Disclaimer: I am notttt-never-ever-too-bad-but-oh-well-i'll-move-on JK Rowling.
Lily Evans, a beautiful red head with startling green eyes was just that. Startled.
She had skipped through the aisle between the cabins after dropping her trunk and her owl off with Mary, Alice and Natalie, ecstatic at being chosen to be the new Head Girl. Her mind was filled with skepticism as to who the new Head Boy was, and she had gone to the Heads' Compartment 15 minutes early, hoping he would be there. If he was then, she reasoned, he would be a good partner. After all, 15 minutes is a long time for a teenager, and it would show that he was just as eager as she was for added responsibility.
Well, she wasn't exactly eager for responsibility, but she did want to be Head Girl. But not just any Head Girl, it was a matter of pride for Lily, and she wanted to be the greatest Head Girl that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had ever known. That was a tall order she knew, but Lily Evans had never been one to shirk from a challenge.
She stared at the door to the compartment, then took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Sitting in the compartment, in the Heads' compartment, was James Potter.
Hence the startled part.
But wait, it wasn't James Potter, not really. The James Potter of last year would have leaped to his feet and proceeded to irritate the stuffing out of Lily.
This dark haired boy who couldn't be James Potter merely stared at the seat across from him, an unhealthy grey pallor to his skin. The normally messy jet black hair lay limp on his head, as though lacking the will to stick everywhere like it usually did, and his finely made robes hung on his once muscular frame. There were great bags under his eyes, and his hands shook slightly from their place on his lap.
But the most changed part of him, or his outward appearance at least, were his eyes. Not that Lily would ever admit this to anyone, but she had always, always admired his eyes. Sure, hazel was pretty, but James' eyes had a certain way of sparking. Whether it be with mischief, or intuition, or just because he was happy, his eyes would acquire a shine that would make girls swoon, guys laugh, and even teachers smile.
Now however, his eyes were blank and lifeless, the normally swirling depths of greens, grays, blues and golds was a murky dark gray, almost black. No mischief and joy in them now, they could've belonged to a manikin.
He looked to her, his stare almost making her shiver. "Evans," he acknowledged, his voice raspy, as though with disuse, and he went back to burning a hole into the seat with his eyes. All Lily could do was nod back, stunned. She was vaguely aware of leaving the compartment hurriedly, mumbling out some excuse about forgetting something.
Lily ran back to her compartment quickly, feeling very hot. She threw open the door to find them laughing and talking with one another, a small pile of chocolate frogs next to each of them. Mary, Alice and Natalie quietened as they took in Lily's hectic appearance, red spots on her cheeks, hair in disarray and a wild look in her eyes.
"Lily?" questioned Alice softly, confused expressions on the three girl's faces. "James Potter," she said, and her voice sounded strange. Mary and Natalie's expressions were still confused, but Alice's face fell. Lily looked to her, "What... happened to him?"
Alice heaved a sigh, "Lord Voldemort, you remember him?" Natalie shivered delicately, but Mary and Lily just nodded gravely.
"Well," began Alice, "he's been going around recruiting right?" More nods, "He went to James' house... Right before the end August."
Mary and Natalie gasped softly, but Lily made a shushing noise, gazing intently at the round faced girl in front of them.
"The Marauders stay at James' house before they go back, have since second year. Tradition you know, but Sirius had gone out to get Remus and Peter. And Voldemort came then... All I know is that James and his family fought, and when Sirius and the others got back, James was lying on the ground in front, cut and burned, and the house was on fire, completely in ruins." Alice paused, "They never found the bodies."
"Oh my," said Natalie softly, her hands covering her mouth. Lily felt horribly guilty, all the times she had insulted James flashed before her eyes, and she couldn't help but feel that if she had been nicer, James would be happier right now, instead of that stranger in the Heads' Compartment. It was irrational she knew, something along the lines of survivor's guilt, but she couldn't help it.
Alice looked downright morose, while Natalie attacked the chocolate frogs with renewed gusto. Mary, hands shaking, brought out a Quidditch magazine, and read quickly, trying to forget what she had just learned Lily assumed.
Lily stood up slowly, and shuffled to the door, pulling it open softly. She walked back to the Heads' Compartment, her mood subdued and opened the door to witness the impossible.
James Potter sat, a photograph in his hands, silent tears running down his face.
She gasped, and he looked up quickly, wiping the tears from his face hurriedly. His eyes were no longer blank, but they were filled with grief and a pain so intense that Lily still couldn't look at them. "Uh, the Prefects are coming soon." She mumbled.
He nodded mutely, and stowed the picture in his pocket hurriedly. Then he smiled, the expression almost looked painful "Congratulations," he gestured the the stylized HG pinned to her robes.
"Same to you," she said back awkwardly, "double congratulations actually." she corrected, since pinned on his right side next to his Head Boy badge was a badge that said QC, super imposed over a flying golden snitch.
This time James gave her a real smile, albeit a small one. "I'm most proud of this one," he tapped a larger M that was attached to his left side, directly over his heart. She gave him a gentle smile back, he looked so fragile.
The first prefects filed in, a couple of 6th year Ravenclaws. They congratulated both Lily and James, although she heard their tone waver slightly when got to the Marauder who, instead of exuberance, oozed sadness.
James attempted to smile at some of them, and Lily inwardly winced at each one.
After the rest of them filed in, Lily took charge, shuffling a stack of papers professionally. "Right, I'm Lily Evans, and this is James Potter as you very well know, and we're you're Heads for the year." Polite clapping, punctuated with soft mutterings about the changes in the most popular boy in Hogwarts. Someone snickered softly, and several people turned to eye the fair haired Lucius Malfoy with disdain.
"You're patrol times are on the schedule I'm going to pass out along with your passwords," she nodded to the Gryffindors, Slytherins, and Hufflepuffs (Ravenclaws had to answer a question instead of recite a password), "and you'll be partnered with your fellow Prefect in your house and year." There was murmured approval while she handed out the papers, and then she finished by assigning them times to patrol the cars before the train arrived in Hogsmeade.
James sighed tiredly as the last of the students exited the compartment, "Thanks Evans, you're a lifesaver."
"It's the least I could do," she replied kindly, "I'm... sorry to hear about your parents." His neck muscles clenched, and he closed his eyes briefly before answering, "It's just hard to realize that... I'll never go home again." His voice broke on the word home, and Lily's stomach clenched in pity. She walked forward quickly and put her arms around him.
James took several shuddering breathes before leaning back slightly, and she withdrew her arms, recognizing that it was time to let go.
He stood up slowly, as though steadying himself, then thanked her again before quietly opening and exiting the compartment.
She watched him go down thru the train while people craned their necks to look at him, walking as though every step pained him. Then he slid into the traditional Marauder compartment. Untraditionally however, that compartment was silent as a grave, compared to the loud laughs, giggling girls and muffled explosions that usually emanated from the closed door.
Alice nodded sympathetically when Lily walked into their compartment, reading her expression. Natalie was snoring softly, her face pressed against the glass while the window fogged over with her exhalations and Mary was still intent on her magazine, apparently studying a move called the Parangoski Pitch.
She looked up, "And?" questioned Mary. Lily sat down heavily, "He's Quidditch Captain," she said lamely.
Mary nodded, "Wonder how we'll do this season?" she questioned to no one in particular. "I don't know, he could barely walk." Lily replied.
Alice shook her head pityingly, sinking back into her book, and Natalie gave loud snort that banged her head against the glass.
The red head brought out her copy of Transfiguration Today that she had bought to help her with her worst subject, and pondered silently the horrible fate and changes that had befallen a once bright and happy man.