Potter and Evans

Nightmares

At first James had questioned if Lily actually wanted to be at this house. She appeared withdrawn in the first couple days - she seemed to wither away into a corner whenever his parents attempted to speak to her - not because she was rude, but because she felt like a burden to be there because she wasn't family (at least this is what James speculated). She would often leave James and Sirius alone to do whatever "boyish things you normally get up to", but James quickly coaxed her out of this by starting nothing other than a prank war. And now, he couldn't even imagine her not being there.

Things with Sirius were weird. Their argument hadn't settled with much ease - Sirius had still not apologised or even admitted that he was wrong. James couldn't talk to him about it either, because he would quickly change the topic, or make some joke. Sirius was good at confrontations until it came to his friends.

Yet from an outside perspective, it appeared as if nothing was wrong between the two (or at least neither his parents, nor Lily had asked if anything was wrong).

A part of Lily would still rather be spending time at her house with her own parents; but that didn't mean she wasn't having fun at the Potter's. Though, her main problem was that she hadn't quite figured out how to ask about how and why James and Sirius were animagus': and what about the other two boys? Were they involved too? She supposed they must be; but how was she meant to initiate that conversation? What animals would they be? And did James' parents know? What if they overheard and she got them into trouble?

She wasn't mad at them, she knew that for sure. It seemed obvious to her that there was a reason behind their actions - but she had no speculation on what that reason may be. But while she wasn't mad, she was worried; worried that someone else might find out. Someone who would get them into trouble and land them a cell in Azkaban.

For the past week, the three teenagers had spent most of the daytime baking (Euphemia hadn't been kidding when she has said that James was a good chef), wandering around in the woods behind James' house, playing Quidditch (well, James and Sirius trying to teach Lily how), and Lily trying to teach James and Sirius muggle games (primarily football) - and much to her pleasure, and his dismay, James sucked at muggle sports.

The nights, however, were spent stargazing on the grass and talking about their futures. Needless to say, Lily felt like this is where she belonged.

Tonight, however, they had ended their day earlier than usual - their normal activities prohibited by the rain that was thundering down; and maybe it was this storm that caused Lily to wake in the middle of the night, madly trembling and confused, like a cruel form of pathetic fallacy.

Her eyelids flew open: in an instant wide awake - though they did not easily adjust to the darkness around her. For what felt fifteen minutes, she lay there staring into black mass, making her question if her eyes were even open at all. Though when her eyes finally did begin to adjust and she was able to make out dark shadows and silhouettes, she was convinced that she wasn't in the room alone. That someone was waiting for her in the darkness, and if she were to move or make a noise, they would pounce.

The dream, well, nightmare, she could now hardly remember, but she could still see the shadowed faces of masked death eaters, and she could remember the real fear she felt as she uncharacteristically cowered away from them; but it had only been a dream - so why did she still fear that absolute terror now she was awake?

The feeling of being watched not subsiding, yet her bravery building, it felt like she was floating as someone who was not herself, as she climbed out of bed and silently left the room, yet she was herself of course, because who else would she be?