“When I think about my life
I wonder if I will survive to live to see in 25
or will I just fall?
Like all my friends, they just keep dying
People 'round me always crying
In this place that I like to call my home
Not everybody knows that everybody goes to a better place
Not everybody knows that everyone could be living their last days
But the hard times will come, and we'll keep movin' on, we're movin' up
Keep movin' on
Life, Hope, Truth, Trust,
Faith, Pride, Love, Lust,
On without the things we’ve lost
The things we’ve gained we’ll take with us.
- “Movin’ On,” Good Charlotte
“Evans, will you go out with me?” James Potter asked, sitting down next to me. It echoed all throughout the Great Hall. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“Shut up, Potter,” I replied disgustedly, scooting as far away from him as possible.
He didn't seem especially perturbed. Well, he shouldn't have, considering he did it every day. And every day the answer was the same. Why did he always mess around like this? He obviously didn’t mean it. Right?
“Am I really that bad Evans?” He wanted to know, messing up his jet-black hair with one hand and grinning expectantly at me.
“Yes, Potter,” I answered coldly. “Now leave me alone!” My best friends Cassara Anderson, Eve Wallace, Robyn Tanner, and Scarlett Field were all staring at me like I was nuts. Even though my friends and I had mostly the same interests, there was one thing we disagreed on”our views on James Potter. They thought he was “gorgeous” (in the words of Robyn) and wished he would do it to them.
I finished my food hurriedly and fled up to the dormitory I shared with Cassara, Eve, Robyn, and Scarlett. Scarlett, Robyn, and Cassara came into the dormitory soon after.
“I still don’t know what’s so bad about him, Lil,” Cassara said. “He’s cute. And he’s nice, once you get to know him.”
“He’s nice to the two of us in Quidditch,” Robyn added. “Plus, he totally loves you.”
“You haven’t had him asking you out every day for the past four years,” I reminded her, starting to pack my trunk. “And I can’t believe you guys can’t tell he’s just joking. He only does it because he knows it annoys me.”
Scarlett turned to Cassara and Robyn and said, “I wonder how long it’ll take before Lily finally realizes that James actually does like her.”
“I can hear you, you know,” I told them. They shrugged and started packing their trunks in silence.
“Next year is our last year here,” Cassara said, breaking the silence.
“Thanks for reminding us, Cassie,” Robyn retorted. “That’s the last thing I wanted to hear right now. I mean, later today I’m going to be back home, stuck with my magic-hating mum. I mean, really. It’s not my fault Dad ran off. Or my fault she’s a squib. She’s just jealous that I get to be a part of the wizarding community and she doesn’t.”
“And it’s not your fault you’re a witch, either,” Scarlett pointed out. “And I’m sure you can all come over to my house this summer.”
“That would be nice,” I said, sighing.
“It must be awful for you, with your sister and all,” Cassara said.
I nodded. “She was really nice to me until the day I got my letter. Then I was no longer ‘normal,’ and she wouldn’t speak to me.” I stopped there, aware that the three of them knew the story almost as well as I did. That’s when it hit me”there were only three of them.
“Where’s Eve?” I asked.
“I dunno,” Robyn replied. “Last I saw, she was talking to James, but it’s been a while…”
As if on cue, Eve walked into the room, smiling broadly and blushing. “James actually talked to me today!” she exclaimed. “He asked me how my summer was! Isn’t that great?”
Everyone except me congratulated Eve on her accomplishment (it didn’t seem like much to me; he had been talking to her for the past six years, and all I ever wanted was for him to stop talking to me). I stayed silent and thought, She’s way too good for James!
We all knew that Eve had liked James since third year, and for her this was a big thing. It was a good thing that she was understanding about how James treated me, or else we probably would’ve wound up hating each other. But she knew I didn’t want him to ask me out.
When we finished packing I went down to the Common Room to talk to my friends in other years. I didn’t get past the first few steps before someone flung herself at me. “Lily! I’ll miss you so much!” Marlene McKinnon exclaimed, running up and hugging me. “I can’t believe I’m not coming back here next year!”
“I know. It won’t be the same without you guys,” I said, addressing her and her best friend, Dorcas Meadowes. They went to talk to Eve, Robyn, and Scarlett up in our dorm.
“Hey, Lil,” Juliette Wallace said. She was Eve’s younger sister and was heading into her sixth year after the summer. She looked almost exactly the same as Eve, with light brown hair, olive skin, and big hazel eyes, although she was slightly chubbier (but not fat, by any means) and shorter. “I just got”” she broke off when Eve came up behind me. “Eve, I just got a letter from Mum. It’s addressed to both of us.”
“Well, open it!” Eve ordered.
“Well, I’m sorry! I didn’t want to open it until I knew where you were!” She replied defensively.
“I wonder what she’d be sending you so late in the year?” Robyn pondered aloud. Eve shrugged.
“Just open it, Juli!” she exclaimed impatiently. “It must be important.”
“Okay, okay!” Juli said, ripping the seal open and unfolding the letter. Her jaw dropped as she read over the letter, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Eve was acting much more impatient and childish than usual; I could tell she was afraid something terrible had happened. She had a reason to be though”Voldemort had been running throughout England trying to kill all the witches and wizards who weren’t purebloods. Why else would her mum send her something so late in the year?
She snatched the letter from her pale sister who was now crying silently. She read it and started to cry as well. “Voldemort’s killed Eddie and Dad!” she sobbed. Eddie was their brother who was two years older than Eve and had been training to be an Auror, and their dad had been an Auror as well.
“Wow,” Robyn said. We were all dumbstruck and incredibly horrified. “That’s terrible! Let’s go tell Dumbledore. I’m sure he can make a Portkey or something to get you home as fast as possible…”
She led them off down the stairs and out of the portrait hole.
“Oh my god,” Scarlett said, looking as if she was close to tears herself. “That’s so horrible.”
I nodded, and we headed down the steps and sat on one of the big scarlet couches. We sat in silence until Alice Nelson came up holding her boyfriend Frank Longbottom’s hand. Alice was going into sixth year next year. Alice was barely five feet tall and slightly chubby, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. She was always happy and smiling. Today was no different.
When she saw us, her smile immediately dropped. “What’s wrong? Where are Eve and Robyn?”
“Eve went home,” I said. I wasn’t really in the mood to explain anything. “Her brother and dad were killed. And Robyn’s taking her and Juliette to see Dumbledore right now.”
“Goodness! That’s horrible!” Alice gasped. The three of us nodded unenthusiastically. “I can’t believe””
She was cut off by Professor McGonagall. “It’s time to board the train, students. Prefects, please come here and help keep everyone in order.”
That was my cue to go up and help, as well as Remus Lupin (one of James’s good friends and fellow “Marauders.” Marauders was the name Potter gave himself and his posse, which consisted of him, Remus, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black, two of the other Gryffindor boys. The only one it didn’t include was Gregg Anderson, Cassara’s twin brother), Alice, and Sam Finney (the 5th year male prefect). We spent a half-hour directing people down the corridors and making sure no one got hurt. It was boring and completely uneventful; no one at this school was stupid enough to get into a rush
We were the last to board the train, but luckily we had been saved a compartment. Scarlett came out of the train to show us where we were. It was relatively full, with Frank, Scarlett, Robyn, Cassara, Marlene, Dorcas, Hazel Banagher, and Will Roland (dating fifth years that were friends with Juliette). Hazel and Will moved to the floor to fit Alice and me. It was incredibly crowded, but we knew it was probably better than some of the other compartments.
They greeted us, and we smiled and returned their greetings.
“Would you be surprised if I told you that was completely uneventful and unnecessary?” Alice asked dryly, sitting down in between Frank and me. “Honestly! No one wants to get out of this school badly enough to get into a stampede!”
The train started to move, and Hazel asked, “Where are Eve and Juli?” There was a note of panic in her voice. “They’ll miss the train!”
Scarlett sighed and said wearily, “She’s not coming on the train.”
Marlene’s brow furrowed and she questioned, “Why not, is she just going to stay at Hogwarts for the whole summer?”
“She went home earlier because her brother and dad were killed,” Robyn replied.
Marlene, Dorcas, and Hazel gasped; Will looked stunned. “By who?” Dorcas inquired, leaning across the car because the three of us had become very quiet. Her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously; she could tell what was coming. A strand of her ear-length hair fell into her face, but she completely ignored it. Her stare kind of scared me.
“Voldemort,” Robyn, Scarlett, and I chorused grimly. Everyone’s eyes widened.
Hazel shuddered. “It’s terrible, how Voldemort’s murdering half-bloods and muggle-borns. We’re basically all targets!” She thought of what she’d just said, then corrected, “Well, maybe not Scarlett. Or Frank. Or Alice. But the rest of us could be his next targets!
“Why did you even have to bring that up?” Hazel asked, shivering. “Let’s talk about something else.”
We all obliged, talking about other things throughout he rest of the ride. But no matter how much we laughed or talked, there was always an ominous feeling in the background, and it terrified me. I didn’t want to die.
A/N: I hoped you liked it!! Don't forget to drop in a review!