Disclaimer: I am not the wonderful JK Rowling. If I was, I wouldn't go to work everyday.
The raucous sounds that reached Lily Evans' ears as she stepped on to Platform 9 ¾ were absolutely some of the most beautiful that she could remember hearing. The rush of students and parents bustling trunks and saying goodbyes was like a great masterpiece, with colors of orange, red, blue, yellow and green filling her worldview and making her break into a small smile. She looked over the sea of laughing and bobbing children and took a moment to enjoy the sight.
She was startled out of her contemplation when she was almost run over by a trunk on a trolley and the small child driving said trolley. She chuckled to herself as she looked at the child's penitent, worried face. She crouched down next to the tiny girl, who must have been a first year, and smiled gently at her.
"Well hello there, love. You have fabulous trolley-stopping skills. Sorry I was in your way." The girl tentatively smiled back and giggled a bit.
"Sorry. A lady out there told me I should run. I didn't expect anyone else to be on the other side." The girl flushed and looked around for the first time, her eyes widening in astonishment.
Lily glanced at the crowd again, remembering what it was like her first year, overwhelmed by the crowded platform. "Oh dear, that was my fault I suppose. I got a bit nostalgic, I'm afraid. Are you the first witch in your family?"
The girl turned back to her, astonished, and nodded energetically. "I am! My parents didn't believe it when we received my letter. I'm a bit nervous, honestly. How did you know?"
"Well, you see…?"
"Claire. Claire Fraiser."
"Nice to meet you, Claire. You see, most of the wizarding families come here together, because they already know how to get onto the platform. There's no need to be nervous, though. There are plenty of wizards and witches here from Muggle families. I'm the first witch in my family myself." Lily gestured to herself and went to stand, grabbing her own trolley and leading Claire towards the train.
Claire's eyes widened once again as she followed the tall auburn-haired girl. "Really? Oh, wow. Maybe this won't be so hard."
Lily turned back to her once they reached the train. "Really. And I'll even tell you a secret." She tiptoed closer to Claire and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'm Head Girl this year. Just because your family can't do magic, doesn't mean you won't be brilliant at it." She flicked Claire's nose and giggled. "Now, go meet some new people, make some friends, and I'll see you at school."
Claire beamed up at Lily, nodding her head and thanking her for escorting her to the train. Lily playfully shooed her towards the train and looked around at the slowly emptying platform. She had been one of the last ones to arrive, and was now one of the last ones to board. She used her wand to levitate her trunk, and moved to the front of the train, her trunk following behind her.
A number of students smiled and waved at her as she went along, and she made sure to ask how everyone was doing and if their holidays were as good as they'd hoped. Once she'd made it to the Prefect's compartment, she opened the door and moved into the room. Lily motioned her trunk to the corner and dropped onto the couch by the window, reveling in the luxurious feel of the upholstery.
All of the other Prefects (and the Head Boy, she supposed) were sitting with their friends for the beginning of the ride, but she had decided to just go to the Prefects compartment to collect her thoughts on the ride up. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her friends, but she knew Alice and Marlene would be gossiping about everyone who had gotten together and broken up over the holidays, and she wasn't particularly interested. She'd catch up with them once she got to the castle for the Welcoming Feast.
Lily Evans had determined over the summer that she was going to be the best Head Girl that Hogwarts had ever seen. She'd show every Pureblooded bigot that Muggleborns like Claire and herself were not worthless or below them, but that they were capable of greatness. And she wouldn't let anything deter her.
Which is, of course, when she looked up to realize that James Potter was standing in the doorway of the compartment.
James was still chuckling to himself as he walked down the hall to the Prefect's compartment. Sirius had tackled Remus to the ground in order to grab a piece of his chocolate, which had elicited a loud squeak from Peter and a five minute wrestling match on the floor of the Marauder's compartment. At least some things never changed.
Unlike his life: he still couldn't quite believe that Professor Dumbledore had made him Head Boy. Yes, he'd really worked on his studies last year and Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup under his Captainship, but he'd never been a Prefect before or really thought of himself as Head Boy material. In general, he'd been a god-awful prat the previous two years, chasing after Lily Evans, pranking random students, showing off at all times, and attempting to set a detention record with Sirius.
He supposed that not all of that had turned out badly, as chasing after Lily Evans had provoked him into not pranking random students, showing off and spending his whole life in detention. And apparently, led him to this walk to the Prefect's compartment. So he might have Lily Evans to thank for his Head Boy position, as her wonderful speech about dating the giant squid rather than him had inspired his attitude adjustment.
Life was really strange sometimes.
Like how when he opened the door to the compartment, he was greeted with the sight of Lily Evans gazing out the window to the countryside, her red locks shining in the sunlight, porcelain skin contrasting beautifully and stealing his breath away. When she turned to look at him, her emerald eyes held him entranced and he stared a bit longer than really necessary.
"Potter?"
James started a bit, and scratched the back of his head while attempting to look like he hadn't just been staring at her. "Hey, Evans." He sighed and dropped his hand.
She looked very confused, and for a fleeting second, he was amused by her countenance. "Umm… Potter? What are you doing here?"
He went to respond and realized that he hadn't put his badge on yet. He held up a finger, murmured, "Hold that thought," and searched his pockets for the shiny metal object. He heard a tapping sound and realized that Lily was still waiting for an explanation. James finally found the badge in his back pocket after looking everywhere and sheepishly apologized to her as he withdrew it.
"Sorry about that." He pinned the badge on his shirt. "I'm… well, I don't quite know how to say this without sounding like an egotistical prat, but I'm-"
"Head Boy!" Lily had jumped off the couch and stalked towards him in order to examine his badge more closely. As she peered at his badge, he sucked in a breath at her proximity. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to help him, as he just got a whiff of her perfume, which undermined the whole concept of pretending she wasn't there.
"So… Head Boy? You really didn't just steal this from Remus to give me a heart attack?" Lily crossed her arms over her chest and looked skeptically at him. One delicate eyebrow arched at him as the silence stretched again.
He forced a chuckle and looked at his shoes, scuffing them against the floor in embarrassment, hands in his pockets. "Yeah. Head Boy. I'm not quite sure what Professor Dumbledore was thinking, since I've never even been a Prefect, but he is Albus Dumbledore, so I suppose I can't question him too much." He looked up to gauge her reaction and was pleasantly surprised to see that she hadn't rejected his assertion outright or drawn her wand to throw him out of the compartment with a well-placed hex.
He watched her digest the information and the gears obviously turning in her brilliant mind. He thought it was a good sign that she hadn't yelled at him (or in general) and they even seemed to be having a civil—if forced—conversation. She appeared to make a decision and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Alright, Potter. If you're willing to work at Head Boy, then I'm willing to give you the benefit of a doubt. But if you don't take it seriously and leave me stuck with all the work, I swear I'll hex you into next century." She jabbed her finger towards him for emphasis, and he backed up a step or two. He opened his mouth to answer and once again stopped short.
She was willing to give him a chance? This was certainly a new development. He briefly wondered what had inspired her to trust him before turning back to the situation at hand. Maybe this just might be easier than expected. James's expression slowly grew into a grin as he rocked back and forth on his feet. "Evans, I'll be the best Head Boy you could ask for."
She shook her head in disbelief and sighed as she turned back to her former position on the couch. "Come on, Potter. You've got a lot to learn before the Prefect's meeting."
James swallowed nervously. Or maybe this just might be more difficult than he had expected.
A/N- Claire Fraiser's name is totally and undeniably stolen from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (Sorry, Diana!). Otherwise, the character has nothing to do with anything. This is the first L/J fic I've actually plotted out and managed to like, so this will hopefully continue on for a while. If you'd like to review, I'd certainly appreciate it!