A CASE OF THE POTTTER BLUES

Summary: It's a new school year, and a new chance for James to agitate Lily. Will he drive her over the edge? Will James Potter drive Lily Evans to certifiable insanity?

(Note: rated T for safety. I'm not sure what I'll do later, and I want to leave my options open.)

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I own nothing. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

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I shoved my spell books into my trunk, including Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6. I heard a weak pounding on the door, and then my older sister's squeaky voice.

"Mum says you are to get downstairs with your trunk and leave for school. I'm going back to bed..." Petunia (or Tuni, as I like to call her) muttered, because her muggle school didn't start for another month.

I walked down the stairs, having successfully packed my trunk, and readied myself for a new year. My best friend, Nadia Rosetta, has been sending me endless owls all summer, about how much she misses me and how completely awful her family is. She is the first Gryffindor in her family, ever: all the rest have ended up in Slytherin or skipping school altogether. Here is the latest:

Dearest Lily,

You cannot know how awful it is here! Oh, woe is me! No matter how much you complain of Tuni and her loathsome muggle friends who swarm the house during the holidays, I very much wish I could be in your place. Everyone here remains disappointed that I didn't get into Slytherin; you'd think they'd get used to it, seeing as to the fact that it's my sixth year, but I suppose not.

Ah, our sixth year! How joyous this shall be! (You, Effie, Adrian, and Katelyn are going to have to cure me of the formality of my speech as well as in my composition of letters.)

My apologies for missing your birthday! THEY wouldn't let me go. Never has there been such a dreadful summer! Unless you count last year when my cousin Vanna turned my hair bright pink, and no one knew how/cared enough to turn it back until we got on the train back and Professor Kinnigan fixed it for me. That was awful!

I'm positive you're going to LOVE your birthday gift. I think I managed to stuff it into my trunk!

Speaking of LOVE…gotten any owls from Ickle Jamsie-wamsie this summer?

Sincerely,

Nadia

I replied that I have not had the misfortune of meeting whatever poor soul was named "Ickle Jamsie-wamsie." I said that I wouold personally write a petition for that person making it illegal for a mother to give her child a name so horrible.

I knew what Nadia was really talking about, though. Nadia is always tormenting me about James Potter. She claims I talk about him constantly, but who's the one who never fails to leave him out of a letter? Let me tell you, it's not me.

Potter is a completely obnoxious boy who basically stalks me. Yelling at him and turning him down would be much easier if he wasn't good-looking. I admit it. James is amazingly, incredibly and wonderfully blessed in the looks department. The way his hair is always so messy…the way he always rumples it to make it messier…I mean… ahem…it's not cute at all! Ok. It is. But that doesn't mean anything. Oh, yes, he's smart all right. How very clever the way he comes up with the most complicated spells for pranks, some take Ms. Valtina, our "school nurse" (that's a muggle phrase. Aren't they just the funniest?) weeks, occasionally even months, to cure. If he think's that's going to impress me, boy is HE wrong.

I have, in fact, received a letter from Potter. It was pure torture. It's a miracle Tuni hasn't gotten a hold of it yet.

My dearest Lilly-flower,

I miss you! These months away from you are torture! Some day, you will, in fact, fall madly in love with me and miss me back. I know it. Sirius continues to mock me about you; he considers it idiotic the way I adore you and have not the same passion for any of the girls Sirius goes out with. Which, by the way, is everyone in our year except you, your dear friends, and that girl who always complains that there's too much pudding in the pudding (and, honestly, can you blame him?). He considers it a waste. But I never have been able to resist a challenge.

Give me a chance, won't you? What could it hurt?

All my love,

James Potter

'I do not like James Potter. I do not like James Potter. I do not like James Potter. I am going to think this until it is etched into my mind and until I believe it. I do not like James Potter,' said, followed by a disbelieving giggle from that annoying voice in my head that always contradicts me. It sounds a lot like Nad, come to think of it.

"Sweetie! Lily, it's time to leave!" my mother shouted up the stairs. I slowly slid my trunk down the blue-carpeted stairs and arrived on the bottom floor with a sigh.

"Mum! Come ON, I've been waiting here for a fortnight!" I scream after 2 minutes.

"Wha…? I could have sworn you were upstairs in your bed not 10 minutes ago."

"Feeling ok, mum? I'd best leave soon if I'm going to make the Hogwarts express."

"Oh, yes. Give your Mum a hug and then go outside and meet Alice to apparate, ok dear?" My parents felt nervous around all of the witches and wizards, so it was planned that to school this year I would go with Alice Penniwether, our neighbor who attended Hogwarts with me, in Side-Along Apparation. She just got her liscense 2 months ago, and she wasgoing into 7th year this year.

"Bye Mum! Tell Dad I love him andI'll send you allloads of owls!"

"Be safe and write if you need anything!"

"I will!" I said as I joined Alice on the sidewalk. The air whooshed around us.We spun around and were gone.

The image of platform 9 ¾ appeared before me. Suddenly something crashed into me and squished me into a tight embrace.

"Lily! Lily Evans, I have missed you so much!" Nadia shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"NAD!" I gasped. "I CAN'T BREATHE!"

"Oops," Nadia said shyly, slowly letting me go.

"Thanks for bringing me, Alice!" I said.

"No problem! You guys know where my dormitory is, right next to yours, if you need anything. Good luck with 6th year!" she said, running off to join her group of friends which included several blonde 7th years and her boyfriend, Frank, who she talked non-stop about if you got her started.

"Ugh, look at you!" I said in disgust, turning back to Nadia.She looked filthy. She was wearing a long black skirt with a green shirt sporting a snake, with dust covering her clothes. Her normally silky, constantly bouncing black hair lay limp and oily, tucked behind her ears.

"I know," she cringed.

We scampered onto the train and found an empty compartment. I didn't feel like changing into my Hogwarts clothes yet, so I lent her a red skirt and a yellow top. There's nothing quite like house spirit!

We ran back off the train. There was plenty of time before the train's departure for socializing.

We passed by the group of Marauders. I cringed, ready for some cheesy line from James, but no one noticed us. They were too busy putting mice down a soon-to-be first year's shorts.

I sighed. This was going to be a long year.

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After a quick chat with our friend Effie, which went something like as follows, we scampered back into the train.

Effie: "Heyguysdidyouhaveagoodsummer? That'sgreatIdidtoo! DidyouhearthatverthevacationDavidRichersonandTillieHoscappgotcaught-"

Me: "Oh really? That's interesting! Listen, we've got to go…um…get our compartment. It was great seeing you!"

Effie gets a little excited our first day back.

Nadia and I locked ourselves in our compartment to avoid hearing more about what David Richardson and Tillie Hoscapp got caught doing over the holidays.

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Suddenly there was a persistant if not loud knock on our door. It was acompanied by a jiggling of the handle and an irritated voice followed. I was in the middle of skimming through my books, looking to see if there were any good hexes this year. None so far. I piled my books on top of my trunk, and walked towards the door.

"Lily! Nadi! Let me in!" demanded a hoarse female voice.

I looked throught the window to see Adrian Belkvitz, fellow soon to be sixth year Gryffindor. Adrians short, bright blue hair was tangled and matted with dirt. She looked rather frazzled.

I quickly slid open the door and yanked her inside.

"Whoa," Nadia said, noticing Adrian. "What happened to you?"

Adrian's eyes, much like mine in color and appearance, filled with annoyance.

"That Sirius Black, he just never knows when to quit!" she said, rolling her eyes and banging her bags against the wall as she pulled them into our crammed compartment. "I politely ask him to leave the midgets alone, and he politely asks me to turn my hair a normal color. I tell him to pick on someone his own size, and he slings mud in my hair! I tell him another place to put those rats of his," she grinned maliciously. "…down his own pants. And he tells me he's going to shove mud down MY pants if I don't shut up! The nerve of some people." Here Adrian swore rather colorfully.

Again there was a knock on our door. It was more of a beating, really. It persisted and was soon accompanied by a voice. It was not Effie's voice. It was worse. And what that voice said was about as bad as it gets…

"Oy! Lily-flower! Come out; come out, wherever you are! To the prefect's compartment, go you must!" boomed the deep voice of that which I dread most, James Potter.

I groaned deeply. I forgot that the prefects had to sit together; was there a chance Potter was a Prefect? My heart raced as I slammed my trunk shut.

"Sorry guys. Wish I could stay. I'll get away as soon as I can." I said, wishing I could wait until Leyna got here; she was late, as always.

I reluctantly unlocked the door and slid open the compartment. I glanced upward to see James's smirking face and went forward to face my ultimate doom, or at least a really annoying train-ride.

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Author's Note: The last line needs a bit of work…oh well. :-P Read and review!

KaNgA