1975

NOW IN HER FIFTH YEAR, BOBBIE SAT PATIENTLY ON THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS, WAITING FOR HER FRIENDS TO arrive in her compartment. Lily had gone off to see her friend, Severus, who Bobbie knew from Slytherin, but he was a quiet boy and decided to hang around with the Blacks and Malfoys, which Bobbie found strange.

Everyone knew that the Black's and Malfoy's hated muggle-borns, they hated anyone who wasn't a pureblood Slytherin, but Severus was half-blood and as well as that, he was best friends with a muggle-born, Lily Evans. And whilst Severus had never said anything to Bobbie to her face, she couldn't have but have a bad feeling about the young boy that made her feel uneasy whenever Lily brought him to sit with them, or even mentioned in. But Bobbie would never tell Lily the way she felt about Severus, the ginger-haired girl was a good judge of character and could be friends with who she wanted.

Alice had gone to say hello to her long-time crush, Frank Longbottom. Each day both Bobbie and Lily would hear something new about Frank and what he had said to the girl, how he looked at the girl, and each time he smiled at her. Bobbie and Lily couldn't help but snigger each time Alice mentioned something to do with the boy, as she would so into a dazed look, sighing at the boy. The pair weren't dating, which Alice had made clear to her friends each time she mentioned him, not understanding why the boy hadn't asked her out yet, frustrating her. But Bobbie would just roll her eyes writing on her pad "he's just nervous, why don't you make the first move?" She would show Alice, who in return who shake her head, stating her nervousness. Bobbie and Lily rolled their eyes, knowing the pair were not going to make the move until one of them did something about it.

Lily's love life, however, wasn't something the fiery girl wanted to talk about. Since the first day of Hogwarts, a young Gryffindor boy, James Potter, had decided Lily Evans was the love of his life, much to the girl's dismay. Each day, the boy would find a way to ask Lily Evans out, and each day, Lily's answer would be the same, no.

James Potter was known around Hogwarts as the 'star Quidditch player' and the 'gorgeous Gryffindor boy' who hang around with his three best friends. Bobbie had never met James, nor his friends, but if Lily's reaction to them was anything to go by, she wasn't so sure she wanted to. Bobbie had heard and even seen the tales of the four's pranks which was why the girl made sure to stay unknown and out of their way.

It was often that Lily would rant to Bobbie about the so-called four boys - imparticular James Potter and Sirius Black. When Lily had first mentioned the two troublemakers, Bobbie had tilted her head to the side, raising her eyebrows signing to the other girl "Black? In Gryffindor? I thought Blacks only belonged in Slytherin?" She questioned Lily, who shrugged and signed in return. "He broke the family tradition, told you a troublemaker, but I do feel bad for him. His mother sent him a nasty howler, you should have heard it. It was like a banshee screeching."

Bobbie scrunched up her nose, "I think I'd rather remain deaf than hear that." Making the girl laugh, but Lily kept on ranting, as Bobbie kept up on trying to read her lips. She explained that the boys tended to pick on Severus, taunting him, and pranking him daily. Because he was a Slytherin, which made Bobbie nervous, she was a Slytherin, and on top of that, she had been prone to teasing by the other Slytherins. Ever since then, she had made sure to keep herself unknown to the four Gryffindor boys, she had heard of the other two - Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew and heard by Lily that they were nice enough, but that didn't stop Bobbie from putting her head down and leaving them to Lily to deal with.

But where ever Lily Evans was, James Potter wouldn't be far behind.

Appearing in the compartment Bobbie sat in, next to her pet owl, Lennon - of whom she had named after John Lennon, Lily ran into the compartment squealing in the delight of seeing her best friend again.

"Did you have a good summer?" Lily signed after pulling back from the hug, sitting opposite the dark-haired girl. Bobbie just shrugged, smiling, "nothing new. How about yourself?" She signed, as Lily just sighed.

"Well, Petunia still hates me, god knows why, but she also brought her new boyfriend around for tea. I tell you I swear he has his head so far up his own i'm surprised he can't see the insides of his stomach." Bobbie kept in a laugh, knowing it was quite obvious Lily didn't like her sister's new boyfriend. "I mean honestly, i'm sure she could have found a much nicer boy-" Lily was interrupted signing when Alice poked her head around the door.

"You've not started gossiping without me have you?" She teased, as the two other girls stood up, eloping Alice into a hug as she laughed, pushing them off. Brushing down her clothes, she chuckled, "Alright, alright. I know you've missed me but you don't have to throw yourselves on me."

Sitting back in her seat, Lily raised he eyebrow at Alice. "So miss Smith, do tell what you have been doing over this glorious summer." She told Alice sarcastically, knowing what the answer was going to be. The girls wrote to each other constantly in the summer, whether it was Alice writing to tell about her news with Frank, Lily telling how she missed them both dearly, or whether it was Bobbie telling them she couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts.

It wasn't that she didn't have a good home life that made Bobbie want to go back to Hogwarts so much, on the contrary, Bobbie's parents were some of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet. But they worked day in and day out to make ends meet, which resulted in Bobbie often being home alone with her books and herself to keep her company. The '70s brought a change, many were unemployed, and those who were employed worked extra hard to keep their jobs. So for Bobbie, she enjoyed being back at Hogwarts, being with her friends, learning, and being comfortable in the place she was in, surrounded by magic.

Alice just smiled shyly, "oh you know the usual." She told Lily who just scoffed, "more like writing Frank every day of the week." Making Bobbie chuckled, as she opened her book to begin reading.

But Alice carried on, looking at the two girls with dreamy eyes. "Do you think he likes me though, he's just so charing and I bet he'd make such a wonderful boyfriend." She told the girls, but before either of them could answer back, the compartment door opened.

"Talking about me Smith? And before you say anything, yes I will go to Hogsmeade with you."

Alice scoffed, "in your bloody dreams, Black."

Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew stood there, outside the door of their compartment. Sirius had a smirk on his face, looking at Alice whilst James stared at Lily, dazed. Lily just looked at Bobbie, waiting for what Potter had to say to her.

"Hello, Lily-flower, date at Hogsmeade?" He asked, as Lily just folded her arms. "Never gonna happen, Potter."

Bobbie saw James's smiled falter, and she couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened for the boy. It was obvious that he had feelings for Lily, however, she knew the way he was showing his feelings, he was not going to win Lily over any time soon.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bobbie finally knew who Remus Lupin was. The young boy with hazel-brown hair and honey glazed eyes was looking at her somewhat curiously as if he was trying to figure her out by the look on her face. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Bobbie stared back at the boy, smiling softly at him, to which he returned. But soon, their trance was broken by Sirius huffing, storming off as Alice once again rejected him. Remus just smiled kindly, following his friends to the next compartment, grabbing the other boy's, Peter Pettigrew's arm, who was busy trying to get chocolate off the trolley lady.

Bobbie sank in her seat quietly, knowing the two other girls were just staring at her, mouths slightly open and almost bursting into a squeal at seeing the small interaction between the two. The other boys hadn't even noticed her, but Remus had, he had even smiled at her - she only hoped she would see him again, just to see him smile once more.