Chapter: Unwelcome To My Picture

"Good morning, Evans," Came a very well known voice behind me, before James Potter sat down on the bench, next to me.

"Potter." I nodded my head in his general direction, not looking at him, but rather, at the wall opposite me. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin both took seats across from me, corrupting my view of the interesting wall design.

"Morning, flower." Sirius greeted me.

"Good morning, Lily." Remus smiled apologetically at me.

"Black. Lupin." I nodded at each. "Where's Pettigrew?" I asked, not actually caring much.

"Detention." They chorused.

"This early?" I asked, taking a biscuit.

"He was caught out of bed past hours, last night." James explained.

"Why didn't you use your cloak?" I asked, knowing well that Peter wasn't the only one out of bed.

"Forgot to bring it. He didn't run fast enough. We made it – he didn't." He said sorrowfully.

"How awful." I said, with no real emotion in my voice.

"Yeah. We're bringing him some chocolate after breakfast, if you want to tag along…?" He said nonchalantly, though his voice betrayed some hope.

"Love to, but, I can't. See, as head girl, my job is to make sure people don't behave wrongly, and if they do, to punish them. Not give them chocolate." I smiled at their guilty expressions. "See you later, boys." I said as I grabbed my bag to head to class.

"Wait, wait." I turned back around. It was Sirius who spoke, this time. He was looking at me with a baffled expression. "He just told you we were out of our beds, last night, so, why aren't you throwing us in the slammer?" He asked me.

I laughed lightly, confusing them more. "Firstly, Hogwarts don't have a 'slammer'. Secondly, if I had wanted to get you four in trouble, then, I would've gotten out of bed last night and gone down stairs when Peter woke me up by falling down them," Remus chuckled "and deducted points, like the good Head Girl I am."

"Then why didn't you go down there and,"

I spoke over Sirius. "And, thirdly, I didn't deduct points last night, nor am I going to now, because I know it won't change things." I finished, smiled at Remus, and turned to leave.

"I like that girl." I heard Sirius say as I was walking away. I smiled to myself.

I suppose you're wondering why I just had a normal conversation with three-fourths of the Marauders? See, in my seven years of experience with James Potter, I learned that if you talk to him in the morning, he won't nag you through the day. And, talking to him was never the problem. It was all the nagging that got me angry at him.

So, my usual schedule was now:

Wake up

Get ready for the day

Go down to breakfast

Wait for James to arrive

Eat

Talk to him

Go to classes

Eat lunch and get out fast before James gets there

Go to more classes

Go to the library while James is eating dinner

Eat dinner soon after James leaves

Sneak into common room before everyone quiets down

Sneak into room

Go to bed

Yes, I did write this down. And, so far, it was going well. He had only asked me out a few times, and it wasn't annoying, but rather, slightly endearing. I was easily able to turn him down without so much as one hex being thrown at him. Major accomplishments, I'd say.

I was now at my first class, Transfiguration. I walked to my usual seat, only to find that my desk partner – Alex – wasn't there, yet, even though she had left the Great Hall before I had. I looked around the room and spotted her walking toward me.

"Hey," I said as she neared our desk.

"Hey. McGonagall rearranged the seats. I'm over there, with Kim." She told me.

"Oh. Where am I?" I asked.

"Right there." She pointed to the desk in front of our former one.

"Thanks." I told her, bringing my things to my new desk, while she made her way back to hers. I was left alone to ponder who I would be sitting next to for the rest of the year.

I heard laughter and loud feet echo through the hall into the classroom which meant the Marauders were nearly here. As expected, they came strutting in not a moment later.

James and Sirius meant to plop down in their chairs, but something blocked them, and in a second, they had fallen from the chairs – to the floor. I laughed a bit, along with the others in the class. I mean, it really was a comical thing to watch. I stood up and walked over to where James' things had spilled, and began to gather them, while James and Sirius were still cursing to each other. By the time James had calmed down enough to bend down and start to pick it all up, I had his bag nearly full, again.

"Oh," He surprised. "I can get it!" He nervously yelled at me, snatching his bag away. I flinched at the volume and frowned at his rudeness. I straightened up, anyway, wondering why he looked so embarrassed.

"The seats have been changed." I told him. "That's why you couldn't sit down."

"Oh. Where's my seat?" I was about to tell him I didn't know, but, someone interrupted.

"You're sitting by Miss Evans, this year." I turned, shocked, to see the professor standing in the doorway, wearing an amused expression that you rarely saw on her face because people like James Potter existed.

"I'm sitting by Evans?" He repeated, his face all lit up.

"That's why I said, Mr. Potter. As you are in every class. The Head Master noticed how well you've been getting along, and wants to see just how well."

I stood there, frozen, my mouth agape, and my face showing every sign of protest I knew I couldn't say. Because, this was my nightmare. Sharing every seventh-year memory with James Potter. Every happy moment, every sad one. This was exactly what I did not want. When I think back to this year ten years from now, I don't want him to be in my mind's picture. But, apparently, that's exactly where he was going to be.

James Potter was going to be in my picture.