"Mum, Dad, I'm going to miss you!" I sniffed, wrapping my arms around my parents. As their arms enveloped me, I breathed in their scents. My mother had always smelled warm and cinnamony. Dad had always smelled like spearmint gum.

"Lily, are you sure it's safe for you at that school?" Dad asked with concern. Mum and Dad knew about the wizarding war. I didn't want them to because I knew they would worry, but Dumbledore sent letters to all the muggleborn's families explaining the blood-prejudice and the dangerous times we were living in. Obviously, my parents didn't want me to go back to school, but I put up a long fight with them over the summer. Hogwarts was the only place I felt like I was doing something important.

Besides, it's not every day you get picked to be the head girl.

"I'm safer at school than I ever could be at home. I know you don't like it, but I am going." My determination seemed to convince my parents they couldn't change my mind, and I was glad.

"Stay safe, okay? And write us as soon as you know who head boy is! We are so absolutely proud of you," Mum grinned, kissing me on the cheek.

That was when reality hit. I was about to board the train for the last time. This was it. I was a 7th year now, and in a few months, I would be joining the workforce. I was an adult. I was saying goodbye to my parents, and hoping that they would be safe without me.

"I love you guys. Tell Tuney I said goodbye," I smiled, my heart pinching ever-so-slightly at the mention of my sister. She had refused to come see me off, and it's not that I'm surprised, it's just I'm disappointed.

"We will! Now hurry on up, before the train leaves without you!" Dad encouraged, nudging me towards the brick wall between platforms 9 and 10.

"Bye!" I shouted, before running full speed at the wall. It was an explosion of noise on the Wizard side. Everyone was racing about, saying goodbye to family and hello to friends, dragging their trunks to the doors of the train, and just being rowdy in general. I checked my watch and saw that there were just a few minutes until the Hogwarts Express would be leaving.

I scanned the crowd for any familiar faces but came up with none. Sighing, I dragged my trunk (slowly, because it was incredibly heavy) over to the nearest door of the train. Unfortunately for me, there was an exceptionally large amount of people races about and jostling me and my trunk. I knew if I didn't go quicker I would miss the train, but I felt completely helpless.

I grit my teeth and dug in my heels, heaving for all I was worth. The trunk moved 5 inches. An accomplishment, really.

"Need help, Evans?" I heard a voice call out. Before looking up I responded.

"Yes PLEASE. You just saved me," I laughed, before turning around. I froze when I saw the boy who had come to my rescue.

James Potter.

James freaking Potter was the only person on the whole platform who had enough compassion to help out a poor girl.

He was smiling brightly at me, and standing even taller than I last remember him. He grew even more handsome over the summer if that was even possible.

what? Stupid brain, why'd you think that?! Potter is not handsome.

Yes, he is, and you know it.

No, I clearly don't. You don't even understand the meaning of the word attractive. Damocles Belby is attractive.

I won't lie, he is, but you have to admit Potter is too.

I am not having this argument right now.

"You really don't need to help me, Potter," I argued gently, trying to shoo him away.

"Didn't you just say I 'saved you' or something like that? Besides, it's no trouble." Without waiting for me to say anything else, he hoisted my trunk up in his arms and turned to face me with another one of his blinding smiles.

"Just tell me where we're going and I'll drop this off in your compartment for you," He nodded his head in the direction of the train and I blushed, walking ahead of him.

"How was your summer?" I asked him in an attempt to make polite conversation.

"Fine," He answered stiffly. I frowned and turned back to look at him while we walked along the corridor. He shook the strained look off of his face and replaced it with a fake-looking smile. "Yours?"

I didn't want to drop the subject but he had looked so uncomfortable that I couldn't subject him to that. Even though I couldn't stand him. I wasn't going soft, I was being considerate.

I hesitated and contemplated telling him about my familial woes, but I stopped myself. Not even Mary, Marlene, and Emma knew about Petunia.

"Fine," I responded, pinching my lips together in a firm line and continuing forward. Now things were awkward again, but I really could care less about keeping up a conversation. Finally, I heard the shouts of laughter of my best friends and pointed to the compartment for Potter to set my trunk down.

I opened the door, and a bright grin sprouted on my face.

"Hello, Girls!" I giggled, and suddenly I was in the middle of a loud, squealy, group hug. We didn't break apart until I heard a deep voice being cleared.

"Excuse me, Ladies, but I have to put Evans's trunk away," He shuffled into the room and hoisted my trunk up onto the shelf.

"I'll be going now," He bowed a little and strolled out of the compartment. I was startled by his abrupt exit and I ran out after him (my feet seemed to have minds of their own).

"James!" I called out, still running. He whirled around to face me and I collided with him. He stumbled backward and we both landed on the floor, me on his chest, him on his back.

He had this weird look on his face, and I couldn't tell if he even noticed that I had just plowed him down in the middle of the corridor.

"James, what's wrong?" I asked, sitting up so I was straddling him. I gripped his face in both of my hands and began moving it around, searching for an injury.

He was still looking dazed, and I began panicking. He probably had a concussion. Maybe the back of his head was bleeding! I raised his head and turned it to the side so I could get a good look, and that's when he started chuckling. He still looked shocked, but at least he was responsive. He sat up, so I was straddling his lap now, but I paid no attention to that.

"Are you okay?" I asked, practically screaming.

"I'm fine, it's just..." He trailed off. I put both hands on my hips and gave him my best intimidation look.

"It's just what?" I demanded.

"You called me James." I froze, surprised. No, I definitely had not.

"Twice," He added, looking into my eyes. Once we made eye-contact my brain stopped working. His hazel eyes were pools of sparkling green and gold, shimmering like glass. I stared and stared and stared, unaware of my hands that had drifted to the back of his neck, or of my fingers that were tangling into his curly locks.

"It felt natural," I whispered, unsure of what else to say. It was the truth. Potter was too stiff, and James felt... right.

I was unaware of one of his arms wrapping around my torso, or the other one, brushing hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear.

It felt like the world stopped. It was just our eyes, and nothing else. His glasses made it so I could see his eyes even better, and I felt myself leaning in, my eyes fluttering closed. His forehead rested against mine, and I opened them again to see him with a look of tenderness I didn't know was possible.

And then the moment was over. Without any awkwardness. I clambered off of his person and reached my hands down to pull him up, ignoring the tingling sensation I felt at his touch. When we were both stood up, I offered him a big smile.

"Thank you for taking care of my trunk," I smiled, flushing red.

"You're welcome," He smiled back. We just stood there for another minute or two, holding hands and smiling, until James decided he should probably get to his friends.

"I'll see you around, yeah?" I asked, taking a step backward and still smiling softly.

"I'll be counting on it. See ya, Lily," He waved.

"Goodbye James," I waved back and walked, as if in a trance, back to the compartment.

"WHAT was THAT?" exclaimed Marlene upon my reentry. I looked up in surprise.

"What was what?" I asked, confused.

"James Potter carried your trunk? You called him James?" She asked as if I should have known exactly what she was talking about. I widened my eyes and then turned away nonchalantly.

"I don't see why you are making such a big deal out of it. I needed help and he offered," I shrugged, flopping down into my seat.

James POV

I was panicked. I have been in love with Lily since we were in 3rd year, and even before that, I was fascinated with her. She was kind to everyone she met, that was just a part of her. Not to mention she was gorgeous, smart, funny, and she couldn't stand being near me.

But here we were, staring into each other's eyes. She was in my arms, smiling softly, toying with my hair. I was hyper-aware of every movement either of us made. I didn't want to frighten her. She couldn't have been aware of what she was doing, and I didn't want her to notice in case she decided to move. My body was on fire, and she was oxygen.

I was struggling to control my breathing and I had to literally hold my breath when she leaned in and rested our foreheads together. I wanted nothing more than to close the gap and kiss her, but I knew that would immediately ruin any chance I had with her. This was our last year together, and I had a foolproof plan to get her to fall in love with me.

When we stood up and said our goodbyes, all I wanted to do was snatch her back up into my arms and hold her there forever. I strolled back after watching her disappear into her compartment. My eyes were sort of glazed over and I was replaying the way she looked at me over and over and over again. I felt myself open the door to the compartment and flop down into my usual seat.

"OI! Prongs! Where've you been?" Sirius yelled, socking me in the arm. I didn't even feel it. I knew Sirius had yelled but it sounded like someone had used the muffilatio charm.

"James?" Remus asked, concern seeping into his voice.

"Why is he smiling?" Peter whispered to Remus. I only saw emerald green, doe-shaped eyes.

"He's got his 'Lily-face' on," Sirius gasped, grabbing onto me. Only hearing her name brought me out of my Lily-induced haze.

"I carried her trunk onto the train for her," I started, looking around at the guys. They were all invested.

"Oh, how chivalrous of you. She's got you whipped, mate," Sirius teased.

"Is that why you're in such a weird mood? That's kind of lame..." Remus trailed off. I sighed and clasped a hand over my heart.

"Lads? I think this is my year." I watched their reactions to my exclamation and they barely reacted.

"What else happened?" Pete pressed. I grinned at them and shared my tale.

Surprisingly, they didn't seem as excited as I was. They were more interested in teasing me for being so happy.

"Prongsies got a lady-love! Prongsies got a lady-love!" Peter was currently chanting while hopping around the room. I glanced down at my watch and then leapt up.

"I have to meet the head girl in the prefect's compartments!" I cried, using that as my excuse to run away from my teasing mates.

Truth be told, I am a little apprehensive about who the head girl will be. I wanted it to be Lily more than anyone else, but she hadn't mentioned it earlier. I expected she would have at least been wearing her badge. Then again, I wasn't wearing mine. I had to put it on while sprinting. I was supposed to meet my new roomate in 2 minutes, but I was worried she would be mad if I wasn't at least a minute early.

It goes without saying that whoever this girl would be, would be extremely responsible, and I'm sure she was thinking the same thing about me. I didn't really want to see her be let down when I showed up, but it was inevitable.

When I first got the letter, I had immediately sent a letter to dumbledore, asking him to reconsider.

Dear Professor,

I am sure you are aware of my appointment as head boy. I don't think then, that you remember the countless detentions, threats of explusions, and various loud PRANKS. I am not sure you made the best decision. Please reply immediately so I can forward my badge on to Remus.

See you in September,

James Potter

So you can imagine my surprise when Dumbledore responded.

Mr Potter,

I am sure you are aware that I am the one who appoints Head Students. I remember various discussions about you increasing your responsibilities. What better way to increase responsibility than to appoint you to a position of authority? To say I wrongly chose you, is to say I made a mistake.

I am a significantly wiser man than most, and as such my mistakes are significantly more obvious. This is not an obvious mistake, so I am going to have to decline your request for reconsideration.

Best wishes,

Albus Percival Wilfric Brian Dumbledore

Hogwarts Headmaster

So with that reassurance in mind, I stepped into the head's compartment, greeting my partner loudly.

"Hello!" I smiled broadly and then my breath caught in my throat as I was nearly blinded.

Brilliantly blazing red hair, lit from the sun shining through the window, whipped around to face me. I almost collapsed from the beauty, no joke. Emerald eyes met mine, and a bright smile made me feel like I had just been crowned the King.

"James!" Lily squealed, running over and hugging me. I couldn't help myself when I wrapped my arms around her and laughed joyously. "Are you really head boy? I'm so glad!" She giggled before I even had the option to respond.

I had no clue what had gotten into Lily today, normally she wouldn't even look at me. Now she is hugging me. Now she is laughing. Now she is glad to see me.

"So um, how do these things go?" I asked, taking my seat with her next to a desk.

"Well usually the Heads introduce themselves to the Prefects, pass around the rounds calendar, and give everyone the password to the prefects bathroom." Lily was writing things down in her notebook that she carried everywhere while she spoke, so I transfigured a piece of lint into a notebook and 2 buttons into a quill and an inkwell.

"Okay, so… Password ideas?" I asked, looking up at her for an answer. She blushed.

"Well, since you're head boy we should really work together to come up with it," She said. I could tell from the way she said it that she was reverting back to old Lily. I was in love with ALL of her Lily's, but I was a happier man when New Lily was around. The Lily that wanted to be my friend was just a little more fun to be around than the Lily that wanted to rip my throat out.

"What about… Pigfarts?" I suggested, saying the most random name I could think of.

"Pigfarts?" She asked incredulously, looking back up at me.

"Well, if you don't like it you can always come up with something different..." I trailed off, shooting her a grin. She rolled her eyes at me and kicked my foot under the table.

"Fine. Pigfarts it is. You can be the one to let the prefects know," She consented. I just smiled. Then I remembered what else we were supposed to be doing to be prepared for the meeting.

"How are we introducing ourselves?" I asked, curiously.

"'Hi, My name is Lily Evans and I'll be your Head Girl this term' is what I was planning on. Introductions aren't very hard, are they?" She teased. My brain was working a mile a minute though, and I barely heard her.

"I've got the most brilliant idea for introductions. You don't even have to do anything. Just stay hidden when the prefects come in, and I'll do the rest. I can't wait to see the reactions," I mused, leaning back in my chair and looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"James, I know that face. That is your trouble making face. That is the one that you have right before you start doing something that ends up BAD. Please don't mess this up for me," She warned, panic creeping into her features.

I covered the hurt in my eyes quickly by turning away, but I was hurt. She didn't trust me. Even after all the changing I've done, she doesn't trust me. I had to figure out a way to make her see that I have changed, or my whole plan could go wonky.

"I promise, it's going to be good. It won't get either of us in trouble," I said quietly, smiling at her softly.

"If you insist... Please be responsible about it though," She still was nervous, but I barely noticed. There was that dumb word again. As if I hadn't heard enough of it this summer.

'James be responsible!'

'You need to learn responsibility!'

'Stop acting irresponsible!'

'A bit of responsibility would do you good!'

I wasn't blaming Lily. I could never blame her, but I was sick of people telling me to be responsible. I got the message. It's not as though I was intentionally being irresponsible. I just wasn't aware of what the outcome of each situation was going to be until it was too late.

"The prefects will be here soon," She spoke softly, standing up and patting my shoulder. I started at the feel of her hand on my shoulder, and made up my mind for once and for all.

Lily Evans was going to fall in love with me. This year.