Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the characters that you don't recognize. This is the only time I'm going to put the disclaimer up, because it's redundant and annoying if it's there in every chapter.
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Chapter One: Trial and Error
Lily sighed as she agitatedly brushed her auburn locks away from her face. "I can't believe him!" she said, stomping into her dormitory.
Lily's roommates, Lexi Lieberman, Lana Davidson and Emily Grant all turned and looked at each other, following Lily into their dorm.
"Lily-" started Lexi.
"No, I'm serious! He's Head Boy this year, and he still thinks that he has the right to just, ugh!" said Lily, grunting in frustration, not bothering to finish her sentence.
"Lil, look. We know that James has never been the most wonderful person all of time, but he is a nice guy," said Emily.
"I know, but is it honestly necessary to curse someone who annoys him? 'Just because'? I mean, I'm not very fond of Snape, but I don't think that it was right for Potter to entirely cover Snape with bat droppings. After that, he just laughs it off with his posse and leaves as if nothing's happened," said Lily.
"Hey! My boyfriend isn't a part of some 'posse'," said Lana, referring to Remus Lupin. He had asked her out in the middle of June and they saw a lot of each other during the summer holiday.
"I know, I'm sorry. But Remus is different from Black and Potter. Completely different," said Lily. She sat on her bed and flicked her wand. Her trunk sprang open and all of her possessions began to unpack themselves and go into their proper drawers.
"Lil, if you're going to spend the rest of the year complaining about James, I'm going to have to hex you. If you haven't noticed, James has definitely changed since 6th year. He isn't nearly as cocky or show offy compared to what we're used to. And besides, both of you are going to have to work together for Head Student duties. If you're going to be at each other's throats all of the time, nothing will ever be done," reasoned Lexi.
"Besides, it's only our first day back. Tons of things can happen," said Emily.
Lily snorted. "Exactly."
Lana rolled her eyes and sighed. "Lil, I'm with Lex on this. You're going to have to give James a chance this year! Every single year, you've practically ignored him. He was trying really hard to be nice at the end of last year, and I think that it's mostly just for you. Even you have to admit that the only person that he hexes now is Snape, and personally, I could care less. Snape hexes James and Sirius back, so in a sense, it would only be fair."
"Okay, fine, fine, fine. I'll give Potter the benefit of the doubt this year, but don't think that I'll suddenly be buddy-buddy with him or anything like that," said Lily.
"Good, we don't expect you to anyway," shrugged Emily. "Just…how do I put this? Co-exist with him peacefully."
"Still venting about James, are we?" asked Juno, Lana's pet shape shifter. She stepped out of Lana's bag and padded around on her bed, currently in the form of a retriever puppy.
Lana is in possession of a shape shifter, a rare creature that is hard to come by and quite costly. General characteristics of shape shifters are that they are able to communicate with people and other animals. All of their forms, which can be anything except for human beings, always have the same coloring and markings as the shifter's natural form.
"What else would she be doing?" said Lexi sarcastically.
Lily grunted. "Whatever. I'm going to bed. Good night, everyone."
"Night, Lil," responded Emily.
* * *
"Good morning! How is everyone this lovely September morning?" asked Sirius, sitting down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast.
"Grumpy, tired, and wondering how I woke up in the first place," muttered Remus.
James pushed a pot of tea towards him. "You look like you need all the caffeine you could get."
"Thanks," said Remus, pouring a nice big cup.
"Has McGonagall handed out the schedules yet?" asked Peter, glancing up at the Head table.
"No. But she should start doing that in a couple of minutes," said Remus.
"Excellent. That gives me about 5 minutes to fully let the fact that I'm Head Boy sink in," said James, flashing the table his most charming smile.
"I still can't comprehend how you got that badge. Especially with that track record of yours," said Peter, shaking his head.
"Aw, come off it, Pete. I do have my good sides, you know," said James.
"Good morning, boys. I trust that you will all contribute to making this an uneventful year?" said Professor McGonagall, coming around with the term's timetables. She gave an especially harsh look at Sirius, who grinned sheepishly and held up his hands in defense.
"I swear! It'll never happen again! Honestly!" he said sincerely.
McGonagall pressed her lips into a thin line and handed out everyone's respective timetables. "Another stunt like that will land you out of Hogwarts so fast, you won't be able to say 'Quidditch,' Mr. Black."
Last year, Sirius attempted to scare the living daylights out of Severus Snape by using Remus's lycanthropy to his advantage. To make the long story short, things got completely out of hand and several lives could have been lost before James realized what was going on and stopped it. Sirius had been kept under a close watch by the faculty and was on probation for the rest of the year.
"Alright, what does everyone have today? I only have three classes," said Sirius, looking over his timetable at everyone else.
"N.E.W.T. level Potions first, then two free periods, then N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration, lunch, and N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts at the very end of the day," said Remus.
"Me too," said James, leaning back in his seat.
"I knew that, we all have the same schedules. What about you, Wormtail?" asked Sirius.
"Arithmancy and then two free periods, then Herbology, lunch, and then Ancient Runes at the very end of the day. It seems like we have all of our free periods together," said Peter.
"Prongs. Snap out of it," said Sirius, snapping his fingers in front of James.
James was staring down the table at the group of 7th year Gryffindor girls, longing to be sitting with them.
"Huh? Oh, right," said James.
"Do you want me to tell Lana to put in a good word for you?" asked Remus.
"No, no, it's okay. This is something that I need to do on my own," said James, stealing one more glance at Lily.
"What you need, my friend, is a nice big helping of kippers and toast," said Sirius, seizing James's plate and loading it up.
"Excellent. Thanks, mate," said James.
* * *
Eve Blandus, the most deceiving and cunning of her Slytherin peers, was unfortunately one of the members of the N.E.W.T. level Potions class. Eve was reared by a father who barely cared for her and a mother who doted on her. A result of the contradicting methods of parenting, Eve found amusement in the misfortune of others and found it her duty to inflict pain and worry on whomever she saw fit. Always scheming, Eve was never one to be trusted. Some could compare Eve to a Veela—beautiful, yet dangerous when provoked.
"Pity," murmured Eve. She raised her gray eyes. "It's a pity, Black, that your wand has not been snapped in two."
"It's also a pity that we must put up with your usual ineffective taunting, Blandus," responded Sirius.
"At least I'm not a threat to the population of this school," purred Eve.
"Yet you are a poison that tends to inhabit the minds of younger students who are unaware of the consequences of consorting with the likes of you," said Sirius.
Eve and Sirius glared at each other. James was spared the task of half-heartedly trying to break the tension between the two when Professor Inficio, the Potions Master arrived.
Inficio strode into the corridor and past the students, into the empty dungeon where the class is held. He wasted no time in announcing what the day's lesson entailed as his students filed into his classroom and took their seats.
"In today's class, you will be making an Awareness Potion. This potion makes the drinker's senses magnify and keeps the drinker on his or her guard against whatever may be lurking. I expect all of you to complete this task for the rest of the period," said Professor Inficio.
"I'm surprised that he's not as moody as he normally is," said Lexi to Lily, as they paired up.
"Yeah, I know. It's actually kind of unsettling," said Lily, as she took out the needed potion ingredients.
"I heard that Inficio was warned to be more lenient towards to entire school or else he'll lose his position as the Head of Slytherin," whispered Sirius, bending forward.
James inwardly groaned. He didn't want to have Lily's attention brought to him because he knew how she thought he was the most idiotic person in the world.
"Really? I thought that he had finally found some woman who must've been stupid, yet kind enough to give him a chance," said Remus.
Lily snorted. "I'd be surprised if Inficio was actually capable of romantic feelings, let alone feelings, aside from sadism, hate, and cruelty."
"I doubt that that's possible," snickered James, relieved that she wasn't giving him the cold shoulder. Perhaps her dorm mates spoke about him in a good way. James quickly pushed aside these thoughts because of the chance that they didn't talk about him at all, or that Lily was just in a remarkably good mood today.
"Me too, although it would be a bit strange for Inficio to be getting a warning from the school governors, when his behavior towards all non-Slytherin students has been biased and harsh since his employment," said Lexi.
"Maybe they finally got enough complaints to actually make a stand against Inficio," shrugged Remus, chopping up some sphinx eyes.
"I highly doubt that. How long has he been Potions Master here? Ten? Eight? Nine years? The governors have had more than enough time to process this information," said Lily.
"Whatever the reason may be, I guess we'll never know," said James.
"Anyway, how was everyone's summer? Anyone go anywhere interesting?" asked Sirius, changing the topic to a more pleasant one.
"Well, the family and I visited Italy over the summer. My parents fell in love with Venice so much that they're planning on buying property there," said Lily.
"Really? I have several cousins in Venice, although the majority of my mother's family is based in Florence," said James.
"Do you speak any Italian?" asked Lexi.
James nodded. "I'm pretty fluent, but only after a while. I sort of need to have my memory jogged every so often. Visiting family or constantly having relatives over helps."
"Is that cousin of yours still in possession of my dress robes?" asked Sirius.
James rolled his eyes. "Yes. Natalia's completely smitten with you. Every time we see one another, she never hesitates to ask about you."
Noticing everyone's puzzled expressions, James quickly explained. "The last time we had a family reunion, my parents let me bring Sirius along for company. Natalia, my cousin, practically stripped him of his robes when she saw him. She wouldn't leave us alone for the remainder of the reunion."
"Sounds like something that I would do," grinned Lexi. "I meant, following a gorgeous guy around as long as possible."
Sirius rolled his eyes while the only other Gryffindors in the class shared a laugh.
* * *
James wrapped his cloak around him more tightly as he stared across the surface of the lake. He had decided to take a walk around the grounds to clear his head and try to organize his thoughts. Sitting by the lake had always helped him serve this purpose. The gentle sound of water crashing against the sand banks put James at ease and allowed him a chance to unwind.
James's mind was filled with thoughts of uncertainty—the safety or lack thereof of his family, the usual anxiety about marks in school, and a new feeling that James was unaccustomed too—the growing anxiety and need to know Lily more intimately.
When James had seen Lily step onto Platform 9 ¾ the day before, his breath had caught in his chest. He always knew that Lily was pretty, but seeing her this time made him feel as though he was seeing her with new eyes. Maybe it was just a result of his hormones going into overdrive, or maybe it was because he hadn't seen her in a while. James sighed. He had to think of a clever way to make Lily realize that he isn't the egotistical prat that she thinks he is. He needs to show her the real James Potter.
James exasperatedly ran a hand through his jet-black messy hair, an action that is generally repeated during times of deep thinking, nervousness, or agitation. If he didn't redeem himself in her eyes soon, there'd be little chance that they would ever end up as a couple, let alone one that would stay together post-graduation.
~ * ~
About half an hour after dinner, Lily had decided to go out for a walk as well. She needed to release some pent up energy that she didn't know that she had, and decided to relieve it by transforming into her Animagus form—a black panther with bright green eyes. Over the summer, Lily thought that it would be helpful for her if she were able to take on an Animagus form if she was to become an Auror. Having two physical forms would be very accommodating if she was to get herself in a vulnerable situation.
After freely running about the grounds, Lily changed back into her human form and took a walk. She was able to pick out a lone figure on the opposite banks of the lake. Whoever it was appeared to be in deep thought as he or she skipped stones in the water, watching the ripples that traveled away from the source of disruption in the calm waters of the lake.
Lily let her curiosity get the better of her and walked around the lake to figure out whom exactly this mystery character was.
~ * ~
"May I join you?" asked a soft voice.
Startled, James looked up to see Lily Evans timidly standing behind him.
"Yeah, of course," he said, gesturing towards the rock next to him. "I come out here to think every now and then." James's mind was reeling. Lily was actually talking to him. She made the first move. Okay, keep it cool, thought James.
"About what?" asked Lily, turning her emerald gaze on him.
James shrugged. "Usually just things that concern me or my friends. Basically anything that just tickles my fancy." He couldn't believe that Lily was actually giving him the time of day.
"I'm actually guilty of doing that too. I find that taking long walks around the castle and/or the grounds helps me to stay level headed and calm. It's therapeutic in its own way," confessed Lily.
"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. It's like just being able to take the time out to put things into perspective makes everything seem less intimidating. I'm probably not making any sense to you," muttered James.
"No, no, I have the same feeling as you. It's like organizing my thoughts makes everything not seem so scary in a bizarre way," said Lily. "The reality of the world isn't as harsh and bitter when you take the time to think about it."
James nodded, glad that someone else understood the importance of these ventures about the grounds. A bubble of happiness rose inside him at discovering one of Lily's favorite pastimes, which just happened to be one of his own.
"So what's your story?" asked James, looking at Lily.
"I'm sorry?" asked Lily.
"I mean, what brings you out here tonight?" asked James.
"Oh," said Lily, leaning back on her elbows. "I just needed to release some pent up energy that's been collecting inside of me for quite some time. Plus, I wanted to test my capabilities as a feline," grinned Lily.
It was James's turn to be confused by this statement. "I'm sorry, I'm not following you."
"Well, over the summer, I took an Animagus course at the Ministry. I thought that it would be beneficial for me if I was to become an Auror," said Lily.
James's face lit up. "You're an Animagus too? What do you turn into?"
"A panther," said Lily.
"Go on, then. Let me see you," said James.
"Alright," agreed Lily.
With a faint 'pop', Lily's body was replaced with that of a large, fully grown panther with Lily's signature bright green eyes.
James tentatively reached out a hand and started stroking the panther's fur. He couldn't help but think that this is what Lily's hair must feel like—soft and silky. He retracted his hand and Lily turned back to her normal state.
"That's an interesting animal to turn into," observed James.
"What do you mean?" asked Lily.
"Well, a person's animal form says a lot about their character. I guess that being a panther means that you're always on guard and capable of destructive actions, but beautiful, graceful and elegant at the same time," said James.
"Come on, Potter. You make me sound as though I've never done a bad thing in my entire life," laughed Lily. "God knows that I've had my fair share of trouble making in the past and present."
"Is the Great Lily Evans actually confessing to mischief?" asked James, grinning.
Lily scowled. "Don't pretend to know me. Besides, I've done more things than you would imagine," she muttered.
James stayed silent and was relieved to see that Lily wasn't annoyed with him for 'pretending to know her'.
He dared a glance at Lily and saw that she was completely at peace. Her eyes were closed and her long red hair was billowing about her as a result of the wind. For a moment, James was able to see the real Lily, the unguarded Lily.
James respected her for being able to balance everything in her life—socially, academically, and her family matters. He knew that Lily had a sister who didn't care much for her, but he also knew that she had parents who loved her dearly, yet didn't show it in the best way. They were always busy with work, so they rarely spent time at home. Frankly, he could care less if Lily had a sister or not because he knew that Petunia's feelings towards Lily wouldn't scathe her in the least. Most people would think that Lily is a spoiled brat because of her parents' economical and social situations in the upper class society of Muggle London, and she was well aware of that. She held her head high and lived with the motto that 'if people don't take the time to know me and look past the labels, then they're not worth knowing at all'. James inwardly snorted at the irony of their situation and Lily's motto.
James's eyes swept over Lily. She wasn't like most girls who are delicate and look like they should be treated like glass that would break at a single touch. While Lily was naturally slender, he knew that she was a strong person, physically and emotionally. He's seen the way Lily can single handedly pin some of the Ravenclaw guys down to the ground, with little to no effort. She's actually remarkably strong for someone her size…
James was brought back to reality when Lily spoke.
"I'm guessing that you want to know what being a stag can say about you," she guessed.
James shrugged indifferently. "Not really, but I'm interested to see what you have to say about it."
Back in 5th year, Lily and the rest of the Gryffindor girls in her year found out what James, Sirius and Peter were doing for Remus. They were all intelligent enough to figure out that Remus was a werewolf on their own, but they never knew about the Marauders' monthly adventures. Lily, being one of the Gryffindor Prefects then, had caught James, Sirius and Peter as they attempted to sneak out to the Whomping Willow. They confessed their story to her, and surprisingly, she let them go.
"All right," said Lily. "Your Animagus form makes it clear that you're a leader, and you won't settle for less. A stag is the leader of a pack, and he cares for everyone in it. He always makes sure that the pack is safe. That just means that you're always looking out for Sirius, Remus and Peter, and that you care about them more than you'd like people to know. It also means that you have some territorial problems, especially when someone other than you is taking an interest to something that you consider as yours. Stags are generally cocksure as well, but of course, that's nothing like you," finished Lily, the corners of her mouth twitching.
"I guess that that's a pretty good way of putting it," said James, nodding thoughtfully and glossing over her sarcasm. "Anyway, what do you say about checking out this Head's lounge? Have you visited it yet?"
"The Head Boy and Head Girl study? No, not yet. I intended to go sometime this weekend, though," said Lily.
"Well, there's no better time than now. According to my watch, we still have roughly half an hour before we're expected to be back at the tower," said James, standing up. He extended his hand to Lily.
Lily got up, ignoring his hand. James awkwardly let it fall back to his side.
"Anyway, I guess there's no harm in going now. We could probably make some changes to it if the study turns out to be horribly decorated and nowhere near our expectations," said Lily.
"I highly doubt that that will be the case, but whatever floats your boat, my dear," said James.
"Do you know where it is?" asked Lily.
"The lounge always moves to accommodate the Head Students. Since we're both Gryffindors, I'm guessing that it will be relatively close to the Tower," said James.
Lily nodded. "I know that the password is 'congratulations'. Apart from the existence of the lounge, that's all that I know about it."
"Well then our knowledge put together shouldn't make locating the lounge a problem at all, eh?" said James.
"I suppose," said Lily.
"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but how come, all of a sudden, you're giving me the time of day? I thought that you thought me to be some crude arrogant bloke," confessed James.
"Well, I decided to actually follow my motto and give you a chance. It's only fair. Besides, we're going to have to work together this year. We might as well start the year off on a good foot," said Lily.
James nodded, accepting her answer.
"I'm excited for this year. Do you think that we should plan any special social events?" said Lily, successfully ending the awkward silence before it even began.
"I'm quite partial to one, so I guess so. Which would you prefer? A Halloween party or a Yule ball?" asked James.
"Either one would be fine for me, so long as there's a party. A Halloween party has its advantages with the prospect of outrageous costumes, but the Yule ball would have better themes. It would also give us the advantage of having more time to prep for it," said Lily.
"Then a Yule ball it is," said James.
"We should probably ask Dumbledore for permission, first," said Lily.
"Any balls or the sort are always left up to the Head Students. As long as it can be supported with the budget given to us, then it's perfectly acceptable," said James. "Here we are," he said, stopping in front of a painting of the Three Graces.
"Hello," said Lily timidly, peering at each grace.
"Hello," said one of the graces, in a soft and echoing voice. "I gather that you two are this year's Head Students?"
"That we are," confirmed James, bowing his head a little.
"What a lovely pair, don't you think?" asked one of the graces, addressing her sisters.
"I couldn't have asked for a more charming couple," said another.
All of their voices were soft, echoing and sounded like bells.
"Oh, we're not a couple," said Lily, glancing at James.
"Oh, but that you are, dear child. You may not realize it yet because of past mutiny, but only time and desperation will open your eyes," said a grace.
"I'm sorry, but you must ignore Euphrosyne. She finds that funny in a way," apologized a grace.
"That's quite all right. I believe that we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Lily Evans, and this is my friend James Potter. We're both Gryffindors," said Lily, clearing her throat.
"Lovely. I'm Thalia, and these are my sister Graces, Aglaia and Euphrosyne," said Thalia, the first grace that addressed us. "Password, please?"
"Congratulations," announced James.
"And the same to you," said Aglaia, as the portrait swung forward. "We hope that you find the study accommodating and to your tastes. Professor Dumbledore said that you two would most likely be quite pleased with the turnout."
"Thank you. I assure you, we will," said Lily.
James held out his hand, gesturing for Lily to step into the study first.
"Well, this isn't quite what I expected," said Lily, glancing about her.
James shrugged indifferently. "It's nice."
Lily spun on her heel to face him. "Nice? This room is gorgeous!"
"I've had a bit of a warning. After all, Christian was Head Boy in his year," said James.
"Oh, right, I forgot," said Lily.
Christian is James's older brother by two years. According to Lana, who is James's neighbor and longtime friend, James is the spitting image of Christian, except for the fact that Christian's eyes are blue instead of James's hazel.
The study of the suite was decorated with all of the House colors. The walls were painted dark red and the Persian rug covering the hardwood floors was the same color, with gold mixed in. The couches, armchairs and ottomans were either royal blue or forest green, with gold or silver throw pillows, respectively. The drapes covering the windows were a rich gold in color, with red threads woven into it. The lamps that were spread throughout the study had a yellow base with a black shade.
"You would think that there are 10 Head Students with all of this space and furniture," said Lily. "The question is, should we tell the others where this is and what the password is?"
"It's tempting, but I'd rather not since this is the only room in the castle where either of us could be left utterly alone," said James.
"To the normal student, yes. But to you and your friends, I highly doubt that. You do, after all, have the Marauders Map," pointed out Lily.
"Oh right, the map. Well then I think that we should just let them figure out where the lounge is for themselves," said James, walking towards one of the doors. "Now Christian said something about a bathroom…"
"Oh! There are bedrooms!" said Lily, peeking into one of the rooms.
"It is for your use, should you decide to live in here, rather than the dormitories at Gryffindor Tower," said a voice, causing Lily to jump.
"Sorry Professor, I didn't see you there or hear you come in," said Lily, turning around with her wand out.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes… Thalia told me that you two had decided to inspect the Head Student lounge tonight, and I thought that I would like to see how you feel about the it."
"I adore it. I commend whoever was responsible for the decorations," said Lily.
"I'll be sure to alert Professors Knight and McGonagall, then," said Dumbledore, blue eyes twinkling.
Lily's eyebrows rose. "Now there's an unlikely pairing."
"Quite," agreed Dumbledore.
"Hey Lil, did you know that there are seats in the shower in the bathroom? It makes you think twice about what's going on in the minds of the- oh, hello Professor," said James awkwardly.
Lily and Professor Dumbledore were both staring at James, with either an amused expression or a slightly mortified one.
"Good evening, James. I was just about to tell Lily that it is your decision to inform whomever you like as to the whereabouts of these rooms, and that if you choose to do so, the both, or one of you may sleep in the bedrooms that are off beyond those doors," said Dumbledore.
"Thank you, we'll consider it," said James.
"Oh, Professor, James and I were discussing the prospects of having a Yule Ball over the Christmas holiday, and we were wondering if we can bring it up at the first Prefects meeting," said Lily.
"Of course, my dear, if it is what you wish," said Dumbledore. "I must be on my way, now. I have the intentions of taking up Professor Knight on a rematch of Gobstones. I suppose that he will be excited at the proposal. Good evening."
"Good night, Professor," chorused Lily and James.
"So, let's check out those bedrooms, eh?" said James, turning once Dumbledore left.
* * *
"The Dark Lord will be most happy when he learns this information," said Eve, running her long fingers over the glossy scales of her pet snake.
"What have you discovered, Eve?" asked her dorm mate, Lyra Fallacia.
"The fact that Evans's parents are rather important in the Muggle world, and that her sister loathes her. There is also the fact that Evans tends to feel neglected… It is a known fact that the Dark Lord is quite partial to playing mind games with his prey before he goes in for the kill," said Eve, her gray eyes glittering dangerously.
"Oh? And how did you go about obtaining this information? I'd be appalled if you made such an effort into investigating Evans's personal affairs. The Mudblood isn't worth it," said Eris Feria, another Slytherin 7th year.
"Of course not," snapped Eve. "Naturally, I hired someone to investigate for me. Father would be disgusted if he were to know that I associated with Muggles," said Eve haughtily.
"What do you think he will do with this information?" asked Bellatrix Black lazily, as she brushed her hair in front of an ornately carved bureau.
"I think that he will instruct us to subtly warn Evans of the danger whilst planting seeds of paranoia and distrust in her perfect little world," said Lyra.
"What do you think, Eve?" asked Petra Opacus, the last Slytherin girl of their year.
"We will simply have to put Evans in a state of vulnerability and then attack her, leaving her crushed and with little hope and little desire to live," said Eve.
"Judas doesn't give you much credit for your intricate plans or your cleverness," said Eris.
"Yes, well, he is also ignorant of who else I sleep with, other than him," said Eve, smiling maliciously.
* * *
"So what's this I hear about you becoming friendly with James?" asked Lexi, looking up from her Potions essay.
Lily shrugged. "Like I said the first day back—I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. Potter isn't as bad as I thought he was."
"Of course not. You just never thought to follow your own motto and take the time to know him," said Lana impatiently.
"Hey, it's not my fault if he always acts like he's the prince of Hogwarts," said Lily.
"Well technically, he's the prince and you're the princess," said Emily.
Lily raised an eyebrow in Emily's general direction.
"Being Head Boy and Head Girl and all," added Emily.
"That's a really interesting way of putting it," said Lexi.
"Whatever. Last night we decided to have a Yule Ball this Christmas holiday. We figured that we should make our last holiday here a memorable one," said Lily.
"Oh, yay!" said Emily.
"I'm so excited! The parties that you plan are always bloody fantastic," said Lexi.
At this moment, Juno decided to poke her Labrador head out of Lana's bag, which was on the table. She stretched out her back and gave a puppy yawn.
"Hey, June. Decided to come out?" asked Lana, rubbing her pet's ears.
"Your babbling woke me," said Juno. "You lot whisper like foghorns."
"Yes, well, we tend to get loud when we're excited," said Lexi.
"I don't feel like doing my homework anymore. I know enough about Muggles to practically be one! I could honestly give a damn about the Muggle educational system, let alone write an essay about it," said Lana, sighing and rubbing her eyes.
"All of your work is a result of what career you opted for. I don't see why you should be complaining," said Juno.
Lana rolled her eyes. "Everyone complains about their work," she said simply.
"Just pick up your quill and continue writing. If you know so much about Muggles, then this essay should be quite easy for you," said Juno, nudging the quill towards Lana with her nose.
"Shut up for a second, will you?" said Lily, still writing her essay. "All right. Done!" she said, setting her quill down with a flourish.
Lexi scowled. "That makes one of us."
"Oh, come on. This is the only assignment that was assigned, and it's a simple topic. Anyway, will I see all of you at dinner?" asked Lily, gathering up her books.
"Yep. Bye!" said Emily, waving at Lily.
"See you later," said Lily over her shoulder.
* * *
There was a brief knock at the door, making Lily jump a little.
"Come in," she called out from her bed.
After Lily's study session with her friends, she had gone back to the dorm to write a little bit in her notebook. No one in the entire school knew what Lily wrote in her book. They only knew that if you touched it, severe and brutal hexes would be thrown your way without mercy. Lily tended to write some poetry or just random thoughts into her precious notebook as a way of keeping her life on track. She always found herself choked up with some sort of emotion, whether it was frustration or insanity, or some other feeling. She quickly shoved her notebook under her pillow and looked up, waiting for the person to enter her dorm.
James's head appeared inside the dorm, and then the rest of his body. Like the majority of the population at Hogwarts, James had changed into more casual clothes once classes were over.
"Lil? Can you come downstairs for a minute? The guys and I need your opinion on a prank," said James.
"Since when was I a source of information for pranks? And how did you get up here?" asked Lily, raising her eyebrow.
"Since you told me last night that you've 'had your fair share of trouble making'. Besides, I want to see how your mind works. And my ways of traveling about this school are not my secrets to tell," grinned James.
"Fine," said Lily simply, rolling her eyes.
"You weren't doing anything important, were you?" asked James as he followed her down the stairs.
"No, just writing."
"Will you ever let anyone take a peek?"
"No," said Lily.
"Ah ha! There she is! Our prank-proofer. Excellent," said Sirius, wildly grinning at Lily. "Anyway, we've been spending the better part of our afternoon planning a prank on TGB (The Greasy Bastard), and we finally decided on a course of action. We just need your expertise to check the master plan for any flaws or whatever."
Peter handed Lily a piece of parchment that had all four boys' writing scrawled across the page at one point or another.
Lily accepted the parchment and glanced down at it, but not before rolling her eyes. The Marauders were planning on charming all of Snape's shoes to make a squishy noise every time he took a step. After about 200 steps, give or take a few, Snape would find him person doused in vanilla-scented bath oils.
"You see, we weren't sure if the charm would apply to all of Snape's shoes with that incantation, and we weren't sure if the number of steps was too big or too small," said Remus, reading over Lily's shoulder.
"The incantation should be correct if you had good enough aim," said Lily. "Stop that," she said, pushing Remus aside, who was previously reading over her shoulder.
"Sorry," he said.
"Okay. What about the number of steps?" asked Peter.
"It probably takes about 300 steps to the Great Hall from the Slytherin common room, so I think that you should raise the number five- or six-hundred. I'm assuming that you want to make this publicly humiliating?" said Lily, raising her eyebrows.
"Of course! TGB deserves nothing less," smirked Sirius.
"Then you might want to raise the number to 650, just to be safe, and also so that it isn't obvious that the prank was done overnight," said Lily.
"Brilliant. Thanks, Lily," said James.
"Of course. Now can I go back to my dorm? I was pretty busy," said Lily.
"You are free to frolic and spread the love," said Sirius, grinning crookedly.
Lily rolled her eyes and made her way over to a vacant window seat, and summoned her notebook to her.
A couple of minutes later, a small crowd of people began to form around James and Sirius. Lily looked over the top of her notebook to see that the boys had conjured a shimmering dog and stag, which were fighting each other in the air. The group of 5th year girls that were sitting at James and Sirius's feet were oohing and aahing at the slightest movement of the animals.
When the noise got too unbearable for Lily, she got up and went to go to the Head Students' lounge. At least there she would be able to find some peace and quiet.
Annoyed that she had to move for the second time that day as a result of the Marauders, Lily got up and walked out of the portrait hole seemingly unnoticed.
* * *
James watched as Lily slipped out of the common room.
'Where is she off to now?' thought James. He shrugged to himself and continued his 'fight' with Sirius.
"Come on, Prongs! You can do better than that. Focus, god damn it!" said Sirius, as his dog pounced on James's stag and knocked him over.
"I've just been feeling generous recently, which is why I'm holding out," grinned James, winking at the girls at his feet. 'If only Lily was one of them…'
"Give me what you've got," said Sirius, as his dog continued to maul the stag.
"Alright," laughed James. With a flick of his wand, the stag jumped up and furiously started tackling the dog with his antlers.
"Alright, alright. You won that one," said Sirius., when the dog lay in midair with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
James laughed. He knew that Sirius was only saying that to save face.
"So James, what's it like to be Head Boy?" asked one of the girls.
James proudly puffed out his chest. "Well, it's not easy. I have to keep up with my work and my pranking, deduct points and give detentions to Slytherins. Trust me, it's not glamorous," he said, leaning back into the couch.
Remus snorted. "And you've just been suffering like a poor, lost puppy, even though we've only been here for about three days."
"Damn straight," said James.
"But you have the added bonus of having Lily as your Head Girl," said Peter.
"Ooh, I heard that she has an extremely nasty temper. She's always been so obnoxious to me," said a girl.
"Nah, Lil's really nice. You just need to take the time to get to know her. She's one of the best friends that you can have if she trusts you," said James.
"Since when did you know Lily this well?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow.
James shrugged. "I've seen a different side of her recently."
"So she isn't as stuck up as she looks?" asked a different girl.
"Who are we talking about?" asked Lana, as she, Lexi, and Emily came into the common room. Lana situated herself on Remus's lap while Lexi and Emily both took chairs.
"Erm, no one," said a girl. She and the rest of her fifth year friends cleared out when Lily's best friends sat down.
"Right… You guys were talking about Lily, weren't you?" said Emily.
"You could say that," said Peter.
"But we only spoke good things about her. Those girls were just jealous," said James.
"Mmhm. Anyway, have you seen Lily recently?" asked Lexi.
"She left the common room a while ago, why?" said Remus.
"I just wanted to check some of my facts for the essay with her," said Lexi.
"You could've asked any of us," said Sirius, motioning to himself, Remus and James.
"Yeah, well, no offense to any of you guys, but I trust Lily more," said Lexi.
"Gee, thanks. Nice to know that you think so highly of our academic capabilities," said Sirius sarcastically.
"I'll go and get her. I think that I know where she went, and it's close to dinnertime anyway. I'll see you guys at the Great Hall," said James.
"Alright. Tell her that I was looking for her," said Lexi.
"Will do," said James.
* * *
So many expectations to live up to
Yet so many obstacles to overcome
Everything that is needed is within my grasp
But something holds me back
Something valued, something foreign is beckoning to me
Everything is confusing, hazy, and unclear
Nothing is as it seems anymore
Lily bit her lip and stared at her attempt at poetry. 'I've lost my touch,' thought Lily angrily. She raised her fingers to her face and began rubbing her temples when there was a knock on her door. Lily raised her head.
"Come in," she said.
The door opened and James entered the room, coming to sit on one of the armchairs placed in Lily's Head Girl bedroom.
"Hi. I was sent here on Lexi's command. Apparently I'm not good enough to compare facts with," said James, mock pouting.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh no, someone alert the Ministry. James Potter was cast aside for someone else," said Lily sarcastically.
James shrugged. "What's she talking about anyway? The Potions essay?"
Lily nodded and brought her attention back to her poem. 'Nothing is as it seems anymore… Where do I go after that?'
James was sitting on his chair in the awkward silence while Lily read and re-read whatever she was looking at. "Lily?" asked James, bending his head a little to catch Lily's eye, hoping to bring her out of her reverie.
"Mmhm?"
"I think that we should go to dinner now. It started 5 minutes ago," said James.
"Alright, I'll meet you there," said Lily, not looking up.
"Are you sure?" asked James.
"Mmhm."
"I can wait for you if you want," offered James.
"James, just go, I'll be fine," said Lily.
"It's okay. I honestly don't mind," said James.
"James. Go. Now," said Lily, looking up this time.
"Alright, fine. Just don't start whining when there isn't any food left for you," said James.
"James, shut the hell up and go!" snapped Lily.
"You know, maybe I can help you with whatever you're doing," said James, still hovering at Lily's door.
Lily blew out some air and rubbed her face with her hands. "Potter, I don't need your help right now. I know that it may be hard for you to accept that, but not everyone always needs your help," said Lily, as though she were talking to a child.
James furrowed his brow, closed the door, and stepped closer to Lily's bed. "Why are you like this? I'm just trying to be more than an acquaintance of yours because if you haven't noticed, we have to spend the entire year working together. That means that we have to cooperate and agree on various matters."
"I'm not 'like' anything, Potter. I simply just don't like it when people think that they know the answers to everything, so they have to butt into everyone else's problems," said Lily.
"Look. The only thing that I've been trying to do is lend a hand. I'm sorry if I'm insulting your intelligence or something like that, but I meant no offense," said James.
"You just don't get it," said Lily, sighing angrily.
"Then tell me! Tell me what I'm always doing wrong! Tell me why you've barely ever given me the time of day! Aside from those rare moments of peaceful dialogue, you're always talking to me in some condescending tone, and I don't appreciate that. Tell me now if you're going to be a royal bitch about everything that I do, so that I can just steer clear from you. If you want to, I'll never talk to you again," said James, getting angry now.
"No, it's not like that! I've just been irritated a lot recently. I enjoy your company, I do. It's just that sometimes you're so overwhelmingly there all of the time that it gets frustrating," said Lily, trying to reason with James.
"Well that's a lie if I ever heard it. I've known you for 7 years now, Lily, and I've barely ever spent more than an hour alone with you. If you don't like me, tell it to my face so that I don't waste my time trying to gain your friendship," said James.
"Don't you see? That's the thing! It's always you. It's always about you. Don't you ever consider what other people might be feeling? Sometimes you need to take the time to think about someone other than yourself," said Lily.
"Of course I'm thinking about me right now," snapped James. "I'm what seems to be your problem, like some mosquito that just won't die. Two nights ago you said something to me, and I think that it applies to you too—don't pretend to know me. You have selective hearing and the only things that you know about me are my accomplishments that are practically broadcasted over the entire school. You don't take the time to push past all of those labels and assumptions. But you know what? I'm not going to take up your precious time to try to 'redeem myself' in your eyes," said James, breathing deeply from the sudden anger and frustration bubbling inside of him.
"Fine," said Lily simply.
James opened the door and was about the walk out when he stopped. "You know, the only thing that I've been trying to do for the past three years is to try to get you know you more. I've been nothing but nice to you, but you just shut me down every time, and it kind of makes me wonder what I've ever done to deserve this kind of punishment. You may not intend to do this to me, but you just do," he said softly. He walked out and closed the door behind him.
Lily kept her eyes on James's back during the last part of his speech and closed her eyes when the door closed. "Damn it," she muttered, and hit her head against the wall several times.
* * *
A/n: Well, that was my first chapter. It's not much and personally I don't think that it's my best piece of writing, but I'm making up a plot to this story as I go along. If you're wondering, Lily and James won't get together for a while. They still need to build their friendship, and then after that, Lily needs to realize how she feels for James. So if you're wondering when they'll finally be a couple, you'll have to wait for a loooong time.
I hope that you liked this chapter, and please review! All comments, critiques, and even flames are welcome. I'm still not entirely sure where this story is heading except for the general idea that everyone knows about. I'm still working out the smaller plotlines. So anyway, all reviews are most welcome. Anyway, this is a song that I thought fits well with the current situation that Lily and James are in.
Complicated
By Avril Lavigne
Uh huh, life's like this
Uh huh, uh huh, that's the way it is
Cause life's like this
Uh huh, uh huh, that's the way it is
Chill out, whatcha yelling for?
Lay back, it's all been done before
And if you could only let it be, you will see
I like you the way you are
When we're driving in your car
And you're talking to me one on one
But you've become
Somebody else round everyone else
You're watching your back like you can't relax
You're trying to be cool, you look like a fool to me
Tell me
Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this, you
You fall and you crawl and you break and you take and you turn it into
Honestly, promise me I'm never gonna find you faking
No, no, no
You come over unannounced
Dressed up like you're someone else
Where you are and where it's at you see, you're making me
Laugh out when you strike a post
Take off all your preppy clothes
You know, you're not fooling anyone when you become
Somebody else round everyone else
You're watching your back like you can't relax
You're trying to be cool, you look like a fool to me
Tell me
Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this, you
You fall and you crawl and you break and you take and you turn it into
Honestly, promise me I'm never gonna find you faking
No, no, no
Chill out, whatcha yelling for?
Layback, it's all been done before
And if you could only let it be, you will see
Somebody else round everyone else
You're watching your back like you can't relax
You're trying to be cool, you look like a fool to me
Tell me
Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this, you
You fall and you crawl and you break and you take and you turn it into
Honestly, promise me I'm never gonna find you faking
No, no, no
Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this, you
You fall and you crawl and you break and you take and you turn it into
Honestly, promise me I'm never gonna find you faking
No, no, no