Head Boy. It has a nice ring, doesn't it? Unless it was connected with my name. I was James Potter, fantastic Quidditch player, devilishly handsome heart breaker, and extraordinary prankster. But Head Boy, responsible rule follower, model student, and the one others came to for help? That didn't fit me at all.

When I first got my letter, telling me of my new position, I thought Dumbledore had gone crazy (well crazier). My friends and family thought it was a joke. I kept expecting to a get another letter saying it was all a mistake. None ever came.

Before I knew it, school was starting. I was nervous as I boarded the Hogwarts Express. Yes, I, James Potter, the boy who thought he could do no wrong, was unsure about being Head Boy. All I could think about was all the ways I'd mess up. As soon as I arrived at Hogwarts I'd go to my headmaster and tell him that he was wrong.

I entered the prefect's compartment and there sat Lily Evans, looking as beautiful as ever. She saw me, blinked a few times as if trying to clear her visions, and then burst into hysterical laughter.

"P...P...Potter! Dumbledore... picked... you?" She said, gasping for breath between each word.

I smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, who knew what he was thinking?"

She took a deep breath and sighed, holding back her laughter. " I suppose it could be worse. "

My eyes widened. "It could?"

"Yes, it could." She said matter-of-factly. "The Head Boy could have been Sirius or Peter. Even worse, it could have been Snape." She shuddered. "Don't let me down, Potter."

I swallowed. Let her down. Now I was really worried. I already had a list of ways I could mess up, and with the added pressure of Lily's expectations, I lost all faith in myself.

"Actually..." I paused, trying to decide the best was to explain. "I was thinking that I'd go to Dumbledore as soon as I got to Hogwarts and tell him that I couldn't do the job."

Her jaw dropped. "Excuse me? Are you giving up?"

"I can't handle the pressure."

"Her shock turned into anger. "So you can be on the Quidditch team, you can be the master of pranks, you can have every person look up to you, and you can goof-off during class and still manage to get top grades, yet you can't handle pressure?"

"I just can't be responsible."

Her eyes were still narrowed but the corners of her mouth twitch ever so slightly.

"Well I have enough responsibility for three people, so I guess you're covered."

I nodded and pretended to I agree. If Dumbledore wasn't such a great wizard I'd hex him the second I saw him. My life was ruined and it was all his fault. Even if I couldn't hex him, I'd most certainly give him evil glares and say rude things to him.

Fortunately for him, I never got the chance. Over the first two weeks of school I was kept busy and barely saw the headmaster. There was time to tell him he'd lost his mind. I was either doing homework, playing Quidditch, doing head duties, or spending time with my friends.

I had promised my fellow Marauders that being Head Boy wasn't going to change me. We still sneaked around the castle at night, we still didn't pay attention during class, and we still spent our days plotting ways to prank Snape and the other Slytherins. During a potions class I blew up Snape's cauldron and most of his face. He spent the next week in the Hospital Wing and I didn't get caught.

Overall we Marauders had calmed down. We weren't the troublemakers we'd been two years ago, but that didn't mean we wanted to be known as goody-two-shoes. I was upset when a fifth year prefect told me she couldn't believe I had finally decided to be good. In order to prove that I wasn't, I convinced her to skip one of her classes and break into Filch's office just to bother him. It was her first time doing anything of the sort and she had a blast. I then got to show her all the ways to have fun in detention. Lily put a lot of effort into straightening her out afterwards, but not a word was said to me about the situation.

Lily was right when she said she was responsible enough for the both of us. Whenever I started to do or say something I shouldn't, Lily would give me a look or a word and I'd stop. When I wasn't sure what to do, she was right there, gently guiding me. She never got mad. She never gave up. I wasn't sure she was the same Lily Evans I'd known the last six years.

Spending all that time peacefully with her would have been nice, if I wasn't in so much need of her guidance. I felt as if she was my mother. It's very difficult to win a girl's affection when she is taking over where my mother left off. And though we were on good terms for the first time ever, I had the feeling that she was getting farther away from falling in love with me. Before, I'd been this arrogant boy that drove her crazy, yet managed to make her smile every so often. Now I was just her innocent puppy that needed training. I felt pathetic.

So it was in the interest of my reputation and future relationship with Lily that I headed to the headmaster's office. It must be impossible to surprise Dumbledore because he seemed as if he had been expecting me.

"James, I've been expecting you."

I knew it.

"Professor, since you seem to know everything, why don't you tell me why I came here." I was in no mood to be polite.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You came here to tell me that I must be crazy to make you Head Boy and you want me to take away your position."

I crossed my arms and frowned. Did he have to know everything?

"I will say," he continued, "that you've been doing a fine job from what I can see so far, and I'd be sad to see you give up the job. However, I will not force you to keep it."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "A fine job? You can't have been paying attention. Lily is always telling me what to do, I convinced a prefect to skip class with me, and I exploded Snape's cauldron on purpose. How is that an example of a fine job?"

His eyes twinkled again; I wished they'd stop. "It all depends on how you view it. As I said, you are free to give up your position. I do ask that you consult Miss Evans before making a decision. She will be impacted as well."

"Fine." I huffed and walked to the door. "But don't count on me changing my mind."

I didn't need to look back at him to know he was smiling.

I broke the news to Lily later that night.

"Are you crazy?" She had been mad at me before, but never like this. "I don't even know where to start. You can't just stop! You have a responsibility to this school. If Dumbledore chose you, and thinks you're doing well, then I don't see the problem." She paused and glared. "In all the years I've known you, Potter, I've never been more disappointed."

I watched her stomp down the hall and I wasn't sure what to think. I had messed up even more with Lily, but that only proved how I wasn't cut out for the job. Dumbledore Shmumbledore. It was clear he had been far too busy worrying about the war to concentrate on his school.

I didn't give up my job right away. I was waiting for Lily to calm down enough so we could reasonably talk. I figured she'd be more willing to forgive me if I was Head Boy, but three days later she was still ignoring me. She didn't even look at me during meetings with the prefects. I had to finally decide I wasn't going to wait for her. I'd go talk to the headmaster in the morning.

With this plan in mind, I went on patrol, the last one I'd ever have to do. I was alone - Lily refused to work with me - until I came upon two first year boys fighting in the hallway and ran to separate them.

"Hey! Hold on. There is no reason for you to be out at night fighting." I pulled them apart and bent down to their height.

"But he's in Slytherin." One of them said, as if that was all the reason needed. I noticed he was wearing Gryffindor colors. I tried not to smile at all the memories that brought back.

"So what if he is? I've lost more house points than you can count because of fighting with Slytherins and you know what happened?" They shook their heads, eyes wide, drinking in every word I said. "Nothing. We still hate each other. All those detentions were spent making us hate each other more. Now it's too late to ever be friends. I could save one of their lives and still be hated. But during this war, it's important to have as many people on your side as you can. No matter what house they're in."

I gave each of them a hard look and they shuffled their feet. I could perfectly remember being like them; young and small, but ready to take on the world. Being forced to get along with Snape would've been hard then, but it was impossible now. If I could stop a feud here, it might end up better later.

"Now let's try to see what you two have in common." I continued, switching to a less serious tone. "Do either of you like Quidditch?"

They shook their heads. I frowned. What kind of boy didn't like Quidditch?

"How about..." I thought hard. What else did boys do? I wasn't going to encourage prank playing. "What do you want to be when you're older?"

The Gryffindor's face lit up. "I want to work with dragons."

The Slytherin looked surprised. "Me too!"

"There! You see? You aren't so different after all." I was feeling very pleased with myself.

They started talking about all sorts of dragon facts, ones that I had never heard. It amazed me how younger children could instantly become friends. I felt bad stopping them, but it was time for them to be in their dorms. So I sent them off with the promise that they could see each other tomorrow, and if anyone told them they couldn't talk to each other or made fun of them, I would personally hex that person. They scurried down the hall, with big smiles on their faces.

"I'm impressed, Potter."

I jumped. Lily was behind me, giggling. That was a good sign. "It's a shame that other children won't get to experience the James Potter wisdom."

"What?"

She sighed and walked closer. "Look, despite popular belief, I actually like you. Please believe me when I say that I really want you to be my co-Head. You're smart, you keep your head under pressure, you know how to take control of a situation, and every student in the school respects you, even the ones that hate you. The teachers like you, though you seem to give them no reason. If that's not criteria for a good Head Boy then I don't know what is. The truth is, if you give up your position then I do too. I can't do this without you. Half the things I do wouldn't get done if I didn't have your help. You're perfectly capable of handling this job. I would've just taken points from those boys, but you made enemies into friends. What other proof do you need?"

I was shocked and flattered. I also didn't know what to say. Lily reached over and squeezed my hand. "Just think about it. Please." She whispered before walking away.

I did think about it. I lost hours of sleep staring into the darkness. Lily's words brought a new perspective on my job. I could remember times when Lily was trying to get a group's attention and needed my help. There were also times when Lily had needed my ideas. Maybe every one else was seeing something I wasn't.

Morning came and so did my decision. After all, who was I to let down Lily Evans? I would continue on with my Head Boy job. I was going to tell her at breakfast, but she wasn't there. So I tried to catch her during Charms, but her friends kept her busy. I spent all morning trying to talk to her and finally, before lunch, I saw her walking alone in the hallway.

"Lily!" I called.

"Mr. Potter!" I froze at the familiar voice of Professor McGonagall. Lily had already turned around and was watching. I hoped McGonagall would make me look good.

"Hi Professor." I said sweetly, thinking through everything I'd done recently.

"Mr. Potter, will you please explain to me why these two young students, " she pointed behind her. They were the boys from last night. "were talking during my class and when I told them to stop they said I was going to get hexed by you."

It figures that the one time I'm responsible I get into trouble with McGonagall. "Oh, you see I was promoting school wide unity and I forgot to say that my rules don't apply to you. Can I fix this?"

"Go ahead." She said with raised eyebrows.

The boys looked like I was going to eat them. I bent down next to them and smiled. "OK guys, it's time to open up the book of James Potter advice. Rule number one: Always do what professors tell you. They tell me what to do too. Rule number two: Professor McGonagall is the best teacher in the world and is always fair, but she's on the strict side. Don't ever fool around in her class."

I saw the mentioned professor smile, so I took that as a sign to go on.

"Rule three: Don't talk during class, pass notes, but only if you know the material being taught. Rule four: Detention isn't the end of the world and can be fun if your best mate is with you. However, professors catch on and they'll separate you, so try to stay out of detention. Rule five: Your house mates will hate you if you lose them points and they'll love you if you win points, so do whatever you can to win points. Rule six: If you think doing your homework makes you look uncool then do it at night or in the back of the library, but always do it. You'll be glad you did."

The boys nodded. I glanced back at Lily who was watching intently.

"I have one more rule for you boys. Watch out for redheads. They can be fantastic companions, but they'll drive you crazy. So if you want a relationship with one, be careful."

I straightened up and looked at McGonagall. "My work here is done."

She nodded. "Professor Dumbledore would be proud." She placed a hand on the little boys' shoulders. "Come along boys."

"Professor Dumbledore would be proud." I repeated in a mocking voice as soon as she was out of earshot. "Why does everyone think I want him to be proud of me?"

"Because, even if you claim to hate him, you do want him to be proud of you." Lily said, coming up beside me. "I really liked those rules you gave, but tell me why you thought you needed to make them afraid of redheads."

I grinned. "If you haven't noticed, I told them everything I wish someone would've told me. I would have been saved a lot of trouble if I avoided you."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "You loved all the trouble I gave you."

"Wouldn't trade it for anything." We looked at each other for a moment. "So, can we be friends again?"

She pretended to think about it. "I guess we can."

"Good, because if I have to work with you all year I'd rather we like each other."

She threw her arms around me so quickly I was caught off guard. "I knew you'd come to your senses. You'll start to enjoy being Head Boy. I have so many things planned and plenty of perks come with the job." She stopped hugging me and slipped her hand in mine. "Come on, let's get lunch."

I followed her to the Great Hall, but I had an urge to run up to the headmaster's office and tell Dumbledore that he was right all along. He didn't hate me after all. In fact, he just made my life better. I was so happy I could kiss him.

On second thought, I think a 'thank you' is enough. I'll save the kissing for Lily.