The Next Great Adventure (A Marauders Fan Fic)

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Lily could barely control the dizzying feeling of excitement that bubbled up inside her as the red bricks of the station loomed above them. Finally, after a long summer, she was returning to school and she had never been happier. A stark contrast to the first time she had arrived with her ticket, she knew exactly where she was going and wheeled her trolley, laden with her trunk and other oddly shaped packages, including Daia's cage, towards the barrier which separate platform nine and three-quarters from the rest of the boring Muggle world. Running through it without a second thought she burst onto the platform, her ears instantly assaulted by the mewing of cats, hoots of owls and the cries of old friends and family. It took barely a moment for Cassie to launch herself at her best friend, her brown hair bouncing around her shoulders as she asked Lily a thousand questions at once, all in one breath. When she noticed the Prefect badge pinned to Lily's clothes she grinned proudly and said, "I always knew you'd get it," clearly delighted for her friend.

"You could have done too," Lily reminded her. Cassie was enthusiastic and a little scatterbrained but she was a good worker and often top of her class or second to Lily.

"No, I lack certain necessary qualities..."

"Like what?"

"Like being an interfering busybody!" Cassie laughed as Alice and Mary appeared as well.

Their initial exclamations over Lily dragged her trunk to the carriage, cursing herself (as she did every year) for packing far too much. Once it was safely stowed in the rack she descended and leapt nimbly back onto the platform where she was met by her parents, Petunia having refused to accompany them, as she had every year, though it had only been in the past couple of years that she had actually been allowed to stay behind.

"Have a wonderful time darling," her mother said warmly as she hugged Lily.

"Don't get into too much trouble Lilybud," her father teased with a smile.

"You know me," she said with a grin, "I'm not sure why I haven't been expelled yet."

"That's my daughter," John said.

"We love you. Now don't miss the train!"

"Love you too!" Lily called as she jumped onto the train and headed towards the Prefect carriage at the end.

Once she found it she sat down on one of the seats and watched the station vanishing behind them as the train pulled out of it, chuffing cheerfully as it chugged through the countryside, leaving the squat brick houses behind it and pulling out into open fields. The sky was grey and the clouds loomed over them, threatening rain but Lily's mood could not be dampened. She was back on her way to Hogwarts and nothing could ruin that for her.

It didn't take long for the carriage to fill with Prefects new and old alike. Lily recognised a couple of them and she knew the other Gryffindor Prefects but the others were unknown to her. The door opened slowly and Lily could barely stop her eyebrows from rising in surprise. "What was Dumbledore thinking?" she murmured to herself as Remus Lupin smiled apologetically and sat down beside her. She was roused from her thoughts by Remus smiling shyly at her.

"Congratulations," he said. "We all knew you'd get it."

"Thank you," Lily smiled, "congratulations to you too."

He chuckled under his breath and muttered, "I really don't know why Dumbledore chose me but thank you."

"Well you're a fantastic student. It's just a shame about..." here Lily trailed off, not wanting to insult Potter and Black in front of one of their friends. She wasn't a target of theirs yet, apart from for endless ridiculous pleas to go out with Potter, all of which she rejected, and she had no desire to make herself one. To be honest Lily found it incredible that Potter could ever think that she would even entertain the thought of going out with him, not least when she had said no numerous times.