Life As We Know It Chapter 1, a harry potter fanfic

I'm BACK! Who missed me?! I missed all of you! And I've got more writings up my sleeve! My oldest is in school now, as of this year, so I have time to write! This story has been in the works for awhile and I have 9 chapters of it already written (including this first one). I will do two updates a week - Mondays and Fridays to start. I may end up having to

go to weekly updates, but we'll see. For now, enjoy!

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June, end of 6th year:

Lily stopped short outside of Professor McGonagall's office. "What are you doing here?"

James shrugged. "McG asked to see me. I assume that's why you're here too."

Lily nodded, but said nothing else. They stood in silence for five long minutes until Professor McGonagall arrived. She opened the door and moved to sit in the lonely chair behind her desk. "Sit,"

Lily and James each took one of the seats in front of her, Lily sat upright and attentive and James slouched down, as if he really didn't want to be there. Minerva surveyed them for a moment. Then she sighed.

"Hopefully with this early warning, you two can learn to get-" Professor McGonagall said.

"Er, Professor? What warning would that be?" James interrupted and Lily sent a frown his way.

Minerva sighed. "The Head Boy and Girl positions, of course. Surely you two had some idea that you were to be named?"

"Dumb- Professor Dumbledore gave him Head Boy?"' Lily asked, stunned.

"Yes, Ms. Evans. And you are to be next years' Head Girl."

"But why?"

"Well, surely, Ms Evans, your achievements speak for themselves-"

"No, not me. Him. Why him?"

James glared at her. Lily was acting as though he wasn't even in the room or couldn't speak for himself. "Professor, surely there is some mistake. I'm not even prefect."

"I assure you, Potter, Evans, that there is no mistake and that the two of you will be Heads, unless one or both of you wish to resign that post now?"

"No," They both answered, and then turned to glare at each other as if they expected the other to give a different answer.

"Very well, you may go. The train will leave in an hour to take you home. And do try to enjoy your summers."

September 1st, 7th year

Lily smoothed her hands over the stack of papers before her nervously as she awaited everyone elses arrival into her train compartment. She looked around again, glancing at the papers in front of her one last time, making sure she'd put them in the proper order again. Waiting was not her thing. She hated it. The more time Lily spent waiting on anything, the more uptight she got about whatever it was. In this case, it was waiting to see whether James Potter was even going to show for the Head meeting. Unfortunately for her, Potter was Head Boy.

James Potter Head Boy? Yep, Dumbledore had gone senile. No one in their right mind would name James Potter (who wasn't even a prefect at all!) Head Boy. What had the man been thinking, putting one of the masters of mayhem in the top position? In charge of paper work and house points, detentions and patrols? Giving him responsibility that he clearly couldn't handle, given his past actions. But it was out of her control... she should just let it go...

Really though, James Potter?! At least he was better than Malfoy or even Snape. She may not like Potter's demeanor or personality, but she wasn't stupid enough to realize that she'd gotten lucky that it was him and not someone even more unpleasant. The least she could do was be civil. Besides, they were both of age, it was time they started acting like adults. And if that meant being civil, so be it. She could do that. Even if it took most of her will power.

James entered a few moments later with Remus. Remus took a seat towards the back of the room as Lily started to talk about what James should know, a smile on his face. It had taken all of Remus' patience to talk James into showing up instead of skipping out on her- which Remus had said wouldn't make to a great start as Head Boy or a good impression on Lily.

Of course, with James and Lily as heads, he knew it would only be a matter of time before the two of them were at each other's throats. It's what they did. Fight. Though generally the fighting came when James cursed or hexed someone...or a prank had gone wrong (he winced at the memory of Lily's red hair being bright blue for a week because she'd caught them setting up a prank and had accidentally set it off prematurely). Other than that...the two seemed to get along. But Remus wasn't sure if that was because they spent most of their out of class time apart or not. James had him, Sirius and Peter and Lily had her friends too. All Remus wanted was to get through his final year at Hogwarts without having to mend or replace one of James' limbs that Lily broke or cut (though the last time Lily had cracked two of James' ribs with a reducto curse, James had honestly deserved it).

James on the other hand was quickly learning a few things about Lily Evans that he didn't already know. She liked to plan...if the fact that she had every minute of the meeting ahead planned down to a T meant anything, and control things. It had to be her way apaprently, for it to be right. This year was certainly going to be interesting.

"Well, what if I want to cover the patrol schedule?" James asked. Not that he'd want to make up a new schedule every four weeks for at least sixteen students. Two from every house from fifth year to seventh year, plus he and Lily. Nope. Not in his right mind would he ever want to tackle that, but he figured he should at least attempt to show he was listening to her repeat herself half a dozen times. Plus, he decided, she was rather cute as she talked round and round herself without even realizing it.

"I've already got them done for the first month. If you want it that bad, you can start in October."

James frowned in shock. "You've...but that's impossible. You don't know who the new ones are yet!"

"Simple math. And all I have to do is fill in names after the meeting. I just put the first letter of each house in a time block on a certain day of the week. Then when we know who belongs in what house, I'll erase those letters and add the names instead." Lily waved the paper holding the patrols in front of him.

James shook his head in slight amazement. "Right... so you do that. And I'll...uh..make sure slips for detentions and house point deductions are filled out by everyone."

"As long as you fill them out this way..." And Lily proceeded to show him, as if he were four, how to fill out the form.

"Oy, Evans...! I'm pretty sure I know how those work," Having gotten about five hundred of them hmiself, he could recite what those specific papers said.

"But you have to do it the proper way or it'll be sent back and cause double the work!" Lily said and James could tell she was horrified by the thought of not doing something right the first time.

"I can read. And follow directions for myself, thanks. I don't need you showing me every little detail."

"All I'm doing is showing you the right way!" Lily said.

"By whose standards? Yours or the real ones?"

"Does it matter as long as it gets done?" she shot back.

James sighed. "Well, yea, Evans, it does. If the other way is shorter and less time consuming, I'm going with that. I've got enough on my plate without you hounding me too." Like the fact that Severus Snape knew Remus was a werewolf and could let it slip despite Dumbledore telling him not to. That Sirius was on probation for possible expulsion till Christmas for that "prank" that caused Snape to find out about Remus, Quidditch try outs, practices, booking the fields, homework, worrying about Voldemort inside and outside the castle walls, the fact that his father had fallen ill just before summer holidays had started and still needed to recover, Head duties on top of that, and not to mention NEWTS at the end of the year. Thank Merlin he learned to apparate at the end of last year, or he'd have to do that this year too! For him, the year was dragging out ahead, into one long day after another.

Lily pursed her lips. "I didn't realize I was "hounding" you already. Pardon me for trying to catch you up to speed on things since I'm pretty sure you didn't read the information letter that came with your appointment letter and badge."

She had a point, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "I learn as I go. Practice makes perfect." Her face changed to one of shock, as if she couldn't imagine ever doing such a thing.

Yep. This was going to be one long year for him.