ᴅɪsᴘᴇʟ ᴍʏ ʙᴏʀᴇᴅᴏᴍ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴅᴇᴜʀs' ᴇʀᴀ

How Lily Evans fell in love for the first time

Lily perfectly remembered that strange and wrong first of September. A hubbub of student voices, fussy parents, hooting, croaking, meowing pets, smoke clouds released by Hogwarts Express... Beginning of the fourth year.

"Hey, Evans, you've gotten prettier over the summer!" James Potter's joyful voice rang out almost in Lily's ear.

Lily looked around, automatically making a disdainful expression on her face, and buried her gaze somewhere in the area of James's chin.

"I grew up over the summer, didn't I?" he said smugly. Leaning slightly towards the girl and looking into her eyes, he pounded his fist in his chest.

Lily didn't have time to say a word, as she was interrupted. This voice. Hoarse, low, velvety, enveloping...

"You still haven't grown wiser," Sirius Black said sarcastically and slightly pushed his friend's shoulder.

Sirius grew up over the summer too: slim, elegant, in his favorite black suit and snow-white shirt... Is it worth saying that this predator instantly mastered the attention of all young ladies?

Sirius looked at Evans cheekily, examining the girl with an appraising look, noticing the worn bag, which Lily, in a fit of sudden embarrassment, immediately pressed to herself. With a snort, Sirius turned and headed to the carriage. He walked as if the whole world existed only for his sake. Or maybe it really did. Meanwhile, a house-elf, scurrying after Black, was dragging two impressive trunks.

James looked at Lily, then at Black, then again at girl's slightly frightened look. He frowned and jerked after his friend. Then there was a big fight - James and Sirius tumbled in the station dust, breaking each other's noses and a couple of ribs. And after that, as always, they bumped their fists and reconciled.

If only it was that simple for Lily.

She spent four months in agony, furtively searching for Black in the crowd and throwing fleeting glances at him, listening to his caustic comments in the classroom, clenching her fists in fear as he has gotten into another corridor fight with Slytherins...

It let her go after Christmas, when she has returned to school after the holidays and with inexpressible relief realized that Black was no longer making her knees tremble. She wasn't dreaming of him at night, and regular harassment of James Potter was bringing her an incomprehensible joy but she would've never admitted it.

"Cured," Lily said breathlessly and felt sparkling fun filling her.

That night they celebrated their returning to school. Lily, after finishing her bottle of butterbeer, suddenly jumped to Black, hugged him tightly, kissed his cheek and laughed easily. Sirius remained standing, staring in awe after the red-headed witch, who disappeared with her friends behind the door of girls' dorm.

If Lily knew that at that very moment cold-blooded, restrained, always confident Sirius Black suddenly realized that he was hopelessly falling in love with this completely charming ginger girl... she would've probably laughed.