Lily crossed the boundary to get to platform 9 3/4, her whole body shaking with nerves as she prepared for her final year at Hogwarts. This was her first year alone as Petunia had demanded that their mother and father stayed with her to sort out wedding plans for her wedding to the pig.
The horrific and unrepeatable thoughts about her sister and her fiancé escaped her mind as soon as she saw the familiar scene of the platform. The beautiful, scarlet red train lay elegantly on the tracks smoke billowing out of it. Hundreds of teenagers saying last goodbyes to their families, reunion hugs with friends, prefects helping the new students load their trunks onto carriages.
This was going to be her best year yet. Lily had already decided this and she was determined to make it happen.
"SIRIUS FUCKING BLACK I'M GOING TO KILL YOU I SWEAR ON MERLIN'S LIFE," James Potter, resident twat of Hogwarts, screamed over the crowds, silencing the platform for a few short seconds. Lily spun on her heel to see the two boys fighting over what appeared to be an old, dripping piece of parchment.
"Potter. I knew I should've bet on you causing trouble before we even left the platform." Lily tried her best to look angry as she said this but she could not avoid the small chuckle and smile that escaped her lips.
James pulled a hand up to his head and combed through his jet black hair, messing it up further and dropping the parchment on the platform, a smile enchanting his face at the sight of her, "Evans! Long time no see, how was your summer?"
"Great thanks James, I think the 28 letters a day told me how yours was." Lily winked at him.
"Hey! I would've stopped sending them if you didn't reply!"
"Yeah Lilbert, you can blame it on Jamsie all you like but you're the one egging him on by replying." Sirius always had a knack of getting involved at just the right moment to drive Lily and James to flush a deep red.
As soon as she regained speech, Lily retaliated, "Whatever Sirius, like I don't know about your obsession with Marlene."
"Ob-obsession! You are deluded Lily dearest. I always knew the ginger hair meddled with your brain." Sirius attempted to play it off but didn't quite meet James or Lily's eyes as he claimed to feel nothing for their friend.
"Whatever, I'm going to go see the girls before my heads meeting. Bye James! Bye Sirius!" And Lily skipped off, James' gaze never leaving her until she turned around the corner of the train corridor.
"Prongs, mate, you are whipped," Sirius gave him a small slap on the shoulder "well we should probably board too, have you told her yet?"
"No..."
"She's going to be in for one hell of a surprise then isn't she."
"Yeah... I hope she doesn't hate me."
"Oh you truly are oblivious aren't you James." Remus declared as he walked past the boys, leaving James to look on with a dumbfounded look on his face, confused beyond belief as he picked up the map and boarded the train for the last time.
James walked tentatively towards the prefects compartment. A small sliding door separating him from reality. A small sliding door that could change everything for better or for worse. He took a deep breath and slid it open, ready to face the wrath of Lily Evans, the love of his life even if she didn't know it.
"Hello, I'm Lily and I'm th-" Lily began to introduce herself to the new unknown head boy "James? What are you doing here? The head boy is due soon and I don't have time to mess around."
"Umm, well, Lily... I am the head boy" James told her, flinching slightly in anticipation.
"What the fuck was Dumbledore thinking," Lily chuckled to herself "a marauder for head boy! He truly has lost his mind with old age."
"Yeah... I guess... I'm really sorry about it." James admitted sheepishly.
"Sorry for what? You haven't done anything yet surely? We've only just left King's cross!"
"Head Boy, you deserve someone mature and smart, not me."
"Potter, in case you hadn't realised, you're at least 67.4 times more mature than you were last September. And anyway, you're the only person beside Remus that can control Black, it would have to be one of you as Head Boy if we wanted anything close to peace this year!"
James stared at her, struggling to form any sentence or even phrase to express his disbelief. She didn't hate him! He quickly pushed away all hope when he realised this didn't mean she liked him either.
"H-...Do y-... Bu-..."
"Need some help there Potter? Kneazle got your tongue?"
"You aren't mad?"
"Uh, no, I guess not."
And those five words gave James more hope than Lily could ever imagine.
"I can't believe you two blew up a tree! What did the muggles think?" Lily could barely get her words out amongst the laughter.
"Dad told them it was lightning, they didn't seem to trust us" James was laughing equally as hard.
Remus smiled to himself, hardly wanting to interrupt a good moment for the two of them, but he needed to tell them that it wouldn't be long until they reached Hogsmeade.
"MOONY, MOOOOOOONNNYYYYYY WHERE ARE YOU," Sirius' voice echoed down the carriage making Remus cringe a little at the idea of having to deal with Padfoot and Wormtail and their incessant needs and problems, "MOONY HELP. PETER'S STUCK AGAIN. MOOOOONY BAAAABBBYYYYY."
"I'll be there soon Sirius." Remus called out to his friends as he gently rapped on the door to alert the heads.
"Come in!" Lily's voice called out the compartment.
Remus smiled gently at the sight of the two teenagers as he walked in to greet them. James was gazing at Lily with infatuation and admiration radiating off him, a huge, goofy grin plastered across his face. Lily was as red-faced as her hair from endless laughter, the ghost of it still on her face as she struggled to compose herself. Remus knew it wouldn't be long until either of them gave in.
"We have about half an hour until we reach Hogsmeade, I've just spoken to the driver and I've alerted the rest of the train."
"Oh my god! I was meant to do that, I'm so sorry Remus we got distracted and caught up."
"It's fine Lily, don't worry I was happy to do it. You two look like you've been really busy anyway and I don't want to intrude so I'll just be on my way." Remus attempted to walk out the compartment to leave his friends to continue bonding.
"Nonsense Moony! You aren't intruding." James didn't look entirely convinced as he said this and was happily surprised to see a small frown on Lily's face as she listened.
"Don't worry, you two continue, I need to help Padfoot and Wormtail anyway. You two look really happy together, who would've thought two years ago that you two could be friends." Remus trailed off as he escaped the compartment, leaving his friend to finish talking to the boy she didn't know she loved, and leaving his best friend to get the girl he'd loved since he was thirteen.
It wouldn't be long now, Remus thought to himself, neither of them could resist for that long.
Stampedes of students ran to every window possible to see Hogsmeade as they pulled in to the station. Hogwarts lay high above the village on top of the hill, shouts of joy and comfort spread down the train as everyone saw their home for the next 9 months.
"First Years! First Years to Hagrid!" Lily and James attempted to shout over the bumbling mess of students on the platform.
"Lily! Always knew ya'd make 'ead girl." Hagrid ruffled up Lily's hair, "And James Potter? Blimey, Dumbledore the old fool ain't keepin' it too discreet anymore, is he?"
"Keeping what discreet Hagrid?"
"Oh, never mind James, I've said too much already. Yous two better be gettin along to the carriages now then. McGonagall won't be too pleased if the 'ead boy and girl are late to the feast"
James grabbed Lily's hand and they ran over towards the carriages, pleased to see that their friends had waited for them.
They opened the carriage door to all their friends laughing and shouting whilst they played, what appeared to be, a particularly vicious game of exploding snap. James turned and beamed at Lily before entering the carriage. Where his usual smirk lay, a true smile lit up his face and everything surrounding him, provoking a fire in Lily's stomach that had been slowly growing over the last year. His smile then began to transform into a classic smirk as he attempted to dull down his emotions. Before thinking, she grabbed his wrist and whispered to him before he could sit down.
"Never hide a smile that wonderful again, I much prefer it to your smirk."
Lily sauntered up into the carriage, leaving James astonished at what she had just said and seemingly stuck to the ground below.
"Earth to James! Earth to James! Are you gonna come on mate? Or just stand there looking like a garden gnome's gnawing at your balls."
"Oh, so eloquently put Padfoot, you truly do have a way with words."
Marlene and Alice had already grabbed Lily and tried to get the gossip out of her.
Marlene was a beautiful, skinny, tall girl with honey blonde, wavy hair flowing to her waist. She had beautiful blue eyes and slightly tan skin from her summer holiday to Italy.
Alice Fortescue, on the other hand, was a short, curvy brunette with huge brown eyes and milky white skin.
"So! Does James know about these oh-so-wonderful dreams of last summer? Please tell me you're dating! We saw you whisper to him when you came in!"
"What Marlene? No! I was just... telling him about head duties." Lily blushed at the memories of her summer.
Marlene snorted, "Yeah right, as if Head duties would leave him looking at you like that."
"Whatever, I haven't told him anything and I'd appreciate it if either of you didn't either. We're just friends!"
"Oh but you could be so much more Lils!" Alice pleaded with her, "Come on you know you want more!"
Dorcas Meadowes, a tall, stunning girl with mahogany skin, had come over to assist.
"Lily, it's not like he's changed his mind, a few words and he's yours." She whispered tauntingly into her ear before the boys tried to join in their conversation.
Dorcas then stood up to go sit on the other side of Alice, leaving Lily alone as the boys stepped back in to the carriage. Sirius pushed past James to go sit next to Marlene, pushing him down into Lily's lap in the meantime.
"Get your arse up Prongs, Lily doesn't want you down there! Cheeky prat! Most of us wait a few dates first." James' cheeks burned brightly at this, smiling sheepishly at Lily to apologise.
"As if you wait Black, you're on a girl before you've left for Hogsmeade."
"Marlene McKinnon, excuse you I have a much better etiquette than that."
"Right I'll agree when I see it."
"First Hogsmeade weekend?"
"You're on Black."
James stood up at this, "Oi! No way can it be that easy!" He pointed accusingly at his friend. "No way can you get a girl you've liked for so long to date you just like that!"
"James sit down," Remus tugged him back down to his seat, "You don't need to be making a fool out of yourself."
James folded his arms and sat down harshly in his seat, almost crushing Lily in the midst of his actions. Her breath hitched in her throat as his thigh gently brushed against hers, knees knocking together as the carriage pulled sharply around the corner.
Suddenly the carriage hit a bump and all the inhabitants were sent flying into the air. James instinctively grabbed Lily around the waist to do his best to keep her in her seat. But Lily rotated and ended up falling in his lap. A cacophony of whooping surrounded them as they appeared to be stuck in time. Lily refusing to move from James' lap, his arms wrapped around her holding her close to him. The pair soon realised what was happening and scrambled to get away from each other. Escaping emotions by sitting as far as physically possible for 2 people in seats next to each other.
This was certainly going to be an interesting year. None of the seventh year Gryffindors could deny that.