thirty2flavors

As I mentioned, I have every intention of reposting my fic up here. I've decided I might as well start that, since sixteen chapters might take a while. I've also considered just posting a chapter on FF.net with the announcement, since I am not sure how many of my readers are going to put two and two together, and I'm thinking many of them may just be entirely confused.

If anything, at least this is an excuse for me to rewrite...

which I'll consider doing when I feel more up to it.

Title: Silly Love Songs
Author: Moi, Kali. (_thirty2flavors )
Rating: 14-A. I'm Canadian, that's the rating system I use. Strong language in some chapters, sexual references.. there isn't going to be anything graphic.
Summary: A Lily/James set during their 7th year at Hogwarts. Lily was well aware she wasn’t the damsel in distress. She wasn’t the heroine in a Victoria Holt novel or the neglected princess in a faraway castle. She wasn’t Juliet and she wasn’t anticipating a Romeo any time soon.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, its premise, and its magic are all the brainchildren of J K Rowling, not me. If they were, I would obviously not be posting this on here. Additionally, none of the songs at the begining of the chapters are mine. They belong to their various record companies and artists. Do not sue me, please, I haven't anything worthwhile.

Chapter One - Miss Independent
Miss independent,
Miss self-sufficient,
Miss keep-your-distance,
Miss unafraid
Miss out-of-my-way
Miss don't-let-a-man-interfere
-Miss Independent, Kelly Clarkson

           Lily Evans had never liked love songs. She’d never enjoyed the picturesque relationships they portrayed, the false hopes they raised or the standards they set far too high. Love songs, like romance novels or movies, were simply that – songs, movies and novels. They weren’t real life and they had little practical use.

            Not to mention they never came true.

            She didn’t expect a handsome white knight on a charming steed to storm in and rescue her from a wreck of a life. Fairy tales didn’t come true and Lily quite doubted kissing frogs would land anything but some warts.

Lily was well aware she wasn’t the damsel in distress. She wasn’t the heroine in a Victoria Holt novel or the neglected princess in a faraway castle. She wasn’t Juliet and she wasn’t anticipating a Romeo any time soon.

She didn’t believe you walked into a room and were struck with love at first sight. She didn’t have any high expectations of suddenly falling head over heels for someone, of finding someone absolutely perfect for her. Hell, she didn’t even hold the belief someone perfect existed, even if not for her. Love started off with lust and turned to mere toleration.

Love, simply, did not exist.

That is to say, that’s what she thought.

‘Dear Miss Lily Evans,

I am pleased to inform you that your six years of hard work and responsibility have not gone unnoticed. Through your years at Hogwarts you have displayed exemplary responsibility, level-headedness and a demeanor which sets the highest example for other students. Your marks have consistently stayed to the top of the class and your high scores on OWLs can only be the result of acute studying habits.

Resultantly you have been named this year’s Head Girl. Enclosed is the badge which you are to wear when at Hogwarts, a list of your duties as Head Girl along with the typical start-of-term letter and list of supplies.

Congratulations and I wish you the best of luck in your final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Minerva McGonagal
Deputy Headmistress.’

“Mum? Mum! I got Head Girl!”

            The call rang from the top of the stairs where the redheaded lass was standing, green eyes fixed on the piece of parchment in her hand. She was not overly surprised at her achievement of Head Girl, to be perfectly honest. Who else in their year possessed the study habits she did? She was one of the few who had not spent her educational years swooning over Sirius Black or admiring the skill of a certain egotistical Quidditch player.

            Mrs. Evans’ delighted cry came from downstairs and quickly she was offering her praise. Lily smiled slightly before pouring over the list of requirements for her next and final year at Hogwarts. Immersed in the several new text books she’d have a year to pour over - though knowing her she’d read them all before the start of term anyway – Lily’s thoughts were jolted back to present by a sneering voice.

“Head Girl? So they tolerate your insufferable suck-up act at school, too? No wonder you like it so much there. It must remind you of home.”

            The sneering voice was, of course, coming from Lily’s elder sister. The two of them had never gotten along. Petunia resented Lily for her freak-dom and Lily resented Petunia for her normalcy. The two both seemed to have an unspoken competitive streak, striving to be the favorite of the family, to get the best grades, and to be the better of the Evans girls.

            It was something Petunia had been losing for years, and as the two grew older they grew ever farther apart.

“You know, Petunia,” the redhead replied curtly, eyes narrowing to meet her sister’s blue ones, “I’m only four days away from becoming ‘of age’, which means, dearest sister, I can use magic without being expelled. Want to see how good I am at jinxes?”

The look of absolute horror on Petunia’s face was quickly replaced by a cocky smirk and soon the sisters’ faces were mere inches apart.

“I’d like to see you without that stupid stick of yours, Lily, and what might happen if I were to say, snap it.”

“You go anywhere near my wand and I’ll –-“

“You’ll what? Turn me into a frog?”

“Why would I do that? It’d be much more suiting to see you as a horse – you already look enough like one.”

“You! I don’t see why I was ever surprised when you got that stupid letter of yours. You have ‘freak’ written all over you, not to mention you’re ugly enough to fit the stereotypical image of a witch.”

“Admit it, Petunia!” Lily screeched, her alto voice reaching a new height as she stood up straight and eyed her sister defiantly. “You’re jealous! You’re jealous because I have something you don’t and never will have! You’re jealous that I’m a witch and you’re not!”

At this the elder scoffed. A cold smirk worked its way onto her face and she too stood up straighter, a manicured hand flicking her shiny blonde hair over her shoulder.

“Jealous, Lily? Of what? Being a freak absorbed in books and ‘witchcraft’ and idiotic dangers? You’ve never belonged in this world and you don’t belong in that one, either! You would have done well to have stayed here, gone to school with me, tried to ignore whatever deformity it is that has you go to the school you go to! You made a mistake in ever believing in that load of rubbish and you should have listened to me! Just because you’re around other freaks doesn’t mean you’ll fit in, Lily! You’ll regret ever going to that world, I swear it! Just wait!”

Petunia’s last resonating shriek silenced the entire house and for a moment the two girls stood there silently, glaring and panting at each other. And then, almost perfectly in synch, they both turned on their heels and stormed to their rooms.

“Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Lily,
Happy birthday to you.”

“Right then, Lily, show off a little! Hocus pocus and all that,” said a winking blonde girl.

“Oh, really, Anna, I doubt…”

“You know you want to, Lily, you’ve waited six years to be able to show off, you might as well suck it up and admit it.”

“Fine…”

            As she’d promised Petunia, four days later, Lily Evans was legally ‘of age’ in the wizarding world. Crowded around the now-seventeen year old was Anna Scully, Melanie Mastronardi, Lily’s parents and, in a corner rolling her eyes, Petunia. While Anna and Melanie both attended Hogwarts with Lily, the Evans’ had only heard talk of the magic the girl had been learning.

            Now, at the age of seventeen, she could show them. She dug a slender hand into her book bag – now brimmed full with her required literature for year seven and birthday gifts - and produced a slender piece of woodwork.

            The wand was the prized possession of any witch or wizard and likewise Lily Evans always had hers close at hand – even before she’d been able to use it. With that worry aside the girl made a quick, graceful movement and flicked the tip of her wand in the direction of the bouquet at the center of the table.

And suddenly the flowers began… singing? Somewhere Over the Rainbow in various different harmonies poured from the flowers, blossoms quivering in a peculiar impersonation of a mouth. The center flower – ironically enough, a lily – took over the lyrical component of the song and the surrounding flowers a singing background.

The eyes of the people in the room were focused keenly on the flowers. Mr. and Mrs. Evans’ eyes were wide with astonishment – Anna and Melanie’s were pleased, although not surprised – Lily’s were excited with the possibility of magic of school – and Petunia’s were narrowed menacingly.

“Oh, Lily, that’s wonderful!” cried her mother, pulling her into a hug.

“Amazing,” her father agreed with a nod.

“We’ve a talented Head Girl on our hands this year!” proclaimed Melanie with a snicker.

“For a change,” Anna added.

            All the while Petunia stayed dead silent. The group burst into cheery talking once more and the flower’s singing fell to little below a hum, still swaying rhythmically. The noise was cut through buy a sudden tapping. As the chatter died, Lily peered over her shoulder.

            An owl at the window? Strange, the owl didn’t look familiar. Perhaps one of her farther-away friends had gotten a new one? With that in mind the girl reached over to open the window. Okay… not one of her friends, then, she realized as she peered at the handwriting on the outside of the envelope that said simply Lily Evans.

“Who’s it from, dear?” inquired her mother eagerly.

            Quickly prying the letter open she removed the parchment and her eyes darted across the messy yet legible scrawl.

‘Most darling Miss Evans,

Oh, I am sure you will never guess who –this- might be from! Expecting one of your friends, were you?

This is merely a simple note to congratulate you on your birthday – using magic outside school’s great, isn’t it? Now whenever that neighbor kid gets annoying… I kid, I kid.

Congratulations also on getting Head Girl. …Not that I know, of course, but I’m sure you did. Who else would they chose? Narcissa Black?

Happy birthday – now you’re getting older! Happy birthday – your life still isn’t over. Happy birthday – you did not accomplish much, but you didn’t die this year, I guess that’s good enough.*

Bonne fete, mon cheri!

-James Potter’

If there was one person Lily Evans hated it was James Potter. The godforsaken male had been following her around since the end of second year, like an idiotic lost puppy that didn’t seem to realize the person it was trailing had no food. She could think of not one redeemable thing to say about the boy, in all honesty. He was the most irresponsible, self-centered, egotistical, heartless person she had ever met.

“He knows when your birthday is?” Melanie mused aloud.

“Can you say ‘stalker’?” Anna giggled.

Lily, however, looked anything but amused. Narrowing her eyes she crumpled the letter and parchment, flinging it at the owl.

“Get out of here! Go back to Potter!”

Perhaps for fear of more projectile weaponry, the large owl took off. Melanie raised a lanky arm to brush back some of her dark brown hair before shaking her head. Anna, who looked as though she were suppressing giggles, also shook her head.

“C’mon, Lily, the store just got that new wireless in stock and I want to check it out.”

And so the crowd dispersed from the room. Melanie, Anna and Lily left first – off to look at the new wireless neither of them would have the money to purchase – Mrs. Evans went to go dust the drawing room, and Mr. Evans went up for his typical mid-afternoon nap. Resultantly, Petunia was the only one left in the room.

The blonde was still glaring at the singing lily. She had been the whole time, in honesty. It was the embodiment of everything she hated about the real Lily. It was perfect, everyone loved it and all because of some smoke-and-mirrors. Petunia could have been perfect if she wanted to. She could have squandered away her remaining youthful years by dedicating herself to being a teacher’s pet, to staying up all hours of the night studying, to kissing her principal’s ass and to showing off every chance she got.

But Lily still would have had the limelight. Lily was the special one, the four-leafed clover in a field of dandelions. Lily had the unique hair, the distinct eyes, the curvier body and the ‘magic’. Petunia got whatever attention was left over – none. And so she crossed the room in two bitter strides and plucked the softly humming lily from its position in the vase.

“Mummy had a baby and the head popped off,” she recited with a cold sneer before, as often done in the childhood poem, she flicked the blossom off the flower with her thumbnail and her pointer finger.

Well.

That's all for now, folks.

<3
Kali