There's a First for Everything

[Evalyn Chambers]

As they walked through the doors to the courtyard, Eva closed her eyes briefly, soaking in the beautiful sunshine and the slight breeze that played with her hair. She wished, like she had wished before, that she could live out here. She always changed her mind, though, when she considered the conditions would be less than comfortable; it wasn't sunny with a slight breeze every day. Which was why Eva tried her very best to enjoy every day like this by being outside. She liked the rain, too, and the Ravenclaw had been known to run around in it or just simply stand in it, letting it soak through her clothes. It just felt so good to be outside and let the weather do its job and not worry about it.

As they walked along, Lily replied to Eva's thoughts on the bands. "That's true, he is rather cheeky. I used to like him best, but there's just something about Ringo...He's the unique one, you know? He's the drummer, sitting behind the three others and keeping the whole thing together. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Oh, and I don't know if I can let Petunia go and do that. Paul McCartney's charms have also made their way into my heart. As for the Beach Boys, you can't really pick a favorite from them; they're all equal somehow. Same with the Beatles, really, now that I think about it...I just like picking favorites and then changing my mind several days later." Woops, another long speech about music again. Lily doesn't seem to mind, though.

As they reached the courtyard, Lily indicated a large oak tree that they could sit by. "Perfect," Eva agreed, walking over to it and dropping her bag with a loud thump. "And good idea. I'm a big fan of sunshine, if you hadn't noticed. Well, unless it rains that day...But rain is good too; we could always put some sort of spell to make the picnic and us not get wet."

[Lily Evans]

It felt good to be outside; Lily had to admit. Sometimes the castle could be stifling. It was old, it was dusty, and, during the winter especially, it felt rather confining. So it was always a good idea to get outside on days like today, to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine whenever possible.

"You forgot George Harrison," Lily said, continuing their discussion of The Beatles. "I like him a lot, too... he's the quiet type, but he seems sweet. There's something to be said for the mysterious type."

There were times when Lily secretly found herself comparing the Beatles to four other boys she saw quite often. Sirius was Paul, of course... he was the "cute" one, the one the girls all loved. Remus was like George... quiet and mysterious, like he had a few secrets up his sleeve. After that, however, the comparisons sort of fell apart. Peter really wasn't like Ringo... and, well, she refused to allow herself to compare James with her favorite Beatle, John.

"It's true, though," Lily agreed, forcing her mind from that train of thought. "Each one is important in his own way. I don't think the band would be the same without any one of them. And even now that they're all separated, it's obvious that there's something missing."

Settling down on the grass next to the tree, Lily pulled out her notes and began to spread them out in front of her again. But somehow, she had the feeling that studying just wasn't in the cards for today. She'd rather talk about music and picnics. "I did learn a new spell the other day," she said. "It's called Impervius. It would make the rain sort of bounce off of us without making us wet. Of course, I'd rather have it be sunny... But it's nice to know there's an option, right?"

[Evalyn Chambers]

Eva smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "How could I forget Georgie? Must be because of how quiet he is, you're right," she agreed. At the mention of the band being separated, she let out a loud groan. "Don't remind me. That was a heartbreaking moment when they went and did that."

As Lily sat down on the grass, Eva let herself collapse next to her, opening the flap of her bag, though she didn't take her Potions book out. Instead, she struggled out of her robes to reveal shorts and a t-shirt underneath, placing the robes underneath her as a sort of blanket. Feeling much better, Eva responded, "That spell sounds perfect. Would it work to make, like, a ceiling over us instead of just repelling the water from our bodies? Because that would make a really cool effect." Eva imagined in her head the entire party being held in a little clear box surrounded by rain on all sides with music blaring. Now that would be cool.

[Remus Lupin]

(Hope you don't mind if I join! )

As it happened, Remus was just entering the courtyard at that moment. He had eventually found studying by the lake to be completely impossible. James and Sirius had been trying some strange experiment with water balloons, trying to see if they could get them to levitate over people's heads and then cause them to burst, soaking the person. Unfortunately for Remus, one of their attempts had gone awry and he wound up soaked as a result. After he had run up to his dormitory to get changed (which annoyed him, as he only had one spare robe), he went looking for a quiet place to study.

His notes had been soaked as well, so, figuring that he wouldn't exactly be welcome in the library, he headed for the courtyard. After all, it was only a few days before the full moon, and he needed the fresh air to give him energy.

He was about to choose a spot in the corner when he spotted Lily. She was hard to miss, with her flaming red hair, and he broke into a smile in spite of himself. It was a good thing that James didn't know that the sight of Lily Evans made him smile so much.

Feeling brave, Remus took a deep breath and walked over to Lily and the girl she was with. "Hey, Lily," he said, with a nod at the other girl, whose name he didn't know. "Are you studying for the potions exam?"

[Lily Evans]

Lily looked up and broke into a smile at the sight of Remus. She liked Remus; she thought he was a nice guy and only wished that he didn't insist on hanging out with James and Sirius. Yes, they were dorm-mates, but she couldn't help but think that Remus was better than that. He didn't approve of the jokes and the pranks, that much was obvious... but he didn't usually do anything to stop it, either.

"Hi, Remus," she said, greeting him. "It's OK with me if you join, as long as Eva doesn't mind. Eva, what do you think? We can't talk about boys anymore if he's here," she added, giving Remus a joking grin.

[Evalyn Chambers]

The Ravenclaw let out a mock moan. "But boys are one of the most interesting things to talk about!" Eva whined, but she scrambled up from her comfortable seat of robes with a smile on her face. "Hey Remus, I'm Evalyn. And as for Potions..." Eva glanced behind her at the book that hadn't been taken from her bag. "We made our best attempt. It's just not coming today. Want to join us anyway?"

She stretched out her robes so that there was room for three and sat back down again. When she looked back up, she took the moment to examine this boy named Remus. Though she had heard of him before, it had only been as the third member of James's and Sirius's group, and that was about it. Whenever they were in classes together, he seemed really nice, as well as book-smart. Beyond that, Eva supposed she would just have to get to know him herself instead of relying on his appearance. Today, he looked pretty energized, which surprised her slightly. Eva had seen him on some days looking pretty run-down.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus smiled shyly at the Ravenclaw, his cheeks flushing a slight pink at the joke. Like any boy, he often wondered what girls said about boys when they weren't around. The idea that Lily might have been talking about him was enough to make him blush, and he turned away just slightly, making a business of sitting down and trying to get settled next to them.

"Nice to meet you, Evalyn," he greeted her. "I, er... I had to relocate after James and Sirius soaked me with a water balloon. I'm afraid my notes are unsalvageable. No that they would have helped me much to begin with... I'm rubbish at potions. Anyway, I'm not sure I can study much today, either... but I'm mad at James and Sirius, so I might as well hide out here. The library is the first place they'll look for me, you know."

[Lily Evans]

Lily giggled, but she felt a little guilty about it, so she stopped quickly. "I tired to warn you," she told him. "You should have come with me."

But if he had come with her, she might not have had the chance to meet and talk with Eva, so Lily couldn't entirely regret it, even if Remus' potions notes were now soaked and the ink smudging badly.

"Eva and I were actually talking about this idea that I had. I was thinking we could have a picnic down by the lake, just sort of a little outdoor party to blow off some steam from all the studying and exams. Do you think you'd be able to come, Remus?"

[Evalyn Chambers]

"You're rubbish at potions?" Eva asked excitedly. "Me too! Lily here is a genius though. I wanted her to help me study, but we sort of got distracted..."

"Eva and I were actually talking about this idea that I had. I was thinking we could have a picnic down by the lake, just sort of a little outdoor party to blow off some steam from all the studying and exams. Do you think you'd be able to come, Remus?"

It was really happening, then. They hadn't just been talking about it. Lily had actually invited someone else, so this party wasn't just theory anymore. Eva grinned even more widely. "You should definitely come. If you don't, Lily will never let you borrow her potions notes. Ever." She was making this up, of course. Lily was the kind of person who was nice to anyone no matter what--except to maybe James and Sirius. Eva didn't completely understand why, though. They seemed like they were just fun-loving pre-teens to her. But she was already warming up to Lily, and Eva felt very happy sitting with the two Gryffindors.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus hesitated. The full moon was coming up, and until he knew when the party would be, he couldn't really commit to going. But since his usual excuse for his monthly absences was that he had been ill, he couldn't very well tell Lily that he was planning to be ill that weekend.

Rubbing the back of his neck uncertainly, he shrugged. "I don't know. I can try... you know, if I'm not studying then. When is it?"

[Lily Evans]

Of course, this was still really in the planning stage, and Lily had not yet fixed on a date for the event. While it would have been nice to do it this weekend, before their exams started, Lily didn't think she would have enough time to arrange it by then. She wasn't really the type to just throw an impromptu party; she needed to plan it and make everything perfect.

Realizing this, she didn't answer right away; instead she frowned deeply and dug through her books to take out a calendar. "Let me see. We can't do it this weekend.... I'll need more time to plan. Maybe next weekend? Most of the exams will be done by then, and I think just Charms and Astronomy will be left. Oh, do you know if there's going to be an exam in dueling?"

[Evalyn Chambers]

Eva looked over Lily's shoulder at her calendar. "I don't think dueling has an exam...I'm not sure though. Unless it's just the professor having us pair up and, well, duel." She couldn't think of anything else that you could really do for a dueling exam, which was part of the reason she wasn't sure there was one.

"Remus, since we don't have a date yet, when will you not be studying? We should probably have it around when people can go, obviously." It had been Lily's idea, but now that Eva was in on it, she found that she was already taking charge in her mind. She reprimanded herself and decided not to say anything to presumptuous like that again. She had only just met the two of them anyway.

[Remus Lupin]

His only worry had really been this weekend. The full moon would be Monday, which would mean that he'd be feeling sick and rundown this weekend, and he'd miss the first of his exams, which happened to be Transfiguration. Depending on how he felt after that, he might also miss the potions exam he was trying to study for, which was on Tuesday. Hopefully, he would be feeling well enough by Wednesday, and wouldn't need to miss any more exams... but he would need to take makeup exams for anything he missed, which would mean he'd have to keep studying until they were rescheduled. That might cut into the next weekend.

But of course, he couldn't explain this to the two girls. Instead he laughed nervously. "I'm always studying, unless James and Sirius physically take my books away and drag me off somewhere," he replied.

[Lily Evans]

Lily misinterpreted the reason for Remus's nervousness... not that she could possibly have guessed the real reason for it. "You know, you shouldn't let them bully you," she said. "If you want to study, you should be free to do so in peace, and you shouldn't let them drag you away from it."

So typical of James, she thought angrily. He and Sirius didn't take anything seriously, and it probably bugged them that Remus actually cared about his studies and chose to pay attention to anything other than his so-called friends. She was practically seething right now, and she wanted to march down to the lake, find James, and give him a piece of her mind.

"Tell you what," she said, smiling warmly at him. "We'll have it next weekend, after most of the exams are over. And if you still want to study, you can just bring your books with you. Anyone who bothers you will have to answer to me. What do you think, Eva?" she added, looking back at the Ravenclaw. "Does that sound good to you?"

[Evalyn Chambers]

"Sounds perfect. That way, it can be a sort of post-exams celebration type thing." Eva grinned and added, "And if you do need to study, we'll make sure to hex anyone coming your way." The Ravenclaw made a coughing noise that sounded a lot like "James or Sirius" and coughed again.

Eva wondered what had happened in their first two years at Hogwarts that made James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter such good friends. James and Sirius, sure, they were two peas in a pod; but Remus and Peter? Peter could be explained as a follower, but Remus was extremely smart and Eva felt as if he would easily make friends with anyone he'd like. Why them? Not that Eva had any problem with it; she liked all four of them. Well, she hadn't actually met Peter, but he seemed friendly enough when she had seen him around.

Eva drew her knees up to her chest. "So, what shall we do for refreshments? Does anyone know where the kitchens are?"

[Remus Lupin]

For a boy who had spent much of his short life without any friends, having good friends like James and Sirius and Peter meant everything to him. He couldn't explain that to most people; they would ask too many questions that he couldn't answer. He and his parents, then later just him and his father, had moved around a lot, moving to increasingly more isolated places. What choice did they have? Sometimes neighbors would hear the screams and howls when he transformed. He had to be locked up each month, whether in a shed, or in the basement, or even in a cage. And sometimes he still got out, killing local livestock. Sooner or later, the rumors would start, and then parents made their kids cross to the other side of the street when he walked by. And then they'd have to move again.

Remus was still, in the back of his mind, half-expecting this to happen again at Hogwarts. If he got out, the risk was greater... he could bite a fellow student. And eventually, everyone would put the pieces together, just as James and Sirius had done. Remus lived in fear of this, and yet, his friends knew his secret and didn't seem to mind. They supported him, and that meant more to him than anyone could ever know. So even though they sometimes drove him crazy, he would have thrown himself in the fire for any of them.

"Oh, the kitchens?" he piped up, grinning. "That's easy. They're down in the dungeons, near the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room. They're behind the painting of the fruit bowl. James and Sirius figured it out, of course. And the house elves are always glad to have visitors... they'll make you anything you ask for."

[Lily Evans]

Lily smiled warmly at him. She actually knew where the kitchens were as well, having overheard James and Sirius talking about it in the common room one day. She had even checked it out herself, just so she could see if they were telling the truth or not.

"Yes, and you have to tickle the pear in the painting to get in," she agreed. "I've been there a few times before... I swear, it's the biggest kitchen I've ever seen! And it was the first time I'd ever seen house elves..."

She closed her potions book, almost unconsciously, and leaned back on her hands. "I can take you down there one day, if you want, Eva."

[Evalyn Chambers]

"Hey, that'd be great! Man, I feel behind, the kitchens seem like old school for you guys," she said. "Well, that would definitely be the best place to get food for the party, especially if the elves make anything you want."

Eva grinned. She felt genuinely happy. It was a gorgeous day, she was sitting next to two really nice people, and they were planning a party. What wasn't to like?

((Sorry for the long wait =/))

[Lily Evans]

Lily wouldn't admit that the only reason she knew where the kitchens were was because she'd been listening to James and Sirius, so it was a lucky thing no one asked her. It would have been so much easier if she could ignore James, but sometimes she just couldn't help the way her eyes wandered over in his direction whenever he was around.

"I've only been there a few times," she said. "But they made me some really good hot chocolate. At first, I felt kind of bad, like I was taking advantage of them, but they seemed really happy to help. I'm pretty sure they'll make anything we want... so we should come up with a list or something."

[Remus Lupin]

Remus was quiet for a minute, thinking about the whole party idea. He really didn't think of himself as the party type, and yet, hanging out with James and Sirius had made him see a side of himself that he hadn't realized existed. More times than he cared to admit, he had not only been dragged into one of James and Sirius's crazy schemes, but he even helped out. He didn't really like playing pranks on people, but sometimes, especially if the person really deserved it, he found himself taking part in them anyway. And yes, it actually was kind of fun.

So maybe he would like a party, too. He'd never really gone to many parties when he was younger. And if James and Sirius were there, there was a good chance he'd end up having fun in spite of himself.

"You know, we also might be able to bring in some things from Hogsmeade, too," he said. "You know, like butterbeer, or candy from Honeydukes. James and Sirius found a secret passageway...."