"See! No one here! Lucky us." Sirius exclaimed, as they appeared with a pop on the shore of a lake, surrounded by trees.
"What? You weren't sure?" Remus rolled his eyes in disbelief. "You are insane."
"Oh, come on Moony! Live a little!" He dropped his towel on the ground, ripped of his shirt, winked at Lily and ran down into the water.
Lily and Remus looked at each other, but couldn't keep smiles from lighting their faces at the antics of their friend. Remus shrugged, unbuttoned his shirt and folded it into a neat pile before following Peter and Mary into the lake after Sirius. Lily was struggling with the laces of her shoes, and James was stalling to keep her company. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
"So, Mary tells me you're Head Girl this year."
Lily looked up, smiling. "Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you! I'm sorry! I meant to write you, but it's been so crazy at home, with Petunias wedding and everything."
"No worries, I just wanted to congratulate you. You're going to be fantastic at it. The perfect choice", he said, and meant it.
"Thank you." She smiled, and then the knot came loose, and Lily stood to unzip her shorts.
"Don't you want to know who you'll be working with?"
"Yeah, do you know who it is? I asked Remus about it, but he didn't know."
"That's because I asked him not to tell you."
Lily laughed and kicked off her shorts. "Why would you do that?"
James bit his lip, trying to avoid looking anywhere but at her dazzling face. "Because I wanted to tell you myself. That I was made Head Boy, I mean."
She looked up at James where he leaned against a tree, surprise evident in her eyes. "Really? You're Head Boy?"
"Yeah." He looked uncertain of something, playing with the hem of his shirt. Lily took a step towards him and put her arms around his middle, almost lifting him with the strength of her hug.
"Oh, James, that's so great! I thought I might have to spend the year with that prat Eric Larsen. You'll be much more fun to work with!" James laughed as she let go of him, not quite believing her reaction.
"So, you're not disappointed?"
Lily raised her eyebrows in what he thought was genuine surprise. "No? Why would you think that?"
He ran his fingers though his hair. "Well, you weren't particularly fond of me only a year ago."
Lily shrugged. "People change." She smiled, and so did he.
"Aren't you surprised at least? I mean, I was shocked for a few days when I found out. Thought it was a prank or something."
She seemed to ponder his words for a minute. "Well sure, I didn't expect it, but… it kind of makes sense. Dumbledore must have thought we need someone brave, who dare stand up against dark magic. A leader, like you. The real question is why he chose me, of all people."
James laughed, his eyes glowing after her praising words. "Don't be silly, Lily." She stuck her tongue out at him for his rhyme. "You are all those things. Besides, you're a muggle-born, so your stakes are much higher. Which makes you braver, too."
She smiled and looked into his eyes. For a moment, she felt the urge to embrace him again, only much more tenderly. She had taken half a step towards him when Sirius yelled at them from the lake.
"Come on! Stop flirting with him, Evans!"
Lily rolled her eyes and pulled her shirt over her head, pretending not to notice James gaze. Then she ran into the water, pulling an unsuspecting Sirius down under the surface with her.
James smiled fondly. Then he followed her into the water and, despite it being as cold as every early summer, felt a warmth spreading in his chest.