Lily Evans always had her eye on the adult Wizarding world. But when James proposed, she realized that there was more to being grown-up than a successful job. And after 3.5 years, she's back in London.
James Potter spent most of his school years living up to his name: popular, effortless at everything, Quidditch, girls, marks…and then came his arch enemy's best friend. Lily Evans, tall, redheaded, tall, gorgeous and tall…redheaded...pretty...and struggling in Transfiguration. At the time, he was failing charms (not because he wasn't good at magic but because he spent more time on hexes than charms. Hexes aimed at Snivellous Snape under the desk) and she was his tutor.
"Honestly, Potter, if you can't see that I can see those hexes…and Remus Lupin, you should know better, letting him do that…" Moony looked chagrined. Always putting him in his place, Lils was. "Look, if you put half the effort into aguamenti as you do into what magical trip wires, you'd be a thousand times better than you are. And frankly, a trip wire doesn't do any bleeding good against a burning building..."
"Right, Lils that'll work. But next time I wanna trip up your good friend over there (hopefully in front of a tub of soapy water), a huge blast of Neptune's deep isn't going to do squat. Agenti."
"Honestly Potter, were you born with an extra stomach where your brain should have been? You forgot half the charm."
"Charm, right. Aw, Lils misses my natural charm." He winked, pointed his wanted at the bucket, and enunciated "Aguamenti."
She had to admit that one was better, under Sirius Black sneaked up behind her and poured the bucket down the back of her shirt. She probably should have seen that one coming.
"Potter, I'm warning you, that is a Deprimo spell, and making some Slytherins twist their ankles is very, very stupid."
Of course, it was James Potter and the Marauders didn't stop so the next day, three Slytherins and four Gryffindors limped to Charms. Once there, three of four injured Marauders proceeded to fail their monthly exam. Lily took her victories where she could.
When both Sirius and Peter tried to copy off her paper (which wasn't all that bright of Peter, seeing as he was sitting in FRONT of her) she sighed and hissed, "If you even think about it Black, I will hex you into the Slytherin girls locker room." When that didn't seem harsh enough, she added, "Naked."
He gulped
Over time, she learned to accept his pranks as, while the second worst part of his personality (the first being that HAIR) something that was going to happen. She didn't accept them, she endured them with thinly veiled irritation. The things she did for her grades were ridiculous, she told herself in a moment of self doubt. But necessary, that little part of her brain said. After all, we don't have any connections premade in the Wizarding world and we need to get by on our own merit.
It seemed like just another step on the path when she was made Head Girl. All the chips were falling just as she wanted them to.
She was sitting in the compartment near the front of the train, finding her only solace in keeping up with her Muggle studies, which involved diagramming valence electrons. Beryllium, two electrons in the outermost energy level. It was a nice silence, just the scritch of her pencil (really, it should have been a quill but some of her muggle habits were always hard to break on return to school) and the refrain of that song she couldn't remember the words to running through the back of her mind.
"What in the name of Merlin's fuzzy third eyeball is that? I mean really Evans, it's ruddy ridiculous, the way you try and keep up with the Muggle world. Why bother?" It was Potter dropping, his wand and book onto the seat across from her and stowing his trunk in the compartment.
"Potter, stop playing and give Remus back his badge so I can get on with my meeting."
"Woah, princess, what makes you think it's Remus's?" His American accent was terrible. Worse than terrible, it was like Clintwood in a meat grinder.
"Because last time I checked, Dumbledore wasn't hadn't put that phoenix of his in charge of the school, and that bird is just about the only non-student in the school that likes you enough to make you head boy, and that is only because you feed it."
"I like Fawkes and Fawkes likes me, I don't see what's wrong with adding a little bit of food to the mix."
From the corridor, blocking the woman with the trolley, Sirius called, "Jamsie, Moony, are there any Slytherin Prefects?"
"Rosier and Snape," Remus answered without looking up from his crossword.
"Excellent," the former replied, and continued installing a selective tripwire. It was fairly complex magic, but he had Lupin to back him up intellectually, and Potter for raw power.
In the last year, she had developed and sensitivity towards Sirius and his plans. "Sirius if you even consider it, you'll find yourself unable to leave McGonagal's vicinity for the rest of the month, so I don't advise it."
Sirius muttered something about Lily never recommending anything other than reading textbooks and playing footsie with a certain Slytherin.
"Oi!" James yelled. "Watch it."
"Despite your pathetic defense of my extracurricular activities, Potter, I'm not ignoring that you're wearing Remus's badge."
"How come you call him Remus? You just call me Potter. You don't fancy him, do you?" He shot a quick, envious look his friend's way. Moony didn't glance away from his already-completed puzzle. Last time James had thought that he and Lily 'had something going on,' six first years ended up in the hospital wing with boils because they looked at him funny (surprisingly enough, the girls of the group didn't stop looking at him with adoration and the boy still hero worshipped him. Remus was also the only one of the Marauders who was ever in trouble of that particular mix up. Lily was far too grossed out by ratty peter and would never stoop to Sirius's level. Unfortunately for James, the two also both had connections in the Muggle world. His mother was muggleborn.
"For the love of biscuts, and the millionth time, I don't fancy Remus. I just think that he's a better wizard. So give him back his badge."
"It's his, you idiot. The badge belongs to James. You're such a snob, Lilyflower, you never think anything might happen beyond your own perfect world." And with those ominous words, Sirius and Peter disappeared, two Slytherins tripped over the wire, all the lights went out and the train, the wonderful, perfect, impenetrable Hogwarts train screeched to a halt.