. I have no friends at school because I'm such a freak. I think they're just scared of my powers.  
  
Anyway, I must leave.  
  
Love,  
  
Lily. 


	2. Icecream, Magic and a Gothic Petunia

AUGUST #2  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Something very exciting has happened! We (James, Sirius, Remus and me) were walking the streets of London at night. I'm not sure why exactly, maybe the hideout had become too familiar and we needed a change of scenery.  
  
Being in London in the dead of night is dangerous. We could easily be charged with robbery, even though we're just kids. And no one would believe us. I don't know why, it's not like we're dangerous.  
  
Or. maybe we are. I did blow up the refrigerator the other day. It was a total accident! Petunias fault, really!  
  
[Lily looked up from the diary with a laugh. Petunia's fault? It wasn't even an accident on Lily's part!]  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Lily Evans! Come here right now! What did you do with my prefect badge?" Petunia, Lily's fifteen-year-old sister screamed angrily. She was a prefect at her school.  
  
"Calm down! I have no idea!" Lily screamed back from the kitchen, unwilling to leave her giant Milo unattended.  
  
"Help me find it! NOW!" Petunia screeched.  
  
"NO!" Lily yelled. She really didn't want to leave her comfy chair.  
  
"Humph!" Petunia snorted, looking immensely like a horse. She headed to the refrigerator to eat the last of Lily's Milo custard. Lily got there first. No way was that custard going down Petunias throat!  
  
"Petunia! I found it!" Lily cried.  
  
"OUT OF THE WAY FREAK!" Petunia squealed, pushing Lily to the floor with an open tub of ice cream landing on her face. Petunia screamed again and picked up the badge, checking it for any sign of damage. She then turned to Lily.  
  
"You hid it! You did! You - you loser! You're going to pay for this!" Petunia yelped. It was a statement, not a question, but Lily still tried to protest her innocence.  
  
"I'm telling Mum!" Petunia yelled. She never got the chance. At that exact second, the refrigerator exploded into millions of little pieces. Lily grinned as Petunia ran as far away as she could. 'It's kind of hard looking innocent with ice cream all over my nose, but it's worth it!' Lily thought happily, beginning to eat right from the tub.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
[Lily rolled her eyes at the memory.  
  
"I sure was lucky that day!" She said to the air.  
  
"Lucky?" Lily's fiancé James came in to the attic. Lily smiled and told him all about the ice cream, then turned back to the diary as he read over her shoulder.]  
  
Anyhow, guess what we found? We'd jumped back into a doorway to avoid the police patrol. We really didn't want to be caught.  
  
Unfortunately, or as it turned out, extremely fortunately, a shadowy doorway can only hold two. Remus and I got there first, but James and Sirius were stuck. They had nowhere to hide!  
  
So they charged madly at the door and ran inside. Remus raised his eyebrows at me, and we followed. When we got inside, we couldn't help but feel like we'd come home. I'm positive it was a magic place. There were floating candles, owls on perches and the drinks board over the bar had all sorts of weird things like 'Mandragora cocktail' and 'Phoenix tears'.  
  
There was a noise behind us suddenly, and we nearly ran, but it was only the barkeeper, and we couldn't have escaped anyway. He peered at us, and then he smiled. We sure didn't expect that! I thought he would have told us to go away, we're underage to be in a bar.  
  
But we couldn't help trusting him. We told him all about our problems, and he listened. He told us that magic was real, and when Sirius didn't believe him, the guy changed an owl pink. That was pretty cool!  
  
I asked him if he could teach us magic. I was sick of things exploding in my face. He looked really troubled, and we thought he'd refuse. He didn't want to. He said that he wasn't qualified. We begged him. Who wouldn't want to learn magic? He said he'd send one of the owls to a headmaster of a magic school. Then he told us to run along and come back tomorrow night.  
  
So we did.  
  
The next night was very interesting. We walked into the pub, confident about our right to be there. Next to the barkeeper, whose name was Tom, stood a tall man in robes and wearing a pointed hat. His beard was really long and white! He told us his name was Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore was the headmaster of Hogwarts, a school where magical kids learn how to control their powers.  
  
The first thing he asked us was what spells we could do. We told him that we could blow things up, turn things pink (adding that we owe Tom for that one), and lift things. We could also bring things to us and get rid of them. He seemed shocked.  
  
James was grinning. He likes scaring people. So he told this Dumbledore person that he could change things into other things. Like his lucky four leaf clover he found. He turned it into glass so it would last forever! We agreed we knew this spell too.  
  
Dumbledore gave us some books each and a wand. In a few weeks we would be admitted into magic school. He also gave us an owl each. If we needed him one of us could send the owls. Just in case our parents and siblings couldn't quite get over this new revelation.  
  
So there you have it, diary. Now I'm a witch, and I've already learnt some spells with my wand. I'm not allowed to tell Petunia though. But tomorrow I'm going to turn her hair really dark purple and her clothes black. I'm also going to turn her eyes black and her skin dark blue. Any other colours she has are going to be deep green. I wonder what Mum will do when Petunia spouts these words I'm going to stick in her head:  
  
"I'm really sorry Mum, but I'm turning Goth. Deal with it."  
  
This will get Petunia back for EVERYTHING. What's more, the colour lasts for a whole week. I also dyed every single thing in her wardrobe. Pity its school holidays.  
  
So my darling Petunia is going to have a very bad week. But it's not the worst. Oh no, the very worst will come later. Much later.  
  
I really can't wait until tomorrow!  
  
Love,  
  
Lily. 


	3. Wild Magic and More Gothic Petunia

AUGUST  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I have been so busy! I've had to leave my school and I will have to face making new friends. I don't really mind the leaving part, it's the making friends part that scares me, but I can't be around boys forever! You know, I'm not really sure I remember how to make friends. I don't even know what sorts of things girls my age like anymore. All I can be sure of is that if they're anything like Petunia, I'm in for a very rough ride.  
  
I also have to learn all my spells. Dumbledore said that I could do wild magic. That's what everyone calls wandless magic, but I think wild magic sound a lot nicer. He said he would teach me to be as powerful as he was, if I could always be among the top in my year. Dumbledore's reasoning is that to learn more wild spells, you must be good at normal spells. So I'm going to try as hard as I can. The same applies to James, Sirius and Remus.  
  
Dumbledore also explained that weird sixth sense that made us leave our houses and travel to the same area. That was the same thing, which told me to take Remus to the cave to escape the drunken teenagers. According to Dumbledore, we're all connected. It's something to do with the wild magic, and the four elements Water, Fire, Earth and Wind. He said we would understand later, when we are older and have been trained a bit more.  
  
I think I understand a bit now though. I'm not sure, so I'm not going to write it all down. Just in case you really believe that is the theory when I make you able to think for yourself. If I create your mind and place inaccurate ideas in it, you won't be very helpful. So I must only write correct things.  
  
Meanwhile, I'm still researching changing into another animal so I can help Remus. I haven't got far and neither has anybody else, but we have all discovered one certain fact within our limited resources. We know what people who can change are called. Animagus. I'm going to be an Animagus. Don't you think that sounds really cool?  
  
I have just realised I have been so taken up in the excitement of going to Hogwarts that I have quite forgotten Petunia. Do you remember, diary, I was going to give her a makeover? Design: Overboard Gothic, Lily Style.  
  
It worked, too! Except the whites of her eyes. I just couldn't make them change colour! Otherwise it all went well. Very well. Petunia is grounded until she "gets over" her "stupid, idiotic phase" (to quote Mother) and an extra week afterwards, just to remind her NEVER to scare Mother like that again. Oops. I guess that was my fault for adding in that white tattoo.  
  
[Lily chuckled. James looked up with a grin. "You were too evil back then." He laughed. "I still am!" Lily yelled, pouncing on James and beginning to tickle him unmercifully. "Tell me more about the prank!" James choked in between fits of laughter, hoping Lily would stop tickling and tell a story. It worked. "All right." Lily agreed.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Lily crept into Petunia's room. Stopping in the doorway, she surveyed the unfamiliar territory. There were piles of clothes on the floor, tottering stacks of CDs and all sorts of weird stuff like lip-gloss. Lily really couldn't see the point of lip-gloss, all it did was taste nice. Fortunately the moon was full, which just turned out to be very convenient for Lily. She couldn't go outside when Remus was dangerous, and she could see her way across the bedroom floor.  
  
Creeping quietly between a lump of clothes and Petunia's CD player, which was bleating out some sort of rock music, Lily arrived at the side of Petunia's bed.  
  
"Colourus Gothicum" She whispered quietly, noting with satisfaction Petunia's hair was beginning to show some dark streaks. By the time Lily had reached the door, Petunia looked like a lethifold curled up under the blankets. Lily didn't know anything about lethifolds, but if somebody could resemble one, it was Petunia. Smiling, the short redheaded figure made her way to her room to wait for morning.  
  
A few hours later, while Lily was having breakfast, Petunia waltzed into the room, muttering about her least favourite song being on the radio. It didn't appear she knew about her looks just yet. It was just as well too, because at that moment she passed the hall mirror, something she could never resist looking into.  
  
Smiling, Petunia looked herself over, seeing only her blonde hair, blue eyes, slightly tanned skin and her normal clothes, not deep purple hair, black eyes, and dark blue skin along with black fishnet stockings under black clothes. It really didn't look good.  
  
Lily's mum entered the room carrying Petunia's breakfast. Suddenly she screamed. Turning, Petunia viewed her mother coldly.  
  
"I'm really sorry Mum, but I'm turning Goth. Deal with it." Petunia growled frostily. Lily helped her mother to a chair, feigning horror at Petunia's 'new look'.  
  
"You - you're grounded!" The girl's mother stammered. Petunia screamed and ran towards the door, only to be stopped by her father, who had just come downstairs. Both her parents then proceeded to throw Petunia into her bedroom as Lily watched from her hiding-place at the top of the stairs, desperately fighting for air as she laughed uncontrollably. She could hear her parents taking turns to shout at Petunia.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF?" Lily's mother screamed  
  
"HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE OUR FAMILY LIKE THAT!" Her dad yelled angrily.  
  
This sort of 'conversation' continued on for about another hour until finally the adults disappeared, one to work, one to the kitchen. Lily followed her mother and helped her into a chair.  
  
"Morning, mother. Having a nice day?" Lily grinned.  
  
"Ohh, don't you start!" Her mother groaned.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
["What wouldn't I have given to be a fly on the wall that day!" James exclaimed between fits of laughter. Lily smiled happily.  
  
"My first intentional usage of the colour spell. I think I did that rather well, don't you agree?" Lily grinned, trying to keep a straight face.]  
  
I nearly died laughing!  
  
["I can imagine that!" said James]  
  
Unfortunately, Petunia has no delusions about my powers and, though no one else believes her 'silly notions' I think I have just incurred lifelong wrath of my sister and destroyed all possible hope of a future friendship with her. At least my family believes I can't do a single jot of magic yet. They don't know I can already do enough spells above my year level to start wandless magic.  
  
I've made Petunia furious. She thinks our parents favour me. It's really the other way around and always has been. My parents never liked that there was something different about me. Only the vague idea that I can't do magic yet has kept me safe all this time.  
  
On a happier note, I am going to Diagon Alley again today. Yes, in the daytime. I asked mother if I could go to visit a friend in the afternoon. I told her he was completely trustworthy. So I am walking to the cave, and I will meet James, Sirius and Remus there. Then we will catch a bus to just outside the Leaky Caldron.  
  
We've decided to be the pranksters of this new school. We are going to buy magical tricks like those special fireworks I saw in the shops. I am also going to non-magical joke shops. After all, magic can't be everything, can it? If it's a magic school, it sounds like the people there won't be accustomed to 'normal' pranks, so they'll work better.  
  
I must run, it's already midday and my friends will be there soon.  
  
Love,  
  
Lily.  
  
(Authors Note:  
  
Normally I don't really like these, they waste space in my opinion. But I have a few things to say.  
  
Firstly, thankyou to my reviewers animegirl-mika and Zelur-Em for their encouragement. I don't think I would have done too many more chapters if I didn't get reviews. Thanks people!  
  
Also, I think I should apologise for not having this chapter up too soon. I've been busy with end-of-year preparations for school and I haven't been able to type anything much up (excluding assignments). I'll try to be a lot faster in future. Sorry for any inconvenience.  
  
Well, I think that's just about all I need to say for now, so I will let you get on with reviewing and reading!  
  
See you,  
  
The Invisible Stranger) 


	4. Diagon Alley

AUGUST  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
You remember that trip to Diagon Alley I was talking about? Well, it turned out to be one of the scariest afternoons of my life.  
  
It all started out pretty normally, I walked to the cave where I found James and Remus waiting. Sirius wasn't there, but he's normally a bit late for anything. Even ice cream, amazingly enough.  
  
We waited, playing Cheat with the cards Remus had thoughtfully brought (to make sure that nobody got bored if it rained or if Sirius was extra late). A whole hour passed, but still there was no sign of him. That's unusual. He normally tells us if he suddenly can't come. We shrugged, thinking he had forgotten and would be here soon. Another game of Cheat passed, and one of Blackjack (using real money, the three of us had already pooled our resources and were sharing it all anyway) but still Sirius wasn't anywhere to be seen. After a while, we decided to go and look for him.  
  
James headed towards Sirius's house. He had introduced himself to Sirius's parents, who thought James was a normal kid just trying to do what he could for their delinquent son.  
  
Remus took a different route. He would stay near the cave and see if Sirius arrived. "After all," he reasoned, "Who knows what Sirius might get up to if he is here an hour late all by himself? He might go into town all by himself, thinking we're not coming."  
  
So I was left to travel towards my own house, and hope that Sirius hadn't passed and that I could stay out of sight. It must have been that sixth sense that guided me towards the one place where I would have sight of the area just inside my front gate. I had planned to bypass my house and cross the road, but I didn't. Lucky for Sirius. He was on the garden path, trying to struggle away from boy-crazy Petunia.  
  
[Lily and James looked up as something wet licked them.  
  
"Hallo Sirius" James grinned. The dog wagged its tail.  
  
"Sirius, if you're looking up my skirt again I will kill you!" Lily screamed. Sirius transformed, laughing.  
  
"What're you looking at?" He asked  
  
"This," Lily answered, showing him the diary, "You might be interested, we've reached the day I had to rescue you from Petunia."  
  
"I still owe you from then," Sirius smiled, "but can't we go downstairs? It's hot and stuffy up here."  
  
Without waiting for an answer, Sirius bounded onto the steps, tripping on one and rolling down the stairs. Landing in a heap on the bottom he groaned, then jumped up and laughed. Lily raised an eyebrow at James and followed Sirius, taking far more care on the steps.  
  
Once everyone was comfortably seated in the pillow corner James had insisted on investing in, James turned to Lily.  
  
"Tell me a story, Lee-lee." He whined, sounding exactly like a five-year- old.  
  
"All right, all right." Lily laughed.]  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Lily carefully parted the leaves of the hedge. She didn't want to be caught by her parents or Petunia if she didn't have to.  
  
Staring out at the footpath, she had to stifle a giggle. Petunia, who'd just got over being grounded for the first time in living memory, was molesting a very scared Sirius.  
  
"Come here, cutie-pie" Petunia was purring, making kissy noises at Sirius, who was trying to escape the vice-like grip on his arm. Lily couldn't hold it in any longer; she burst out laughing and tumbled out of the hedge, banging her fists on the lawn.  
  
~Interruption~  
  
"Hey! It wasn't that funny!" Sirius protested.  
  
"Yes it was, now can I continue with the story?" Lily asked.  
  
"How would you feel if you were molested by a big blonde elephant crossed with a draught horse?" Sirius argued.  
  
"Shut it, Sirius" James groaned.  
  
"Anyway." Lily said forcefully, causing both James and Sirius to sit up straight and listen eagerly.  
  
"That's better." Lily smiled, and continued the story.  
  
~End Interruption~  
  
"Lily!" Sirius screamed, "Help me!"  
  
Unfortunately, at least for Sirius (though it was another few minutes entertainment for Lily) Petunia took this opportunity to stick her tongue down Sirius's throat. Sirius tried desperately to escape, twisting this way and that, hitting Petunia, spitting in her mouth, but to no avail. Eventually, Lily took pity on him. Marching up to Petunia, she poked her.  
  
"Get your filthy paws off of MY boyfriend!" Lily screamed, trying to wink at Sirius so he'd get the hint and disappear. It didn't work. Sirius remained exactly how he was, though that was more due to him going into shock than love of Petunia.  
  
"If he's your boyfriend, how come you were laughing?" Petunia asked Lily smugly, knowing there was no answer. Lily glanced at poor Sirius, to Petunia, then back at Sirius. She knew what ordeal Sirius would suffer if she found no answer, she'd seen Petunia bring other boys home. There was only one way out, though Lily knew she'd pay dearly later.  
  
"RUN!" She screamed, then spun around and started to run, grabbing Sirius as she passed. Petunia tried to follow, but she was very slow at running, due to her unhealthy habit of staying inside talking on the phone so Lily and Sirius escaped easily.  
  
"Phew, that was close" Lily sighed in relief as they reached the safety of the cave.  
  
"I noticed." Sirius groaned.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
"See, Sirius, it was funny!" Lily gasped through laughter.  
  
"Help-I-can't-breathe!" James squeaked through fits of choking laughter. Sirius groaned as Lily joined James in rolling around on the floor in hysterical laughter.]  
  
I managed to pry her away from Sirius and we escaped to the cave. I didn't count on Mother being home, or that Petunia might tell her I was going out with a boy. I also forgot she saw which way we ran. We'd just finished sharing out Sirius's money and boarded our bus when a car drew up beside the pavement. Inside was Mother and Petunia. It was too late to hide, but I ducked under the seat anyway, and I pulled Sirius down too as a precaution, feverently hoping I hadn't been seen (or that Petunia didn't take a fancy to James or Remus).  
  
Just my luck. Not only did they both see me, but they also saw me pull Sirius down. I can easily imagine what both Mother and Petunia were thinking, after the amount of times Petunia has disappeared to her room with the flavour of the month. Worse, still, they saw I was with two other boys. That was bad in itself; I was already going to be grounded until the end of the holidays. Now I might as well never think about leaving the house in daylight again.  
  
If I thought that was the worse it could get, I was completely wrong.  
  
Petunia took an exception to James and Remus, Remus especially.  
  
The world is doomed.  
  
Ok, so maybe I overreacted a little. The bus slowly pulled away from the kerb, and I was safe. The one problem I could have encountered was getting off, but luckily it was bus driver changeover time, and I managed to sneak off into the crowd of passengers quite easily, the boys hurrying behind me. I had explained their danger of becoming victims of Petunia, and they had quickly realised we all needed to reach the safety of Diagon Alley immediately. We decided that although Diagon Alley was fairly close by, we needed to shake the two pursuers off our tail. Running to the nearest useful bus, we jumped aboard and bought tickets. None of us noticed someone with narrowed eyes watch us depart.  
  
We arrived outside the Leaky Cauldron without mishap, but there, leaning casually on the door, was Petunia. Whether she knew what she was doing, or it was just a coincidence, she was there. We climbed off the bus very cautiously, trying to avoid her gaze for a long while. Creeping around the back of the bus, Remus had an idea.  
  
"If we did that vision spell on her -" he never finished his sentence. At that instant, my psychiatrist walked by. Of all the luck. She's Sirius's psychiatrist also, but for another reason. She's also friends with Petunia, who was asking her if she'd seen me. She had. She pointed to me and Petunia began to run towards us.  
  
"Lily mum says you're grounded until next summer!" she screamed, as we dashed for the door of the pub. She followed us, so we had to try and get to Diagon Alley. If we were any more than ten seconds ahead of her, the archway would close in her face. Once in the courtyard, we locked the door to the pub and opened the arch. We just managed to catch a glimpse of Petunia opening the door before the arch closed. We'd won the battle. But definitely not the war.  
  
You see, diary, as soon as we had bought all the books and potion stuff we hadn't got already and had huge heavy bags, we realised we needed robes for school. We also wanted a dress insignia or something for our group, so we headed to a clothes shop. Madame Malkins, I think. The insignia we chose was a picture of some animals moving around in the wood. A dog, stag, wolf and rabbit. The lady at the counter says that we can add people (animals) as we wish, but they can't be removed. In other words, choose your friends carefully.  
  
I went first to get my robes. That was a good thing for the boys next to me on the stools. The closest one looked as though he had an obsession with hair gel. His hair looked so slippery and ugly, I'm just surprised he hasn't had to have it chopped off yet. Believe it or not, he was trying to hit on me. At age 11. I just can't believe some people. The other guy also had some weird obsession with gel, but not to the same extent. His hair was really white. I'm not joking. White. He was insulting me and it was all I could do to stop James flying at him and punching him.  
  
Fortunately Madam Malkin finished with me quickly and I was able to prevent a fight.  
  
We were winning! We just had to get to our respective homes safe and sound and I had to talk Mother and Petunia into believing nothing was wrong. I thought it was all going to be ok.  
  
How very wrong I was.  
  
We managed to get home all right. Mother and Petunia were still out looking for me, so I had just enough time to pack everything I would need into my trunk, except my wand. I used that to make my trunk really small and light, just in case I didn't have time later. What a good idea. Petunia burst into my room and dragged me downstairs. She threw me outside and told me never to come here again.  
  
I doubt my parents wanted to disown me just yet, but somehow Petunia had managed to talk them into believing they didn't want to see me again until next summer. I had been expecting it, so I wasn't all that surprised, but I was hurt. I walked back to the cave with my trunk in my pocket and placed my things in a small alcove I had claimed as my own. We all had one.  
  
All of a sudden I just sat down and cried. I don't know why, I hate my sister and I hate my parents for this. But I couldn't stop. I didn't hear footsteps behind me, or see James come in, but I did notice when he gave me a hug. He couldn't take me back to my house, or his, but he will give me a lift to the station tomorrow. Then I will stay at school until next summer.  
  
I hope school is a nice place.  
  
Love,  
  
Lily.  
  
(Author's Note: I am really really really really really really sorry that I was so late with this. I know it's been nearly 2 months, but I was so busy with school and my other hobbies I forgot about the story. I can't promise it won't happen again as I get more and more homework, but I will try and keep up.  
  
Sorry about any inconvenience :)  
  
The Invisible Stranger  
  
PS: I have decided to place all reviewers in a separate chapter at the end when I finish the story, so if you want to be in the "Hall of Reviews" I suggest you click a button that's somewhere near the bottom of your screen.) 


	5. New Home, New People

SEPTEMBER  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Today will either be fantastic or horrible. I could make friends, and fit in perfectly, or I could be stuck in a freak school without anywhere to go for the next year. I think it'll be the latter, so many things have been going wrong lately that nothing could possibly be fantastic. I've been thrown out of my house, I missed my birthday completely, and to top it off, I've caught a cold from my night in the cave. Great, just great. Imagine how I'll look to other people, a snot-nosed, dirty little girl who sniffs a lot. I'll be introducing myself as such: "Ello, by nabe is Lily".  
  
I guess I'm lucky I have transport to the station. James will arrive at any second, then my life at my new school will begin. I only hope it's better than home.  
  
[Later]  
  
We entered the station at about 10:30, and my day improved. Sirius and Remus were waiting for us, and when they saw me they came over and gave me a hug, and James explained for me. I cried again when he told them that I couldn't go home until next summer, but it wasn't sorrow anymore, it was anger. I was furious, furious that they kicked me out, furious that my parents gave into Petunia when they should have realised she was obviously trying to destroy me. Well, she hasn't, and at that moment, I realised just how fitting it was that the non-magical part of the train station was playing Elton John's 'I'm Still Standing'. I'm still here, they can't bring me down.  
  
Anyway, enough miserable talk. We asked a guard how to get onto the platform, which happened to be 9¾. He got quite angry with us, he said there was no such thing, and no such train that left at 11:00. Oops. But we found another wizard, so we got on ok. We found a compartment, loaded up our gear and sat down, and we were playing Exploding Snap with a pack of cards Sirius had bought. A nice old lady came buy and we bought some food from her, and we just hung around doing nothing, until eventually nature called and I had to leave the compartment.  
  
On my way back, I wasn't watching where I was going, and I bumped into that nasty boy who was insulting me in Madam Malkins. He had the other boy with him, the one who was hitting on me. Losers. Anyway, this white-haired boy had apparently decided I was pretty, because he told me if I didn't 'get it on' with him, he'd curse me so much I could never snog again. Fortunately snogging isn't something I'll miss much, because he nearly did curse me, after I slapped him and kneed him in a painful place. He and the other boy fled.  
  
I heard applause coming from a nearby compartment, and when I looked there were two other girls sitting there smiling at me. They asked if I wanted to sit with them, but I had to get back to my compartment, so I asked if they wanted to come with me. On the way, we talked about ourselves, and we walked slowly, so by the time we got there I knew all about them. One was tall with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She looks like a supermodel. Her name is Regina. The other one was shorter, with brown hair naturally streaked with red and gold, and I don't know what colour her eyes were. There's nothing to describe them, and as I watched, they changed colour. She's called Kate.  
  
I entered the compartment, and all the boys wanted to know what took me so long, so I brought Regina and Kate inside and introduced them, and then I told everyone about this boy. Regina had some information for me, because her family is what she calls 'pure-blood' in other words, all wizard. Sirius and James look guilty, so I was going to ask them later, but I forgot. They never told me much about their families, so I guess there's something magical they've been keeping back. Anyway, Regina says that the white-haired boy is called Lucius Malfoy, and the greasy-haired freak is called Severus Snape. We all get on very well, and so now I have two new female friends. I've never had female friends before. This is very weird.  
  
We got to Hogwarts School, and I swear it's not a school, it's a castle. It's amazing! There was a giant man to greet us, called Hagrid, and we sailed across a huge lake in little boats, and Malfoy seemed to plant himself in my boat for some reason. I was with Regina and Kate, the boys went with some little kid called Peter Pettigrew. So, Malfoy was in our boat. Sweet. Time to play the first prank.  
  
I pushed him in.  
  
Something in the water pulled him out, more's the pity.  
  
Fortunately he went in another boat after that.  
  
We got into the entrance hall of the castle. I bet my house would fit in there a hundred times over. I wish my mother could see this, she loves medieval castles, but then again, I'm not talking to her or seeing her for the rest of the year. A strict witch with her hair pinned back tightly, like Melissa at my old school, told us to wait in a room and tidy ourselves up. I don't know how she doesn't rip all her hair out, or have a huge headache, with her hair pulled back like that.  
  
We went into a bigger room and lined up. Everyone was seated at huge tables, and there were floating candles. I magicked one towards me and I inspected it for strings or something, but it was really floating in midair. The witch with her hair pulled back tightly told us she was Professor McGonagall. She'd only been at the school for a few years as a teacher, according to Regina. She called out our names, and we had to try on this hat thing, which sung a song for the school and put us in school houses. Sirius was one of the first, and I was near the start, but there were a few people before me.  
  
This is what the hat said to me:  
  
Hmmm... you are one of the most complicated students I have seen, but I foresee that your son will be harder to place. What son? How am I difficult to place? You will find out in due time. You will fall in love with him, but beware, there is a rat in your ranks. I would tell you more, but it would scare you. Now I suppose I should get on with sorting you, shouldn't I? I'm confused. Who's the rat? What's he or she going to do? Who will I fall for? Never mind. Oh, here I see Hufflepuff loyalty to the ones you hold dear, yet here also is cleverness enough to slot you perfectly into Ravenclaw. You're cunning, so you would work well in Slytherin, but they would not accept you. As for Gryffindor, there is bravery indeed. What to choose? What did you put Sirius in? Gryffindor, because although he is intelligent, I doubt he'll use his brain much at Hogwarts. Can I be with Sirius and all my friends? We'll see about the rest, but why not put you with Sirius...  
  
Then it screamed out Gryffindor, and I walked over and sat next to Sirius.  
  
["Lily, you haven't told us a story yet." James whined.  
  
"Sorry James, I just got carried away. Where do you want the story to start from?" Lily responded.  
  
"Can I pick, let me choose!" Sirius yelped. Lily and James just rolled their eyes in response, which Sirius took for a yes.  
  
"Go back to when you kneed Malfoy, then skip to when you pushed him in the water, then skip to the sorting, then skip - "  
  
"That'll do, Sirius. I want to finish this story before Christmas, you know!" Lily cried in exasperation. Sirius grinned and hit Lily with a pillow, causing James to return the blow, which resulted in an all-out pillow war while Lily gathered her thoughts for the story. As she began to speak, the feathers slowly drifted to the ground and Sirius and James stopped to listen.]  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Lily finished up in the white tiled train toilet, and turned to head to her compartment, lost in thoughts of what she could do for the term breaks if she wasn't allowed to stay at school, or if she didn't want to. Suddenly she bumped into something, which pushed her to the ground. Lily jumped back on her feet, and started apologising, until she saw who it was.  
  
"Filthy mud blood, I'd just washed these robes. Now I'll have to get them clean again, you scum." Malfoy said.  
  
"You're more scum than I am, to be insulting me for no reason." Lily replied calmly. A strange look came into the boy's eyes, and he stepped closer to Lily. She could feel his breath on her cheek, but she didn't flinch as she stared him down.  
  
"You know, you're very pretty Lily. I'll make you a deal. I stop insulting you, you give me more pleasure than I have ever known." He whispered, his voice barely above a murmur. Lily turned her calm stare into a death glare.  
  
"What if I don't want to make that deal?" She announced, her voice like daggers of ice.  
  
"Then I will curse you so much you'll never be able to use those pretty lips of yours again." He murmured in her ear, his voice full of malice. Lily was shocked, but she didn't let it show.  
  
"Never." She whispered, then stepped back and slapped him with all the force she could muster. His hand flew to his face, and he whipped his wand out, but Lily was too fast for him. Her foot jammed up and out, and he bent over in pain as she pulled her own wand out. Malfoy took one look at this very angry redheaded girl, and fled, followed by Snape.  
  
As he left he called over his shoulder "I'll get you one day, just you wait!". This had no effect on Lily, who simply responded, "I can't wait for that day either, kid. Perhaps you'd better buy a box, if you know what I mean." Malfoy glared and was gone, then Lily turned to her audience.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
["So that was how I got rid of Malfoy that day." Lily finished, with a grin. Sirius had now collapsed on a huge pile of cushions and was listening avidly, whereas James, who now had no cushions due to Sirius's hoarding, lay himself down with his head on Lily's knee.  
  
"C'mon, tell us about why you pushed him in the lake!" Sirius cried, exasperated that the tale was so short.  
  
"I only did that because I didn't like him!" Lily defended herself. "I wouldn't have done it if it was someone else who insulted me. Anyway, my voice is getting tired."  
  
"All right," James said, "can you just do the sorting, then we'll all have lunch. Plus Remus is coming over later, so he might want to hear some of it."  
  
"Nah, don't do the sorting, we can just finish this entry. I'm starved." Sirius moaned, rubbing his stomach. Lily and James laughed.]  
  
By the end of the sorting, James, Remus, Regina and Kate had got into Gryffindor, but the kid called Peter hadn't. According to Remus, when Sirius offered to push him in the lake, he'd cowered away, so he wasn't brave enough for Gryffindor.  
  
After the feast, Regina, Kate and I went up to our dormitory, and the boys went to theirs. They only had one other boy, we had two girls who were twins, called Vespera and Vanora, but their nicknames are Star and Spray. Star says that her name means 'the evening star' so that's how she got her nickname, and Vanora means 'white wave'. I think they just made up those names on the spot to make it easier for us, but that's fine by me. They're identical twins, but they said since we were in their dorm they'd let us in on a secret. They both have a birthmark on their shoulder, but one's a star, one's a wave. That's how we tell them apart, and that's how their parents named them.  
  
They had a book with them, of what names mean, so we found out ours, and also the boys. Lily means 'a lily flower', Regina means 'queen, royal', Kate means 'pure one' which is a bit of a joke really, considering Kate's personality. James means 'the supplanter', Sirius wasn't in the book but it's pretty obvious he's the Dog Star, and Remus is 'speedy motion'.  
  
I then found out how tired I was, so I went to bed, thinking about how wonderful the day had been. I thought it was going to be horrible, but it was actually amazing. This morning, I didn't have any friends excepting James, Sirius and Remus, I had never kicked a guy downstairs before, I had no home and nowhere to turn, and I had a cold. Tonight, I have seven good friends and I'm sure I'll meet more tomorrow, I've beaten up a guy who's a lot bigger than I am, I have a new home, and my cold has vanished.  
  
I can't believe I wasn't looking forward to this. I can't wait until tomorrow! I've already got prank ideas. Hogwarts will never forget me.  
  
Love,  
  
Lily. 


	6. The Great November Castle Fight

DECEMBER  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I can hardly believe Christmas is nearly here! It seems like yesterday my parents kicked me out of my house and I boarded the train to start at a new school. Really, it's been several months!  
  
So I guess I should start at the beginning of term, because I haven't written anything since September and so much has happened! After I finished writing last time, I got really curious about James and Sirius's families, since they looked so guilty when Regina mentioned she was 'pure-blood'. So I asked her. James is the Minister of Magic's son, and he and Sirius are somewhat related, but I can't remember how. All the purebloods are related. Regina is James's second cousin once removed, apparently. Sirius is the son of a dark witch, his family is really evil and Sirius is not, so it's kind of inevitable that he will get disowned one day. He lives with James most of the time I think. They are both really rich though.  
  
I think I was slightly annoyed that they lied to me, but technically they didn't say anything so I guess it was just my assumptions and I can't blame them for that.  
  
I know that if Remus is a werewolf, he must have had contact with wizards. I asked him the next day and he says that his dad was a wizard but he died when Remus was very young and he doesn't remember him, but his dad's best friend looked after him and his mother. He has told me a lot lately, we are really good friends.  
  
Sirius and James are up to breaking the school detention record, because they already have over fifty. In fact, I lost count. They might have had over a hundred, though how they fit them all in I don't know. Somehow they remain on top of their homework too.  
  
Did I mention that Snape now has permanently fluoro pink hair! We dyed it after the Great November Castle Fight. He has to wait for it to grow out. I feel sort of sorry for him, it's not his fault he can be such a greasy git. Well, maybe he could wash his hair without us, but otherwise I guess it's his pureblood family.  
  
All this bloodline purity stuff is making me confused, and sick. It's disgusting and racist that people base others on how many witches and wizards are in their family. I know that I am smart, but just because I am muggle-born my potions teacher always grades me lower. It's worse that I am Gryffindor as well, because it's only the Slytherins he likes. Which is ironic, considering he was once a Ravenclaw.  
  
I guess this means you don't have to be Slytherin to be bad.  
  
Anyway, enough about the boys for now. Regina and Kate are my two best friends, we are inseparable. Star and Spray, the twins in our dorm, are our half friends, but they often hang around their friends in other houses and they are slightly crazy. Luckily they aren't ditzy, or I don't know what I would do!  
  
Regina is slightly crazy. She is in love with this boy back at home, and she knows that it's stupid. She won't look at another guy, or even admit somebody else is attractive because she thinks nobody compares to this boy. His name is Zac. I've seen a photo - he's not bad, but I think it's time she moved on. She's liked him for nearly three years!  
  
So Kate and I pranked her. We hid her photo of Zac, but that didn't work, because she still wouldn't get over it. But, amazingly, when we showed her the completely unedited photo, she thought we had done something to it because it (I quote) 'is not how I remember him in my dreams'. This spawned a new idea, and for the last few months we have been slowly making Zac look uglier. Just gradually. She's finally looking at other boys, namely  
  
["Hellooooooooooooo?" A voice called through the door. James and Sirius jumped.  
  
"REMIE!" they yelled, opening the door. Remus tumbled onto the doormat and had to suffer Sirius sitting on him until Lily stood up.  
  
"Nice to see you Rem." She smiled. Lily always had a soft spot for Remus. Remus groaned and pushed Sirius away, then smiled.  
  
"Do you know how long I was standing out there knocking?" He asked indignantly. Lily smirked, James laughed and Sirius... well, Sirius barked.  
  
"We were just reading my diary, we were up to the end of Term 1 first year. Want to join in? You might find this bit interesting..." Lily let her sentence trail away, to give an air of mystery. Remus was intrigued, and he nodded to show he would stay and listen.]  
  
She's finally looking at other boys, namely Remus. Kate and I want to set them up but we aren't stupid enough to think she wouldn't go soppy over Zac when she gets home.  
  
Kate is crazy too. There is no other word for her, crazy is it. She can be bouncy at the weirdest of times, like when she got detention for being loud, she was just louder. She is the only one who can understand Sirius's obsession with soap powder. In fact, she will join in with his attempts to ignite it, and then they will go and build a toilet paper castle in the centre of the common room and hurl soap powder cannon balls at anybody who comes near them unless they offer tribute of twenty Honeydukes chocolate bars or three butterbeers. It's actually pretty funny because I can often storm the castle simply by collecting the already fired soap powder and throwing it back. Both of them then fall off the battlements screaming about how evil has breached the castle and they need reinforcements. Of course, then they conjure up about fifty boxes of powder and levitate them to empty on my head, but it usually signifies the end of the battle. Plus it keeps my hair clean. Snape should try it.  
  
Ok, so he did try it, or rather, we washed his hair, in the Great November Castle Fight.  
  
[Sirius and James burst out laughing and Lily could barely keep from smiling. They all remembered how Snape looked shortly after the Great November Castle Fight. Remus pouted, he had been 'visiting relatives' during that fight. All he knew was that he had come back to school and Snape had had clean hair.  
  
"Tell me about what happened, you never really explained it to me" Remus said. Lily laughed.  
  
"I don't think Sirius meant to do what he did, but he got given soap powder presents, so I guess it was too much for him. But, if you can shut them up, I'll tell you all about that day." Lily agreed. Sirius and James were immediately quiet.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Lily yawned and began to make her way down to breakfast. It was a Saturday and she had wanted to lie in, but she was awoken by Regina's screams as Kate charmed Zac's picture to grow fangs. Finally Kate was overpowered and she ran out of the room dodging Regina's curses.  
  
Within seconds she came back in screaming. Regina had scattered soap powder all over the stairs. By this time Lily was up and dressed, and she shoved Kate out the door so she could get down to breakfast unharmed. Kate hit the powder and started sliding down the stairs, helped by the fact Sirius had just tried to come up, turning the stone into a large slide.  
  
"Wheeeeeeeeeeee!" she screamed, and Lily rolled her eyes and followed demurely. By the time she got to the bottom, Sirius and Kate had disappeared, and so had the powder. Half asleep, Lily didn't suspect any danger until she entered the great hall. Sirius was standing on a table screaming about how all he wants for Christmas was a box of soap powder from everybody, and he wanted it by 9:00 that morning. Sirius was popular. He didn't know it, but as soon as people finished breakfast they went to buy soap powder. By 8:30 a massive pile of soap powder boxes surrounded him. He turned to his accomplice, Kate, and told her to get as much toilet paper as she could.  
  
"For," he said, his eyes gleaming wickedly, "Today is the day we take over the school using that deadly white substance and toilet paper." Sirius never called it soap powder.  
  
Kate left the Great Hall only to return a few minutes later with what had to be the entire school supply of toilet paper levitated in front of her. She had also managed to get hold of more powder.  
  
Luckily for them, no teachers were present to witness the founding of the Toilet Paper Castle. Maybe because Lily made a truce with Sirius and Kate, and locked all the doors to the Hall with her superior magic. Lily was the best of the group, and the group was the best in the school, so it followed Lily was the most powerful witch in the school. Lily's condition of truce was to help, because after all, if you have a castle that big you need people to protect it. Soon the centre of the great hall was one big toilet paper fortress, the house tables were against the wall excepting the Gryffindor one which was covered in food for Sirius's energy and the drawbridge was closing when James and Regina dashed across.  
  
By lunchtime, they were ready to withstand any attack. Supplies were being sent up via the Gryffindor house table, they were bribing the house elves, there were hammocks, a watch was posted, and the soap powder supplies were so large that they filled up most of the castle.  
  
"What say we open the doors to the hall so people can get lunch?" James asked with an evil smirk.  
  
"The only lunch round here is that spawn of Satan" Sirius grunted, trying to create powder balls that stayed together as opposed to sending granules everywhere. Lily rolled her eyes, and the doors swung open.  
  
"Everyone in position!" She cried, as half the school came pouring into the Hall to witness this magical event. Lily quickly summoned her camera and snapped photos like there was no tomorrow. Soap powder was released and soon the whole hall was full of flying soap.  
  
"Let's add a touch of water!" Regina screamed over the noise of a soap fight. The defenders grinned evilly at each other, and then each sent a jet of water over the wall.  
  
Just then, Snape, Malfoy and their sidekicks entered the hall.  
  
"Concentrate fire on Slytherins!" Lily screamed, then swung the toilet paper cannon around to aim directly. Malfoy got covered in soap and burst into tears, screaming out "Mummy, mummy, I have soap in my eyes, help me mummy!"  
  
Snape, however, got a huge powder ball in his hair, followed by more water, and a thorough washing from Lily. He sank to his knees looking like he was in deep despair.  
  
"My hair, oh my beautiful greasy hair, oh" he kept saying.  
  
The battle lasted hours. The defenders in the castle were very good, but soon enough the teacher and prefect's combined magic overthrew the five kids.  
  
"If only Remie were here!" James cried, "He's the last of the four, we needed the - " James was cut off by Sirius hitting him. Regina and Kate were staring.  
  
"Come along to my office" Dumbledore said, looking sternly at the first years. They followed silently along behind him and up the gargoyle stairs into the office.  
  
"Now, I'm sure you're aware that displays like that aren't very useful to the quiet life of the school?" He asked. There was a sulky assent and Dumbledore continued. "However, since this school needed an awakening like that, as it proved that all the teachers in this school combined are not as strong as we thought, so you will, if you wish, escape the major punishment that goes with situations like this, i.e. suspension, although that carries conditions."  
  
"What are the conditions, sir?" Lily asked, sounding slightly worried.  
  
"Keep this school on its toes. Of course, I will have to punish you every so often or else it will look like favouritism, but basically, I am just asking you to play pranks. As long as no specific students are targeted, I will see to it that you get nothing worse than detention. This also includes your friend Mr Lupin."  
  
The little group was stunned. The headmaster had just asked them to play pranks.  
  
"Done." They all chorused at once.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
["So that was how we never got suspended, and why Sirius just got a term of detentions with the Snape incident in sixth year!" Remus said, realisation dawning on his face.  
  
"Yup" James smirked. Remus just sat there. Sirius frowned. He didn't like remembering the Snape incident. He knew that Dumbledore wouldn't break his word but he also knew that if Snape pushed charges, there wouldn't be much Dumbledore could do against him going to Azkaban. And Sirius hated Azkaban with a passion, just as Remus hated teaching people about himself and James hated the thought of dying at the hand of Voldemort. So far only James's pet hate had any hope of coming true.  
  
"Anyway, back to the story." Lily said in a business-like tone.]  
  
So, after the Great November Castle Fight, we couldn't taunt Snape about his hair again. But by now it is back to normal so we can call him Grease ball again. The funny thing is, though, while his hair was clean he was so nice! It was like he said to himself "Okay, something has changed, let's just see how many people I can be nice to before it changes back" and he actually tried at more subjects than just potions! Maybe underneath all that grease and dirt there is a decent person.  
  
Anyway, I should go, because I have to finish my Transfiguration assignment and I also want some sleep so I can enjoy Christmas.  
  
Love,  
  
Lily  
  
(Author's Note:  
  
Phew, this was a long chapter! Sorry I haven't updated, I guess I'm just slack *looks embarrassed* I will spend the rest of today writing more chapters that I can put up over the next few weeks, and hopefully I will finish up to second year over the next while...  
  
Also, I don't know much about the term system in England, so I assume that they start back late August - early September, and there is a holiday over Christmas, a holiday over Easter, and then they finish in early - mid July, so that's how I will be basing their holidays at Hogwarts. I also assume Christmas and Easter are two week breaks. If anybody wants to correct me feel free :)  
  
The Invisible Stranger) 


	7. Christmas and Multicoloured Snowballs

JUNE  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
My first year at Hogwarts is nearly over and I am worried about summer. I can just see my sister convincing my parents they don't want me for the summer either. But they have to take me home at some stage. They have a legal duty of care... I think.  
  
In any case, I have to comment on the happenings at Christmas. After the Great November Castle Fight, James and Sirius were determined to get into trouble, since they couldn't be punished. Fortunately they forgot to tell Remus that there was no such thing as suspension, so he is balancing them out and reminding them that some things are just not things they should do. Which is fortunate, since Severus Snape's roots are showing. I think they would've touched up the pink dye and the poor guy would've had bright hair for the rest of his school life. I really feel sorry for him. He's so nice to me now, but maybe it's a good thing I hardly ever see him. It's not like I can afford to like a Slytherin, plus he hasn't washed his hair since the fight, which is kind of gross.  
  
Anyway, a month after the fight in the Great Hall, and most of the school was getting over it. I don't think they thought things could get worse; after all, this was the epitome of Sirius and Kate's craziness. They had been quiet, and nobody had dared show them any soap powder. Often I had seen them disappear together and reappear smirking, but I thought nothing of it. If they were planning something they would tell us.  
  
As it turned out, they didn't tell us anything until the night before Christmas.  
  
We were all sitting in the common room playing chess and eating chocolate, all excited because it was Christmas Eve. Then a fateful thing happened. A flake of snow drifted past the window.  
  
"Snow!" Sirius said, sounding so amazed and wonder-filled that I couldn't hold back laughing and saying in a patronising tone "Yes, Siri, it's snow." He sat there shocked for a while.  
  
Sirius and Kate were going to build a snow fortress. For the sole purpose of having another Great Castle Fight, this time in December. We told them it would be better to have one annually, and finally they got talked out of it. I thought Christmas had been saved and boy, was I relieved.  
  
We eventually opened our presents but during breakfast in the Great Hall, there were huge colourful snowballs flying around. Any student who had stayed for Christmas had snow all over them. This wasn't enough though. I showed my prowess at the colour spell yet again.  
  
["Ooh ego, Lil!" Sirius muttered. Lily slapped him lightly, and then changed his hair and skin to orange and blue polka dots.  
  
"You look like you have the plague" James commented. Sirius growled and changed into a dog in the hope the spell would wear off. No such luck. Even Remus couldn't hold back laughter at the sight of a polka dotted dog.  
  
Sirius changed back, sighing resignedly. "If you don't change this back by tomorrow night, I'm eating here instead of going on a date" he threatened. Lily rolled her eyes and changed him to normal, before closing her eyes in readiness for another tale.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Lily yawned and stirred her mug of hot chocolate as Remus studied the chessboard.  
  
"Knight to D6, checkmate!" he grinned. Lily groaned and set up the pieces before turning to James. They played chess for a while, and then a fateful thing happened. So far, Sirius had been staring at the chessboard, but he sat up to stretch, and caught sight of the window. Snow was falling hard and fast outside.  
  
"Snow!" he cried happily, running to the window.  
  
"Yes, Siri, it's snow." Lily called, rolling her eyes. Kate got up to join Sirius in his bouncing around the room. Suddenly he whispered something to her and her eyes widened, and they left the room.  
  
"What the..." Regina left her sentence unfinished. James made an indistinct comment, possibly some innuendo, and turned back to his chess game. Within minutes they were back, soaked to the skin and cold but looking excited.  
  
"By tomorrow it should be big enough to have a Great December Castle Fight!" they cried in unison. Lily rolled her eyes, James sighed and Regina glared. Remus looked slightly excited, but thought it might be better to leave it until next year.  
  
"Make it an annual tradition, then people can look forward to it. Also, make it randomly placed throughout the year, and they won't know when to be at school and when to hide out in Hogsmeade." He commented. Sirius and Kate agreed reluctantly that this was probably a good idea. With that, everybody left to go to sleep.  
  
The next morning, Gryffindor Tower was awoken to the cries of "Presents!". Everything was in chaos, and somehow in the middle of this James and Remus managed to disappear. Not in the least worried, the girls and Sirius headed off to breakfast. They had just sat down when James and Remus came in, grabbed Lily and dragged her outside.  
  
"Lily we need your help!" Remus muttered into her ear as they headed towards the Forbidden Forest. Lily rolled her eyes, then saw something that made her stare. And rub them. In front of her was the largest pile of snowballs she had ever seen.  
  
"We want you to charm them so that they are different colours and the person they hit changes skin colour." James informed her.  
  
"By breakfast?" Lily gasped  
  
"Yes. I would advise you get started" Remus smirked. Lily groaned and then laughed. She had just had an idea.  
  
"What colours do you want them and how many of each?" She asked. Remus shot James an inquiring stare.  
  
"Uh, I think we want red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, gold, silver, pink, white, black. Also any other colour you can do." James told her.  
  
"Okay. Bye bye." Lily said, waving her hand in front of James to make him and Remus leave. They got the point and headed back for breakfast. Ten minutes later, Lily, who had used the Multiple Copy charm, came in and informed the boys she had finished.  
  
Within seconds the Hall was filled with bouncing snowballs, extinguishing all light and hitting people. Lily cast a charm, which enabled things to exit but not enter a specified area, while James and Remus reinforced the Anti-Shield charm on the snow. Soon everybody had strangely coloured skin except Lily, James, Remus, Regina, Sirius and Kate. Sirius and Kate had jumped out and tried to eat the snow, but luckily Lily had noticed and directed two of the five 'back to normal' coloured snowballs at them.  
  
Afterwards, when they stood up to give a bow, not only the teachers (who had been spared) but also many of the students who liked their new look, applauded.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
["Snow..." Sirius murmured half-dreamily, starting to drool. Everybody rolled their eyes, then jumped, startled, as there was a thud in the kitchen.  
  
"I'll go" James volunteered, stepping over the cushion corner and to the doorway.  
  
"STUPEFY!" he screamed. There was another thud, and a sheepish 'oops' from James.  
  
"Enervate. Look who I found, everyone!" A rather stunned Kate crawled into the room and started to warm her hands at the fireplace. Lily muffled a laugh as the flames turned emerald. This happened every time Kate wanted to sit by the fire.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Kate." Regina laughed at her friend before turning to the rest of the room. "Hi people!" She smiled. Lily motioned everybody to sit down again as Remus filled Regina in.]  
  
We didn't even get detention that time around. It was a very eventful Christmas. New Year was quiet, and before I knew it, it was that day that every male hates and every girl loves. Valentine's day. I didn't expect anything of course, I was just a first year, and I hung around the guys too much, but I got a note that morning when I went down to breakfast.  
  
In with the owl post came a school owl carrying a note for me. It wasn't sweet, it was more funny.  
  
I wish you were a duck egg  
  
A bonnie blue-eyed smasher  
  
And I beside you in the pan  
  
A long, long streaky rasher.  
  
That's what it said. I'm not sure if it's an insult or compliment.  
  
["I'm glad you liked it so much." James muttered, sounding a bit miffed.  
  
"It was you? I knew you'd admit it one day!" Sirius laughed at his best friend. Lily leaned over and gave James a kiss.  
  
"Well I liked it!" She said with a smile.]  
  
I wonder who it is? There was no name. I still haven't found out, and I even got James to analyse the handwriting for me. He's good at that. He's good at a lot of things. But I refuse to get a crush on my best friend.  
  
["Ooh Lily, you never told me you liked James in FIRST YEAR!" Regina and Kate screamed. Lily blushed.  
  
"I forgot that was there!" she protested, shutting the diary, then reopening it. "But never mind, the future is created so we can laugh at the past." Lily smiled.]  
  
Repeat: I can't have a crush on my best friend. Though technically I could since Kate and Sirius get along really well, and Regina seems to like Remus. But I won't! It would spoil our friendship!  
  
Love,  
  
Lily 


	8. The Truth Comes Out

SEPTEMBER

Dear Diary,

I am really glad it's near the end of the holidays and I get to go back to Hogwarts. I can't wait to get rid of Petunia. She has made my holidays hell while I was at home. I prefer school. But perhaps I will start from the beginning, because that's when I went home from Hogwarts.

I boarded the train home with all my friends, but I didn't much enjoy the trip. For starters, that ugly little Hufflepuff boy, Peter, came running in wanting our protection from Snape and Malfoy. Of course we fought them off but no sooner than we made his life safe, did the stupid kid think we liked him and wanted him to stay. We dropped as many subtle hints as we could, but he didn't pick up on them. In fact, he started hitting on Regina. Remus looked slightly jealous but maybe that's because he didn't get to tell Regina and Kate about being a werewolf, something he was going to do that train ride.

Unfortunately, Peter had an idea, which was dynamite to the function of our little group. So far we had not been a 'closed circle', we had been willing to let people become our best friends (such as Regina and Kate) and of course now they are included. But Peter suggested we all have nicknames and we call ourselves the Pow-wows or something like that. When he went to the toilet, we all agreed that was a stupid name. We thought we might confuse everybody instead, so we agreed: The boys, including Peter if he stays, are the Marauders, and that is the name they use at school. Us girls are part of the Marauders in every way except name. We thought we would keep ourselves anonymous little goody-goodies, so we could do all the dirty work and get away without even a detention.

Anyway, I got to the platform and nobody was there to greet me, because Petunia had insisted they go to the movies at the exact time I arrived. Fortunately, they turned up a mere hour after station closing time, so that was okay. At least they didn't forget me totally.

I spent most of my days in the cave with the boys, practicing magic. Dumbledore had conveniently 'forgotten' to give us our notes saying not to do magic, because, as he told us, the less you use up power the less you stretch your limits, and he wanted us to be really strong at magic.

Things passed uneventfully and usually pretty miserably if I was at home, until I got my Hogwarts owl. Petunia freaked out, and tried to stone the poor creature, which obviously wasn't allowed to leave until I got my letter as it only flew a few feet away at a time. I found her throwing things at it and attacked her from behind, decking her, but who knows how long the school owl had been harmed for, so I nursed it back to health, then sent it with a letter to Kate, imploring her to come and stay with me, and also to tell Regina.

They arrived about half way through August but they could only stay a week, so we resolved to get everything done in that time. On their first day I showed them to the cave, where they were really surprised to see the boys.

--"Well, we didn't know you guys hung out together before school as well!" Regina protested.

"Of course we did, it was the one reason that we all got to go to Hogwarts!" Lily exclaimed. "If we hadn't gone into muggle London, we wouldn't have found the Leaky Cauldron and then neither me or Remus would have gone to school! It's not like my parents would pay for me to change schools!"

"I can't remember the cave," Kate whined, "so tell me all about it." Lily rolled her eyes yet again, but nodded her head and commenced the story.--

-Flashback-

Lily smiled. She was looking forward to today, because she would get to see her friends again. The boys were all very well to hang with and she liked them, but she had become used to having her two friends with her wherever she went. She reflected that just a year ago, she had been terrified of any female wanting to be her friend. They weren't all that different to boys though, some of them.

A scream from downstairs alerted her to the arrival of something or someone. Lily took the stairs two at a time, then, finding that too slow, slid the rest of the way on the banister. Petunia was in the hall, with the front door open, yelling at an ordinary blonde haired girl who was looking at her reproachfully. After a few seconds, Lily found there were words in Petunia's scream.

"Get that weirdo away from here! That little freak dared invite her loser friends!" and others along that line, seemed to be what she was saying.

That was a bit harsh, considering Lily had permission to invite two friends for a week in the holidays. She beckoned Regina inside and they went up to her room, giving Petunia a wide berth.

"I'm afraid I can't give you your own bedroom because Petunia is hogging the guest room for her friends, who don't even come til we go back to school, but you and Kate are staying with me." Lily informed her. They had barely got Regina settled when yet another scream was heard from Petunia. Lily raised her eyebrows, and headed downstairs.

This time, Petunia's scream was less angry than it was terrified. In the doorway stood a girl of medium height, with blue streaks in her brown hair, and eyes that were changing colour. It looked like Kate was putting on a colour display for Petunia, as she went slowly through the spectrum, an evil smile playing about her lips. Petunia was backing away, and Kate was slowly advancing, but she turned when she heard Lily coming downstairs, and bounced onto the banister, sliding upwards to meet Lily.

"Are you allowed to do magic?" Lily asked, surprised. She thought her friends had received the note. Kate just smirked. Soon the girls were settled in Lily's room, and they all agreed to follow Lily to the cave, though they didn't know what they would find there. Lily put a locking charm on the door, just in case.

It was a hot day, and after a few minutes walk, it felt like the whole world would melt under the oppressive heat. Just as the girls were about to collapse and die of heatstroke, Lily led them into the cool shady depths of the cave.

Their eyes had not yet adjusted to the gloom when they heard an evil laugh somewhere behind them.

"You're trapped." The voice said evilly, but also sounding very much like somebody attempting to sound different. Lily just laughed, but Regina and Kate were slightly scared.

-Interruption-

"Was not!" Kate cried.

"Were too!" Sirius replied.

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was – "

"Can I get on with it?!" Lily screamed exasperatedly. Everybody was immediately silent.

-End Interruption-

By this stage, their eyes had adjusted, and James moved to hug them.

"We missed you guys!" the boys chorused, before bombarding them with questions about their holidays. Lily walked to the centre of the cave and held up her hands for silence.

"I think we have to tell them." She whispered. "Remus?" The sandy-haired boy nodded.

"Well, let's get on with it then." Sirius implored, "We can initiate, put them on that insignia thing, then tell." Remus, Lily and James started. They had almost forgotten about the four insignias, buried for the summer in a jar at the back of the cave. They turned to the two girls standing at the entrance, and surrounded them.

"I found a spell in the library at Hogwarts," Lily said, "that is used for telling people's intentions towards others in the long run. It was in a book of spells designed specifically for us four and us only. I'll explain later. Just stand at all four points of the compass."

Once everybody was positioned, Lily began muttering under her breath, strange words. Louder and louder she said the incantation until she was almost screaming, then she stopped. Both Regina and Kate were glowing a pure white.

"Their intentions are pure" Lily gasped, before falling to the ground. "We can tell them everything." Remus looked suddenly uncertain, but it was proven that both girls could be trusted, so he began his story...

-Interruption-

"Remus, how about you retell this?" Lily asked, "I might leave something out." Remus nodded and picked up the tale.

"It was a dark and stormy night..." He joked. Sirius sniggered, everybody else rolled their eyes.

"Okay, I'll do it properly already!" Remus laughed.

"I lived on the outskirts of a small town, more of a village. My parents, well, my mother and my dad's best friend, they weren't that rich. All my mother had was me and Paul. Paul was like a father to me. He was all that I knew, and I thought that nobody was as wonderful as him. He'd make me little toys and stuff." Remus's eyes were dreamy.

"We lived right next to this huge wood, all full of beautiful trees. Some fir, some pine, all sorts of trees in this wood. There were hollow trees, and right in the centre of the forest I knew of a tree nearly the size of a small room, all hollowed out, the only entrance being the branches above. I would sit in that tree, it was my personal place, where I made up games, and thought, where I did all that other stuff that lonely children do. I often went there at night, I guess that was my undoing." He paused for breath, looking around. Everybody's attention was fixed, although they had all heard this before.

"One day, I found that this hermit had come to live in the wood. He lived right at the other side, but everybody knew he was there. It was all gossip in the village, an unkempt man, and long grey hair. They even went so far as to say that he was half beast. I remember I was terrified of him, because he had two large canines. I thought they looked like vampire fangs. I didn't know much back then. For a while after that, I didn't visit the wood so much, because I was scared of the man. But I never saw him, and fear passed, as did the memory of his appearance. I should have guessed, I'd just read about werewolves in one of my dad's old books. But he had passed out of sight and mind, and some things that should not have been forgotten were lost."

"One year there was a drought, and we had no money. Mum couldn't get work, and Paul started drinking away what money we managed to get. I was scared, and when he came home, drunk, raving, I would run away, to my tree, to the middle of the wood. And one night, as he came home yelling and swearing, illuminated by the full moon, I knew I had to leave. I just ran, straight to my tree. Halfway there, I would've stopped and turned back but I had a bad feeling of being followed. I guess now that it was the wolf, but I didn't know then. I just kept running, I climbed my tree and I stayed there til about 4am. I was tired, I was about to fall asleep. Wolves were howling far away and I was terrified they would come back and I might not escape ever, so I ran for it. If only I'd known that guy was a werewolf, if only I hadn't closed my mind, none of this would've happened." Remus sighed and closed his eyes, relieving the memory. It wasn't pleasant to him.

"I was nearly home when I saw him in front of me, and it was too late to turn back. I recognised him and my stupidity immediately, even before he attacked. I fought, as much as I could, but one bite and it was all over for me. Luckily the sun rose before I was killed, and I managed to crawl home. Paul didn't understand. He was scared of me because I was now a monster. He left, he never came back. I only saw him once since then – when he was trying to kill me. He's with the Werewolf Removal Squad and a Death Eater now."

"I got better, but we had no money or anything, and we had to move to an apartment in the city so my mother could get a job. Lucky for us she did and now earns enough to keep. I had no friends until I met you guys but I was ok. I know that I was really lucky, it sounds strange to think lucky goes with werewolf bite but I am still here, aren't I? Still going strong, and I don't intend to drop off the perch now."

"Anyway, that's my story..." Remus ended, his voice trailing off, and looking at Lily expectantly. She smiled.

"Okay, I'll keep going now." She murmured.

-End Interruption-

Once Remus finished his story, softhearted Regina was crying, and even Kate had tears in her eyes. Lily, Sirius and James had never heard the story in full before, and they were stunned to think how much hardship Remus had endured simply because he had lived a quiet life in a town inhabited by a werewolf.

Kate, eager to show herself unmoved, turned abruptly towards James. "Is... is that everything?" She seemed to guess there was something more.

"No," Sirius whispered uncertainly, "Dumbledore, well, he visited us a year ago, and he said that we all have special powers, like a united we stand sort of thing. It's something like Water, Fire, Earth and Wind, and we each stand for one thing, or at least that's what I think he meant." Lily nodded.

"I was in the Hogwarts Library, and I found this book, with a prophecy and everything. It was a book made especially for us; it explained everything about us, even about how Regina and Kate fit in. But I just had to test them first. It says to do that, you know. But we can put them on our insignia." Lily said.

Remus brought the insignias out.

"We forgot to name it!" He cried. At the top of the insignia was a space for the group name, so he carefully added "Marauders" on the top.

Kate stared at the animals, interested.

"Who's who?" She asked. Everybody immediately pointed to his or her own animal by some instinct. Kate jumped up and down for a second. 

"Ok then, I'm an evil vampire bloodsucking bat!" She cried. Regina rolled her eyes.

"I'm a swan." She stated, simply. Kate sobered up, and stared at the group.

"I think I'll be a..." She paused, thinking. "I want to be a tiger."

The boys nodded, and soon a swan and a tiger had joined the stag, dog, wolf and rabbit in the wood. Lily scrutinised the picture, before turning the rabbit into a chestnut winged horse.

"How about we put a charm on this, so that when somebody's animal glows red, they are in danger, and blue means they need a hand with something? We could also wear it on out school robes." Lily half asked, half stated.

Everybody nodded agreement, and Lily performed the charm. She then duplicated the insignia so that Regina and Kate had a copy.

-End Flashback-

--Lily pretended to be panting as everyone laughed.

"That was long!" She grinned. "How about we have something to eat and drink before we go on?" She asked, looking meaningfully at James. He took the hint and Summoned chocolate-coated biscuits and chocolate milk, which everybody began to eat. Lily smiled, and opened the diary, and while everybody else munched, she continued to read.--

We initiated them, Remus told them his story and we put them on our insignias. We didn't tell them about the Animagus thing though, since we didn't even know if we could do it. But they are definitely in our group now.

Anyway, I'd better go. Regina's swan is glowing blue, and I can hear Petunia screaming. I think she needs to be rescued.

Love,

Lily.


	9. Magical Einsteins and Bubbles

November

Dear Diary,

I have been in my second year at Hogwarts for two months, and, as though fate is punishing me for having so much fun last year, this year has been horrible. It started bad and got worse.

Firstly, only a few days into the term, James started being horrible to me for no reason. He turned my hair green! He knew I couldn't bear anything happening to my hair!

In return, I called up a muggle radio station and asked them to play a hate dedication during their 'love-song dedication' night. They told me that it was a night for love, and they would not play my song. I told them I would never listen to them again. Worst of all, all this was on air. My sister heard it all, then told my parents, I got an owl from them a few days later saying that they were ashamed of me and, I quote, "How could you do this to us, shame us like this, after all we have done for you?"

Worse still, James was tuned in. I cried myself to sleep for a week.

--Regina and Kate turned reproachful eyes on James as he began to feel really guilty.

"I was such an idiot then, wasn't I?" he said hurriedly, then gave Lily a quick hug.--

He seemed to realise he'd really hurt me though, because he apologised to me. I wish I could believe he was sincere but I don't. I could see he was really laughing at me.

Do all twelve-year-old boys act like that?

I remember when Petunia was younger, and she brought home her first boyfriend. He was really mean too, though maybe that was more her bad taste in guys than his age. I've seen him around town. He's still a loser.

But that wasn't my point. What I really meant to say is that I really miss James. He barely talks to me now. I don't know what I did wrong, but whenever he is around me, he blushes and stutters, almost as though he is afraid of me.

That's not the only thing that's making this term absolute crap. I was out of bed one night, because I had had a detention in the trophy room. I'd been caught dropping timed dungbombs into Snape and Malfoy's cauldrons. It was the last night I had to stay up, and then my detention would be finished. Lucky for me that Pringle, the caretaker, was prowling. He wouldn't believe my excuse that I was going to bed from a detention, and instead of at least trying to find out if I was really telling the truth, he just gave me a whole term of detentions! I haven't been to bed before two since a week into term. And, since I can't do my homework in the evenings, if I don't do it after my detentions then I will get more detentions, and I'll never catch up!

I guess I really am lucky though. Remus has managed to find out how to lend me energy from that book I might have mentioned. The one made for us.

Well, after I finished reading it, he borrowed it, and actually managed to make some sense of the energy lending charm, so I can stay awake on an hour of sleep for as long as he holds out. But I've told him that he has to let the others take turns, otherwise he'll get caught sleeping in class and we'll both be in the same situation.

More about this book. It's old, so old that it looks like it would fall apart at your fingertips. There's an enchantment on it to keep it from harm though, so we can read it. Apparently, we are representatives of the Elements, thus, we have elemental magic. Four people, witches and/or wizards, are born every couple of hundred years or so, in times of trial, and they must work together to destroy Dark Magic, which is what Lord Voldema-thingie or whatever he's called uses.

Sadly, none of them succeeded. And if Dumbledore thinks we will, he's got another think coming. We're not even teenagers, there is a serious lack of communication between some of us, i.e. James and me, and we are simply not cut out to be world saviours. Jeez, Sirius and Kate want to destroy the world, not save it!

Speaking of Kate, I think I said the book told me where she and Regina fitted in with all of this. They are two Loyals. Don't ask me why they're called that, from what the book tells me, all they do is run around getting us out of trouble. But their power is that of the lesser elements, if my understanding is right.

I'm starting to sound like some sort of magical Einstein, aren't I? I just memorised most of the book, that's all.

Anyway, it's November. There's about a month to go until Christmas. I really should stop being so pessimistic. Then again, if I'm not pessimistic, I must be optimistic, and as a wise person once said (I have no idea who said it, so don't ask) "Optimists see only the green light. Pessimists see only the red light. The true wise man is colour-blind."

So I don't want to be optimistic either. I suppose I could just cheer up a little.

In that case, I will tell you about Sirius's bubbles.

--"Bubbles!" Sirius and Kate cried in unison. "I like to eat bubbles!" Kate added. Lily smiled.

"You've had my wonderfully cooked dinner, and you still feel like you should eat bubbles?" She asked, pretending to be insulted, while Kate and Sirius did their best to look innocent. Lily Summoned a feather duster from the laundry and began tickling Kate, until Sirius Summoned another one from the nearest shop (which happened to be a Muggle 'Cheap as Chips' store, so Sirius could have got into a lot of trouble if the clerk had been awake) and began tickling Lily.

"I want to hear about the bubbles!" Regina screamed over the Lily's squeals and James's noisy attempts to rescue her while laughing too hard for his own good.

"I'll – tell you – if this – jerk – stops – tickling – me!" Lily gasped in between laughing.

Everybody immediately snatched up a pillow and advanced. Sirius, realising he was beaten, backed down with his hands up. When Lily could breathe again, she began another story.--

-Flashback-

Lily walked into the Great Hall, her nose buried in yesterday's Daily Prophet. She had just bought a present for Sirius, because it was his birthday today. She wanted to know when it would arrive, if it came on time at all.

The paper said it was delivery within 24 hours if you lived in Britain, so Lily expected it to arrive sometime at breakfast. She was just starting on toast when it came – a whole box full of muggle champagne bubbles, the ones that they bought for birthdays and weddings. Sirius liked bubbles, she'd guessed that much from her one visit into the boys dormitory last year, for Christmas. They had each painted their bit of the room in something uniquely them.

James had a sky blue ceiling, his space was charmed to look like a Quidditch pitch. Transparent players had a constant game going, sometimes detaching themselves from the wall entirely, and drifting about the boundaries of James's personal space as though they were highly coloured and concentrated ghosts. It had even been charmed so that the paint reflected the weather, like in the Great Hall.

Remus had a starry night sky. His corner was usually dark and quiet, and kept perfectly neat. The paint would usually tone to softer blues and maybe even a sunset if Remus was really happy. It reflected his moods, which was useful because Sirius had absolutely no clue as to how to read body language and only knew when to leave his friend alone by the colour of the paint.

The other boys in the dorm were more normal (although one had thrown pots of bright paint at the wall, causing a splattering of colours all over the place).

Sirius's walls were just strange. He painted them a sort of champagne yellow, and had huge bubbles floating around, similar to the Quidditch figures on James's walls. The bubbles were all shimmery, like the ones that appear when bubble bath is poured into a bathtub, or champagne is poured into a glass. Lily had thought the only thing wrong was that Sirius wasn't the neatest of all people and his room reflected this flaw.

Smiling, Lily placed a few charms on Sirius's present. She meant to prank him, as well as give him a present he would really like. Tying it with a multicolour ribbon, she floated it above Sirius's sleepy head, where it would remain until he noticed it.

Three days later, Sirius was still asking Lily where his present was.

Finally, he noticed that something was floating above his head. Laughing manically, he pulled it out of the air, and opened it. There were the bubbles. Laughing even more manically now, he blew one. And stopped in astonishment.

Sirius was now drifting around at about 2 metres off the floor. Lily, unable to contain herself, burst out laughing at the look on his face. James looked around for Sirius confusedly, but after he saw what had happened, he began laughing too. Soon everyone in the room was laughing at Sirius, while he began pounding on the walls of the bubble.

"Get me out!" He screamed, though Lily could only see his mouth moving. He seemed to realise shouting wasn't such a good idea, as the words transfigured themselves into visible soundwaves and began reverberating off the walls of the bubble, obviously amplifying. Sirius was pretty much howling in the pain it was causing his ears, which just made things worse.

Finally Kate, taking pity on him, pulled a huge pin out from somewhere, magnified it's size even more, and stood on the table, trying to reach the bubble that was now very high up. Sirius's mouth opened in panic as he realised what was going to happen, and he desperately tried to warn Kate, but – pop!

He fell nearly 10 metres. Luckily James quickly transfigured the hard floor into a trampoline. Which Sirius then refused to get off.

-End Flashback-

--"I was not scared!" Sirius cried indignantly, as everybody laughed.

"Were too!" Kate screamed happily back at him, "You thought that even if the fall didn't kill you, I'd skewer you on my pin!"

Remus just laughed. "It's getting late, we should all go leave Lily and James in peace." He said.

"No, stay!" Lily cried, "You have to hear the end of this entry!" Nobody needed any more persuasion, so Lily continued.--

I decided to get him some bubbles for his birthday, and I pranked them so that the first few bubbles he blew would leave him floating around until they burst. It seemed like a really good idea, but he could have been hurt if they burst too high.

Luckily James was there to save him. He turned the floor into a trampoline.

Needless to say, Sirius wasn't the only one bouncing around that afternoon. Nearly all Gryffindor tower joined in!

Well, I really ought to get some sleep. I will have to get up early tomorrow to finish the work I haven't done yet, and I can't keep on relying on Remus for energy. Good night.

Love,

Lily.

(Author's Note:

You know what? I'm a regular updater now! I regularly update - once a term. Well, at least you all know how long you'll have to wait now. Sorry it's never sooner, but you know how busy things can get. They say it's a scientifically proven fact that teenagers have the same stress levels as the average working 40yr old. Weird, huh?

Also, I apologise for this chapter being so depressing and not well written. Not that I'm saying I'm a good writer or anything, it's up to you guys to decide that, but I don't think I did such a great job. 40yr old stress levels catching up.

But as for the depressing thing, I think the story might be getting progressively darker as I go along. I don't know, I'll see where the story takes me, but I do intend for the rating to increase when Lily hits sixth year, for one thing. She's also going to get the usual teenage angst, when she gets old enough.

And sorry this AN is so long ;)

Cheers,

The Invisible Stranger)


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Harry Potter