For those of you who are reading this, thank you for clicking on this story. I know the whole student/teacher plot line is way over abused, but I hope this one at least has quality. Unfortunately, I am one of the many who enjoys the student/teacher plot line. I think it creates a lot of interesting conflicts, and I've had this idea in my head for awhile. Therefore, I decided to just go for it. And so far, this is the result.

Enjoy!

Unintended

Prologue: Bad Beginning

The crisp morning sun peaked through tattered colored curtains. It was unusually warm this morning, and the sun obnoxiously celebrated this fact by streaming blinding rays of light into the soundless apartment. James Potter stirred and lifted one eyelid.

The unwelcome sun burned his fatigued eyes, sending a rude shock to his system. James Potter cursed the sun and all its mockery. He threw a pillow over his head but it was useless. There was no hiding from this morning and what it meant.

Today was September 1. The day James Harold Potter would forever remember as the day he officially hit rock bottom. At 10 o'clock this morning, James was expected to be aboard the Hogwarts Express, not as a student, but as a bloody-fucking Professor. By 10 o'clock this morning, he was going to be forced to play mentor/tour guide to annoyingly eager first years who didn't know the first thing about handling a wand.

In all honesty, James would rather chew his good wand arm off than get on the train this morning. But James was sure Dumbledore was expecting him to try and get out of going to Hogwarts. It was the way they had parted that made James a little weary to try and pull something.

"Mr. Potter...,"James grudgingly looked up from his mountain of peas that he had built while his parents had been conversing with Dumbledore. "...under any circumstance that you might encounter come September 1, I expect you to be on that train at 10 o'clock sharp. Is that understood?"

Then, he did his crazy eye thing that always made James sweat and a little petrified, like his mother had just caught him wanking or something.

"Yes, s-sir." He gulped, feeling like he had signed his death warrant.

In a way, that night, James had signed his death warrant. He agreed to return to Hogwarts as the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. His days as a partying, some times employed, living sex-god to anyone with female genitalia, were officially over.

Now, he was just Professor Potter: the guy whose parents had given up any hope for his future.

Lily carefully placed her last school book in her trunk, double checking to make sure that her books were stacked from largest to smallest. She moved over to her closet and pulled all the clothing she would need for the school year. Practicing the skills she learned working in various retail stores over the years, she folded her clothing and placed them in her trunk, making sure her school uniform remained on top so she could grab it without messing up the order of her trunk.

After her packing was complete, she picked up her room that she had disorganized while packing. She didn't dare use her wand, even though she was of age as of January. It had been one of "the rules" her sister insisted on when Lily had moved in: no magic.

Lily finished tiding and took one last look in the mirror. Her thick dark, red hair was slightly tangled from all the domestic work. She grabbed a comb and ran it through her hair, but it didn't help. She looked as bland as ever. She had tried to liven up her wardrobe but her heart just wasn't into looking stylish today. Therefore, she settled for her favorite pair of jeans and a Sex Pistols t-shirt.

Even her eyes, which were usually bright and alive, had lost their spark. It was as if her room had taken over her appearance. She had seen more rooms at the Leaky Cauldron with more personality than the room her sister and brother-in-law had given her when she moved in. The room was painted white which made it alarmingly bright, causing the floral pattern on the bed spread to play wicked tricks on her eyes. The fake mahogany furniture was an awkward contrast with the white walls, making her feel out of place rather than welcomed by her room. However, Lily saw no reason to try to add her own touch to the room. She promised Petunia she would be out the summer after her last year of Hogwarts.

Lily gave the room a once over before grabbing her cardigan and walking downstairs to wait for her cab.

She entered the kitchen where Petunia was wearing her tacky yellow floral apron. As usual, Petunia was baking. Lily rarely ever saw Petunia not baking.

"Don't put that thing on the table." Petunia said between mixing ingredients.

Lily moved her black cat companion, Rilke, off the table and placed him on the floor. Rilke hated being rattled in his cage and he hissed at Lily, resenting her for disrupting his sleep.

"Is your taxi here yet?"

Lily shook her head and sat down at the table where she had a view of the driveway. "It should be here any moment."

Petunia nodded and they fell into an awkward silence. Usually, Lily tried to keep her and Petunia talking whenever they were alone, but she had absolutely no energy for it today. For some reason, she felt empty of everything today. Thankfully she didn't have to wait too long before she saw the cab. Lily picked up her trunk and Rilke's cage—earning her another hiss from him—and faced Petunia.

"Well, I guess I'm off. Goodbye Pet."

Lily made her way to the front door, half-expecting Petunia to berate her for calling her Pet. But then again, Petunia was probably just eager to get rid of her so she and Vernon could go back to playing newlyweds.

"Wait, Lily."

Lily paused in the foyer.

"Where are you going for Christmas?"

Lily was slightly surprised by the question. She hadn't even thought about Christmas. She found it too difficult to think about the future nowadays.

"I haven't really thought about it. Why?"

Petunia nervously started folding her hands in front of her apron and looked everywhere on Lily's face but her eyes. "Well, you see...the thing is, Vernon and I thought we might visit his sister, Marge, for Christmas and I thought..."

"I understand," Lily interrupted, knowing full well what Petunia was saying to her. "I'll stay at Hogwarts this Christmas."

Lily hoped her face didn't look as crestfallen as she felt. She had really hoped to not spend Christmas alone this year.

Petunia dropped her hands to her side and sighed, her face hardening unapologetically. "Don't look so upset Lily. This is my family now and—"

"It's okay. I get it. Honestly." Lily reassured. She full well understood that her husband's sister was family. While she, her sister's blood, was just baggage. "Goodbye Petunia. I hope you and Vernon have a lovely Christmas with Marge."

She didn't wait for Petunia to respond. Instead, she nearly ran from the house, opting to go to Hogwarts where she knew people there who would want her around.

"Where to ma'am?" the cab driver asked, once she was inside the cab.

"King's Cross Station," she replied.

The vehicle leapt forward and she lazily looked out the window, seeing Surrey pass before her eyes. She tried to think about Hogwarts and the year ahead, hoping that it would cheer her up. She was Head Girl this year, after all.

But it didn't.

Instead, Lily dwelled on the fact that this was her last year of Hogwarts and no one was going to see her off this year at King's Cross. Christmas was going to be spent at Hogwarts, while all her friends left her to be with their families. Hell, she doubted anyone would be at her graduation.

Lily hugged her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. This year was going to be harder than she thought.

I know this is only a small beginning, but I always appreciate reviews as well as constructive criticism!