A/N: Forgive my mistakes, as I haven't had anyone look over this. Truth be told, it's been years since I've written anything not required by a class. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.

Hide & Seek

Chapter One: Settle Down

Lily Evans was no stranger to the maddening charm of James Potter, and yet she rolled her eyes at the scene before her. A young girl she didn't recognize was swooning as Potter simultaneously heaved her large trunk onto the Hogwarts Express and cast her his signature lopsided grin. Lily was about to unleash her witty criticism when instead she stopped suddenly, still several feet away. He had turned slightly to the right, having heard Sirius Black's thunderous laugh, and Lily caught sight of something clutched in his hand, golden and gleaming in the sunlight. It certainly wasn't his Quidditch Captain badge from the previous year, and it looked suspiciously like a badge she had carefully tucked into the inside pocket of her coat. And yet... it couldn't be. Dumbledore was not quite old enough for dementia to have begun wrecking his mind. Surely there was a spell to hold that at bay.

"Lily!" A light voice called from behind. Lily whipped around, a massive frown still etched onto her face. "Just the person I- Well damn, should I call you Miss Evans instead?"

The deep frown instantly fell from Lily's face as she snapped out of the dark hole of thoughts she'd found herself in. "Marlene, I'm so sorry!" She rushed forward and wrapped her friend into a tight hug. "I just saw something, and I was thinking-" Suddenly she remembered that Marlene might know the answer to her questions. "Is James Potter Head Boy?" She blurted out in one quick breath.

Marlene smirked, pushing her dark blonde hair over her shoulder. "And here I thought you were just happy to see me because it's been months. We have so much ground to cover, and the only thing you want to do is talk about James. What makes you think I know the answer to that question?"

Lily rolled her eyes for the second time that day. Marlene McKinnon regularly found herself unable to resist Sirius Black, and the natural consequence of being Black's bedfellow was that you saw a lot of James Potter and Co. Not a summer since fourth year had passed that Lily hadn't been forced to hear about what a wonderful snog Sirius was on the ride back to Hogwarts.

"Oh fine, yes I saw Sirius last week. As it turns out, he's spent all summer with the Potters, who were vacationing in Paris the same time as us. Needless to say, he found out where I was staying, and one thing led to another-"

"Stop!" Lily half-groaned and half-laughed. "I know how this one ends. Please just answer my question."

Marlene smiled sweetly at Lily as they climbed onto the train and began looking around for an open compartment. "Oh, you mean the one about James being Head Boy?" She slipped through the door to their left and pulled her auburn-haired friend in behind her. "Well I'm not sure if that subject came up."

Lily knew from the glint in her eye that she was lying, and opened her mouth to vent just as a short, raven-haired girl with rosy cheeks burst into the compartment. "I thought I'd never find you two!" She closed the door behind her. "Have you heard? James Potter is Head Boy!"
Lily's face flushed, and she glanced angrily toward Marlene. "I've been trying to get this information out of Marlene for several minutes now, thank you Ellie."

After the three girls shared a quick hug, Marlene propped her feet up on the seat opposite them, her eyes scanning her best friend's face. "I feel that the blush on your cheeks indicates that you're hiding something from us."

Ellie Washfield smirked. "Does it have something to do with Potter?"

Lily's blush darkened, but so did her emerald eyes. "I'm not playing this game today!" She huffed. "You two need to mind your own business."

"Good, I'm relieved then. Last year it seemed like you were warming up to him, and we all know he wouldn't be good for you." Ellie sighed, her blue eyes watching Lily carefully.

James Potter's reputation preceded him, and yet most girls only reveled in the stories of rule-breaking and seduction. He'd even been arrested in the Muggle world, a story he loved re-telling to anyone who would listen. Potter had tried these antics on Lily Evans repeatedly for two years now, but she fancied herself smarter than all those girls who dropped their panties for him. He was careless with people's emotions and arrogant beyond belief, yet Lily felt that she'd seen glimpses of a kinder person within and had spent the latter part of sixth year directing less verbal venom towards him than usual. Apparently her friends had noticed.

"Don't worry, I'm done trying to figure him out. Severus may be dead to me now, but I won't easily forget how Potter treated him." Lily's friends exchanged a glance; neither one had ever understood Lily's friendship with Severus Snape, but they thought it was better not to bring that up again, given the volatility of the topic.

"Well let's not be all doom and gloom! I still haven't told you about my trip to Paris and all of the time I spent ravishing Sirius's body!"

Ellie made a disgusted face and Lily pretended to gag. "Seriously, why are you so harsh on Potter, but so enamored with his best friend?"

"A question I ask myself all the time. At least Sirius is upfront about his intention to use women, James is tricky and I've comforted many a girl he's decided to screw and leave...besides, I'm using Sirius as much as he's using me. I'd never consider a real relationship with him, but damn he's good at-"

"And that's my cue to leave!" Lily had glanced out the window and the green fields flying past them, realizing that as Head Girl she was supposed to have found the Head Compartment to lead a Prefects meeting.

"You're going to leave me with this mess?" Ellie shook her head, leaning her head back against the seat in defeated fashion. "Good luck with James, Lily. Hopefully he hasn't made a mess out of your meeting already."

Lily squeezed out into the corridor and started walking towards where she knew James probably already was, considering she was running late. Her heart started beating faster. She was hiding something, but she didn't fancy seeing the critical looks on her friends' faces if she told them she'd nearly fallen for Potter's charms last term. Lily thought she'd discovered something redeeming about him. The few times they'd spoken alone during sixth year, he'd been surprisingly sweet, almost as if he actually cared about her. For some reason he'd taken a special interest in Lily Evans, always following her around and finding ways to irritate her and flirt with her simultaneously. She often wondered if all of the attention was simply because she refused him, something few other girls did. Something she had almost been unable to do a few months ago.

The heat was unbearable, but Lily was just happy to be away from her books and outside for a change. Lately she would have given anything to get away from end of term exams and the constant stress that accompanied them. A cool breeze whipped across her face and she closed her eyes, reveling in it, until she heard a voice that made them quickly pop open.

"Fancy seeing you here, Evans."

Lily sighed, sitting up on the blanket she had carefully laid out across the slightly damp grass. She glanced up at James Potter, smirking above her in all his arrogant glory.

"I didn't say you could-" But he was already sitting down next to her, a bit too close for comfort. All of a sudden, this outdoor excursion didn't feel like such a break anymore.

James leaned in towards her, rolling a long strand of her auburn hair between his fingers. "You were just thinking about me, weren't you? Hoping I'd show up."

"No need to make up stories," Lily countered, but she didn't pull her hair out of his grasp.

"Oh Evans, you have no idea how many stories you hear about me are true."

"Arrogance is not a flattering look on you, Potter."

"My attitude is precisely why the ladies come after me, my love," Potter smirked at the scowl on her face.

He had a point, but Lily wasn't about to agree with him. "Don't lie to me," she huffed.

"I know just how to please a woman, Ms. Evans. If you would ever allow me the chance, I bet you'd find that I am rather..skilled, you might say."

Her body tingled a bit, but she ignored it. Her mouth straightened into a line. "Forget it, Potter. Your hands will never touch me." And yet, part of her wished they would.

James seemed to sense her inner turmoil, because suddenly he was leaning over top of her, holding himself up and hovering a few inches from her body. She felt the heat radiating from his torso and knew her cheeks must be flushing. "Is that really so? Haven't you gotten to know me a little better lately?" His free hand framed her cheek and Lily's breath caught in her throat; she swallowed all the witty insults she might have thrown out. He was looking at her with what she would have described as pure adoration, if it had been an expression on anyone else's face. It's true, she'd seen him in a different light lately. Arrogant still, of course, but she had caught him helping a third year pick up the books he'd dropped and earlier that week, she witnessed him walking away from a fight with the sixth year Slytherins so that he wouldn't be late to tutor a second year in Transfiguration. He had been pouring over his books all week; Lily almost believed that he actually cared about his marks now.

She had no idea what had come over her, but something about his messy hair ruffling in the breeze or the way his brown eyes were sparkling at her was making her head fuzzy; her thoughts were jumbled. She dropped her gaze to his lips, considering how soft they looked and wondering what he would do if she were to just -

Her mind was screaming at her. This was James Potter, the boy who had made Severus' life a living hell for years, who had made fun of her hair and how much time she spent in the library. Her body was fighting her, wanting to lean in those last few inches and take what he was so clearly offering. She couldn't. She let out a shaky breath, pulling his hands away from her face and scooting backwards on the blanket, out from under him. Her eyes met his again. "What do you want with me? Do you just want to sleep with me so that you can tell your friends you've finally conquered Lily Evans?"

James blinked, sitting back. "Is that really what you think of me?"

"Well, aren't I right?"

He suddenly looked angry, and her breath hitched in her throat as he grabbed her arm, tugging her closer to him. "Why are you so unwilling to change your opinion of me? Damn it Lily, I know I'm not perfect, but I'm not half as bad as you've made me out to be in your mind."

She almost believed him, there was so much insistence in his eyes. She tilted her head, wishing the breeze would come back because she was at risk of overheating. "Then prove it to me." With that, she disentangled herself from his grasp, stood up, and walked past him, determined not to look back so that he wouldn't see how flushed she was. She would come back for her blanket later, when all the places his hands had touched stopped tingling.

Lily took a deep breath and stepped into the Head Compartment, lifting her eyes to meet the boy standing in the middle, who had turned quickly upon hearing her footsteps. For one split second, he didn't say anything, his chocolate eyes were soft when they landed on her face and he looked genuinely happy to see her. And then his eyes were scanning her body greedily; Lily was not unfamiliar with that look on his face. He grinned, and though she felt her stomach twist, Lily frowned. "Hello Potter."

"Fancy seeing you here, beautiful."

"Don't call me that." She stepped towards him, quite aware that the several prefects already in the compartment were all staring at the two of them.

He shrugged, still smiling. "You asked me not to lie."

She knew that both of the sentences he'd just uttered were meant to remind her of their encounter months before, but she was determined to resist. She'd spent the better part of the summer thinking about their near-kiss and how it had affected her, what it might have felt like...She'd finally been able to put it past her, thanks to -

"Hey Lily," Connor Matthews appeared at her side, towering over them. Lily breathed a sigh of relief. He was looking at James's hand on her arm suspiciously, so she pulled away from James and greeted Connor with a hug and quick kiss, running a hand along his cropped blonde hair and trying to forget about the Head Boy's messy locks.

"Potter," Connor held his hand out to shake James's. "Congrats on getting Head Boy. Don't forget to help my girlfriend out, I want her to have some time left over from Head duties."

James looked like someone had slapped him. "You two are dating?"

Lily watched as the two boys exchanged long looks which spoke volumes about how their casual friendship may not extend to this situation, and frowned. "Yes Potter, Connor is my boyfriend."

Connor grinned at her and Lily suddenly felt more relaxed. She'd run into the Ravenclaw prefect in July when she'd decided to take a stroll through Diagon Alley. She was devouring some ice cream and trying not to replay the way James's hands had felt on her body for the thousandth time when Connor spotted her and sat down for a chat.

"Well then," James cleared his throat, now speaking to the whole compartment. "Let's get started."

The prefects fell silent and Connor took a seat across from Lily and James, with his fellow seventh year Ravenclaw, George.

Lily felt James's eyes on her for the entirety of the meeting. She'd been happy with Connor these last two months, and she would be damned if she'd let Potter ruin this for her. And yet, it wasn't quite as easy to forget about how she'd let him creep up on her last year, not when he was standing so close to her and purposely letting his hand linger near hers.

The meeting finished without incident and Lily was pleasantly surprised that James had played his part graciously, actually seeming interested in his position and not abusing his authority even once. She doubted his good behavior would last, but it was still a relieving start. Connor kissed Lily on the cheek, insisting he would find her later as he slipped out of the compartment.

James didn't waste any time, sliding over and bumping casually into Lily as she attempted to escape. He grabbed her arm lightly, holding her back. "Are you happy with him, Evans?"

"That's none of your business," She frowned, offended and yet feeling the pressure to answer. "But yes, I am."

He shook his head slowly, and Lily thought for a split second that he looked hurt. Then the look was gone, and he was leaning closer. "I know what you really want, Lily...you want excitement and passion," she felt his soft breath tickling the skin under her ear and shivered, "and maybe even some danger." Lily sighed, unable to push him away as she knew she should. "Just think about it, Evans." And with that, he was gone, leaving her to frown at the empty compartment and wonder how she was going to settle down and remedy her recent hopelessness.

A/N: My intention is for this story to only be a few chapters long. Please review and let me know what you think!