Lily walked into the Great Hall. This year was going to be perfect. She had her perfect friends, her perfect classes, her perfect boyfriend. And she was Head Girl. Sure, it was with that git Potter, but she would live. She had everything she had ever wanted. Danny came up and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek, promising more for later. She smiled up at him. "Hey, long time no see," she teased. They had just made out the entire way to school on the Hogwarts Express. "It was," Danny teased back, "I missed you."

This was her Danny. Safe and dependable. He let her be independent. He never called her "his woman." And she in turn never called him "her man." Except when she was feeling extreme affection for him, that's when she called him "Her Danny." She gave Danny a quick squeeze, then ran and joined her best friends Katy and Emma.

"Hey, guys! I missed you soooo much!" She squealed. Lily didn't need to ask either of them how their summers had been. They had exchanged letters so frequently; they might as well had been with each other. Just then Dumbledore announced his presence, along with the rules for the school year and a warm welcome. Finally he ended with "Let the Feast begin!" The food was delicious as it had been for the past 6 years and Lily, Katy, and Emma chatted and laughed till it was time to go to their dormitories.

Lily bid farewell to Katy and Emma in a dramatic fashion and told Danny she was going to go take care of her Head duties and that she would see him in the morning. This resulted in a chaste kiss on the lips and a "sleep well, sweetie." Then she went off to deal with Potter… and the prefects of course.

James walked into the Great Hall. He saw her. Gorgeous, beautiful, lovely, not his… Lily Evans. Sirius caught James' look of longing and stuck his elbow in James' stomach.

"Another long year of Prongs complaining about his unattainable Lily… greeeaat!"

"She can't be mine if she's unattainable," retorted James. But how he wished she was. Remus cast a pitiful glance in James' direction.

"Hey, at least James cares about someone other than himself!" Remus said defensively. Sirius gasped in mock offence.

"You couldn't possibly be talking about the most handsome boy in the school, who can have a different girl every week, right in front of him would you, Moony?" He then proceeded to ruffle his jet black hair, making a few girls swoon in his wake. He looked back at them, winked, and then laughed as he and his friends made their way to their usual spot at the Gryffindor table. After Dumbledore had made his speech, dinner was eaten with fervor. James looked up at the end of the feast to see Lily kissing her stupid boyfriend Kingsley. James immediately stood up.

"Got to go… Head duties…" he mumbled before hastily following Lily.

"Depends on what you mean by 'head'" muttered Sirius after James was out of ear shot.

"Hullo, Evans," greeted James. This was a new year, new chances. He had survived a tough summer. Without the help of Sirius and Remus, especially Remus, James would have been in a lot of trouble. The Potter's family, his little sister, Samantha, and his parents had been killed by Voldemort while he had been at a foolish quidditch game with Sirius and Remus. Sirius had been living with the Potters since he had refused to join up with the Dark Lord along with the rest of the Black family. Remus and the Lupins graciously took both boys in. James would never fully heal but Sirius and Remus had helped to get closer to his normal self in countless ways. Most importantly, they reminded him that a great wizard like himself needed to be strong for others. He reminded himself that those "others" included Lily. She had also indirectly helped him. The result was more mature and responsible, but still fun loving, James Potter. Lily's only response was a slight acknowledgement.

"Potter," she nodded at him.

"How was your summer?" he asked brightly.

"Great, actually, considering you weren't there," she answered, quite coolly. Potter had always been a nuisance. He thought he was better than everyone else. Why he thought that she had no clue. But he was arrogant, supercilious and played nasty tricks on many people, including her. She didn't bother to ask him how his summer was, fully expecting to be enlightened anyway. To her surprise, for the first time she was incorrect. Potter smiled and then they went on to accomplish their Head duties in record time. They then made their way up to the Head dormitories. Again to her surprise, she was first to speak. "Good night, Potter," she told him from the opposite stairwell.

James almost stopped dead in his tracks. Lily Evans had just initiated conversation with him. Ok, maybe not a full conversation but a brief CONVERSATION just the same. He was about to do a jig right there on the stairs. "Sleep tight, Evans," he said sweetly.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," she giggled. It was what her dad and she used to say when she was younger. Lily thought about Potter. Maybe he had changed. Maybe he was more mature. Maybe… her thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey, Evans?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you go out with me?"

Nope, he had not changed. Well, not enough anyway. "POTTER!" Lily half yelled, half grunted in frustration. She then slammed the door in his face and went to bed, unsure of exactly how perfect this year was really going to turn out to be.

Lily walked down to the Head commons fully expecting Potter to be there. He was not but a delicious breakfast was. Next to it was a note:

Dear Lily,

Happy first day of school. Or not? 

I love you.

-Danny Kinsgley

Lily smiled to herself. Her boyfriend was so great! She gorged herself till she thought she was going to burst. Then she went upstairs, showered and changed into her jeans and white t-shirt under her school robes. Katy once had said that Lily had no fashion. She never wore anything trendy, she never dressed up. Lily had retorted she never had a reason to. Emma had chimed in, saying that Lily never wore make-up or did her hair nicely. Feeling ganged up on, Lily silenced both girls with a deathly glare. Katy quickly back-peddled saying that Lily was so pretty she didn't need any of that stuff. Emma readily agreed.

That was one of the reasons she loved Danny. He liked her casualness. He loved her for herself. Right? Well, when she was casual she was herself. Not some made-up Barbie. And he loved her. So yes, he loved her for her. After contemplating life for a bit, she ran downstairs, noticed she had about 2 minutes to get to Advanced Transfiguration, realized she had no idea where the classroom was and was about to bolt out the door when she noticed another note for her. This one said "Lily" on the outside in Potter's chicken scratch handwriting. Lily hesitated for half-a-second thinking that picking up this note could transport her to some unknown place or turn her hair bright pink, but she picked it up anyway.

Dearest, Darlingest Lilykins,

I realized that you are running a tad late for class. I enclosed a map to Advanced Transfiguration. I LOOOVVEEE YOOOUUU!

Your lover forever,

James Potter

Lily didn't know whether to laugh or just be annoyed. Pushing the decision aside, she rushed out of the commons and, thanks to Potter's map, was only 1 minute late. She caught Potter's eye, gave him a silent "Thank You", and sat next to Danny, who greeted her with a big hug. "Thanks so much for the breakfast, Danny. That was so sweet," Lily thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. "Anything for you, Lily," he responded. "Wait till I tell Katy and Emma at lunch. They're going to be so jealous!" She did and they were. The rest of the week passed as normal. And every night Lily would wish Potter "Good Night" and he would respond with "Sleep Tight" and she would end with "Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite."

The weeks went on and so did Lily's routine. The only thing that changed was her feelings towards Potter. She was noticing his newfound maturity more and more, especially during Prefect Meetings. After dinner, Potter would help Lily with her Transfiguration homework and she would help him with his Charms. Sometimes, just sometimes, Lily would actually call Potter James in her head.

Everyone was noticing the blooming friendship. "Emma, Lily just spoke to James… as in not yelled or screamed at him. She didn't even accuse him of being arrogant," Katy told Emma the first time she saw this happen. "Moony, Lily just slapped James on the shoulder, in a friendly way," an astonished Sirius reported to an equally astounded Remus. Even the teachers were noticing. "Do you think Lily returns Mr. Potter's feelings, Albus? I mean, it's obvious to us that he loves her," Professor McGonagall asked the Headmaster. "I don't think so. Not yet," he answered with a twinkle in his eyes. Who should have over heard them other than Mr. Kingsley.

"You're sure?" Danny asked for the millionth time that day.

"Yes, Danny," Lily answered… again! The first time Danny had asked her if she had feelings for James it had been a little cute to know that he cared. But Lily did not like feeling possessed as she felt right now. She was thoroughly ANNOYED! "Listen to me. I love you. I'm cordial to Potter because we're both Heads, Ok?" she finally told him.

"Ok. I'm sorry, Lily," he muttered against her lips.

"All right, then. Where did you get these crazy ideas any way?" Lily pulled away just long enough to ask. Danny hesitated. Lily did not like being the center of attention and knowing that the teachers were gossiping about her would NOT make her feel good.

"No where," he said through another kiss. Lily smiled. She liked this feeling.

"Wait. I can't, Danny. Not tonight. I have tons of homework before break." Lily pushed Danny away.

"I understand. Good night, Lily. I love you," he said as he hugged her good night.

This was another reason Lily loved Danny. He knew that she was a book worm and he love her for it. Even on nights like tonight where she put her work first, just for a little while. He still loved her. "Goodnight. I love you, too."

Lily bounded up stairs after finishing her homework. She changed into her pajamas and was about to go to sleep when she realized she had almost forgotten her last part of her routine. She was still excited that tomorrow would be the first day of Christmas Break. She ran outside to wish Potter good night. But before she could say anything, she saw something she had never seen before.