Mirrorball

Grandma Vaia used to say that you can tell whether the day is going to be good or bad from the weather. As Percy watched the pedestrians run to get cover from the violent rain, she thought that, if that was true, then September 1st, 1973 was going to be awful.

While the older woman was still around, Percy loved to spend time with her. As a result, her vocabulary consisted of many Greek expressions and random words that she heard from her. One of her favourite words was ataraxia. It meant a state of freedom from distress and worry, which ironically enough was the exact opposite of what Percy was feeling at that moment. As she felt the car engine slowly getting turned off, her heart was beating so loud that she thought everyone could hear.

She glanced at her older brother, who was sitting next to the driver's seat. Oblivious to the stress the younger girl was experiencing, he was using his fingers as drumsticks on the dashboard and whistling along to the melody of whatever song he was obsessed at that moment. His dark hair was getting too long and strands of hair were covering most of his face.  She knew that all her mother was thinking about ever since Ted returned from his summer vacation was cutting it, although he had expressed how much him and his girlfriend liked his new style.

"How will you get hired in any job with this mop on your head?" she always asked, a desperate expression on her face. However, ever since Ted found a job in a local bakery, she had no excuse to complain about it anymore.

Percy sighed as the car stopped and both her mum and Ted turned to look at her. "Are you okay, dear? You seem a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm obviously having the time of my life," Percy muttered and unlocked her seatbelt. The last thing she wanted was having that talk with her mother. It was quite obvious that she was stressed about her third year in Hogwarts and they were both aware of it, but only Ted knew the reason why. "I'm fine," she said, a little louder this time and the woman nodded. Even if she didn't believe her, she seemed to not want to start that conversation.

The small family left the car and while Ted was trying to carry all the suitcases by himself, Percy was too preoccupied looking around, trying to find a certain girl amongst the crowded train station. Not until she crossed the magic barrier did she finally notice some familiar people and she sighed in relief when she realised the train was still there and she hadn't missed it, even though she had convinced her mum to drive her there earlier than usual.

"You know, you're too old to pretend that you can't carry your luggage yourself," she heard Ted's voice and turned in her family's direction.

Percy rolled her eyes. "And you're too young to pretend that your back hurts everytime you carry something."

"Stop it you two," their mother said but if one looked close enough, they would see a small smile growing on her lips. Both siblings knew how much she adored their banter, even though she always lectured them to be kind to each other.

Percy didn't know that at the time, but Penelope Tonks was very happy that her children were so close with each other, especially taking their six year age difference into account. Most siblings with such a big age difference rarely managed to maintain a close relationship with each other, since they barely had anything in common other than their shared blood. But Percy and Ted were always very close, ever since they were children, mostly due to the fact that he played a large role in raising the young girl. Even though they naturally drifted a bit apart due to one being at school and the other being outside of it, their dynamic never changed.

"I think I saw Lily, mum. Can we say goodbye already?"

"Look at that, she wants to get rid of us," Ted scoffed and put her luggage down in a jokingly dramatic manner. "Are we embarrassing you, young lady?" he imitated their mother's accent.

"Yes, you do," Percy stated as a matter of fact and he stuck his tongue out, a gesture that somehow made him appear many years younger than he was.

"Fine, fine, we'll leave you. But first, come here," her mother said and embraced her daughter tightly. Penelope Tonks was never one to show too much emotion, something that passed down to her daughter, however she always seemed strangely emotional after leaving one of her kids at King's Cross Station. "Promise me you're going to stay out of trouble, okay? I don't want any funny business with the rude boys you were telling me about," she said as her fingers gently went through Percy's dark brown hair.

"Yes, mum, I know," she replied, taking a step back and breaking off the embrace. "I am always careful."

Ted looked at her knowingly, but she ignored him. Her mother, however, seemed reassured. "I love you, bug."

"Love you more." I'm going to be alright, her eyes said, although she didn't really believe it. "Even though you still call me bug," she joked with a small smile. The nickname aged horribly after Percy accidentally summoned a bunch of ladybugs in their house one day and they couldn't get rid of them for at least a week.

Ted motioned her to come hug him too and she did, making sure to stand on her toes to create the hallucination that she wasn't two heads shorter than him. "Have the appropriate amount of fun, kiddo," he joked after he let her go but he quickly got serious. "And be careful. If you ever need anything, you write me a letter or, if it's more urgent, you go to Blythe or a professor. Alright?"

"Merlin, don't you ever get tired of giving me the same talk every year?"

He chuckled. "Do I seem tired?" Percy rolled her eyes but didnt answer.

She hugged her mother one more time and got her trunk, waving goodbye before trying to, once again, find any of her friends. As she pushed her way through the many families greeting their children before getting aboard, she finally noticed Lily's red head from afar and made her way to her.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans seemed to be less emotional than usual, probably having gotten used to their youngest leaving them. Petunia, Lily's older sister, was surprisingly nowhere to be found, which Percy was positively surprised by. While she was approaching the family, Mr. Evans seemed to be the first to notice her. 

"Oh! Good morning, dear Persephone!" he greeted her with a small smile and pat his daughter on the head, motioning her towards the other girl, that was now smiling despite the use of her full name. "Go now, Lily... before you lose the train."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Evans," Percy greeted the familiar couple, but before she could utter another word, she felt her friend dragging her away. "Uh, goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Evans?" she yelled back at them, not wanting to appear rude as she held her trunk on for dear life.

She glanced at her best friend, who still hadn't let go of her hand. "What's the matter with you?" she said, noticing her stormy expression. There was no one sweeter than Lily Evans, so when she was angry, everyone knew something was seriously wrong.

"I'll tell you once we find an empty compartment."

Percy knew that it had to do with her sister, but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to anger the girl more. She was grateful she had found her, even under these circumstances, because she already felt less anxious about going to Hogwarts when she had her best friend by her side. Plus it was somehow comforting to see that she wasn't the only person whose nerves were a mess that day.

Thankfully, most of the students didn't seem to have gotten abroad yet, so the girls easily found an empty compartment. After putting their stuff away and sat down, opposite to one another, Lily finally seemed to snap and tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"It's Petunia!"

"It always is," Percy muttered, but let the girl continue.

"She refused to come say g-goodbye to me! Like- Like I'm not worth her time!" she cried. "She said she had homework to do!"

"But she hasn't started school yet...?"

"Exactly!" Lily yelled and if she wasn't genuinely upset, Percy would have most likely laughed at how her expression shifted between sadness and anger every second. "That's what I said and then- then! She said she has a headache! Percy, she hates me!"

The brunette shifted awkwardly in her seat, not really knowing what to say. To say that Lily and Petunia's relationship was complicated was an understatement – the fact that one was magic and the other wasn't had put a wall between them, one who wasn't likely to break anytime soon, as much as Lily tried her best. Percy had been a witness in most of their fights (since she basically grew up with the Evans sisters) and knew how bad they affected her friend.

"She doesn't hate you. You're sisters," she said, trying to calm the other down. Her cries were most likely being heard by the entire corridor by that point. "She just has awful coping mechanisms and takes all of her anger out on you."

"But it's not my fault that she is a Muggle." Her tone of voice combined with her teary bright green eyes and sad expression made her seem like a puppy that was kicked.

"I know," Percy sighed. "She probably knows too but I guess she can't accept it and move on with her life. None of this is your fault."

Lily used her sleeve to wipe off her tears and despite her puffy eyes, she seemed to have slightly relaxed now that she had cried it out. "Dad and mum were asking me whether I did something that upset her. As if they don't know Petunia is simply irrational."

She let out a breath and none of them spoke for a while. Percy knew her enough years to know that was part of the process – these five minutes of silence where Lily would internally pull herself together and try to calm down.

Percy knew Lily Evans better than everyone and of course, there was no one who knew Percy Tonks better than Lily. The girls had been best friends ever since they were five and the Evans family first moved to Cokeworth. It was an instant connection, the kind that no one could understand but didn't necessarily need an explanation. They simply got each other, in a way that no other person could. The fact that they spent most of their days together contributed to that too (after all, Penelope Tonks babysat the Evans daughters for most of their childhood so it was only natural that she took little Percy with her too – sometimes Percy thought the Evans household felt more like home than her actual house).

"I'm fine, sorry about all that," Lily finally said after a while. But she knew she didn't have to apologize – if she couldn't be vulnerable with her best friend, who could she be with?

Percy unwrapped the sandwich her mother made her and took a big bite of it. "Where do you think Sev is?"

"Oh no!" Lily yelped. "I told him that we'd be waiting for him on the Platform!"

"Relax. I'm sure he'll find us," the brunette replied, though she mentally prepared herself to listen to her other best friend's lecture about the importance of being punctual.

Severus Snape was the third person that completed their little trio. Two Slytherins and a Gryffindor, a sight for sore eyes. He lived in Cokeworth his whole life, just like Percy, but they didn't become friends until Lily joined the picture and introduced them. Unlike the redhead, Sev wasn't the most easygoing person, but Percy liked him nevertheless – he was occasionally funny and very intelligent, but humble about it. He was a good friend, even though he had slowly started to hang out with the wrong crowd. Sometimes it worried Percy, but then again, she preferred to not think negatively.

She was about to start asking Lily if she was nervous as well, when the door opened and two blonde girls with gold and red ties made their appearance. Percy smiled when she recognized Mary McDonald and Marlene McKinnon, who was trying to keep someone out of the compartment.

"No, Potter, this is our place! Go find your own," Marlene yelled, her thick Irish accent more obvious than ever.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, just let them sit, Marls," Mary huffed, ignoring her friend, who was basically wrestling with Potter to greet the girls sitting in the compartment with a hug.

"Never!"

Percy finally noticed Potter outside the compartment, with his usual companion behind him – Black, Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, who waved at the girls with his free hand while he was using the other one to share a chocolate with the tall, brown haired boy. Percy and Mary waved back at him awkwardly, while Marlene was still fighting Potter in front of them.

"Potter! Sit your ass down right now! The train's about to start moving," they all heard a voice coming from the corridor and that seemed to shake the boy up. He finally managed to free himself from the girl's tight grip.

"Hello, Percy, Mary, Lily. Nice to see that not all girls are trying to kill me," he said, huffing at Marlene's direction.

"We're constantly trying to fight the urge to," Percy said with a deadpan expression and he gulped.

"James, mate, give it up. We'll find another compartment," Remus said and after a telepathic conversation between the two, the bespectacled boy with the messy hair finally left.

Marlene sat next to Lily, a victorious smile decorating her lips. "Thank God for Hestia Jones," she mentioned the prefect that previously yelled at Potter.

"Marls, don't you think this childhood rivalry thing is going too far?" Mary asked her, raising her eyebrow. Marlene, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew knew each other ever since they were children. While the boys apparently were always friends, Marlene and James for some reason had a whole rivalry going on. No one knew why (and Percy was pretty sure they didnt know either, they just continued a tradition by this point).

"No, M. I actually think you should be thanking me that you don't have to sit with the Marauders for the whole trip."

"I agree with Marlene," Lily finally spoke. "They're insufferable."

"And given the fact that they even named their friend group, I think we have every right to not want to be associated with them," Percy added, to which all the girls agreed.

Mary tilted her head. "I don't think they're all that bad."

"Please! Just because you have a big fat crush on Sirius doesn't mean you can just spread pro-Marauder propaganda on us!" Marlene said, causing Percy to burst out laughing and Mary to dramatically sigh.

"I don't have a crush on Remus. He's my best friend!"

Lily chuckled. "Heard that one before."

"Please promise me none of you is going to start dating one of them," the Slytherin sighed. "I won't be able to handle it, seriously."

Mary gently nudged her with her elbow. "And what if you start dating one of them, Perce?"

Marlene started chuckling. "Sure, like that is ever going to happen."