This story begins with two opposites, as many do, struck apart by similarities. On the first of September the sky rumbled with anticipation as a new year of students hassled with luggage whilst defying instinct, diving into the seeming solid barrier that separated platforms 3 and 4 in Kings' Cross. It would be easy to delve into this crowd, separating the two main characters but in truth, at this moment, they were just more faces in the blur of the crowd, they were not main characters yet. This was before prejudices and opinions could be formed, before they opposed. After all cases and rucksacks were safely stored in appropriate cabins, an eleven year old boy with short brown hair and sparkling blue eyes sat himself in the first cabin with someone his own age, a quiet green eyed girl in cabin 4a. After tentative conversation, keeping away from family histories and matters of magic, Lily Evans became makeshift friends with Remus Lupin. Six years later Lily did not regret this immediate friendship, and in cabin 4a continued their annual conversation which began, somewhat peculiarly, with a description of the amount of clothes and personal items they had brought.
"I thought, as it was our final year, and I could shrink everything into my case, I would bring everything I wanted but, well, I wasn't sure how big the room would be" Lily's eyes glistened, willing Remus to ask her the question but half fearful of his response. They had become used to spending every Thursday night together, traipsing round the North and East parts of the castle, exploring new rooms, or lost rooms, and each other's weeks, Lily wasn't sure how willing she'd be to give this up, but a shimmering steel badge in a box in the bottom of her trunk threatened to separate them.
"Lily, the rooms don't change year to year, are you expecting a different dormitory- Hold on, are you Head Girl?" The grin was impossible to repress and Lily pulled a face, crinkling her nose,
"Yes! And you... are you...?" The excitement of this possibility drew into her and she once again found it impossible to read Remus' apathetic expression.
"A prefect still? Yes. I'm not Head Boy, Lily, sorry" His constant need to apologise usually grated on Lily's nerves, but now she was just too curious to notice. After thirty minutes of solid gossiping, their conversation was interrupted, as it was every year despite changing compartments, by a mob of marauders.
"Lily Evans," her opposite cried, "do I detect about me a certain air only produced by the presence of a shiny new badge?" Peter Pettigrew (shapeless and ordinary as ever) fed upon Potter's words and stuttered
"Are y-you... H-Head G-Girl?" All rucksacks and personal belongings were thrown around the compartment until Remus drew his wand and banished them to the shelves. Lily remained expressionless leaving only her eyes sparkling like rain caught in a burst of sunlight until she bowed her head modestly and practically screamed her monosyllabic one word reply. Potter's smile cracked into a grin and even Black looked happy,
"You'll never guess who's Head Boy" Potter sang, Lily only shook her head gormlessly bursting with intrigue, "Me! And I have a shiny new badge to prove it"
This could not dampen Lily's spirits and she left Remus in the same way she annually did, racing to her friends' cabin, the spring in her step, however, was noticeably crippled.
After telling the five closest of her friends about her new revelation, the cabin echoed with mutters of 'James Potter?' and 'Head Boy?' until these phrases dripped off the walls and all the girls except one fell into laughter. Annabel never found the muttering repetition particularly interesting, especially as its began when she revealed her probable attraction to the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain and the walls dripped with 'Hufflepuff!?'. Once all childish giggling had subsided they lapsed into tradition,
"Well, I saw Amos Diggery and he certainly has sorted himself out over the summer, slight stubble, much taller, can finally dress himself" Lucy exposed to the other girls' interest.
"I don't know, I saw Lucious Malfoy and he looks a lot better, someone must've cut off his pony tail because now it's just long enough to droop into his steel grey eyes, except they seem more liquid steel, you could dive into them... oh, and he has some very acceptable shoes" Lily had to nudge Alice out of her day dream so her analysis could be finished,
"I note that Frank is looking rather, how did you put it, Jane? Dashing." Lucy said pointedly to Alice. Alice's shrug was so minute it could have been missed by human eye, but Lily nudged her again, forcing her to reply.
"It's just" Alice muttered, "it's our final year, and if he can't be bothered to do anything about it, well, I can't put up with being 'friends with benefits', or 'study buddies' or whatever you call it, any more. Why can't I ogle at Malfoy's slightly too tight shirt?"
The train, and conversation, rolled on without obvious interruption until the Midland's levels turned to a harsher landscape, contour lines holding close together as they hugged the edges of hills and their final stop at the final station arrived, for the final time.
To sit at the tables in the Great Hall, for their final year, empowered the year group, each became the person to start the cheering for the next new member, each set the example for conversation, for table manners, and it was impossible not for them to remember their own first year. All melancholy, however, was crushed with a solemn speech from Dumbledore about unity, peace, love, and (of course) Voldemort. After eating their own weight in mashed potato, steak, and sausages, silence fell across their shoulders like a weighty blanket. Dumbledore had moved from his seat on the Teachers' table to stand behind the golden podium,
"And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you your leaders, Head Boy Mr James Potter, please stand up, and Head Girl Miss Lily Evans. Though they may seem smiling and helpful, I must warn you not to cross them, they can take points and set detentions, moreover they are both rather skilled with their wands." With this Potter flex his muscles and mock-glared at all the students, waggling his finger at certain First Year, Lily however stood impassive, with the same half smile set on her face.
"Captains of all sports, and yes I do include Gobstones Mr Cooper, will be posted in house common rooms, and with that, to bed" Dumbledore finished, and with a final hand flourish the plates were cleaned and removed, the curtains drew in the Great Hall and prefects began guiding students back to their common rooms.