Chapter One:

Avery looked up from her book. She could've sworn she had heard something. She took a quick look around the compartment she was currently alone in. Seeing nothing unusual, she went back to reading her novel, while tightening her grip on her wand in her pocket. Suddenly, there was an creepy feeling in the empty compartment she sat in. Her friends, Jessica and Albus, had gone to change into their school robes; they should've been back by now. Avery had dismissed the thought until now, but now she noticed how quiet the train was, despite the other packed compartments packed with children ready to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Avery's attention was drawn away from her book yet again by the sound of the soft click of the door handle moving slowly. A look of realization dawned on Avery's face as she ducked down just in time to avoid her face meeting a small brown sphere being hurled into her compartment, leaving dirt residue on the seats and all over her book, while simultaneously letting off a putrid odor in the compartment.

"Evanesco!" Avery yelled, with a flick of her wand she caused the dungbomb to vanish. "Getting predictable, are we, Potter?" She asked in an irritated voice, but unable to keep some amusement from leaking through as she inspected her now ruined book. It was a good one too, the Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. Pity.

"It was about time you got your nose out of those books anyway."

"Maybe if you picked one up once in a while, you would learn a thing or two, like how not to be an arrogant prat." Avery retorted. She looked up when she heard that familiar laugh ring throughout the compartment and was immediately frozen in place, trapped by two azure blue orbs staring amusedly at her. No. Of course he just HAD to change over summer. How could three months be that kind towards someone? There was no doubt that James Potter had always been a somewhat decent looking male specimen, after all he was deemed Hogwarts' current heartthrob and self-proclaimed playboy, but Avery usually was unaffected, even deterred(or so she seemed), from his looks. Now, his features were more defined and chiseled; his hair had grown shaggier and more untamed, making his eyes contrast even more with his midnight black hair; His build was also slightly less lanky than it had been last year, more taut and muscular, probably from practicing quidditch over the summer. Streaks of Avery's hair started changing from her usual dirty blonde hair to a soft pink and her face started to heat up when she realized she was staring, so she quickly averted her gaze to the floor. Merlin, she wanted to hit him. And not hit him at the same time. It was...complicated, to say the least. He had picked on her since first year, the minute she had walked onto the great oak doors of Hogwarts.

*Flashback*
Avery had known something was wrong before she even looked up. She had an uncanny ability to sense danger, but usually it wasn't until it was too late. This was one of those times. One second, she was lining up to get sorted, and the next she was covered in peanut butter. Yeah, peanut butter, I mean who does that? She looked across the hall towards the boy who look like he was about to pee himself from laughing so hard. Avery fumed, her hair turning red, too furious to get any words out? The fact that people were murmuring about her metamorphagus powers made it all the worse. Right as she was about to let an out a stream of carefully selected words, an extremely short girl led her away to change her robes.

"I'm sorry," the short girl said as she casts a spell to rid it of the peanut butter, "but, hey, at least you aren't allergic." She said trying to lighten the mood.

Avery smiled and said, "It's not like it's your fault. And thank you so much."

"I'm Jessica Wood by the way, first year. What an interesting accent you have."

"Thanks? It's American. I'm Avery Hicks, first year." She responded, "You wouldn't happen to know who that boy was would you?"

Jessica rolled her eyes before answering,"That's James Potter, prankster extraordinaire." She said in mock awe, "The one who has students and teachers on edge and a horde of fangirls at his beck and call." She giggled.

"Well, I take it that you don't have a personal liking towards this James Potter?"

Jessica scoffed, "Of course not, you would have to be suicidal to do that!"

Avery asked, "Then, I suppose you could help me give him a taste of his own medicine."

Jessica's eyes gleamed in excitement,"Sounds fascinating, how about we talk about it after dinner, right now I'm too hungry to think about revenge." She said as she started bounding towards the Great Hall.

Avery giggled and followed her back to the tables where the first years were getting sorted. She tried to forget about him as she was sorted, but it was difficult when she was seated at the Gryffindor table with him. Lovely, they were in the same house. She looked over and saw him in his seat, dying to hold his laughter in.

A voice came from behind her. "Just ignore him; my older brother is a twat."

She twirled around to come face to face with a boy, obviously first year. "He's your brother?" Avery questioned.

"Yeah."

"I am so sorry." Avery said in mock sorrow.

The boy grinned and said in mock grieving as well. "I know, thank you for your sympathy."

Avery giggled. "My name is Avery."

"Mine is Albus."

"Well, Albus, I hope you know, despite how nice you seem, I'm going to completely ignore your advice."

Albus sighed and said, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Oh come on, I think your brother needs a little payback. Don't tell me you aren't dying to get him back."

Albus saw the determination in her face and sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'm in, what's the plan?"

"Meet me outside the Great Hall after dinner, I'll explain everything there."
*flashback end*

Yup that was the first day they ever met. Let's just say, things went downhill between Avery and James from there. Not one to be humiliated without revenge, Avery had retaliated. It had taken James a whole week to the get Slytherin House colors out of his hair after the first game of the year. Ever since then there had been a fierce war between the two Gryffindors, which often ended in detention and a penguin in the Prefects' bath. Things had died down the past year and it almost seemed as if the two students might be able to make it through all seven years at Hogwarts without ripping out each other's throats out. But then he had to go and ask her out. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting her to immediately to turn him down with a look of utter disbelief on her face, and it had only increased his determination and soon he was asking her nearly on a daily basis. When the sweet relief of winter break had come last year, Avery soon had discovered that she missed him and his almost constant presence around her. Bloody fantastic right? When she had returned from break, she couldn't look at him the same again. She had promised herself she wouldn't fall for him and would try to push him as far away from her as possible. It would only lead to heartbreak and humiliation. This way if he ever found out, she wouldn't lose a friend, she would lose an enemy. And things got 10,000x harder when she couldn't help but noticing little things about him like when he smiled, it always reached his eyes and made his the corner of his eyes crinkle. Or his laugh, how it wasn't a weird laugh, it was more animated and contagious than other laughs and made you want to laugh along with him. Or how sat upside down on the common room couch when he was studying or reading intently for once. Or when-

"You're cute when you try to sound British, Ree, but I do have to say you should stick with your American slang, it works for you." He said as he plopped down in the seat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Oh yeah, he was still there.

"I swear to Merlin, James, if you don't leave in the next seven seconds, you will leave this compartment in a body bag." Avery threatened, brandishing her wand.

"Aww come on Ree, I know you don't mean that."

"Try me." Avery sneered back.

"Ouch, that hurts right here, love." James pouted, holding his hands over the right side of his chest.

Avery rolled her green eyes. "Your heart is on the other side."

James quickly switched his hands to the left side of his chest and proclaimed dramatically, "The pain is so overwhelming I can't tell where it originates!"

Avery started to smile, but caught herself and turned it into a scowl. There was no need to give him an even more inflated ego. "Potter, just get out, I was here first."

"Sharing is caring."

"Potter..." Avery growled dangerously, her hair changing from soft pink to scarlet red.

"Well, I guess there is one thing that could convince me to leave." James said slyly.

"What?" Avery asked cautiously, slightly scared of the answer.

"Go with me to Hogsmeade this year."

"Wow, I'm impressed, Potter, you've already asked me out three hours before we even get to Hogwarts, I think that's a new record."

"Only for you, love." James said, winking at her.

"Just so we're clear, the answer is still no."

"Worth a shot." James said, shrugging indifferently.

Avery sighed exasperatedly and turned her attention back to her now ruined book. After a few seconds, she heard the compartment door slide open and shut again. She heaved a sigh of relief as she slumped against the seat. Her hair was slowly morphing back to its normal state, but her head was still buzzing with involuntary excitement. What was wrong with her. Three seconds into the school year after a summer of not seeing him and she was already mooning over him like the other valley girls at Hogwarts. "It's just hormones, it's just hormones." Avery chanted studiously in her head. Avery soon was pulled from her inner monologue from the sound of the compartment door opening again.

"For the love of Merlin, James, I swear I will turn you into a mouse and feed you to your sister's cat!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but last time I checked I wasn't James." Oh now they returned. Perfect timing.

Avery simply glared at Albus and Jessica as they stepped into the compartment and sat down in the now unoccupied seats.

"Jessica, I think there is something horribly wrong with Avery, it's been five whole seconds since you mentioned my brother and she hasn't grimaced with disgust yet!" Albus said in mock concern while holding the back of his hand against her forehead.

"You can cease your worrying, child, I'm just too tired to rant about Potter."

"What?! Avery, too tired for her favorite pastime? What has this world come to?!" Jessica asked in mock surprise. "You know, I'm starting to think maybe you secretly enjoy his teasing, even just a little. You actually didn't turn him into a toad this time. That, my friend, is called progress. "

"Oh please." Avery said in a disbelieving tone. " So I take it that you had nothing to do with that little encounter?"

Both Jessica and Albus immediately looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "No...of course not." Jessica lied, her voice uneven and several pitches higher than usual.

"You truly are terrible at lying." Avery stated, irritation lacing her voice.

"Oh come on, I swear he isn't as much as a block headed twat as he was in first year. He's actually really nice and funny which you would know for yourself if you gave him a small, itsy bitsy, teeny tiny chance." Jessica pleaded, holding her index finger and thumb about half an inch apart to empathize," I know you two would get along really well, if you catch my drift." She said suggestively.

Here we go again. Avery rolled her eyes and gave a sigh of exhaustion. Albus and Jessica (along with the rest of the school, including the teachers) seemed determined to get her to admit her "feelings" for James. Like hell she would! She was not going to give that arrogant egotistical toe rag the satisfaction of having another girl under his "god-like''influence. What difference did it make to them if he had one more girl openly gawking at him in the hallways?

Before she could reply that she would rather chew on broken glass than touch James Potter with a 10 foot pole, the train came to a stop.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please exit the train in an orderly fashion." The conductor's voice rang through the train, signaling the students to get off.

Avery immediately grabbed her belongings and started heading to the self-driven carriages in hopes to escape the conversation. Jessica and Albus came a few minutes after her, but didn't pursue the subject further. Avery soon was in a heated conversation with Albus about the possibility of narwhals living in the Bermuda Triangle when suddenly, she felt a prickly sensation on the back of her neck. She quickly turned her head around to catch James staring intently at her. He quickly averted his gaze and turned his attention back to the people in his carriage. She turned back to meet Albus's knowing gaze, but he said nothing. "This is going to be one hell of a year." She thought as she hid her red face in the red and gold scarf.