Trailers
Peter looked around nervously as the van pulled up to the gates of the MTV studios. Lily had never been there either, though she'd seen pictures in the headquarters before.
In front of them stood a tall, wide building that looked more like a warehouse, its brown bricks darkened by the rain. The sprawling parking lot was packed not just with vehicles—cars, trucks, trailers, and vans—but also with equipment for filming, like scaffolding and hydraulic jacks.
“Time to shine, lads,” James said, his tone mock-inspirational.
Filch parked without a word, but everyone knew it was time to get out. Remus graciously pulled the seat forward to let Lily climb out, and she thanked him. The heat of the morning hit her as soon as her feet touched the warm asphalt.
“Oi, Amelia!” Sirius greeted a woman who was clearly part of the production team. She wore a black uniform with the MTV logo on her sleeve, a walkie-talkie, and a clipboard. Her expression was almost alarmed.
“Hello, boys,” she said with a strained smile. “Shall we head to the trailers? The costume and makeup teams are waiting.”
Then Amelia’s eyes landed on Lily. With a relieved sigh, she said, “You must be the PR rep from headquarters, right? I’m Amelia Bones, production assistant.”
“Lily Evans,” Lily replied, offering a friendly smile.
Amelia led them around the side of the building to an open area with about 20 trailers. The place was bustling—crew members darting around, scenery pieces being moved on carts, and the cast of some reality show enjoying breakfast under a large tent.
“Is that Amber Atherton?” Peter whispered to Sirius.
“It is!” Sirius replied, suddenly excited. “Her family’s got a house on my street. Hey, Ambs!” Sirius shouted at a girl with unmistakable posh vibes, dressed in low-rise jeans and a lacy crop top.
“Sirius!” she called back gracefully. “You here?”
“Two stars in one place, darling,” Sirius teased with a wink, leaving her with a playful smile.
Lily realised they must be filming Made in Chelsea, MTV’s series about the rich and glamorous lives of elite youth. Totally frivolous, but ever since Keeping Up with the Kardashians became a hit on E!, MTV had been chasing similar concepts. Despite their elite status, the cast’s trendy outfits made them look like any other stylish young Brits. Lily spotted a guy wearing a bowler hat and stifled a laugh.
She glanced down at her own outfit: black skinny jeans, a loose burgundy tank top, a leather bracelet, and plain boots. It was simple but functional. The girls around her, though, wore ruffled tops, patterned tights, stacks of jewellery, and even layered belts and vests—all of it somehow working together in a chaotic harmony.
“Sometimes, it’s tough keeping up with the fashion crowd,” Amelia murmured, as if reading Lily’s thoughts.
“Trust me, I’ve had my share of practice,” Lily replied, nodding at the boys ahead, who were walking like they owned the place. Hard to believe these were the same guys nervously rehearsing their lines in the van minutes ago.
“Look at him,” James joked to Remus. “He could be mayor of this place.”
Sirius, indeed, was chatting up everyone remotely camera-worthy. After Amber, he’d introduced himself to two grunge-chic guys who looked like millionaire rockers and a brightly dressed girl with one side of her hair pinned back, giving her the edgy yet glamorous look of a rising pop star.
“Who’s that?” Lily asked Amelia, feeling nosy but comfortably curious.
“You didn’t watch the last The X Factor?” Amelia asked, eyes wide.
“I caught bits of it,” Lily said defensively, smiling. “That’s where that boyband was formed, right? One Direction?”
She glanced toward the four stars ahead, and the thought of a boyband made her chuckle internally.
“Exactly!” Amelia perked up, clearly delighted to talk shop. “That’s Cher Lloyd over there,” she said, nodding toward the colourful girl, who seemed to be casually flirting with Sirius. “She came fourth, I think, but her new album’s supposed to be huge.” Lily wondered if she should be more tuned into this stuff. After all, wasn’t that why MTV hired her? “I think she’s shooting a video for one of the songs in Warehouse 7.”
Looking around, Lily took stock of her surroundings. Some of the warehouses were noticeably larger than others. The trailers were in front of one of the big ones, Warehouse 2.
“Amelia,” Remus called from up ahead, “Are we in the same trailers as last time?”
“No,” Amelia answered. “Check the nameplates carefully so you don’t mix them up, okay?”
The boys scattered, searching the parking lot for their printed names. James and Peter were sharing a trailer, while Remus bunked with Sirius. As they started filing into their respective trailers, Lily lingered between the two.
“Lily,” Amelia said, suddenly breathless, “I’m off to fetch Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon from the gate. Can you keep an eye on the boys?”
“It’s my job,” Lily replied with a shrug, offering Amelia an encouraging smile as she headed off to collect the girls.
But the next moment, Lily heard a chorus of horrified feminine screams from nearby. Following the sound, she spotted Sirius slamming a trailer door shut, his usual mischievous expression now mixed with panic.
Lily sprinted over, her mind racing. Oh my God, what an idiot! He didn’t hear Amelia saying the trailers weren’t the same as last time because he was probably busy wandering around and just opened the wrong one!
“Sirius!” Lily scolded, breathless.
“I thought we’d have the same trailers!” Sirius defended himself, laughing nervously. “Makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“This is serious!” Lily snapped, realising this was the first time she was truly laying into one of them. “You could get reported for harassment or something!”
“Oi, oi, oi!” Sirius interrupted, his grin dropping instantly as his natural arrogance took over. “I’m not here for a lecture.”
“That’s exactly my job here!” Lily shot back, her voice tinged with desperation. “You can’t just—”
“Can you take me to my trailer?” Sirius cut her off, his tone calm and assured.
Lily froze, words caught in her throat. She glared at him, but Sirius simply raised an eyebrow, waiting impatiently.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Lily stomped off, leading him to the trailer he was sharing with Remus. As Sirius climbed the small metal stairs, he paused before opening the door. Turning to face her, he locked eyes with a steady, unflinching gaze.
“Don’t try to rein me in,” he said firmly, his voice low but resolute. “You might manage that with Peter, Remus, maybe even James. But not me.”
Then he disappeared inside, leaving Lily standing there, speechless, her eyes stinging with unshed tears under the blazing heat.
A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Lily's mind. So this is how it’s gonna be.
Sirius Black was arrogant. And Sirius Black was trying to mess with her head, to make her feel small.
And for a split second, Lily thought he might actually pull it off.
Lily wasn’t the kind of person who got intimidated easily. Sure, she’d been a know-it-all preteen and had dealt with insecurities about her looks growing up, but she wasn’t one to pick fights.
And yet, she was sharp. Sirius Black isn’t getting in my head.
She took a deep breath and stood up. Checking her BlackBerry, she noticed it had been fifteen minutes since everyone went in to get ready.
Just then, Amelia came into view with two other girls in tow—Mary and Marlene, probably.
Lily was stunned. Both of them were captivating in their own ways.
One was tall, with a radiant smile. She had warm brown skin and curly brown hair pulled into a fluffy ponytail, with a fringe of curls framing her graceful, friendly face. Her outfit was stylish yet unique: a white lace-trimmed blouse paired with a flowy ruby-patterned maxi skirt. Lily got a confident but chill vibe from her.
The other exuded raw power. Her choppy, almost-white hair gave her the aura of a rockstar. She wore a leather jacket over ultra-short shorts layered with ripped smoky tights. Her smile was more reserved, but Lily had a gut feeling she could trust her.
“Lily!” Amelia beamed. “I want you to meet the girls from our cast: Mary and Marlene.” She gestured to the elegant one first, then the fierce one.
Mary barely finished introducing herself before throwing her arms around Lily in a cheerful embrace.
“Hiya!” she said, her voice bubbling with energy. “Lovely to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too!” Lily chuckled, gently untangling herself. “I’m Lily.”
“You doing alright, Lily?” Marlene asked with a small but discerning smile, her sharp eyes scanning Lily’s face.
“Yeah, I’m good. And you guys? Ready for filming?” Lily replied, feeling a little out of her depth but doing her best to appear composed.
“She’s from PR,” Amelia chimed in, gesturing toward Lily before the girls could answer. “Here to, well, keep an eye on the boys.”
“About time,” Marlene muttered, her expression somewhere between judgmental and amused. “We’re ready for filming. Them, though…”
“Marls…” Mary teased, her tone playful as she shot Marlene a mischievous glance. “Don’t be like that.”
“What?” Marlene shrugged, the edge in her voice hard to miss. “I’m not anyone’s mum to deal with their nonsense. No offence, Lily.”
“Oh, none taken,” Lily answered quickly, though her tone was a little flustered. “That’s kinda my job, isn’t it?”
“I bet they’ll be angels today!” Mary said with a beaming, encouraging smile.
“Speaking of…” Amelia interjected, glancing down at her clipboard, her expression suddenly all business. “We’ve got an issue. Some freelance dancers reported that a white guy with long hair and a leather jacket barged into their trailer while they were getting changed.”
“I already gave Sirius an earful,” Lily said, shaking her head. “He totally missed your instructions about the trailers.”
“Lily.” Amelia stepped closer, her serious gaze sending a ripple of unease through Lily. “This is exactly the sort of thing you need to watch for. We’re lucky they didn’t file a formal complaint—they figured it was a mistake.”
“Was it, though?” Marlene asked, rolling her eyes skeptically.
“It was!” Lily defended him immediately, surprising even herself. Why? Because it was the truth. “He looked absolutely horrified, like he had no idea what to do.” Lily immediately felt the weight of her oversight settling on her shoulders.
The girls shrugged it off, and Amelia quickly directed them to a trailer to get into costume. Watching them go, Lily found herself wondering, How will the boys’ characters look? Will they be totally transformed?
She didn’t have to wonder for long. The first to emerge was Peter.
His character, Lewis, had a somewhat clumsy vibe. Being six years younger than Peter himself, the costume team went all out with childlike attire: a white t-shirt with a skater graphic, a long-sleeve navy top layered underneath, and bright red pants. They’d even slicked his hair back with gel to give him a neater appearance.
“Peter…” Lily’s eyes widened, unsure how to react.
“I know,” Peter sighed, shrugging. “The guys already roasted me last time.”
“They definitely managed to make you look younger!” Lily tried to sound encouraging, though it was hard not to laugh at his transformation.
They sat in awkward silence after that, neither quite knowing what to say. Lily still didn’t feel at ease around the boys. The whole situation was uncomfortable.
She knew they were being polite to her mostly because of her position. And, to be fair, she was putting on an air of flexibility she didn’t truly feel—or even need to.
The atmosphere in the lot felt oddly stagnant. Radios crackled, phones buzzed, and people scurried about. The air smelled of coffee, overworked AC units, and a cloud of Victoria’s Secret Mist. So far, Lily hadn’t spotted any major celebrities. Not that it mattered—she probably wouldn’t have recognized them if she had.
Lily kept a mental list of who truly mattered to her: pop divas, legendary TV hosts, acclaimed actors. But following the ever-changing roster of reality show stars and emerging talents? That was a full-time job she didn’t sign up for.
Speaking of full-time, the remaining three troublemakers emerged from Sirius and Remus’s trailer almost simultaneously. Lily hadn’t even realized James had gone in there, but plenty of time had passed.
The boys were laughing as Remus snapped pictures of them with his digital camera. I need to remind him about the no-unauthorized-bts-photos rule, Lily thought, a pang of guilt hitting her. God, I’m such a buzzkill.
The boys still looked like themselves, but in completely reimagined versions.
James’s hair had been straightened! It was surreal. He now looked like a brooding magazine model, with a melancholy air that didn’t suit him. The glasses were gone, replaced by contacts, and he was wearing a slim-fit ¾ sleeve V-neck shirt that, in Lily’s opinion, clung a little too snugly.
Remus, on the other hand, looked utterly ridiculous. Normally well-dressed with a timeless, vintage edge, he was now the epitome of a stereotypical nerd. A plaid shirt and oversized square glasses framed his face, and his dark blonde hair had been styled into a comically sharp quiff.
Then there was Sirius, whose transformation was perhaps the most jarring. His hair had also been straightened, falling over his shoulders like that of a vain biker. He wore a heavy brown jacket reminiscent of a trailer park kingpin, paired with makeup that made him look beaten up, complete with scratches and bruises.
“Oh my God, I forgot how they make you look,” Sirius laughed, taking in Peter’s costume.
“Look who’s talking, truck driver,” Peter shot back, clearly still a little hurt.
“We all look ridiculous, okay?” Remus shrugged, ever the voice of reason. “But we’re also going to be famous.”
He finished with a wickedly charming smile, one so sweet it felt like honey dripping from his lips.