Lily Evans grinned as she surveyed the chaos of Platform 9 and ¾. If you were to ask the seventeen year old, she would assure you that Hogwarts chaos was her favorite kind of chaos. Especially when the Marauders involved. She would then threaten to spoon out your eye sockets if you were to inform them of that.
As it were, the scene that lay before her had very little to do with the Marauders, and more to do with the excitement that always accompanied the beginning of school years. She watched as upper classmen clamored onto the train to find suitable compartments, and younger students tried to lift their trunks onto the train without the aid of magic.
Lily tried not to smile as a particularly frail-looking first year tried to balance her owl cage while shoving her trunk onto the train, but before she could move to help her, a tall bespectacled figure he knew all too well sidled up to the girl and lifted her trunk in one swoop. James Potter smiled down at the admiring young face beneath him, and said something that Lily, who stood on the other side of a ruckus group of fourth years, could not make out. She looked away quickly before James could catch her staring at him, and hurried on to the train. She had never admitted this to anyone but her mum, but she didn't really have it in her heart to hate James Potter. She knew that everyone assumed that because she shot down his advances, she could not tolerate him. In fact, if you were to ask the seventeen year old in a moment of weakness, she might admit that she didn't really trust herself to not fancy James Potter, and as he was more than slightly immature, she could predict that if he were to find that out, it would only end with both of them hurt. It was all together more safe to stay away from him and his friends, no matter how amusing she found them.
She was the first person to arrive at the Prefect's compartment, and as she settled on a chair at the head of the table, she took out her notebook and consulted the ever-growing list of life goals she first drew up at the ripe age of 10. She ran a finger down to the 46th item on the list, which she added in her second year in Hogwarts, right between items 45. Make Prefect and 47. Marry a musician. As she drew a neat star next to 46. Make Head Girl, the compartment door opened, announcing the entrance of Potter. Lily looked down quickly, and turned the pages of her notebook quickly lest he glance and see the last item she had penciled in, 253. Get along with Potter.
"Alright, Evans?" He asked, taking a seat next to her.
"Hello," Lily replied, her eyes planted firmly on her notebook.
James shifted next to her, and she could feel his furtive stare on her face. "You must be wondering what I'm doing here." When she didn't say anything, he continued. "Well, you'll be saddened to know that Dumbledore has finally lost his bonce, since he made me Head Boy."
Lily finally looked up and met his gaze. However, if James had been expecting surprised elation or shocked horror, he was sadly disappointed, as she got neither. Instead, Lily merely nodded. "I know."
James had always considered himself a very good speaker. Indeed, he exuded confidence and charisma that drew others to him. He was able, with the help of his friends, to bring the entire Great Hall at a standstill if he so wished, and he was certain it was due to his excellent oral diction. Still, as Lily glanced down at her notebook again, all he could do was splutter.
"You know?"
"Of course I know." Lily gritted her teeth. She had no tolerance for idiocy, and at that moment, James was not making item 253 very easy on her. "Remus told me."
"When did he tell you?" James asked, trying to recover whatever refinement in speech he possessed.
"I ran into him in Diagon Alley a couple of weeks ago." Lily said as she doodled hearts around Warrell Greyfeather's name. James' eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her quill trace what looked like the 20th small heart, but he stopped himself from snapping at her that a pansy singer like Greyfeather wouldn't be interested in a school girl, even if she did have a face that reminded him of summer, and hair that smelt comfortingly of Christmas.
"So," He shook his head and leaned away from her, as the scent was slightly intoxicating. "What do you think?"
"About what?"
"Me being Head Boy, you dolt."
"Don't call me that, and I don't really have an opinion yet. I'll judge you once you prove yourself or otherwise, if that's okay with you."
James went to ruffle his hair but then stopped himself. "That wasn't really the reaction I was expecting, Evans."
"What did you envisage, then? A party?"
James grinned. "Quite the opposite, really."
"I don't know why people expect me to overreact about everything. I mean, I'll admit that I was… surprised when Remus told me, but I'm not one to be in a strop over things I can't control."
"I know that, but you're still taking this much more calmly than I thought you would."
"I know you've calmed down in the past year, Potter, I'm not blind. And I trust Dumbledore. If he thinks you can be an effective Head Boy, then I believe him."
"Would you feel the same way if he made Sirius Head Boy?"
"No, because Sirius is insane, and you have some common sense, at least."
"Well, I know you don't think I'm insane now- but would you stop that, because it's driving me mad." He placed a hand over her quill before she could draw another heart.
Lily looked up and smirked, trying to ignore the leap her stomach took. "Why, are you jealous?"
"If I say yes, will you be cross?"
"No, but I'd tell you that you're ridiculous."
"Then yes."
"Yes what?"
"Yes, I'm jealous."
Lily's grin widened. "You're not a Warrell Greyfeather fan, I take it?"
"I don't think his songs were meant for my kind."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't really have knickers to drop when he starts to croon."
Lily laughed, and James smiled. "Stupefy My Heart is one of the loveliest songs I've heard, thank you."
"And that has nothing to do with how Greyfeather looks?" James cocked an eyebrow at the pretty redhead.
"I've always liked a man with a beard."
James' eyes travelled heavenward. "Oh… for… the… love… of Agrippa."
"You're just annoyed because you can't grow a beard." Lily giggled.
"And how would you know?"
"I remember the whiskers you modeled last year."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Evans."
"I honestly thought a caterpillar had crawled on your top lip and died."
"Are you sure you're Head Girl, because you're starting to imagine things. Do you know what year it is, Evans? What's your middle name?"
Suddenly, the compartment door opened, and James realized that his hand was resting on top of Lily's for the last 5 minutes. He moved it quickly and folded his arms, but not before Snape could see where that hand had been. Severus Snape froze at the door, unable to believe what he had just witnessed, though Lily's blush and James' reddening ears seemed to only confirm his worst nightmare. He felt anger swell in his chest, a type of anger that seemed to reserve itself for moments that involved the Marauders. However, he was saved from reacting as other Prefects lined behind him, trying to enter the compartment.
Lily quickly stood up in order to put some distance between her and the Head Boy and she tried to ignore Sev's glare. She smiled at the prefects as they slowly filed in, and when the door shut behind the last prefect, James stood up. "Alright then, Allons-y."
Lily took a seat next to Marlene and grinned at her friend. She surreptitiously watched James as he took a seat with the Marauders a few seats across from her. He said something to Sirius who let out a loud bark-like laugh.
"Do you remember Paul Zabini?" Marlene asked Lily.
"Vaguely," Lily said, tearing her eyes away from the loud boys. "Isn't he the one you snogged last week at the dance club?"
"More than snogged, darling." Marlene grinned impishly. "He could do things with his tongue that should be outlawed."
"You know what should be outlawed? You, sharing things like that with me. It makes me queasy."
"Don't be a swot. Anyway, he asked me to go to the first Hogsmeade trip with him."
"Already?" Lily gaped. "School hasn't even started. The Welcoming Feast hasn't even started."
"Real men like to move quickly, especially when it comes to me."
"Because you're a slag."
"Jealousy is unbecoming, Lil." Marlene wrapped her arm around Lily's. Lily smiled down at her friend and patted her head affectionately. She had always liked Marlene, despite Sev's old warnings that she was a bad influence. She didn't really understand why everyone assumed she would move through boys the same way Marlene did just because she liked the girl's company. If anything, they were complete opposites that way. Lily could count on one hand the amount of boys she snogged, let alone slept with.
Lily looked up as Dumbledore stood up, and her eyes travelled along the table. She nudged Marlene when she saw the figure that sat to Flitwick's right. He was much younger than the last Defense professor they had, who retired after one year due to health problems. This man couldn't have been older than 30, with russet hair that reached his earlobes.
"I swear on Merlin's wand, Dumbledore hired him to torture me." Marlene mumbled.
"He's quite fetching, isn't he?" Mary MacDonald said as she saw her dormitory mates' eyes fixed on the young man.
"I should ask him if he's against corporal punishment, because he could bend me over and spank me anytime he wanted."
Lily rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop herself from agreeing with Marlene. It was hard not to find the man attractive, and as she glanced around the Great Hall, she saw that most of Hogwarts' female population were watching the professor as he spooned roast potatoes on his plate.
"You lot are pathetic." Sirius Black spoke up.
"You have to admit he's scrummy." Marlene said, grinning at the four boys.
"I don't have to admit anything, McKinnon." James replied, then smirked at Lily. "Good thing he doesn't have a beard, Evans."
"Oh shut it." She said absently.
"I should ask him if he could sing, because then you might have a coronary."
"If you don't shut up, I'm getting you knickers for Christmas."
"You're giving James your used knickers, Evans?" Sirius smirked.
"You're revolting." Lily glared.
"And you're drooling. He won't look twice at any of you, you know."
"It doesn't mean we can't hope." Lily grinned at Sirius, and turned to Marlene. "And I shall definitely speak to Dumbledore about corporal punishment. I'll even pitch in for a cane."
"And I'm revolting?"
A/N: That was fun to write. Let me know if you have comments/suggestions, as they will be greatly appreciated.
Just as a forewarning, this fanfiction will contain scenes of explicit sexual nature, as well as bad language and general debauchery. Because life would be boring otherwise, really.