Lily Evans stared out the window into the night outside. Since it was the beginning of August, the sky had only begun to darken although it was almost 8:30. The streets of the town were finally calm after a rather lengthy rush hour—it was Friday, after all. A car would pass by every now and then, and Lily would watch as it drove past, its headlights casting eerie shadows in the dusk. Lily listened to the sounds of the television in the living room below her where her older sister, Petunia, was enjoying her favorite show. The sound of her parents' voices in the kitchen reached Lily's ears, and she amused herself for awhile imagining their conversation. Soon, the streetlight outside Lily's window illuminated as the night steadily grew blacker. Lily stood and stretched, accidentally hitting a nearby birdcage. Its occupant, a tawny (and often irritable) owl named Madden, awoke with a screech. Lily fed him a treat and opened the cage door, allowing him to hop out and onto her hand. Patting him absent-mindedly, Lily imagined how strange she must look petting an owl. Of course, Lily's choice of pets was not the strangest thing about her.

Six years before, Lily had received a letter in the mail telling her she had been accepted into Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first, Lily had scoffed at this letter. Witchcraft and wizardry? They only existed in fairytales! One of her friends (or more likely her sister) was playing some joke on her. Ha, ha. Very funny.

Gradually, however, Lily had come to believe what the letter said (helped along by the fact that a wizard—a real, live wizard—visited the house shortly after the arrival of the letter). The letter ad opened a whole new world for her—a world of magic spells and freshly brewed potions. A world of ghosts and goblins. A world of moving staircases and enormous castles. Hogwarts brought Lily her two best friends—Tina Craimer and Julie Graham. Unfortunately, it also brought her enemies—a group of four fellow seventh-year Gryffindors who called themselves the Marauders. The group, headed by James Potter and Sirius Black who were easily the mot popular boys in school, spent their time planning new ways to torture people. And to top it off, James had continuously asked Lily out despite her adamant refusals.

'But this year will be the last year I have to put up with them,' she reminded herself. Instead of cheering her up, this thought saddened her. Hogwarts had been her home for six years. She fit in there better than she had anywhere else. She felt safe and comfortable within the castle's massive stone walls. She had never though much about life after Hogwarts. At one point, she had entertained the notion of becoming a Healer after she graduated. Although this occupation still appealed to her, she was not certain that she wanted to spend the rest of her life healing people. In fact, she was not sure of anything anymore. When did life get so damn confusing?

A hundred miles away, James Potter was having the same thought. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling of his room and listening to the snores of his bet friend, Sirius in the bed next to his. As he had been doing frequently lately, James was thinking of Lily Evans. He had no idea why he was so attracted to her. Perhaps it was her beautiful green eyes and thick, sleek red hair. Perhaps it was her beautifully shaped lips which looked wonderful when they curved into the small, playful smile of which he was so fond. Perhaps it was her quick mind which was equal—if not greater—than his own (a quality most girls did not possess). Perhaps it was-

'Stop,' he told himself. 'There's no point in thinking of her in that way. We've been sworn enemies since we first met. Nothing is going to change that.'

'Perhaps that is why I like her so much,' another part o him mused. 'Maybe I like her because she is different than all the other girls. She doesn't like me just because I'm good-looking or popular or athletic.' James ran a hand through his brown hair, which was perpetually messy, in irritation. Relationships were frustrating.

When Lily awoke the following morning, she threw on some clothes and ran a hairbrush through her hair before trudging down the steps into the kitchen. She reached it to find her parents sitting at the table. A thick envelope lay in the middle of the table, and Lily immediately recognized it as her Hogwarts letter. "It's about time!" she exclaimed, hastily grabbing it and ripping it open. She pulled out of the familiar thick parchment and let out a shout of surprise as something else came with it.

"What is it?" her mother asked in concern.

"I'm Head Girl," Lily shouted excitedly, showing her parents the badge which had fallen out of the envelope. It had the Hogwarts crest engraved on it—a lion, badger, eagle, and snake surrounding an ornate letter H. This H was followed by a G, clearly indicating the prestigious rank of the wearer.

"That's great, honey," her mother enthused. "We'll have to celebrate!"

Jams and Sirius were also opening their Hogwarts letters. Sirius immediately pulled out his supply list and began to read over it. James, however, was staring at the shiny badge which had fallen out of his envelope. Noting the silence in the room, Sirius looked up at his best friend. "Whatcha got there, mate?" he questioned. Wordlessly, James showed him the badge. "Whoa, where'd you get that from? Don't tell me you nicked it from someone already."

James shook his head. "It was in my letter," he explained, still not believing what had happened himself.

"Oh, come off it. Dumbledore would never make you Head Boy." James merely shrugged. "Maybe he meant to send it to Moody. He probably put it in the wrong envelope."

"Dumbledore wouldn't make a mistake like that," James pointed out.

"Then he must be crazier than I thought. You as Head Boy? Ha!" Sirius burst out laughing, a rather dog-like sound which echoed around the room.

"Thanks for your support, Padfoot."

"Any time, mate." Sirius checked out between laughs. Suddenly, he sobered up and stared straight at James. "You know who's probably going to be Head Girl, right?"

"Yeah." James turned to stare at the shiny badge which he still clutched tightly in his hand.

Lily stared at the cement barrier which separated Platforms 9 and 10. She always thought this was the hardest part of the journey. Although she knew that the barrier would indubitably allow her passage despite its solid appearance, as it had the previous six years, she did not fancy running head on into a cement wall. It was just not natural.

After a tearful (on her mother's part) goodbye to her parents who were unable to pass through the barrier because they were Muggles, Lily began to wheel her trunk slowly toward the barrier. As she neared the barrier, nerves took over, and Lily began to roll the trunk faster. By the time she hit the barrier, Lily took it at a full-out run. Of course, Lily never really hit the barrier. She merely went straight through it and found herself facing a large, scarlet engine with the words "Hogwarts Express" engraved at the top. Steam billowed from the engine, curling slightly in the wind before drifting away. A sign hung over the engine, rocking back and forth in the gentle wind. It read "Platform 9 ¾." Lily was finally at home.

Unfortunately, running through the barrier at full speed meant that Lily emerged on the other side at full speed. Lily would have had time to stop if a boy around her own age had not chosen that exact moment to walk in front of the entrance. Lily's trunk collided with the boy first, knocking him to his knees. This abrupt halt caused Lily to trip, stumbling over the suitcase and landing directly on top of the boy. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would cease smothering me," an irritable voice said. Lily recognized that cocky lilt. That and the untidy brown hair which she could observe very well from her vantage point. Lily had crashed into James Potter.

Lily quickly sprang to her feet and rushed after Madden's cage which was slowly rolling toward the train. Its tenant had gone hunting the night before and had not yet returned. Luckily, Madden's sense of direction was extremely acute—she could find her master virtually anywhere.

"So, I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other this year," James commented as she returned with the cage.

"What makes you say that?" Lily questioned. James nodded toward the badge which she had pinned in a prominent position on her robe. She glanced down at it before looking back up at him to see that he had a similar badge which he had bewitched to float slightly above his head, revolving slowly. "You couldn't just pin it to your robe like a normal person?" Lily inquired irritably.

"Nah, too cliché." James smiled that cocky smile that made Lily wish to punch him. "I was thinking of enlarging it, but Padfoot thought that might be overdoing it a bit."

"So, who'd you nick it from?"

"So cynical, Evans."

"I'm just being realistic. Dumbledore would have to be crazy to appoint you Head Boy."

"That seems to be the common consensus lately."

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to this! I'm going to put my stuff away!"

"I'll see you in a bit, Evans. We have to lead the prefect's meeting."

Lily let out a groan as she stormed off to the first two carriages which were reserved for prefects. She could not believe her horrid luck. Ever since her first year at Hogwarts, she had hoped to become Head Girl. She would be allowed out in the corridors at all hours of the night. She would have the respect of all the other students (or most of them—the Slytherins being the obvious exception). She had authority, and others looked to her for guidance. Best of all, she received her own dormitory and a common room she only had to share with the Head Boy. 'A Head Boy who just happens to be Potter,' a nasty voice in the back of her head reminded her.

James tossed his luggage into a compartment and headed out the door, his mind still on Lily. Her feelings toward him certainly did not seem to have changed over the summer. If anything, she seemed even more cold and spiteful than before. Although he had been tempted to ask her out after they ran into each other, he had held his tongue because he did not know if his heart—or his ego—could take another rejection. 'Maybe I should just give up,' he thought to himself. 'I don't seem to be getting anywhere.' However, another voice in the back of his head immediately responded. 'Never. Not if it takes a hundred years.'

With his mind completely engaged with these thoughts, James was not paying attention to where he was going. For the second time that day, he collided with someone and fell to the ground. Hard. "This is beginning to become a bit old," he muttered, pushing himself to his feet. He reached down to help the girl he had knocked over to her feet. As he pulled her up, his eyes scanned her figure briefly. She had long, curly brown hair and large, brown eyes. Her features were delicate and beautiful, almost like those of a doll. 'But she's not as beautiful as Lily,' the unbidden voice whispered to him. He ignored it and apologized to the girl who was none other than Tina Craimer.

"Were you paying any attention to where you were going, Potter?" she asked.

"James will do just fine."

"You're avoiding the question."

"I've gotten awfully good at that lately. But no, I wasn't."

"Thinking about Lily again, Pot-James?"

"That's a bit a bit uncanny."

"No, it's not. You have that same look in your eye that you always have when you're thinking about her. Did you ask her out again?"

"No, I'm sick of being rejected. I just wish I knew why she hates me."

Tina snorted. "Oh, come on. It's rather obvious."

"I would appreciate it if you would enlighten me."

"You have a big head. Lily hates that. You torture people and spend all your time thinking up practical jokes, neither of which Lily condones. You're and show-off and stuck up."

"Wow. I didn't realize I had that many problems. I guess my chances with Lily are pretty much zero."

"They are unless you make some significant changes."

"Such as?"

"First of all, deflate your head. Quit showing off in front of everybody and doing stupid stuff because it's funny. Secondly, give Lily some space for awhile. Let her see that you're changing. Maybe pursue a friendship with her but not a romantic relationship. Thirdly, stop hexing people for the fun of it."

"Even Snape?"

"Even Snape."

"What if he deserves it?"

"No. Not even then."

"This is going to be difficult."

Lily glanced at her watch. It was almost time to start the meeting. If James did not show up soon, she was going to start without him. Gritting her teeth, Lily thought that she would kill him things continued in this manner for the rest of the year. Just then, the door swung open and James himself walked in. "I'm not late, am I?" he asked, surveying the expectant faces which looked up at him.

"Not yet," Lily conceded. "But we have to get this meeting started. Just take a seat."

"Ooh, do I get to sit next to you? I feel so important." A few people (all of them girls) giggled at this comment. Continuing his performance, James walked up in front of Lily and bowed before taking his seat. Lily wanted to reprimand him, but she found herself instead trying to repress a smile. He did have his funny moments.

Forcing herself to remain stern, Lily steered the conversation back to the topic they had come to discuss. "Okay, I know most of you already know this, but I am going to discuss it anyway for the benefit of those who have never been prefects before. One of the duties of a prefect is patrolling the halls at night. You will typically do this in pairs. . ."

When the meeting came to a close, James found himself surrounded by nearly all the girls in the room who were clambering to congratulate him on his Head Boy badge. Lily, of course, did not join in the flirting; she quickly made her way to the exit. Extracting himself from his fan club, James followed her out. "I must say, I admire your leadership ability," he called after her. "You really can be quite commanding when you decide to be."

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily inquired, spinning around.

"I just want to say that I think I'm going to enjoy working with you this year. I think you'll do very well as Head Girl." James held out his hand, and Lily took it, still staring at him with her mouth agape. James Potter had complimented her without asking her out on a date. James Potter. It just seemed so unnatural.

Lily sat at the Gryffindor table later that night sandwiched between Tina and Julie. The first years were being sorted into their houses; Lily wished the sorting Hat would hurry up because she was ravenous. She had missed the lady who brought the food cart on the train because she was meeting with the prefects. Thinking of the prefects caused her mind to turn to James. Involuntarily, her eyes sought him out amidst the sea of black robes. He was, as usual, surrounded by the other Marauders and laughing heartily. Lily had to admit, he had a nice smile. It showed all of his gleaming white teeth. His hazel eyes sparkled with laughter, and the two dimples that formed at the corners of his mouth added to his boyish, mischievous look. "Lily!" Tina called sharply, breaking her from her reverie. "What are you staring at?"

"N-nothing," Lily stammered. To her relief, the plates had filled with food. She shoved some in her mouth, giving herself an excuse not to talk. There was no way she could start liking James Potter just because he had a nice smile. Countless guys had nice smiles. And James's smile did not stop him from being the most arrogant boy Lily knew. 'Ah, but he did compliment you on the train today,' a voice in the back of her head reminded her. 'And he did not seem to be the least bit arrogant.'