Disclaimer:

None of these characters are mine. They, along with the world they live in, are all property of the Great Creator known as J.K. Rowling. I have only come up with a plot based on a theory, which, in the greater picture, someone has probably imagined before.

Chapter 1

How to Deal

It was a long train ride. It was funny how the journey had never seemed so long before. Usually it passed so quickly. Was it because she was distracted from the journey by friends? As she counted the 129th cow to pass her window she decided that must be it.

She really couldn't blame her friends for staying away. They had tried to be nice to her, of course. It was just so...awkward. They didn't know what it was like to deal with what she had to.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the seat. A voice floated to her from far away...

"You freak! I hate you! Look what you've done! He never would have found us, never! Get out! Get out!"
She opened her eyes, tears clinging to her lashes. What had she done? Her sister was right. It was all her fault. She was the reason why both of them were now orphans. She was the reason her sister had to drop out of school and find a job.
A sob shook her, and she put her head in her hands. So engrossed was she in her guilt and shame that she did not realize he was sitting next to her until he said her name.

She dashed the tears angrily away from eyes.

"What do you want James?" She had meant to sound tart but she just sounded tired.

He didn't respond, just looked at her. She didn't look away, but studied him. He seemed...different. She didn't know what it was. There was the same untidy hair, the same eyes, the same smile... No. Not the same smile. It wasn't smug. It was sad. And were those circles under his eyes? What was he losing sleep over?

He spoke, "I'm sorry about what happened to you and your family, Lily."

That was it. He lapsed back into silence. No prodding to talk, no fake cheerfulness, no bad jokes. That's what her friends had done, to comfort themselves more than anything.

"Thank you, James," she said at last.

The train pulled into the station, whistling joyfully. Without a word, he took her luggage. She was too tired to raise an argument like she usually would have. She wondered how his stuff would get inside and was about to ask, when she saw little Peter struggling with twice as many suitcases as normal. She shook her head. James, Sirius, and Remus always treated the poor Peter like a lackey.

She followed James to the carriages. Everyone made room for them, whispering as she passed. A few people tried to approach her, but all turned away after sharp looks from James. She felt small in this sea of people, as if she were no longer a part of the world around her. She clung to her small bag as if it were an anchor. He found an empty carriage, put her things inside, and stepped aside to let her in. He was about to close the door and walk away when she found her voice at last.

"Aren't you going to come with me?"

He raised his eyebrows at her desperate plea and grinned. "Sure. I'd just finally given up trying after all these years."
She blushed, remembering all the times he had tried to get in her carriage only to be pushed out, hexed, and/or had the door slammed in his face.

He got in, sitting across from her, and the carriage trundled up the path to Hogwarts. The silence between them returned until they were within sight of the school. Both stuck their heads out the windows on each side, to glimpse the castle. It was beautiful. There were lights in every window, and the full moon emphasized its outline. It looked so familiar and welcoming that for the first time in a long time, Lily felt safe.

As they rounded the corner and Hogwarts once again vanished, they settled back down inside.

"I can't believe it's our last year," Lily sighed.

"I know. I can still remember crossing the lake. You pushed me in, if you recall."

She laughed, something she hadn't done in a while, and replied, "That's only because you tried to kiss me. McGonagall threatened to give me detention if I recall..."

"But I came to your rescue by saying I fancied a swim anyways..."

"And instead of thanking you, I yelled at you, saying I could stick up for myself."

They both laughed this time and continued reminiscing (tests, pranks, and that time that one girl tried to curse off her freckles and wound up with zits...) until the carriage came to a halt.

"Well," she said, flooded by sudden doubt on if she could make it through the school year.

James opened the door and stepped out, followed by Lily. They stood side by side and looked up at the place that had been their home for so long. For a moment, both managed to forget the troubles that haunted them. Then the far distant whistle of the Hogwarts Express brought them back. But the feeling of being home and safe still lingered, making life a little more bearable, for a moment at least.