Title: Missing Her
Rating: T
Character/Pairing: Lily/James
Summary: "Good." James opened the compartment's door and looked back at Lily. "I really did miss you this summer." He walked down to the prefects' compartment, leaving a very confused Lily behind. Written for daysandweeks' '5 Chapter Challenge' and xXStandingInTheRainXx's 'What You'd Never Write' challenge.

He was standing at the platform, watching as she chatted with her friend. The breeze caressed her now auburn hair- so different from the scarlet red it had been for the past six years. She was taller, more slender, but just as beautiful. He had missed her and wanted to go up and kiss her at that very moment, but his new resolution held fast. They were Heads together this year, and he would do nothing to jeopardize that. He would take extra precaution to not ask her out.

He smelled a hint of lavender as he passed by her to get on the train. Casting all thoughts of Lily out of his mind, he searched the compartments for the other Marauders. He managed to find them when he saw a stream of water raining upon someone with a green badge. The person left and James entered the compartment laughing.

"Who can I credit the soaked Slytherin to?"

Remus looked up. "Who else do you think? It was Sirius."

James turned towards his best friend and smirked. "Your Aguamenti spell has gotten better." The two hugged. Sirius gave James a look when he didn't sit down.

"I have to go actually." Sirius started to ask why when he spotted the badge on James' chest.

"You're the bloody Head Boy? Merlin. What the hell was Dumbledore thinking?

"Shut up. Where's Peter?"

"Dunno. He probably went to find some cheese." Sirius laughed at his pun. James shook his head. He said good-bye to Remus and Sirius and made his way to the Head's compartment. He grew silent when he entered. She was already here! He wasn't ready yet. His hand reached up to mess with his hair and he brought it back down immediately. He had to act as if he wasn't in love with her. She turned away from the window to look at him and he swore. She was more beautiful now than when he saw her earlier.

"Hello, Potter," she said.

"Hello, Evans." He sat down opposite her and looked pointedly away. The silence pressed around them, and James had to say something.

"I- we, missed you this summer." Lily looked at James quizzically but did not say anything.

James started to babble. "When we went down to the shore. Mary came with us. She pushed Sirius in and Peter fell in when he tried to save him."

"Oh…" Lily looked downcast. "I, um, I had some family issues over the summer. That's why I couldn't go. I wanted to though; I've only seen Mary once this summer." James heart soared, but then grew guilty.

"Do you wanna-"

"No, I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. Just, I'm here. Trust me; I'm used to family problems."

"Potter, I said that I didn't want to talk about it! How hard is that to understand?" She was now glaring at him with tears in her eyes.

James threw his hands up in the air. "Merlin, Evans. I was just trying to bloody help." The two lapsed back into silence. They didn't speak until the train was closer to Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry, Potter," Lily said quietly, looking down at her lap. "It's just a really difficult time right now."

"It's okay, Evans, but you have to do one thing before I forgive you," James leaned over to Lily and made her raise her head. "You have to call me James. It's completely mad to have two Gryffindor Heads fighting all the time."

She sighed. "Fine… James."

"Good." James opened the compartment's door and looked back at Lily. "I really did miss you this summer." He walked down to the prefects' compartment, leaving a very confused Lily behind.