Arrival At Hogwarts

"Potter!" Lily Evan's hisses the name under her breath as she stares at the brilliant bouquet of red roses sitting in the middle of the heads' car. It had to be at least two or three dozen. He, of course, would be the only one who could afford something like that. She still could not believe he, James Potter, had made head boy. He was never a prefect and certainly did not act like one by any means. Lily shakes her head with pure annoyance, then allows herself a small smile glancing back at the roses after she stows her bag in the overhead compartment. She moves back over to smell the bright, budding roses and as she leans down towards them, she catches sight of a card in the center of the flowers. Her expression shows curiosity as her hand raises and her fingers grasp the thick, tan piece of parchment, her smile etched in as she reads over it.

"Hope you're up for spending a lot of time with me this year, Evans. Yours always, James." She bites the corner of her lip to keep from grinning, then jumps as the door to the train car opens. She looks up quickly, seeing James Potter standing in the door way. His pitch black hair an unruly mess, as usual. Oh, how she would love to run her fingers through it to fix it.

Her eyes close quickly and tightly as she works to pull herself together and leans away from the flowers, "Potter." She nods to him curtly before taking her seat nearest the window and makes a show of situating herself for the ride in an attempt to avoid looking at him.

"Nice flowers," he grins, carelessly tossing his bag into the stow away cabinet then plops down on the bench next to Lily, a bit too close for her comfort. Lily rolls her eyes and scoots over away from him a bit before setting against the window, looking out still avoiding him, though she didn't really know why. He seemed…different somehow. "Hm…" James ponders watching her thin frame leaning against the window, pressing his lips together in a tight grin, "No, 'Hey, Potter, how'd your summer go?'" he waits in the silence as she stares out the window trying desperately to hide the smile threatening to appear at his probing, "or 'Oh, James, I've missed you so much!'' He hears a slight snort, and watches her expression in the window seeing her lip pulled in between her teeth, and obvious sign that she is hiding her expression or trying to hold it back. He grins wider and sits back settling into the seat. Leaning his head against the back wall he looks up at the ceiling for a bit shifting uncomfortably in the silence.

Lily keeps her eyes out the window, listening to James's soft breathing as the scenery flies by with the speed of the train. Her thoughts wonder, but never stray from the boy who looks very much like a man after the summer, even with the boyish grin and untidy hair. After a while, sitting in the silence, she hers a soft snore, obviously from James, and being sure that he's either asleep or pretending to be. Unsure of which, secretly hoping he is really asleep, she turns around to look at him.

James's glasses are crooked with one side higher than the other the high side magnifying his forehead while the lower side his cheek the arm of them up the side of his head. His mouth hanging slightly open and his hair a tousled mess even more so than usual.

Her hands clasp tightly in her lap as she looks over at him wanting yet again to run her fingers through the dark, messy locks. She pulls her hand from her other hand's tight grasp and pokes his arm gently with her fore finger. James' slight snores cease for a fraction of a second as his body shifts and turns his head away from her. During this time Lily's breath hitches, watching him closely, praying he doesn't wake.

Sure that he's asleep, after watching him for some time, her hand moves from his arm and reaches up towards the black mess her finger tips pause in mid air. She wonders why her heart rate has suddenly sped up just from this one movement. Her fingers need to move just a bit further before they can reach his hair. Hoping he's a deep sleeper, she moves her hand closer, slowly inching there. Her fingers just brush the back of his head and move to dive into the mess, her heart stops then lurches…

Lily's hand jerks back into her lap as the door bangs open loudly. James jumps and quickly straightens his glasses before rubbing his eyes. Looking around groggy, his senses on high alert, waking up more so to a roar of laughter coming from a tall 17 year old boy with hair just as black as his own, a smile setting as he recognizes him, "James," he shakes his head laughing still, "it's not like you to fall asleep in a train car, alone with a pretty girl." Sirius wiggles his eyebrows at James' then grins at Lily.

Lily rolls her eyes overly dramatic, "Hello Siruis" she nods to the laughing boy then smiles at the taller sandy haired boy filing in behind him. "Hey, Remus," her tone showing she is genuinely pleased to see him.

Remus Lupin smiles widely, taking a seat on the bench across from Lily, "Hello, Lily. I trust you had a splendid summer."

Lily smiles even wider and nods to Remus, "Of course I did. And how was yours?"

"Good," he nods and repeats to himself, "good," before leaning back against the bench and watching the room in a calculating manner.

Sirius plops down between Lily and James draping his arms over both of their shoulders pulling them into him, Lily groans at being tucked under Sirius' arm and struggles for a moment while James laughs and leans into it, "Head Boy and Girl, ain't that somethin'!" he grins wide at them both.

"Yeah, it is." James says, "Oddly I don't know how I got it. It's not like I was tryin' or anything'"

Lily rolls her eyes yet again, pulling herself out of Sirius' grasp finally and huffs, "If you ask me, you tried everything you could NOT to get it." She emphases the word not loudly and turns to look out the window, annoyed at how hard she worked for the position and he was just handed it. Like everything else in life. He didn't understand what it was like to work for something.

Sirius snorts loudly standing, and pulling his arms from around both of them, "Aw come on Lil, you know you'll just love spending all that time with James all to yourself!" He smirks at the look of disdain on her face as she shoots him a glare and Remus gives Sirius a look for him to drop it. "Come on, Moony," Sirius mutters to Remus, "lets go terrorize someone else." Sirius smirks at him and strides out, "Later James."

Remus shakes his head in disapproval at Sirius' words, but follows him out, none the less leaving James and Lily alone again. Lily, who has now turned back once again to the window is working at ignoring James as best she can. Her annoyance at how easy he has it, being a pure blood and popular at that. Lily loved her parents, but she couldn't help thinking it would be easier for her if she wasn't muggle-born.

James watches Lily for a moment, amusement written all over his face before standing and stretching dramatically, then clearing his throat, "I guess we better get into our robes…" He looks to Lily's already changed figure and stops short, "I mean me of course, you've already changed." He laughs and grabs his bag leaving the room.

Lily turns to watch him go, then sighs audibly, her failed attempt at touching his hair coming to mind as she catches sight of it. She had long since abandoned trying to convince herself that she wasn't attracted to him, his horrid mess of a hair just added to the attraction. It makes her want nothing more than to run her fingers through it again and again.

She bangs her head roughly against the back of the seat closing her eyes tightly inhaling deeply. She knows with one word, she would be able to do it. She could have anything she wanted when it came to him, if she would just admit it. She knows this and yet, years of convincing herself and others that she loathed him made the thought of contradicting that utterly humiliating.

Her eyes already shut made it far to easy to pretend to be asleep when she hears the door open again. She hears shuffling around before feeling a slight depression on the seat beside her knowing James has returned and has sat down beside her again. She shifts slightly turning to lean into the cushion of the seat and soon, after pretending for so long, actually falls asleep.

James is hesitant to wake her as he rather enjoys her head laying on his shoulder and her arm had wound its way around his waist, but knowing they'll arrive soon he shakes her lightly leaning down whispering into her hair, "We're nearing the school."

Lily feels the slight pushing causing her body to shift away from whatever it is she is clinging to, finding herself very comfortable, she snuggles into the soft warm object she's leaning into and fighting hard to stay asleep.

James speaks a bit louder once the train has come to a stop and he hears people rushing down the hall, "Lily, come on. We're here now." He chuckles, watching as she bolts up right and looks around and realization sets in that she was in fact leaning on James with her arm wrapped tightly around his midsection, a slight crimson flush rises into her cheeks which only adds to James' obvious amusement.

She glares at James before standing and straightening her flaming red hair. James, still grinning, watches her then stands grabbing the shoulders of her robe fixing it for her but moving before she can admonish him for it and grabs his bag, pulling hers down as well. Her green eyes full of annoyance and something else James' can't place confusion maybe. She glares hard then watches as he sets her trunk down, then with a wink, he vanishes from the car.

Lily moves to the door looking down both ways not seeing him, rather confused by his actions. He pulled her trunk down for her. Why so gentlemanly all of a sudden? Her gaze drops to the flowers and she smiles slightly, leaning down to pick them up, rolling her eyes at the stupid giddy feeling welling up inside her and drags her trunk from the car.

Pulling her trunk from the train she jumps as she feels a hand on her back, "Let me get that for you." Remus smiles, pulling the trunk down for her. Lily turns quickly and hugs him tightly with one arm the other holding the roses. Remus chuckles lightly and returns her hug before grabbing her arms and pulling her back so he can look at her, "Sorry we didn't get time to chat properly in there. How are you fairing?"

"I'm good, Remus," she smiles genuinely, letting him carry her trunk to the carriage. Lily climbs onto the carriage, waiting as Remus follows close behind her and sits down next to her.

"That is good to hear. I am doing good as well. Are you ready for our last year?" he smiles as he asks her.

Lily nods quickly, "Oh, yes. I can't wait," she then goes into a list of classes she plans to take as the carriage seemingly self propelled moves towards the castle. They talk of plans for the year and excitement for the new school period with the carriage jolts slightly and they both look up quickly to see James and Sirius have jumped onto it.

Lily seeing the cause now goes quiet, attempting to ignore the new arrivals. Remus tries not to look amused but fails, "There you two are!" he shakes his head. "Where have you been?"

"Oh just ruffing up ol' Snivellus, you know," Sirius grins at the thought of Severus Snape magically bound to the bottom of one of the carriages. Lily dramatically rolls her eyes at the thought, turning to look towards the approaching castle, trying to completely ignore the unusually silent James, who has come to sit beside her.

Why is he so quiet? Normally he gloats about this sort of thing. Lily turns slightly to glance at him from the corner of her eye and catches him watching her. She quickly turns back to watch their approach, again ignoring the giddy feeling rising in her again all from just knowing he's watching her.

James catches Lily's eye as she turns to look at him and a grin spreads on his face just from seeing her look at him. He shakes it off and jumps off the carriage, they all follow him with their trunks and head towards the castle, a slight chuckle escaping Lily as she catches sight of one of the Slitherns releasing Severus Snape from the hold that keeps him to the bottom of the carriage.

She used to stick up for him. Feel sorry for the jokes James and Sirius played on him, but after what he'd called her she couldn't bring herself to pity him and she had made the mistake of believing he was her friend. Well not anymore. James can turn Severus' skin blue for all she cares.

She looks up seeing the boys had walked off, James and Sirius talking about what trouble they could get into while Remus tries to talk them out of each thing they suggest. Lily smiles slightly then heads inside after them before a few girls stop her and she falls into conversation with them as they talk of the letters they had written back and forth over the summer. One girl asks of the bouquet of roses she's holding and she feigns annoyance, telling them who gave them to her. As she says his name, some of the girls look at her in shock amazed that she could receive something from James Potter and be annoyed about it. At one of the girl's prodding they all head for the great hall for dinner and the first years' sorting.

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