Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter.

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Lily Evans was packing her trunk for her last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had never been so excited in her whole life; however, as she closed the trunk, an ounce of sadness filled up in her. She realized that this was her last year of fun before she entered the world, that was almost at war with Voldemort, without the protection of the walls of Hogwarts. She felt a tear roll down her face and she quickly wiped it away. She picked up the photo album that her three best friends Jennifer Potter, Alice McKibbons, and Addie Fields, had given her for her birthday last year. She quickly opened it and smiled at a picture of the four girls smiling, crowded around Remus Lupin, who looked as if he was scared by the fact that he was surrounded by four beautiful girls, or at least that was what Sirius Black had said. She turned the page to another picture of her and Jennifer. Jennifer's mid-back length black hair was pulled up into a messy bun. Lily's hair was pulled up into a tight ponytail with a few strands hanging down. Both of the girls' eyes we're shining with tears of laughter. Alice and her boyfriend, Frank Longbottom, were also in the picture. They had just been caught snogging by Professor Dumbledore, and Frank looked as if he was going to wet himself. James Potter was sitting in the background staring at Lily with a loving look in his eyes.

Lily stared down at the photograph and saw James. She saw the black eye that she had given him for asking her out for about the millionth time. A little bit of guilt hit her in the stomach, but she pushed it away. She didn't care about James Potter, so why would she care about giving him a black eye?

She closed the album and she walked over to her desk. She sat down and picked up a letter that she had received from Jennifer. She was about to respond when she realized that she would see her within about two hours. She got up from the chair and grabbed her purse. She pulled out her wand and levitated her trunk and had it follow her down the stairs. She set it down by the front door and walked into the kitchen.

"Mum, Dad? Are you ready to go? It's a two hour drive to the station." said Lily, grabbing one of the cookies that her mother had made.

"Yeah Sweetheart. Did you get your trunk downstairs?" asked Mr. Evans, looking up from the newspaper.

"Yes sir. It's next to the front door. Can you just take it to the car? I don't want the neighbors to see me levitate it to the car."

"Sure. No problem." He said, getting up from the table and walking to the entrance hall.

"Lily, I have something for you." Mrs. Evans said, taking something out of her apron.

"What it's for mum?" Lily asked, mouthful of cookies.

"Well one, it's for making Head Girl, and two, it was your grandmother's pearl necklace. She'd had wanted you to have it." Mrs. Evans said placing the necklace around her daughter's neck.

"Mum! I love it! Thank you!" Lily cried, throwing her arms around her mother. "I'm going to miss you so much! Are you sure you can't come see me off?"

"I'm sure sweetheart! I wish I could. I have to go to the Dursely's to have dinner with your sister. I'm sorry!"

"It's okay. I guess. Have fun." Lily said, with fake enthusiasm. "I have to go though, I'll see you at Christmas! I love you mum!"

"I love you too! Have a great year!" Mrs. Evans kissed her daughter on her forehead and led her out to the car, which Mr. Evans had packed and was currently sitting the driver's seat.

Lily hugged her mother one more time and hopped into the car. She turned and watched her house and mother disappear as she and her father drove off down the road. She turned around in her seat and fiddled with her hands.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Her father asked.

"Yeah. It's just weird, being my last year and all. I mean, just think about it! Hogwarts has given me so much! Like Jennifer, Alice, Addie, and Remus! I'd never have met them if I wasn't a witch!"

"I know. It has given you a lot. But you shouldn't be sad. It will always be apart of you. It's just another chapter in your life story." Her father said, smiling.

"You would say that." Lily laughed.

"Well I'm a writer, what can I say?" Mr. Evans laughed along with his daughter.

Lily looked at her watch. She still had another hour and a half left in the car so she decided to take a nap, only to be pulled out of her slumber by her father gently shaking her.

"Sweetheart, we're here."

"Oh? I felt like I was only asleep for ten minutes!" Lily cried.

"No. You were asleep for an hour and a half."

"Oh daddy! I'm sorry! I wish I had talked to you longer!" Lily said hugging her dad.

"It's okay darling. C'mon, let's get your stuff to the platform." Mr. Evans dragged Lily's suitcase to platform nine and ten. "This is where I leave you. Are you going to meet the girls?"

"Yeah I am on the train." Lily said, taking her trunk from her father and setting it down next to her, onto a trolley. "I'll be fine. Don't worry!"

"Okay, sweetheart. I expect a letter from you within the next few days!"

"Don't worry Dad! You'll get one —"

"LILY!" a voice cried.

"Jennifer Potter! Don't draw attention!" another voice cried.

"But dad! It's Lily!" the first voice cried. The person reached her.

"Jen!" Lily exclaimed, hugging the girl.

"You almost ready?" asked Jennifer, hugging her back.

"Yeah let me just say goodbye."

"Evans!" Sirius Black said, walking up to her with the Marauders behind him.

"Hey Black. How are you?" Lily asked, giving him a one-armed hug.

"Good. Yourself?"

"Can't complain. Look, I'll see you on the train. I'm going to say goodbye to my father."

"Alright, we'll save you a seat!" Jennifer said, "Bye Mr. Evans!"

Mr. Evans, who has been talking to Mr. Potter, looked up and said, "Oh goodbye Jennifer! Have a good year!"

"Thanks! See you on New Years!" Jennifer smiled before running through the barrier, with her father and with all of the Marauders running after her.

Lily turned to her dad and threw her arms around him, tears slipping down her face.

"I'm going to miss you so much daddy!" cried Lily.

"I'll miss you too Lilybug! I love you!" Mr. Evans said, kissing her head.

"I love you too." Lily turned and ran into the barrier, not able to look back at her father.

She was greeted by the beautiful scarlet Hogwarts Express. Steam filled the air and she quickly hoped on, found her friends and stored away her trunk. She plopped down on the seat next to the window and placed her head against the glass.

"You alright Lils?" Jennifer asked.

"Yeah just tired. I'll be fine. How was your summer Alice?" Lily asked her other best friend, who was currently cuddled up in Frank's lap.

"It was great! Mum loved Frank!" Alice cried with excitement

"You knew she would!" Jennifer laughed, looking up from the game of exploding snap that she was playing with Sirius.

"Whatever! What about you Lily?"

"It was good. Petunia was a bitch the whole time, but oh well. I hung out with my parents a lot when I wasn't with you guys." Lily replied.

"Well that's lovely. Did you kick her in the arse?" Jennifer laughed.

"Ha. No. I left that for you on New Years!"

Jennifer smiled and highfived her. "That's my girl!"

Lily looked down at her watch. "CRAP! REMUS! We're supposed to be in the prefect compartment for the Head's meeting." She jumped up. "C'mon! The Heads can't be late!"

"Uh Lily...I'm not Head Boy..." Remus said slowly, while trying not to wake up the sleeping Addie, who was resting her head in his lap.

"Oh. I'm sorry! I just assumed! I wonder who is."

"Lils, look to your right." Jennifer said.

Lily did what she was told and her eyes landed on the one and only person that could possibly annoy her to death, James Potter.

"Potter? You're Head Boy?" Lily asked, scared for an answer.

"Yeah. I'm Head Boy." James replied, speaking to her for the first time that day; something Lily had never witnessed in her life.

"Oh well um, con — congratulations. I, uh, didn't know you had it in you." Lily gave him a forced smile.

James smiled back, looking hopeful, but Jennifer slapped him on the back of the head. Lily looked at her weirdly.

"He had a fly on the back of his head...got it." Jennifer said, conjuring a napkin, wiping it off, and making it disappear.

Lily laughed, "Okay, weirdo, whatever you say. Well let's go Potter. We can't be late." Lily said walking out of the compartment and down the hall. James started to follow her, but Jennifer pulled him back.

"JAMES!" she hissed, "What do you think you're doing? Smiling like that! You're supposed to act like you're not interested in her! C'mon James, I know you can do it!"

"Jen, I can smile at her. Right Sirius?" James asked turning to his best mate.

"Yeah, mate. Jen, calm down. All he has to do is stop asking her out...but maybe don't smile as big..." Sirius said, backing Jennifer up.

"Whatever, you're her best friend, Jen, so I'll listen. But I have to go. Being late won't help me much either! See you soon!" James ran out of the compartment and down the hall that Lily had just gone down.

"Do you really think it'll work?" Alice asked from Frank's lap.

"I hope so. I hate that it hurts him so much. I know she likes him, but she's too afraid to admit it. Oh well, I'm going to take a nap." Jennifer said, laying her head on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius was glad that she couldn't see the blush on his face; however Remus had and he shot his friend a knowing look, which was followed by Sirius sticking his tongue out at him, while slipping his arm around Jennifer's back.

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"Okay, so the patrol schedules will be posted on the bulletin boards in your common rooms. That's all." James said to the prefects. Lily couldn't help but stare at him. He had taken charge of the meeting, lead the demonstrations, and handled it magnificently. Lily couldn't help but stare at his messy hair. She remembered last year when a girl had tried to flatten it and Lily had felt an urge to hex the girl into the next country. She had always liked his hair, although she would never admit it to anyone. "Evans?" James' voice had pulled her out of her thoughts? Lily jumped and James came more into focus. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. You did a good job. I'm impressed." said Lily, with a smile.

"Well—uh thanks Lily. I've never gotten a complement from you! I'm shocked." James laughed.

"You called me Lily..." she said with a small laugh.

"Oh, right, uh well it's just that Evans is kind of getting old. So I thought maybe I'd start calling you by your first name if that's alright..." James asked, looking her dead in the eyes.

"Oh, yeah. Uh I think that would be okay." Lily stuttered.

"Excuse me? James?" a small voice asked. Both James and Lily turned to look in the direction of the voice. It was a sixth year Gryffindor named Sarah with blonde hair and big boobs. "I was wondering if you wanted to come share a compartment with me." She grabbed on to James' arm and pressed herself tightly against him.

"Um, well I—" James began. He looked at Lily, who was pointedly looking out the window. "I think I'm going to sit with my friends. I'm sorry."

Sarah looked upset and glared at Lily. "Whatever. Your loss." She flipped her long blonde hair and stormed out of the compartment.

"Well she doesn't seem happy." James laughed.

"Whatever James." Lily said with a small frown. She didn't like the way the girl had thrown herself on James. No Lily. You don't care. Stop thinking things like this! You do not like James — no, Potter. She started to walk out of the room, but James grabbed her hand, pulling her a little too hard, and she landed in his arms. She felt a spark go through her whole body. She looked up at him, and automatically knew that he had felt it too. She couldn't help but think about the fact that she wanted to fell it again, and how she fit perfectly in his arms; she mentally slapped herself for thinking that. She caught herself frowning as he let go, while he muttered a quick 'sorry'.

"Lily. I understand that you don't like me the way I like you...and I'm okay with that. But if I can't have you in that way, I'd rather have you in my life as a friend, than nothing at all. Lily, please, can we try and get along this year? I promise, I'll do anything! I won't hex anyone, especially Snape. I will stop messing with my hair, I'll stop putting other guys in the Hospital Wing if they come within ten feet of you. Just please. Can we be friends. That's all I'm asking. I'm not asking you to fall in love with me, because I know you won't. I just want to be your friend." James looked deep into her eyes, as if trying to see her soul.

"Okay." That was all that Lily could get out. One word.

A smile broke out of James' face. He threw his arms around her and then quickly let go.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hugged you."

Lily laughed. "It's okay. We're friends after all." Lily walked to the door and looked back. "Oh, and you can still hex Snape." She smiled at him and then walked out the door and down the hall.

James didn't know how long he stood there, but he didn't care. Lily Evans had agreed to be his friend and to letting him hex Snape. He was the happiest guy in the world at that moment. He spoke to himself:

"This is going to be a great year."